Apple TV 4K review

the super-fancy iPhone X, you absolutely don't need the Apple TV 4K. But you might want one anyway.

If you just paid big for a sweet new TV, it makes sense to feed it the best video you can. With streaming that means 4K resolution, preferably with high dynamic range (HDR) or Dolby Vision, which both deliver better color and more pop.
Sure, that new TV has built-in apps that can stream Netflix, Amazon, Vudu and all the rest in 4K and HDR, but for the best streaming experience -- with the most apps, easiest search and constant updates -- you'll want to connect a separate box.
The Apple TV 4K is the new luxury box. It combines the best streaming video quality available today with the smoothest, most polished feel. It's as quick and capable as any streamer around. And since the price is just $30, £30 or AU$40 more than the non-4K version, it's a better value even if you don't already own a 4K HDR TV.

Apple TV prices

Model	US	UK	Australia
4K 32GB	$179	£179	AU$249
4K 64GB	$199	£199	AU$279
1080p 32GB	$149	£149	AU$209

If you have the non-4K Apple TV already, it's probably not worth getting the new one. 4K and HDR video is still scarce, and isn't stunningly better than standard HD quality. The Apple TV 4K also costs more than twice as much as the Roku Premiere+, which does basically the same things very well, and has nearly all the same apps except iTunes and Apple Music. It also has more 4K apps right now, including YouTube, whose numerous 4K videos aren't available on Apple TV 4K.
Unlike the Roku, Apple TV 4K doesn't allow on-screen purchases from iTunes competitors such as Amazon (coming later this year) or Vudu. And the fact that the box upconverts all video to 4K/HDR -- everything from on-screen menus to low-res YouTube clips -- is confusing and doesn't improve image quality of content that wasn't 4K to begin with. None of those issues are deal-breakers, but any one of them could be reason enough to skip the Apple TV 4K.
I expect more 4K streamers to be announced soon, almost certainly including new Alexa-centric 4K Fire TV devices or new Rokus. They could also change your calculus. So unless you're an Apple die-hard with extra cash, it's worth waiting a bit. Stay tuned.
Update, Sept. 26: Added statement from YouTube on 4K video below.

But first... what's new with the Apple TV?

Before I get into the details of the new 4K version, here's what Apple has added to both it and the earlier 2015 version, which remains on sale.

• There's an updated operating system, TVOS 11, that's available now on the 2015 model and shipping with all 2017 Apple TV 4Ks.
• It lets the Apple TV discover and pair with AirPods for private listening, adds AirPlay 2 support with multiroom audio (coming soon), and a setting to automatically engage Dark Room mode based on local time.
• Now you can sync the home pages of multiple Apple TVs in your household, automatically mirroring their arrangements and folders. Downloading an app on one adds it to another.
• In addition to the forthcoming Amazon app, Apple's TV app will add a section devoted to live sports. If your favorite team is playing, you can simply ask Siri to watch it and the box will automatically switch and stream (if available). A similar section will be added for news.
• The HomePod speaker, due later this year, can play audio from Apple TV wirelessly, but Apple isn't detailing any other capabilities. I asked about using HomePod's far-field mics for remote-free Siri voice control, similar to the Echo Dot controlling Fire TV, but Apple had no comment.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Upside-down remote? Put a ring on it

I have always loved the touchpad-equipped Apple TV remote. Whipping around menus and videos with one thumb feels slick and futuristic. I dig the tidy size and button count as well as the quality feel of its materials from metal to glass to the matte touchpad itself. 
For many others, the Apple TV remote is the Apple TV's least-loved feature. Ineed, unless I attach the lanyard or a remote case, I occasionally pick it up wrongside-up and start swiping the bottom glass, not the top pad. A clever, ultraminimalist design touch solves that issue admirably on the Apple TV 4K remote: There's a raised, white ring around the menu key. Now it's obvious at a glance which end is up. Apple is also adding this white ring to the original Apple TV remote. Bravo!

Back in black

The box itself looks exactly like its predecessor. The only visible difference between the two is the absence of a USB-C port on the back of the new one. Apple told me it was only used for service, and it's not needed anymore.
Under the hood there's an Apple's A10X Fusion processor -- the same used in the iPad Pro -- for faster processing and graphics than the A8 chip in the 2015 model. However, both boxes felt equally quick to me. Perhaps future games will take advantage of the new processor.
The Apple TV 4K is available in 32GB and 64GB configurations. Unless you download lots of big games, 32GB is plenty, since the box streams pretty much everything else (video, photos and so on) and the storage is used primarily for apps.
Updated connections include Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11ac Wi‑Fi with simultaneous 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands and Bluetooth 5.0. The video out is now HDMI 2.0a to support 4K HDR video. The Apple TV 4K can do Dolby Digital surround sound, but it's not compatible with Dolby Atmos audio. 
It's also not compatible with the 4K or HDR videos from YouTube. "YouTube relies on the VP9 codec for distribution and playback of 4K and HDR videos," a YouTube representative told me. "The new Apple TV does not support VP9 and therefore we can't deliver 4K resolution on this device." In other words, don't expect 4K and/or HDR YouTube videos on the Apple TV anytime soon. 
That's not a huge loss, since YouTube's normal 1080p videos look very good. YouTube fans who insist on peak image quality should probably choose another device that does deliver it in 4K, like Roku's 4K players or the Chromecast Ultra.

Vudu (and coming soon, Amazon) are new additions that compete directly with Apple's iTunes. Screenshot by David Katzmaier/CNET

Not just for Apple fans anymore

Apple's devices offer more perks to people who use iPhones, iPads and Mac computers. But as Apple TV's app lineup has expanded, its appeal has grown to non-Apple (or at least non-iTunes) people too.
The impending addition of Amazon, the second most-popular streaming provider after Netflix and a direct competitor to iTunes, erases my No. 1 complaint about Apple TV. Like just about every other streamer on the market, Apple TV will finally be able to access Amazon's vast library of to-rent and to-purchase content and free Prime shows and movies, including Amazon originals. And the Apple TV 4K will get the 4K and HDR (and Dolby Vision) titles too.
Apple TV added Wal-Mart-owned Vudu, another major iTunes competitor, last month, but that app doesn't serve 4K or HDR/Dolby Vision on the Apple TV 4K (yet).
One advantage Roku still has over Apple TV is the ability to actually rent or purchase TV shows and movies directly on the device from multiple services, and even compare prices. With Apple TV, those purchases can only be made through iTunes. If you want to watch an Amazon or Vudu title via Apple TV, you'll have to buy it somewhere else first, like Amazon's website.
Once you make that purchase, however, Apple TV's Amazon and Vudu apps have full access to the title. But don't write off iTunes just yet. The service has a pair of aces up its sleeve that could sway even non-Apple people to use iTunes instead of its competitors for movie purchases and rentals.

4K is actually cheaper on iTunes (for now)

Ace No. 1: If you own a particular iTunes title already in HD, and it becomes available in 4K (with or without HDR) on iTunes, Apple will upgrade the version you already bought for free, automatically. As far as I know such a policy is unprecedented. From LaserDisc to VHS to DVD to Blu-ray to streaming, if you wanted a higher-quality version of the video, you had to buy it again, full price.
Ace No. 2: All HD and 4K titles on iTunes cost the same. On other services, 4K is typically more expensive. Take a new release like "Wonder Woman." On iTunes it costs $20 to buy and $6 to rent, regardless of whether you get the HD or 4K/Dolby Vision version. On Vudu and Google Play, the HD version costs the same but the 4K/HDR version costs $30 to buy and $10 to rent. It's a similar story with new-to-video movies "Kong: Skull Island," "Ghost in the Shell" and "Transformers: The Last Knight."
I'm not sure how long that big price difference can last, and Vudu, Google and FandangoNow had no comment when I asked if they're planning to lower their 4K prices to compete. On Tuesday Vudu matched iTunes' $20 price for the 4K version of "Baby Driver," however. Begun, the 4K movie price wars have.
One caveat: iTunes currently lacks the 4K versions of some movies, like "Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2" and "Fate of the Furious," which other services have in 4K and HDR. I asked Apple whether either title would be available on its service in 4K soon (triggering the free upgrade to 4K). 

Company reps said they were working with studios to add more 4K titles, but that Disney, the studio behind "Guardians," is not one of the studios supporting 4K HDR for Apple TV 4K content. Translation: Don't expect it or other 4K Disney titles -- including Star Wars, Pixar and other Marvel movies -- to hit iTunes anytime soon. 

Can't find 4K TV shows and movies? Ask Siri

4K streams have been available since 2014 but they've been notoriously difficult to find. Netflix does a good job of surfacing them in a row called "Ultra HD 4K" on many devices and TVs, but if you want to just see available titles across a bunch of services, it's not easy. The best solution, until Siri came along, was Roku's "4K spotlight" channel (which ironically excludes Netflix).
On the Apple TV 4K you can just press the remote's mic button and say, "Show me TV shows in 4K," or, "Show me movies in 4K." You can get more specific like, "Show me comic book movies in 4K," or, "Show me TV dramas in 4K." Each of these searches returned relevant results from Netflix and iTunes, the two 4K services currently active on my box. Meanwhile "...movies in HDR," worked but, "...TV shows in HDR," didn't and neither did, "...in Dolby Vision," or, "Show me TV dramas in 4K starring Bob Odenkirk." Sorry, Bob.
There's a section of iTunes devoted to 4K video, but I'd also love to see Apple include 4K and HDR lines in its "TV" app, which is designed to surface stuff you can watch now without paying, as part of your normal subscriptions. Hopefully that happens when Amazon launches -- its massive library will be included in the TV app, Apple says, unlike Netflix.
If you still can't find anything to watch, just wait a few minutes for the Aerial screensaver to appear. The gorgeous flyovers are remastered for 4K and look spectacular.

Apple TV 4K vs. Apple TV 1080p: A better picture, but often subtle

In my book HDR is the biggest advance in home video image quality since HDTV itself, but it's not nearly the same magnitude of leap. Don't expect to be as impressed with your first look at HDR as you were when you first saw HD -- provided you're old enough to remember that revelation.
Seen side-by-side, HDR usually surpasses non-HDR in a way that some viewers will notice immediately, and others will scratch their heads looking for. I've been doing this image quality evaluation thing awhile myself, and it's often tough for me to tell HDR from non-HDR at a glance.
It helps to have a nice TV. I set up the 2017 Apple TV 4K right next to the 2015 Apple TV and watched the two best TVs I've ever tested: the 65-inch LG OLED65E7P and Sony XBR-65A1E, both of which use OLED display technology. I swapped between the two watching the same material, one delivered in 4K HDR by the new box and the other in 1080p high-def (without HDR) by the old one.
There are two major HDR formats -- HDR10 and Dolby Vision. LG TVs support both. Samsung only supports HDR10. The Sony set I used only supports HDR10 now, and will add Dolby Vision later this year via a firmware update. But the good news is that Apple TV 4K supports both, so it's effectively universally compatible. 

First up: "Wonder Woman." The most immediate difference was in color. The 4K Dolby Vision HDR version showed more vibrant, realistic greens in the Amazonian grass and trees, deeper blues in the skies and more vibrant gold in the firelight of Diana's room. But even more impressive was the impact and pop of the Dolby Vision image, which made the standard one look kinda drab in comparison. Highlights were brighter, especially under the outdoor sun, and additional details abounded, for example in the clouds and the paintings of powerful women in Diana's storybook.
On this title at least, Dolby Vision looked better than HDR10. Colors appear more saturated and vibrant in Dolby Vision, while in HDR10 they looked closer to the standard version. Highlights and pop were similar however, and the HDR10 version still surpassed its standard HD counterpart.
Next up: "Baby Driver." In the Blues Explosion-powered opening scene, the red of the getaway car was deeper and more realistic in Dolby Vision, the sky and the white of Baby's headphones brighter. When I switched from Dolby Vision to HDR10, the colors again looked closer and the impressive pop of the image was reduced. In many scenes, like the meeting of the gang in the warehouse (at 9:12), it was tough to see any advantage of HDR.
My final stop comparing the two boxes was with Netflix's "Daredevil." It's a very dark show, which generally makes differences more elusive. During an early nighttime fight in Season 1, Episode 1, the HDR10 version looked better but not overwhelmingly so: brighter headlights and city lights from a parked car popped more against darker shadows, and later during the intro, the red of the melting buildings again looked more realistic, less pinkish than the non-HDR version. I also noticed more detailed highlights, for example the wire grid in a window behind Matt Murdock (at 9:11) that was obscured in the non-HDR version.

In sum, with 4K and HDR sources the improvement in image depends on your TV and the video itself, but in most cases it's there, if not always obvious. For owners of nice TVs who want to watch the best streaming format available, Dolby Vision is the best choice from what I've seen, followed by HDR10 and finally "just" 4K. 

When Dolby Vision and HDR isn't

The Apple TV 4K does something its competitors do not. When connected to a 4K HDR TV, it internally converts everything into 4K resolution and Dolby Vision or HDR (whichever the TV supports) by default. And I mean everything: the main menus, the app menus, the screensavers, the games and yes, all of the video from every app (including ads), regardless of its original resolution.
Apple's reps said the main reason for this approach is a cleaner user experience: fewer blank screens or other interruptions while the TV adjusts to a different signal.
I don't like it, in part because it can actually increase confusion (and 4K and HDR are confusing enough already). Many viewers of the Apple TV 4K will think they're watching HDR or Dolby Vision material when they're not.
4K and HDR TVs from LG and TCL show pop-ups during HDR or Dolby Vision content, and in my testing they appeared regularly on the LG TV, indicating that stuff like menus and ads on YouTube were in Dolby Vision. LG is working on a firmware update to make the popups less frequent, but they'll likely still appear at times, for example when switching inputs to Apple TV 4K.

Beyond popups, most brands of TVs have indicators in the menus -- Samsung's prominent "HDR" on its picture mode icon, for example -- and entirely separate picture settings for HDR and Dolby Vision also. Seeing them could cause similar confusion.
In terms of video quality, the main effect of the conversion on non-HDR material is to make everything look brighter. The effect was most obvious in menus, but apparent in pretty much any video.
That's because HDR often unlocks a TV's full light output potential, allowing it to get brighter than it would with non-HDR content. The default picture settings for most HDR TVs call for maxed-out brightness. A lot of viewers prefer a brighter picture, but in text and menus with white backgrounds it can get overwhelming, especially in a dark room.

Apple's conversion in general does a very good job of remaining true to the non-HDR original, although I did see extra noise in certain content. Watching "The Walking Dead," "Breaking Bad" and "Lost" on Netflix, for example, I noticed more roiling motes of noise in skies, smoke clouds and other areas. Since the difference disappeared when I manually turned off the Apple TV 4K's HDR and Dolby Vision output, I blame the conversion for making the noise more visible -- likely by making it brighter.
Most video I compared however, including "The Handmaid's Tale" on Hulu, "The Deuce" on HBO Now, NFL highlights on the ESPN app and even random YouTube videos looked very similar, beyond the increased brightness and minor color differences due to the TVs themselves and their implementation of HDR.
There's an easy fix for the issue. Apple could enable a "native" mode that disables the 4K HDR conversion, and only serves up HDR for actual HDR videos. I suggested just such a measure and Apple's representatives said they'd consider it. In the meantime you can always disable HDR mode manually in the settings menu, or tweak your TV's settings, but neither solution is ideal. No matter what, I definitely recommend engaging "Dark" menus.

Is it worth the extra money?

Not for most people.
Once Amazon launches, the main hold-up over Apple TV 4K is the price. If you really want to save money, most 4K TVs have perfectly good on-board apps. And if you want to use an external streamer instead, the Roku is much cheaper.
But let's say you're OK spending $179, £179 or AU$249 to get a high-performance streamer. If you're an "Apple person" with a nice TV and a yen for improved image quality, the Apple TV 4K is definitely worth getting -- and if you already own the non-4K one and you have cash to spare, it's a good excuse to kick that box to a secondary room. The same goes for movie buffs who regularly rent or buy new releases in 4K, thanks to iTunes' price advantage and promise to upgrade to the 4K versions.
For everyone else it's a tougher sell. Apple TV 4K still provides a more polished experience than the current Roku or Amazon 4K devices or the Nvidia Shield (which just dropped in price to $180 too), but that polish comes dear.