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Apple TV

First impressions: The new Apple TV shows potential

Ladislav Soukup
30

The new Apple TV went on sale in the Czech Republic at the end of last week. In addition, thanks to the developer kit, we already tested it a few weeks before, but only now were we able to test it in full. The App Store has already been opened for the Apple set-top box, one of the biggest innovations. And it is thanks to him that we have decent potential in the fourth generation Apple TV.

We already knew everything about the hardware of the new Apple TV: it received a 64-bit A8 processor (it was used, for example, in the iPhone 6) and a new controller with a touch surface and a set of motion sensors. But the biggest news is the tvOS system based on iOS 9 and especially the aforementioned App Store.

Apple TV is packaged in a neat black box, which is traditionally not much bigger than the hardware itself. In the package you will also find a new controller and a Lightning cable for charging it. Apart from the cable for connecting to the socket and a very brief instruction, nothing more. The developer kit that Apple sent ahead of time to developers also included a USB-C cable.

Connecting the Apple TV is a matter of a few minutes. You will only need one HDMI cable, which is not included in the package. After first booting up, Apple TV prompts you to pair the remote, which is just one press of the touchpad on the new Apple TV Remote. We'd better stop by him right away to set the record straight on the speculations that are spreading.

Controller as controller

A key element in controlling the 4th generation Apple TV is voice. However, it is connected to Siri, which is currently only available in a few languages. Therefore, it is not yet possible to control the new set-top box by voice in our country and in other countries where the voice assistant has not yet been localized. That's why Apple offers "Siri Remote" in countries where voice control is possible, and "Apple TV Remote" in other countries, including the Czech Republic.

It's not all about two different pieces of hardware as some have thought. The Apple TV Remote is no different at all, only the software is treated so that pressing the button with the microphone does not call up Siri, but only on-screen search. So both controllers have built-in microphones, and if you connect to an American Apple ID, for example, you'll be able to use Siri whether you have a Siri Remote or an Apple TV Remote.

So when in the future Siri also arrives in the Czech Republic and we can communicate with the voice assistant in Czech - which we can only hope will be as soon as possible, because it is a really essential part of the experience with the new Apple TV - we will not have to change any controllers, as some feared. But now back to the initial setup.

Control tips with the Apple TV Remote

[one_half last="no"]Touch area

  • To rearrange app icons, hover over one of them, hold your finger on the touchpad and wait for them to move like on iOS. Then swipe right, left, up or down to move the icons. To exit, press the touchpad again.
  • The faster you swipe on the touchpad, the faster the scrolling and browsing of content will be.
  • While writing text, hold your finger on the selected letter to display capitalization, accents, or the back button.
  • Holding your finger on a song will bring up a context menu including Apple Music options.

Menu button

  • Press once to step back.
  • Press twice in a row on the main screen to activate the screen saver.
  • Press and hold the Menu and Home buttons at the same time to restart the Apple TV.

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Home button (right next to Menu)

  • Press once to return to the main screen from anywhere.
  • Press twice in a row to display the App Switcher, which will show all running applications. Drag your finger up on the touchpad to close the app (same as iOS).
  • Press three times in a row to invoke VoiceOver.
  • Hold to sleep Apple TV.

Siri button (with microphone)

  • Press to invoke on-screen search where Siri is not supported. Otherwise, it will invoke Siri.

Play/Pause button

  • Press once to toggle the keyboard between lowercase and uppercase letters.
  • Press once to delete the app in icon move mode (see above).
  • Hold for 5 to 7 seconds to return to Apple Music.

[/one_half]

After pairing the controller, you need to enter the Wi-Fi password (or connect an ethernet cable) and enter the Apple ID name and password. If you have a device running iOS 9.1 or later, just turn on Bluetooth and bring the device closer to your Apple TV. The Wi-Fi settings are transferred by themselves and you enter the password to the Apple account on the iPhone or iPad display and that's it... But even with this procedure, you cannot avoid the need to enter the password directly on the TV using the remote control at least once. More on that below.

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App Store as the key to everything

Unlike the previous generation, you will find basically nothing in the new tvOS. Apart from search and system settings, there are only a few apps – iTunes Movies, iTunes Shows (only in countries where series are available), iTunes Music, Photos and Computer. The latter is nothing more than Home Sharing, an application that allows you to play any content from iTunes on the same local network. The last and probably the most important application is the App Store, through which the full potential of the new Apple TV will be revealed to you.

Most basic apps are clear and work great. Apple gets a minus only for the Photos application, which for some unknown reason does not support iCloud Photo Library, which works so well on iPhones, iPads and Mac computers. For now, you only have access to Photostream and shared photos on Apple TV, but there's no reason why iCloud Photo Library won't be available in the future.

On the contrary, the good news is that the App Store has been relatively comprehensive since the first day, there are a lot of applications and new ones are still being added. The worse news is that it is a bit harder to navigate in the App Store and the application category is completely missing (which is probably only a temporary state). At least the ranking of top applications is now available. But the best way to find an app is still to search… but you have to at least have an idea of ​​what you're looking for.

Painful keyboard

The purchase is the same as on iOS or Mac. You choose an application and immediately see how much it will cost you. Just click and the app will start downloading. But there is a catch - you need to enter a password. An even bigger catch is that by default you have to enter a password before every "purchase" (even free apps).

Fortunately, this can be changed in the tvOS settings, and I highly recommend setting up automatic downloads without a password, at least for free content. It's even possible to enable purchases of paid apps (and content) without having to enter a password, in which case you'll be prompted with a confirmation dialog before making the purchase. In this way, you avoid the tedious entry of a password via the on-screen keyboard and controller, but you also have to be careful with children, for example, if you do not require a password even for paid applications.

 

Entering or writing text is the biggest stumbling block on the new Apple TV so far. The new tvOS has a software keyboard that you control with a touch controller. It's actually one long line of letters and you have to "swipe" your finger back and forth. It's not exactly terrible, but it's definitely not comfortable.

In countries where Siri is supported, this won't be a problem, you'll just talk to the TV. In our country, where Siri is not yet available, we have to use letter-by-letter input. Unfortunately, unlike iOS, dictation is not available either. At the same time, Apple could easily solve the problem through its own Remote application, which, however, has yet to be updated for tvOS. Control via iPhone and especially text input would be (not only) much easier for a Czech user.

Known from iOS

All downloaded applications are stacked under each other on the main desktop. There is no problem to rearrange them or delete them directly from the desktop. Everything is carried out in a similar spirit as on iOS. The first 5 applications (first row) have a special privilege - they can use the so-called "top shelf". It's a big, wide area above the app list. An application can display only an image or even an interactive widget in this space. For example, a native app offers "recommended" content here.

apple-tv-appstore apple-tv-appstore
Enter the gallery
wide range of applications. However, a large part of them is very much at the beginning and it can be seen that there was not enough time for development. Applications such as Youtube, Vimeo, Flickr, NHL, HBO, Netflix and others are of course ready. Unfortunately, I haven't come across any Czech yet, so iVysílání, Voyo, Prima Play and perhaps Stream are still missing.

Of the global players, I haven't found Google Photos, Facebook or Twitter yet (it would definitely be something to show on TV). But you can find Periscope, for example, but unfortunately it doesn't support login yet and the search in it is quite limited.

The game potential is felt

But what you will definitely find is a lot of games. Some are just scaled-up versions from iOS, and some are completely redesigned for tvOS. I was surprised that the touchpad controls are more or less pleasant for games. For example, Asphalt 8 uses motion sensors in the controller and works like a steering wheel. But for sure, the gamepad control would really help a lot.

Apple strictly prohibits games that would require a similar controller, or forces developers to program the game for the simpler Apple TV Remote in addition to more sophisticated gamepads. It is quite understandable from Apple, because not everyone buys a gamepad, but the question is how developers of more complex games, such as GTA, deal with such a limitation. In terms of performance, however, the new Apple TV would be able to compete with some older consoles.

Little things that please or annoy

The new Apple TV has learned to turn the television on or off using a command via an HDMI cable. The controller from Apple is connected via Bluetooth, but at the same time it also has an infrared port, so it can control the volume of most televisions. However, if you accidentally turn on AirPlay on iOS or Mac, your TV will also turn on. This function can of course be turned off.

Developers will probably appreciate the fact that just connect a Mac to Apple TV with a USB-C cable and you can record the entire screen using QuickTime in OS X 10.11. But pirates will be disappointed - you can't play a movie from iTunes in this mode, and I assume that Netflix and other services will have the same restrictions.

App size limits are very often discussed. Read more about Apple's new approach here. In practice, I haven't had a problem so far, most applications fit just fine. But, for example, Asphalt 8 will start downloading additional data right after downloading and starting it for the first time. If you hit a time when the App Store has problems or your internet slows down, you can forget about playing… when you start the race, you see that there are maybe 8 hours left until the download is finished.

Enthusiasm prevails

In general, I'm excited about the new Apple TV so far. I was very surprised by the visual quality of some of the games. It's a little worse for games with a controller, where developers are severely limited. But for navigation within the system and content applications, the touch controller is perfect. The on-screen keyboard is a punishment, but hopefully Apple will soon solve this with an updated iOS keyboard.

The speed of the whole system is amazing, and the only thing that slows down is loading content from the Internet. You won't enjoy much without a connection, and it's clear that Apple simply expects you to be online and have a fast connection.

For some, the Apple TV may be coming too late, so they already have the "situation under the TV" solved in a different way, with other hardware and services. However, if you are looking for a purely Apple solution that fits into the entire ecosystem, then the new Apple TV is definitely an interesting all-in-one solution. For around 5 thousand crowns, you basically get an iPhone 6 connected to a TV.

Photo: Monika Hrušková (ornoir.cz)

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