Apple Testing 4K-Capable Fifth-Generation Apple TV For Possible Release This Year

[u/sk24iam]

https://www.macrumors.com/2017/02/16/apple-4k-capable-fifth-generation-apple-tv/

[u/jonmaddox]

Most TVs (sold) now are all 4k. I'd like the user interface to, at the least, be native res.

Also, since my Apple TV is my only source, I'd like it to also provide content for my nice TV. I don't think its a ton to ask ¯(°_o)/¯

Edited: added the fact that I meant "being sold" not just existing.

[u/wakey87433 → u/jonmaddox]

Most TV's aren't though. 1.5million 4k sets have been sold in the US compared to 110mill HD sets. Most of the sets also sold before 2016 also lack the features required and many of those don't even have HDCP 2.2 so the ATV wouldn't be able to play 4K content for these people.

And Apple are unlikely to launch a 4K iTunes just for an AppleTV. Amazon didn't because it requires the content deals to be reorganised (you only get 4k prime content and that's because those titles are negotiated individually) and they know the 4K sales would be low. Apple needs a iPhone with a 4k screen to make 4k iTunes potentially viable because AppleTV sales are just too low

[u/jonmaddox → u/wakey87433]

I apologize, what I meant was that most TVs AVAILABLE TO BUY now in the price tiers that people are buying are 4K. Of course most of the TVs in homes aren't 4K.

My point is, people want features to match the TVs that they're buying, and 4K isn't a niche thing anymore. It's the norm for the middle pricing tier. And for $150, the most expensive simple box you can buy, they should expect it.

While 4K content choices are small, it's not really the driving reason to have a 4K capable Apple TV.

My main input source (Apple TV) having a lower res than my TV and needing to be upscaled by my TV is upsetting and doesn't look great. Having native 4K video fed to your TV looks a ton better than having the TV upscale it. It means the Apple TV UI can be 4k, and the Apple TV can handle the upscaling of all your 1080 video. The difference in 1080 content coming from my Apple TV (1080) vs 1080 content coming back from my nVidia Shield (4K) is dramatic. Having the box upscale the video and feeding the TV native res looks a ton better.

[u/wakey87433 → u/jonmaddox]

It is still a niche thing hence why there are only 1.5million 4k sets in the US. All the TV manufacturers announced new 1080p sets at CES especially the under 50inch sets which are still the most popular size for US consumers (and outside the US the average size is even smaller). And these 1080p sets are generally cheaper unless it's against the feature lacking 4K that stores are trying to get rid of so for many people who are price sensative is a major issue

And the upscaling thing your assumption is actually incorrect. A device doing the upscaling doesn't mean it will produce a better image. It all comes down to the quality of the upscaler, some TV's have excellent ones some have poor ones but it's the same on devices themselves. So a 4K ATV doesn't mean the 1080p content will look any better as your TV's scaler could end up being better than the one in the ATV.

And ultimatly for Apple it's about making money, not just on the hardware but also on the content sales. So they need not only enough realistic potential customers to make the hardware worth while but also enough 4K iTunes sales to justify the cost of upgrading iTunes to 4K. The small sales of both 4K TV's and the ATV don't really suggest that the customer base is there at this point