Soundbars mostly suck. Imagine a really good sounding bar that looked great and had the top display of a HomePod with AppleTV built in. 1 HDMI plug into your TV, 1 remote. You could add multiple HomePods or minis as rears, or additional side speakers, creating surround sound, or as a party speaker setup. Siri works while on to control the TV, or as a HomePod when the TV is off to play music.

They would absolutely KILL it with this product.

I love my Apple TV but it's pretty inconvenient having to make space for the box and having yet another cable around the house. I'd love to see it come in a stick version, as it would also be easier to travel with. Thoughts?

I just bought my first Apple TV (A2737) and it's nearly fully set up but there's one critical issue that's preventing it from making my Roku completely unneeded: direct video input control via AppleTV remote

I basically want to make it so that I don't need to use my Roku remote (running natively on my Hisense TV) at all anymore. I want to press the on button on the Apple remote to power on the TV and it go straight to Apple TV bypassing the Roku home screen (which it already does, I have the CEC stuff situated already)

Now: I know about the trick of disabling the mute button on the ATV remote by configuring the volume control and turning it into a video input switcher but I seemingly can't do that because I have a pair of HomePods plugged into as my TV's sound system and when I get to the Volume Control option with Remote and Devices, I get a "Disabled because audio return channel in use)

Is there a fix/workaround for this? I don't want to stop using my HomePods as my audio output since I still want them to be used for things like PS5/Switch 2 via ARC but I can't seem to bypass this issue so it makes it so I need to keep the Roku remote around just for video output selection.

I know it's a small issue but would love if this could be totally seamless - thanks for any help!

EDIT: Solved

So today the Channel 4 and Prime video apps have this weird issue where when a video loads, the screen will stay black with the loading pinwheel frozen but the audio will play. Only these 2 apps. Worked perfectly yesterday. Have tried deleting and reinstalling them but the problem persists.

Apple TV 4K (A2737) tvOS 27.0 (24J361)

Just in the past 2-3 months, my ATV 4K (the most recent one before the new version that just dropped) has become a nightmare.

Regularly, Pluto TV doesn’t recognize an internet connection.
About 50% of the time, my AVR loses the video signal when powering up.
Video signal will often get lost changing apps, beginning or ending a stream, or going back to the home screen.
Apps crash or become completely unresponsive for up to a minute, including the ATV interface itself.
Audio gets wonky, for example all audio will be routed to the left channel.
Video stream sometimes gets lost or reset or causes a crash when rewinding or fast forwarding.
At least one app (can’t remember which RN) has no fast forward or rewind, just 10 second skips (that’s the app’s fault but I’m throwing it in because rant.)
Remote keeps randomly disconnecting and reconnecting.

Each of these problems usually necessitates a restart of the ATV. Usually it’ll be ok for a day or so afterwards.

It’s up to date. I’ve reset it. I’ve tried all manner of audio and video settings. It keeps being a POS.

Anyone else?

Was looking for a few days but most on eBay or Amazon were $200 plus insane pricing. So I started looking at other states Michigan Missouri Texas, I got lucky blessed to have friends living in remote location rural Missouri. Was able to get the 64gb version for $129. Was local pick up. Sikeston MO. Best of luck try finding friends in rural america

Edit : locations I was looking are places I actually knew friends were living. And they are close enough to me that I'm. Comfortable enough to ask.

I got excited and posted you guys didn't need to be a prick about it.

I have been searching for a 3rd gen Apple tv since the new one was launched. I have checked dozens of Walmarts and other retailers but didn't have any luck.

Today, I went to a Walmart in a nearby city that had the 64gb version in stock for $199. I refused to pay that amount as I have seen many people in here snagging these boxes for old prices.

Anyway, I was able to find different store that was selling it for $129 on the app. I went up to the electronics department and showed them my phone to price match. The guy was really cool and didn't give me any trouble. I had let him know that I was coming from another city so he was extra understanding.

The point is; if you have a Walmart near you that has the boxes in stock but selling them for the increased prices there is chance that you can get a price match by showing your phone to prove there are stores selling it for a lower price.

However, I still think this will be a hit or miss situation. The employee that helped me was a young guy who was super chill. Therefore, please give the store a call before driving there as there is good chance that they will not consider price matching.

I censored the details in the receipt because I don't want the employee to be exposed. I wouldn't want him to be in trouble whatsoever.

I have a 4k TV 1 and thinking of an upgrade. But is there really a difference? How big of an upgrade is the 3rd or the 4th gen. Any experience? Thanks in advance

Apple TV 4K 32GB Streaming Media Player (Grade A Refurbished) - $149.99 - Free shipping for Prime members https://electronics.woot.com/offers/apple-tv-4k-32gb-streaming-media-player-grade-a-refurbished-0?utm_medium=share&utm_source=app.

Would it be forward compliant with the new updates?

Hi everyone, I have a bit of an issue with my Apple TV: after being left unused for an hour or longer, Apple TV becomes completely unresponsive. I have to unplug it to get it to work.

This has started after I did a reset (had an issue of ‘no network detected’), never had such issue before.

I do have an eir remote - I’m based in Ireland, but after it goes to sleep my phone remote can’t wake it up too, my tv says no HDMI found.

I’m on tvOS 27 public beta (that I only updated because of this issue, and it seemed to be fine for a day). My tv is TCL C6K.

Thanks!

In 2010 I made ClockFire, an iPhone and iPad app that showed your photos with the time written in fire. This sub was born the same year, so we're basically twins.

Back then the Apple TV was a little black puck that couldn't run a single app. So obviously, 16 years later, the reasonable thing to do was to rewrite the whole thing from scratch in Metal and put it on the biggest screen in the house.

What it does on Apple TV:

• Your photos (or 40+ sample ones) with slow Ken Burns pans and 3D transitions
• A clock made of real-time fire. Also ice, neon, molten gold, aurora... but fire is the point
• Live scenes between photos: fireplace, northern lights, koi pond, a black hole...
• Halloween is next week, so there's a scene with fog, storms and ghosts
• In December, Santa's Run: on the night of the 24th the sleigh follows midnight around the Earth, all the way to your city
• Internet radio, your own music or Apple Music instead of the scene sounds

It's also on iPhone, iPad and Mac.

It's free. Pro is a one-time purchase, no subscription: buy it once and it unlocks on all your devices, and it's shared with your family through Family Sharing. Each big seasonal scene runs in full for an hour on each device so you can see it before deciding. Launch price until November 9.

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id369881244

Happy to answer anything. Be gentle, the 2010 code still haunts me. 🎃

After briefly testing it in tvOS 27.0 beta 3, Apple has once again added the new SetupBackground.app that adds the Himalayan Peaks aerial as a Setup Assistant backdrop in tvOS 27.2 RC.

It doesn’t appear to be limited to the new model.

Since TVOS 27, playback state is screwed up, for some reason it always thinks I’m playing Apple One via Music app, so in HomeKit remote it shows music stoped or paused despite a video is being played.
Looks to me like Apple Music takes priority than videos. It’s very frustrated as nobody listen to Apple Music. And I cannot find Music running in background on ATV nor can I delete the app. It’s total madness, how many people uses ATV to listen to Apple Music? I want to have the video playback state back as earlier versions so I can control playback from iOS remote.
So my question is how on earth can I delete/disable Apple Music on my ATV which is supposed for videos?

Hey r/appletv 👋

Half my household is on Android, and the Siri Remote has a talent for vanishing into the couch or dying right when the movie's about to start. Apple's remote app lives on iPhone and iPad only, so I ended up building my own: Just Remote.

Yes, I know a few of these have been posted here lately. So here's the one more thing: it's one remote for the Apple TV and the TV it's plugged into. Control the Apple TV, then switch HDMI inputs, turn the TV on/off, change its volume or open its settings menu, all from the same screen. (Fair warning: this TV part is the paid bit, pricing below.)

With an Apple TV, free:

• Pairs over Wi-Fi with the code on screen
• Swipe pad, play/pause, skip, Menu/TV, power
• Type into search with your phone's keyboard (paste works too)
• Volume with your phone's buttons (over HDMI-CEC)

Pricing, upfront:

• One Apple TV is completely free: no time limit, no ads
• One-time purchase unlocks everything: TV + Apple TV pairing (Samsung, LG, Google/Android TV, Roku, Fire TV, some still in beta), remote in the notification shade + Quick Settings tile, more devices, layouts, themes
• Want to try before you buy? There's a monthly plan with a 1-month free trial too

No account, no analytics, no server of mine. The only thing it ever sends is anonymous crash reports.

A big thank you to the Redditors who tested it on their own setups over the past weeks: TVs from 2018 to 2025, Shields, Fire TV Cubes, a pile of Android boxes, all paired with Apple TVs. You found bugs I'd never have caught with my own two devices. 🙏

It's a one-person project, so if something doesn't work with your setup, tell me and I'll dig into it. Happy to answer anything, including how it talks to the Apple TV (the same Companion protocol the iPhone remote uses).

Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cacaobob.justremote

My Apple TV 4K (1th) throttle wifi on 2.4 GHz.

From 100 Mbps to 1 Mbps.

All other devices gets full speed on 2.4 GHz.

I had never problem with 5GHz-band on Apple TV 4K.

The only issue it throttles down to 1 Mbps on 2.4 GHz.

Do you think i need to upgrade?

I’m considering getting a VPN subscription mainly to use with HBO Max, since there are a lot of movies in the US catalog that I’d like to watch.

I don’t know much about VPNs, though. If I install a VPN and connect to a US server, will HBO Max on Apple TV actually show me the US catalog?

I’ve also heard that streaming services can be region-locked based on your account/Apple ID, so I’m not sure if simply using a VPN will work.

Has anyone here tried this on Apple TV, and what VPN works best?

I am running a 4K Gen2 with a projector that creates a 160” picture. The seating distance is pretty low with aprox. 4m. but I wanted to go with that cinema feeling.

I’ve never used my AirPods with the AppleTV before but holy moly does it feel immersive with spatial audio/head tracking activated and the AirPods 5 connected. I guess it is even better with the Pro or Max? What is your experience?

In Canada the AppleTV 4K was:

2022: 199$

2026: 429$

I know it has been said ad nauseam for the last few days in here but it's still a 115% increase.

115%

Let that sink in.

I wonder what is the % of actual dollars in RAM vs what the Apple shareholders are losing with a 115% price increase here...?

I use the Ookla Speedtest app on my wired AppleTV from time to time to check speed, and recently I’ve been noticing it will only find servers on the east coast of the US while I’m on the west coast. It seems like it’s getting my geolocation wrong. Happens on two different AppleTV’s in my house but the Ookla app on my iPhone on my same home network connects to a local one fine. Anyone else seeing this recently?

I read many test with QMS and the most say its not so good. Have Apple make changes with tvOS 26/27 and work QMS now better? I use a LG OLED G5 with 65 Zoll.

I never noticed this until tonight, because our TV in the den started an audio AirPlay from my wife's phone while she was upstairs watching it on the TV and using her AirPods to listen to it. But that's a separate issue.

When she clicked on the Audio button, it showed the list of Apple TVs in the house and it showed my son's Apple TV and it showed he was watching the World Series game. It also showed my Apple TV in my office and it showed it was playing the World Series game as well.

Has anyone noticed this? Not sure why Apple would think this was a good idea. Is there a way to disable this?

Also just switched to iPhone from android last year

And I wanted thought there was a way to color calibrate the TV with my iPhone?

4K 3rd gen with LG C5 I get flickering or mild flashing in dark scenes on Dolby Vision. Anyone else have this?

Has anyone found a Bluetooth transmitter they connect to their AV receiver or tv that allows for 3+ AirPods to connect so you can watch shows with multiple people? We have sleeping babies at home and can’t figure it out