Seriously, give me a good reason to switch over to it. Just got a new Samsung TV and I am really impressed with the apps available. Pretty much everything I use on my Apple TV is on the TV. Apple TV is hooked up but I’ve been using the TV apps for Netflix, YouTube, Prime, etc. On top of it all, the TV remote is impressive (and also will control Apple TV).

I guess a related question, why would anyone with a newer TV like this buy an Apple TV or any other add on device for the matter? Am I missing something? Apple Arcade isn’t enough for me.

Happy Thanksgiving all.

LarryJoe33 said:

Seriously, give me a good reason to switch over to it. Just got a new Samsung TV and I am really impressed with the apps available. Pretty much everything I use on my Apple TV is on the TV. Apple TV is hooked up but I’ve been using the TV apps for Netflix, YouTube, Prime, etc. On top of it all, the TV remove is impressive (and also will control Apple TV).

I guess a related question, why would anyone with a newer TV like this but an Apple TV or any other add on device for the matter? Ami I missing something? Apple Arcade isn’t enough for me.

Happy Thanksgiving all.

Click to expand...

For me, I actually like the Apple TV remote. I like that it’s slim and light and I can quickly and easily scrub through content on YouTube and netflix.

There are also other Apple TV apps such as Apple Music, photos, airplay mirroring, podcasts, even airvideo.

If your smart TV already comes with the apps you need, then there’s probably no reason to get a separate streaming box for this. My TV is pretty basic (only came with YouTube and netflix), plus I was already pretty invested in the Apple ecosystem, so rounding it out with an Apple TV was a no-brainer for me.

Firstly, you shouldn't need to be convinced to buy something, if you don't want it don't buy it

We cut out cable a while back and have been using Apple TVs around the home since then, they are all synced with the same apps we use and the user interface and remote are great. We have a lot of purchases in iTunes so having that music / video content available is also good to have. I also really like the integration with Apple HomeKit and the ability to control devices through that. When we have family over they can easily share photos using airplay from recent holidays and places they have been.

From what I've found previously with some TV Smart Apps systems is they don't always get updated and support for them can be dropped by the TV manufacturer for that TV model. There also doesn't seem to be much consistency between TV manufacturers.

Overall I think the Apple TVs are one of Apples most underrated products, we use them everyday and never had any issues.

Ok, first, I own two 4K latest model Apple TV’s and have owned every generation. My new Samsung TV has Apple TV and Music on it. Should have mentioned this, but no Photos, so good point on that.

I don’t need to be convinced to buy it, I own it. Just an honest question with regard to what am I missing here and further, why would a new consumer buy it if they have a TV with 90% of the functionally? I also can upload photos through the Samsung app.

On the remote, to each his own, but it’s honestly been the biggest complaint. It’s poorly designed and extremely touchy to the point it’s almost impossible to land where you want.

Trust me, I’m all in on Apple products. I just need to understand what I’m missing here.

If the built in app is meeting your needs, there really is no need to purchase the Apple TV unit separately.

This is an old question. Did you try a search?

For me, I’ll add that ATV isn’t Android based. That in itself is my sell point. Never trust Android.

kissfan said:

For me, I’ll add that ATV isn’t Android based. That in itself is my sell point. Never trust Android.

Yeah, I’ve been messing with the Android based apps, especially Netflix to see if I like it better. I find the Apple TV Netflix poorly designed.

I’ll probably stick with the Samsung interface for a while. I paid a crap ton for this TV, so I may as well. I pretty much on need one input on my TV.

If I didn’t own Apple TV’s I probably wouldn’t be in a rush to go buy one if i just bought a brand new tv. As it is Apple TV is pretty easy to use along with harmony remote so the little apple remote isn’t relevant.

I don’t use the tv stuff even though my Sony 85” and lg oled have stores and apps.

This is on Apple. TvOS is an afterthought by Apple. It’s up to Apple to make it a more significant distinction.

I’ve posted before that input one is the goal. And that is your remote. Basically that should be apples goal as well. I shouldn’t be using a harmony remote. An Apple TV should be a harmony killer.

All depends on your preferences I guess, if iTunes Extras included with movies(includes Directors/Extended Cuts), Apple Arcade or Apple Music are not of interest to you then go with the Smart TV app.
If however any of those are of interest then stick with the ATV4K.

This Samsung set has Apple Music and Apple TV+ which I subscribe to. The Sirius XM app doesn’t do video like the one on the ATV box. I like to watch Sterns interviews and music performances. The Samsung remote also controls the ATV and is much better at it.

LarryJoe33 said:

Ok, first, I own two 4K latest model Apple TV’s and have owned every generation. My new Samsung TV has Apple TV and Music on it. Should have mentioned this, but no Photos, so good point on that.

I don’t need to be convinced to buy it, I own it. Just an honest question with regard to what am I missing here and further, why would a new consumer buy it if they have a TV with 90% of the functionally? I also can upload photos through the Samsung app.

On the remote, to each his own, but it’s honestly been the biggest complaint. It’s poorly designed and extremely touchy to the point it’s almost impossible to land where you want.

Trust me, I’m all in on Apple products. I just need to understand what I’m missing here.

Click to expand...

I actually like the appleTV remote. Oh and appleTV had apps such as MLB that do not ship with smart TVs.

jwolf6589 said:

Oh and appleTV had apps such as MLB that do not ship with smart TVs.

In fairness, the MLB app is probably available your “smart” TV also. You just have to download it.

I’m looking forward to buying an aTV4k and how i see it, here’s what’s missing:

1. No ads, Samsung has ads in the UI depending on your luck.
2. Speed of operation, but this depends on the TV.
3. If you have homepods, then only ATV can airplay to them, while getting something airplayed from your phone (irrelevant with an audio system connected directly)

essentially a niche product that may be useful depending on ones set up.

I have a few TVs in the house that are 'Smart TV's but i just don't use that side, i wired Apple TVs to them all. I've been burned in the past. My 2009 Panasonic had YouTube apps and others built in, support was dropped after a few years and that side just became useless. I don't buy TVs based on their smart features, i say buy a dumb TV and a smart box.

I actually really like the Apple TV remote, i use my voice for text input when searching and its as fast to use as a trackpad. When i need to enter awkward things like login details and i can use my iPhone as a remote keyboard to enter quicker.

I too prefer to run all my TV type media through one of my 3 ATV units. I love how they keep themselves synced with each other and how they sync with my other apps to consolidate my recent shows all in one place. I don't use Netflix so I don't miss that integration. One of my ATV's is at my weekend cabin and it serves as my Home hub to control my light bulbs and cameras while I am away. I am not a big fan of the tiny remote, I have very large hands and would prefer something a bit easier to hold on to. I do like the touch pad control and especially the voice control. I also enjoy controlling my ATV via Siri through my Homepods.

LarryJoe33 said:

Seriously, give me a good reason to switch over to it. Just got a new Samsung TV and I am really impressed with the apps available. Pretty much everything I use on my Apple TV is on the TV. Apple TV is hooked up but I’ve been using the TV apps for Netflix, YouTube, Prime, etc. On top of it all, the TV remove is impressive (and also will control Apple TV).

I guess a related question, why would anyone with a newer TV like this but an Apple TV or any other add on device for the matter? Ami I missing something? Apple Arcade isn’t enough for me.

Happy Thanksgiving all.

Click to expand...

I don't trust TVs with my info after Visio got caught. Also they seem to have a history of very short software support compared to boxes, especially the atv.

Honestly, you don't need an Apple TV. Like, maybe if you own iTunes content. But even then, it's looking like Apple TV app integration in smart tvs and other set-top boxes (like Roku) sort of make the need to stick with an Apple TV pretty moot. App selection for tvOS is also pitiful compared to something like a Roku or a FireTV.

I run my Samsung TV like a monitor. Cable box change channels, Audio receiver controls volume and direct inputs from Cable, ATV, DVD and my iMac for music. So I never use any apps on TV, but that is your choice. To get high quality sound, I use the system as described.

The headphone output from the iMac requires and isolation transformer to eliminate hum from ground loops. Available from Amazon.

I like having the ATV for the original programing and the interface with the Apple ecosystem.

The Apple TV 4K is WORLDS ahead of anything I've ever seen built into a TV when it comes to responsiveness. I also vastly prefer the interface and I like the remote.

I realize the remote is very much a personal taste kind of thing, but I'm surprised at how many people hate it so much. I love being able to quickly zip through a list of items or scrub by touch.

Not only that, but built in TV apps tend to have spyware and ads in them. I have no idea if your TV does, but my friends have complained about ads in their TV interface and I've heard reports of these TVs being very chatty with their manufacturer's servers. Who knows what information is being shared and sold? We know Apple's record with privacy and it's pretty good.

Any Smart TV I ever have will only be plugged in to the network for firmware updates, and even then only if I have issues. Apple TV all the way.

Abazigal said:

For me, I actually like the Apple TV remote. I like that it’s slim and light and I can quickly and easily scrub through content on YouTube and netflix.

There are also other Apple TV apps such as Apple Music, photos, airplay mirroring, podcasts, even airvideo.

If your smart TV already comes with the apps you need, then there’s probably no reason to get a separate streaming box for this. My TV is pretty basic (only came with YouTube and netflix), plus I was already pretty invested in the Apple ecosystem, so rounding it out with an Apple TV was a no-brainer for me.

Click to expand...

I agree. I bought a Sony 1080p TV in 2010 with apps like Slacker and YouTube. YouTube was the first app one year later Google stopped updating for the TV. I bought an Apple TV use I like having slide shows of my photos and I used to make Keynote quizz and photos fun that I could stream to TV when we could make parties.

2ilent8cho said:

I have a few TVs in the house that are 'Smart TV's but i just don't use that side, i wired Apple TVs to them all. I've been burned in the past. My 2009 Panasonic had YouTube apps and others built in, support was dropped after a few years and that side just became useless. I don't buy TVs based on their smart features, i say buy a dumb TV and a smart box.

I actually really like the Apple TV remote, i use my voice for text input when searching and its as fast to use as a trackpad. When i need to enter awkward things like login details and i can use my iPhone as a remote keyboard to enter quicker.

Click to expand...

do you know of a brand that still makes dumb TV. I wanted to buy a new 1080p TV last year. Could only find an Insignia 40 inch and a Sony 32. I finally found a used dumbest of them all LG 50in full HD. for 200$. The picture quality is OTW. I knew I was taking a chance but it was that or a Sony with Android in my face. Bought a nice refurbished HD ATV on Apple site and happy as can be. About the remote, yes it's awkward and not too precise but it stands out beside the LG and cable box remotes. Your iPhone do the job, my iPad do the same.

I’ll go over the few things about an appletv you probably don’t care about but it makes all the difference to me.

1. airplay. Sure newer tv’s might support airplay but it’s not to the same level you get from an appletv. I use airplay daily. I play sleep sounds over my home stereo when I go to sleep. So it’s invaluable. If you dont have a home stereo and are ok with a standalone sound maker then have at it.
2. infuse. way better than plex. Beautiful. Great artwork, fast, direct play. Again if you don’t have a Plex server then you can forget about this Also. I have 1600+ movies so a nice player without problems or glitches is invaluable once again
3. now playing feature. When you are playing something you see it on your Lock Screen. You can skip ahead or back with one touch. My nvidia shield doesn’t have this and this isn’t something you get from an android based system with an android phone according to my friend. It’s very convenient.
4. Apps just look better. Not sure why you think the apples Netflix app doesn’t work or seem as good as on an android device but my nvidia shield Netflix is still fuzzy. Looks like crap in comparison because they are using a 1080p interface which goes to the apps. It just doesn’t look good to me. Not sure about Samsung tv’s or the apps. But if you don’t notice an increase in sharpness and resolution using an appletv over another device then don’t bother. My friend says he doesnt notice a difference in apps or interface and he has both an nvidia shield and an appletv. he also has a budget 4K tv and doesn’t care about interface much he says. I’m the complete opposite as the whole user experience is brought down for me if things aren’t super sharp and have polished apps.
ive never found an app on the nvidia shield that looks as good on the appletv. Especially built in apps. Apple just does apps better.
5. Remote app. I use this more than the standalone app. I don’t have to look at my phone when using it either because the buttons and layout are just done right. My nvidia shield app not so much. The back button is so small I never hit it without looking. again, another reason apple does apps so well is USER EXPERIENCE. It also doesn’t look like a generic mess of an app. Things are done right and look good doing it instead of looking like an app a 5 year made and said ok ok good enough I’ve worked for a day and that’s all you get.
6. Onscreen controls. Doesn’t matter if you don’t have a receiver which I’m guessing you don’t if you use the standard tv remote and are ok with that. I like seeing volume control and other information I can only get on a standalone device. My marantz receiver has a small screen on it which is useless and I rely on the onscreen controls and information. Volume, sound settings, display settings, music settings etc....

also, if you have an apple watch you can control everything from the watch. It’s nice to have and wish there was an app for other devices like my shield but there’s not.
I don’t think the remote that comes with it is bad at all. I prefer it over the previous one. Not sure why so much hate is on it. I think it’s because the animations make it feel not accurate because you have to pull harder to the side to get the icon to move over. You can turnoff animations in the settings and makes those go away so it’s one click over like a normal remote.

Thanks all. I’m am a few weeks into it. I still haven’t used my ATV4k as I’m trying to see what I’m missing overall. Some observations:

- some of the apps, like Hulu are pretty slow on the Samsung
- Samsung airplay support isn’t the same as through the ATV. It doesn’t fill the screen, so I will be going to the ATV for this, but I rarely AirPlay from my phone.
- no photo app on the Samsung, so a slide show is out of the question
- not really an observation but a comment from a co-worker: one of the disadvantages of using the smart part of the TV is the stress on the TVs processor and cache and over time will decrease the speed and life of the TV. Not sure I buy this.

One annoying thing about atv is having to reboot it daily just about. You kinda know when it’s time. Apps stop working. It’s like it’s out of memory.