Apple HomePod reviewapple tv review Great sound but its trapped in Apples world August 3, 2018

Apple HomePod reviewapple tv review Great sound but its trapped in Apples worldThe HomePod sounds similar to Googles Home Max and better than the less expensive Sonos One.

Multiroom audio is finally here with the iOS . software update.

The glows white to tell you its ready for initial setup and green during a phone call. You cant place or accept calls directly from the HomePod, but you can use it as a speakerphone when youriPhone, at Cricket Wirelessis nearby. The various taps and LED status indicators have a slight learning curve at first, but the HomePod is easy to control straight from the speaker.

Unlike the Sonos and the Max, which are typical directional speakers that sound better when you listen from the front, the HomePod is supposedly more versatile. Apple talks up the speakers ability to sit anywhere in the room and create great sound, but I found performance on all sides hitandmiss.

The BadYoure stuck with Appleonly audio services when using voice commands and the HomePod only works on iOS. Siri and HomeKit lack the polish and device compatibility of Alexa and Google Assistant.

In other words, unless you have an exhaustive daase of music you purchased on iTunes, youre going to need an Apple Music subscription. Apple extends a free threemonth subscription to Apple Music when youre setting up your HomePod. After that day period ends, the service costs per month for one person or monthly for a mily plan. College students can sign up for just per month, but Apple will ask you to verify your student status. Those prices in the UK are , for mily and for students. In Australia its AU, AU or AU.

Does the stereo HomePod sound better than the stereo Sonos One? In some ways the HomePod is better, its a more relaxed combo with better extension. But in others the Sonos offers greater articulation and a keenlyhoned stereo .The Homepod is easier to listen to in the long term, and if you listen to lots of abrasive music this might be more important to you. You also dont have to wave your phone around your room for three minutes which is the worst/weirdest thing about the Sonos setup routine Apples microphones do it all for you.

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I listened to a number of different tracks comparing the Apple HomePod in stereo to the Sonos One in a pair from disco, to acoustic, to rock. On a whim, I started with the HomePod and The Replacements Nightclub Jitters and the testing room was immediately transformed into the smoky jazz club the song seeks to emulate. The sound was huge. Meanwhile, the song was offered better stereo separation on the Sonos One with the ride cymbal appearing in the right speaker even though the sense of space was lessened.

Your iOS device prompts you on setup to give your HomePod a dedicated location, sign up for Apple Music if you havent already, and enable something called Personal Requests.

The bric meshwrapped HomePod, available in either space gray or white, weighs a hefty . pounds . kg. Its . inches tall and . inches wide by mm petite compared to the .pound . kg and footwide Google Home Max. But the HomePod feels surprisingly dense when you lift it, as I learned while carrying it through the airport.

Apple says the speaker adjusts itself based on room position, and as I moved the speaker around I could hear the difference as it recalibrated. Overall I found that the HomePod sounded best placed against a wall or in a corner, which is fine since thats where most people will probably place it anyway.

Discuss Apple HomePod review Great sound, but its trapped in Apples world

For a compact speaker, the HomePod offers big sound, and in testing I found it pretty much unflappable no matter what kind of music I threw its way. Its hard to say that about many speakers, regardless of . From dance pop to guitar rock to orchestral pieces, the HomePod sounded excellent. It doesnt produce stereo sound by any stretch youd get more presence or you are thereness from a pair of stereo speakers. But the HomePod is a solid performer you can plonk in your kitchen without having to worry that it might distort at high volume.

Siri still has a lot of maturing to do before it can compete with Alexa or Google Assistant. Buying a HomePod also means youre signing up for a speaker thats built with the Apple Music streaming service in mind. You cant play Spotify and other thirdparty music services straight from the HomePod via a Siri command. Instead, you have to send that audio to your Apple speaker from the corresponding mobile app.

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Most of the time the HomePod and Max sounded similar, with Apple edging ahead for bass extension and balance, though there was one track where the les turned. Dont You by Amber Rubarth, with its rich, reverbdrenched vocals and languid drawl of the violin, sounded crisper on the Google Max. The pitterpatter percussion sounded more immediate on the Google speaker, though the HomePod was able to amplify the boom of the bass drum. Though the Apple device gave a better sense of the hall, it created a distance between the singer and the listener that Googles gadget didnt have.

Before you can start listening to music on your HomePod, you need to configure it. The good news It literally takes seconds to set up. Not unlike AirPods, just holding youriOSdevice next to the HomePod triggers the process. Follow the steps to start playing music and more with Siri on your HomePod.

You can also say, Hey Siri, move the music to the Living Room if you want to switch rooms or Hey Siri, play this song in the Living Room to add a room via voice commands.

What about the Spotify, Pandora, thirdparty podcast apps or any other audio source? Theyre all playable on the HomePod from iPhone,iPad at Amazon, iPod Touch, Apple TV and Mac but youll manually need to tap the AirPlay button on the screen of the source device. Windows PCs running iTunes can also be used as a music source. Thats a big step down from the Sonos One, which works with dozens of music services, as do theGoogle Home at Dell Homeand Amazon Echo speakers.

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With the HomePod in the center of the room, for example, I heard distinct wedges of good and less good sound around the speaker. Sometimes the front sounded great and the back not so much. Sometimes the best sound came from degrees to either side.

Charged with something more challenging, the bass underbed on WW by AltJ seemed more fully formed on the HomePod. The Sonos combo didnt go quite as deep or feel so full, but it is also half the price.

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That Apple Music prompt is important, because when it comes to voice control, Apple services are pretty much the only game in town. Heres what you can ask Siri to play as outlined on the Audio Sources section ofthis Apple specs

The bad news Youll need an iOS device for this. The HomePod and Apples Home app dont work on Androidphonesorlets. Scroll down to the bottom ofthis for a complete list of compatible iOS devices.

Touch and hold the center of the to get Siris attention without having to say, Hey, Siri. A miliar, bluegreenpurple LED status indicator will begin to glow on the to let you know Apples voice assistant is listening. Tap the to play or pause music or to stop Siri midsentence. You can also double tap to skip a song or triple tap to skip back and replay a song.

The HomePod doesnt have a button on the speaker itself to mute Siri, weirdly enough. Both Amazon and Google speakers have dedicated mute buttons so you can manually disable voice control. With the HomePod, you can only decrease the music volume from the speaker itself, which isnt really the same as muting Siri. Instead, you have to use the app or voice control to turn the Hey, Siri feature off or on.

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Apples HomePod has excellent bass and consistently superior sound quality across a wide variety of music genres. The speaker is easy to set up and Siri can hear you from across a room.

One of the tracks that created some separation among the three speakers was Yulunga Spirit Dance by Dead Can Dance. Its the kind of song made for the HomePod the combination of airy vocals, deep booming notes and crisp percussion brought out the best in Apples speaker. The HomePod made the song come to life from its droning beginning, into the palatial vocal line and beyond.

Although the Max presented more of a stereo effect, the sound was a little harsh in comparison, and the Max just wasnt able to dig deep enough in the bass. Sonos, meanwhile, sounded more closed off.

Apple makes impressive claims about the design of its speaker and how that translates to better performance on its website. The tweeters are supposed to provide degrees of consistently good sound, while the microphones with help from the A chip ensure Siri can hear you over loud music from a ir distance, without you needing to shout. The woofer brings that rich bass.

You really need to be OK with these limitations to justify buying a HomePod today, unless you dont care about anything but its stellar sound quality. Everyone else should wait to see what Apple will add to this promising speaker in the months ahead, above and beyond the justreleasedAirPlay .

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The same is true if youuse two HomePods as a stereo pairin the same room. The speakers are supposed to take measurements to get a sense of the space theyre in, as well as where they are relative to each other.

The HomePods bass extension sounds great, but it wasnt always as tight as I expected. The kick drum in Girlfriend is Better by Talking Heads sounded a lot looser than Ive ever heard it before, for example, and resonated a little too long. If you like funk or other s with a prominent deep bass drum, this speaker may not give you the kind of quick response youre used to.

At the top of the speaker, youll find a touch . It isnt a screen, so it cant highres or video content like anAmazon Echo ShoworSpot, but it does have integrated plus and minus signs for adjusting the speakers volume manually. Tap or hold them to increase or decrease volume.

You dont even need to download an app to set up the HomePod.

The HomePod relies on a single, twoprong power cord, which you can plug into any standard outlet. Apple says the HomePod can go pretty much anywhere in your home, from the bathroom to the garage, either near a wall or in the center of the room. Just be aware that the cord isnt detachable as the HomePod doesnt have a battery onboard, so you might have to hide it under a rug if you want to show it off in the middle of a space.

The HomePod claims omnidirectional sound through a feature called spatial awareness. No matter where you put your speaker, a builtin accelerometer movement and motion sensor is supposed to kick in and recalibrate based on its location. This helps it determine how to direct sound and should help ensure consistently good sound quality no matter where the HomePod is and no matter where you are in a room relative to it.

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I really wish the HomePod had a dedicated mute button. It would be good to have another option beyond having to grab your phone or use voice control.

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On a track like WW by AltJ, with its deep bass bed, the HomePod has an authority that the Google Home Max and the Sonos One cant muster. Despite the tracks weighty synth bass, the Apple speaker never struggled. While the other two were balanced, they lacked heft especially the Sonos, which didnt even attempt to reproduce the deep notes.

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AirPlay enables multiroom audio, meaning you can play the same song or podcast in multiple rooms on multiple HomePods, or on a combo of HomePods, Apple TVs andadditional AirPlay compatible devices at the same time. Launch multiroom audio from your iPhone or iPad Control Center by selecting more than one HomePod. Saying, Hey Siri, play a song in the Living Room and in the Bedroom works, too.

Apples , AU Siripowered HomePod smart speaker produces awesome sound across a broad range of genres, it stand out, particularly compared to the Sonos One,Googles Home MaxandAmazons nextgen Echo. Its crazyst setup and excellent longrangeSirimicrophones also make it appealing. Offering multiroom audio and stereo pairing, courtesy ofAirPlay , helps the HomePod compete with Alexa and Google Assistant speakers.

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If you simply say, Hey Siri, play a song, only that HomePod will play. I like that it doesnt assume you always want to play audio on every compatible speaker. That means that you do have to specify in the Living Room and in the Bedroom, though.

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Apples HomePod has seven tweeters, all placed in the bottom of the speaker. Each tweeter has an amplifier and a transducer. Six Siriready microphones sit above that, followed by the woofer and Apples A chip at the very top.

In true Apple form, the HomePod has a sleek, minimal design. It looks good, but not distractingly so, and Im glad you get a couple finishes to choose from. We got a white HomePod and while I like how it looks, I can easily imagine smudging it with repeat handling. The HomePods mesh exterior isnt interchangeable like the Amazon Echos removable shell. What you buy is what you get. You can, however, clean it with a dry or damp cloth.

Its important to note that the HomePod doesnt work as a basic Bluetooth speaker, either. So an Androidtoting guest or mily member wont be able to send any music to the HomePod from their device.

The HomePods uniform sound across so many different s of music separates it from its two main competitors, the Google Home Max and the Sonos One. Most of the time in our tests at s Smart Apartment, the Max and the HomePod sounded similar, with both exhibiting a relatively open sound and good extension, while the lessexpensive Sonos One sounded slightly more distant.

The Bottom LineApples HomePod doesnt match the features offered on Alexa and Google Assistant speakers. But if youre an iPhone user who prizes sound quality above all, you should seriously consider this speaker.

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Best Sapple tv reviewtreaming Device For K Roku vs Apple TV vs Amazon Fire TV August 3, 2018

Apple TV has an App Store similar to the one on iOS. The App Store has every popular video streaming app including Amazon Video, Vudu, Hulu, Netflix, Showtime, HBO, Sling TV, DirecTV, and YouTube TV.

For Apple TV Ks price, you should be able to use as part of a premium home theater setup.Dolby Atmosis the latest audio standard, but Apple TV K doesnt support it yet. Applesaid it willwith a future software update.

It looks more attractive than Roku but its confusing to use. Youre probably already paying for HBO and Showtime through other means. This makes Amazon Channels useless and more of a distraction than anything.

What about streaming for NFL Sunday Ticket.have Samsung k TV want to stream games on Samsungwhat is best option?

Roku OS is unbiased and doesnt vor Amazon or iTunes. Good K selection.

I doubt that a different streaming device will help. Hotspots are never going to be reliable when it comes to streaming content and youre going to get throttled later in your billing period too.

YouTube TVis the best live TV streaming service, but there isnt an app and wont be.

Roku Ultra has an Ethernet and USB port, Micro SD card reader, remote finder, and a headphone jack in the remote. Otherwise, Roku Stick and Roku Ultra have the same internal specs and work the same.

Ethernet and USB port, Micro SD reader, remote finder and headphone jack.

Dolby Vision and HDR are the two competing HDR standards. My eye isnt tuned enough to tell the difference, but critics say Dolby Vision looks better. Roku and Amazon Fire TV only support HDR, but Apple has the most HDR content as they support both standards.

Learnmore hereor subscribe to my email list for new posts and gadget giveaways.

Now, prices of K TVs are similar to p TVs, and Apple finally released a K HDR version of their streaming device.

Your iTunes HD purchases are upgraded to K for free, and Apple is charging the same amount for a K movie as it did for HD. Amazon hasmatched this too.

You cant control the volume with the remote, nor can you turn off the TV with it.

Amazon Fire TV already knows who you are if you buy it with YOUR Amazon account, which makes installation easier. Also, if its your second Amazon device and your WiFi settings are saved, you dont have to worry WiFi setup.

Typing in emails and passwords for every service isnt fun. Apple gets around this with Single SignOn. You sign in with your cable provider, and all your apps will work without signing in again. Not all cable providers are available, but even if yours isnt, Apple saves your deult email and makes it easy to sign into your apps.

Private listening mode is a cool feature if you have roommates or youre just trying to be quiet. You plugyour headphonesinto the remote, and the volume is turned off on the TV and is played in your headphones.

If youre an iPhone user, you can control Apple TV from command center swiping from the bottom.

YouTube has a substantial K content library, but because it uses theVP video format, you can only play p videos from the YouTube app.

Not as st as Apple TV, but plenty of power.

Amazons trying to pull out inidual content from other apps and curate it, but it turns into a mess.

Fire TV got smaller from the previous version, but I assumed it would it keep the same speed. On the contrary, its noticeably slower. It works well with all of Amazons content and Netflix, but it struggled with things like Playstation Vues guide. Theres not enough power.

Its quick and easy because it prefills info based on your Amazon account.

Setup is more timeconsuming compared to the other devices.

The TV app shows, and curates, all available content in the world, and when you click on a show, it plays in the correct app to which you have a subscription. The Watch Now feature inside TV App keeps a queue of everything youre watching, across all your apps i.e. Showtime, Hulu, HBO, Amazon etc.. It starts the show on the episode you left off.

If youve used iPhone or iPad, Apple TV will be second nature. Everythings set up the same and all of your content apps from your phone download to your Apple TV automatically.

DisclosureIm a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to m and affiliated sites.

Rokus K content selectionis vast. You get K content from Netflix, Amazon Video, YouTube, Vudu, and others. Also, Roku does a great job of organizing and showing where to find K content.

HomeKitworks with Apple TV and can be used as your homes hub. This means you can control your lights, thermostat and others devices while youre not home.

The remote has most of the powers of a typical Alexa device, like controlling the house lights.

You want a great streaming experience for less than Apple TV. Youll get tons of content, unbiased search, and enough speed to get the job done, but youre stuck with an oldschool intece. Roku Stick is my pick for most people.

When you ask Alexa to launch an Amazon Prime video, the content opens right away, but it doesnt always play the K version. Why are there two versions of the same movie? It should be one movie and the definition should auto adjust depending on the of TV you have.

I was just browsing, hesitant because I bought and barely used a Chromecast a few years back, and stumbled across your . First off, I appreciate the dedication it took to make this review as great and honest as it was. I dont really have much input other than I really liked the open, honest, and very human aspects in this piece. The more tech things go, the harder it is to find genuine reviews and suggestions.

Apple TV gen four is st, but Apple TV K is even ster with iPad Pro chips.

I used each device for at least a few days some much longer, installed my apps, and played with the settings thoroughly.

The nonK Apple TV was by r the stest device I tested, but Apple TV K is noticeably speedier because it usesApples bit AX Fusion chipthe same chip in iPad Pros.

extra info I live in a trailer that has a metal roof. My Verizon gives me a solid two bar out of four ,and sometimes three bars.

Not as st as Apple TV, but plenty of power.

If youre interested in streaming sticks that only stream p, I wrote aboutthem here.

Ultra and Stick Plus have enough power to do whats needed. Going in and out of menus is quick, and much ster than Fire TV, but Rokus speed doesnt have anything on Apple TV.

At the bottom of the screen is a sponsored section thats static. Youll see car, razor, travel, computer, and cat food advertisements. Why are you cluttering up my home screen with this garbage?

NFL Sunday Ticket is exclusive to DirecTV. The only way to get it is with their satellite subscription its not available with DirecTV NOW.

Apple TV has stunning screensavers. Theyre drone shots that move slowly through different cities for four minutes. My friends and I have spent hours looking at these. This is trivial, but it shows Apples attention to detail. Check themout here.

Its the most polished design similar to iOS and easy to find content.

After months of testing, I foundApple TV Kto be the best overall streaming device for K TVs. It has the most K content options and a brilliant intece. However, the price isnt feasible for most people. As a budgetfriendly alternative, I recommendRoku Stick Plus. Youll get an excellent experience for less than Apple TV. If you dont have a K TV yet, readmy on streaming sticks.

Rokus phone app is great for opening streaming channels. When you tap on services in the app, it shows on the TV.

Im a little lady that lives in Florida. Ive been studying your wonderful comparison website.

The App Store is similar to iOS with the essentials and lots of K content.

TheresDolby Atmossupport, although there isnt content that takes advantage of this yet.

The remote gets laggy from r away distances. I have my Apple TV placed in the same spot as my previous generation Apple TV I never had an issue before. After some troubleshooting, I think the Bluetooth in the remote isnt as reliable as the previous generation.

Ive been obsessed with gadgets since I was eight years old.

For HD content, theres Hulu, Netflix, Showtime, HBO, Sling TV, DirecTV, YouTube TV, PlayStation Vue, and others available.

Its sad and blatantly shows my dedication to Apple, but I didnt buy a K TV because Apple didnt have a device that supported K. Of course, other ctors like price and lack of K content affected my decision as well.

Siri with your TV is brilliant. Hold down the button and ask it to find you certain movies, genres, open apps, check the score of a game, or perform any of HomeKit activity. Siris the only thing that I use to bring up movies or shows that arent in my Watch Now yet.

Roku is getting over the app quality issues with their new . software. Rokus feed shows potential by curating movies to watch, while content you follow show up in the feed as it becomes available, but the overall Roku intece leaves much to be desired.

Are you talking something like the Nvidia Shield?

I dont love the preset streaming buttons i.e., Netflix, Hulu, PlayStation Vue, and Sling on the remote. It would be cool if you were a member of all those services, but Im left with three useless buttons.

im glad I found your site, I was leaning towards hulu live but after reading think will go with you tube I really like college football and dont want any buffering or issues. Im a recent cord cutter. I do have firetv and it works good, better then my rokus. I hope picture will be good on my roku;s with you tube. I also wonder if you have ever tested android boxes I have been reading on them and if I hadnt already had bought fire tv would have bought a box seems they run much ster and better picture from what have read. Thanks

Amazon Fire TV is the best way to watch all ofAmazon Primes content. Its perfectly optimized and there are cool exclusive features while watching. For instance, you can see all the actors when pausing a show.

It does great, except after about or minutes it goes into this loading thing that is s frustrating. Do you think that having an Apple TV might fix this? ?

I dont have insider access. Im just like you, the everyman.

Its attractive but littered with annoying ads throughout the platform.

Voice control works and has dedicated app buttons.

Voice control works fine and has dedicated app buttons.

This device vors Amazons content in a big way. There are advertisements for it everywhere. I felt like I was being sold something the whole time. I paid money for this device; I just want to relax!

Amazon supportsHDR, but not Dolby Vision. I cant tell the difference between the two standards, but people smarter than I say Dolby Vision is better.

If you want to go handsfree, you can flawlessly sync your Alexadevices, like EchoorDot. Its by r the best integration with a smart speaker. For Amazon content, you can tell Echo Alexa, play Transparent on my Fire TV and the content starts up without the need to press any buttons. Its a streamlined experience, but it only works with Hulu,PlayStation Vue, and Showtime.

The intece feels dated, and you dont get a universal experience. Every app is set up differently and has different playback controls. This will probably be overlooked or not noticed by most people. Im obsessed with nice design and in the minority.

Theres a lack of K HDR content. Theres no iTunes or Vudu. Youre stuck with just Amazon which lacks HDR content relative to iTunes and Vudu, Netflix and YouTube.

You have more options for controlling the picture compared to Roku. You can change the depth and format. This might come in handy if you cant get the picture to how you want it, but its not a necessary feature.

Whenever a field appears on Apple TV, youll get a push notification on your iPhone prompting you to enter via your iOS devices keyboard.

Apples K HDR library is the biggest. Plus, you have Netflix and Amazon Video available in K. Apple is three years late to the party, but its good news for consumers and the future of K.

It needs charging once a month via the lightning cable rather than batteries.

Now, lets find out how I reached my conclusion, by comparing four K streaming devices Apple TV K vs. Roku Ultra vs. Roku Streaming Stick Plus vs. Amazon Fire TV while evaluating six categories intece, setup, content, speed, remote, and bonus.

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Roku makes money by collecting your user data, but the ads arent terrible.

Youre an iPhone user and like the iOS intece or have lots of iTunes content. Apple TV K and nonK are the best streaming devices on the market regardless of your phone. The only caveat is price. Apple TV K is , while the nonK is .

Apple supportsHDRandDolby Vision.Apple TV is the only streaming device on my list that supports Dolby Vision.

Half of the home screen is advertising Amazons content.

The only major missing service is Spotify, but you can AirPlay Spotify from your phone.

Ill update this post frequently because my opinions change.

I just so very much really wanted to be rid of them! After that, I signed up with Verizon on my iPhone, got a new K smart TV, and got unlimited data from Verizon, and have been hooking up with a personal mobile hotspot to the TV. I also purchased a lightning digital AV adapter from Apple that I have not figured out.

Under your row of handpicked apps, there are your most used apps. In most cases, this results in duplicate apps from the first row and it just looks bad. The most used is not edile or removable.

As it so happens, I gathered up all of my Comcast paraphernalia, dumped it on their desk, and said Im done.

You want everything Roku Stick has to offer, but you need an Ethernet, USB or Micro SD port. Roku Stick and Roku Ultra have the same internal specs and software, with the only difference being that Ultra has a remote finder and extra ports.

AirPlaywith your iOS device is great. Swipe up on your phone and tap the AirPlay button and then youre mirroring your phones screen.

Sterp is an app to show off your vorite gadgets.

Although the remote is easy to lose, it feels great in your hand and is beautiful! It controls your TV and soundbar via HDMI and the IR outputs.

Amazon Channelsintegrates Amazon Video, HBO, Showtime and Starz into one platform. If you use Amazon Channels, youll pay for HBO, Showtime, and Starz through Amazon on a monthly basis rather than your cable provider. Amazons version of HBO and Showtime are cheaper than buying them outright.

Im so immersed in Apples ecosystem that I felt Id be cheating on them if I left for a different device.

Youre heavily invested in Amazons ecosystem or have Amazon Channels. The third generation Fire TV is slower and more Amazoncentric than the previous generation. I dont want to be inundated with ads, so I stay away from Fire TV even when its deeply discounted.

Installation is quick and seamless if you have iPhone. Single SignOn is great.

Roku does voice search but only to find movies or shows. Theres no virtual assistant like Alexa or Siri. Roku cant handle complex questions or tasks, but Im alright with that because their voice system does what its supposed to.

Apple TV Ks setup is perfect if you have an iPhone. When you place the phone next to the Apple TV, it collects your Apple ID and WiFi information, so you dont have to enter it.

Then, I bought seven streaming devices to try AllNew Amazon Fire TV Gen , Amazon Fire Stick, Roku Ultra, Roku Streaming Stick, Roku Streaming Stick Plus,Google Chromecast, and Apple TV K.

Slower than the previous generation and the slowest of those I reviewed.

However, if you want to find the best K streaming device, stay here.

Its easy to lose and not a n vorite, but its sleek, and Siri is excellent.

Setup is annoying. Roku gets docked because of how beautiful Amazon and Apple are in comparison. Roku requires you to create an account and asks for your credit card. Every time I set up a new Roku, I cant seem to log in. However, the clunky setup can be overlooked because its only a onetime thing.

Roku was the last to get voice control on the remote, but they did a solid job. The voice controls dont do ncy things like Alexa or Siri, but Rokus assistant finds the show and which app to stream it in when you ask.

Amazon vors its content and Apple prefers iTunes, but Roku doesnt play vorites. There are no biases in the search. If a movie is free from one of your subscriptions, why should you pay for it? When searching for a movie or show, it s results from your installed channels from lowest to highest price.

You cant stream YouTube in K, and the remote is laggy from r distances.

Amazon Video, Google Play Video, Vudu, Hulu, Netflix, Showtime, HBO, Sling TV, DirecTV, YouTube TV, PlayStation Vue, Spotify, and Pandora are available. Roku has every streaming service Ive ever heard of other than iTunes. They claim to have , movies and shows. No streaming device comes close to that number.

You can control your TVs volume and power with the remote. Setup for this was slick. It plays a sound on your TV and automatically enters codes until you dont hear the sound anymore.

Unlike Fire TV and Roku, Apple TV shows the words youre saying as you say them. These are all small details, but they make for a more polished product.

Roku OS is unbiased and doesnt vor Amazon or iTunes. Good K selection.

Roku makes money by collecting your user data and showing you advertising. Theres no way to opt out, but its not too concerning because the ads stay out of the way.

Next to no K content, but it has all the basic apps.

The design is more polished than any other streaming device and stays consistent throughout all the apps. No advertisements anywhere!

I kept my two Apple TV K devices in my main watching rooms. I wouldnt give up my Apple TV for anything, but I always try to remember that not everyones a huge Apple nerd like I am. Most people will be satisfied with Roku.

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Review Apple TV K is an impressive extension of the iTunes ecosystemapple tv review to the living room August 3, 2018

The point of the Apple TV is an insertion of the Apple ecosystem on a users television, as integrated as possible into Apples services. Thats whats been promised with the Apple TV K, and thats whats been delivered regardless of techies complaints about X obscure feature missing from the device that only a minute portion of the audience really cares that deeply about.

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If a smaller home office is your preferred environment, we recommend you stick with a K for now. An array of K s with HDR are coming soon, but present offerings arent what youd call affordable. In many cases you can get a really big K HDR television for your living room for less money.

If you want a setitandforgetit box for your K television, HDR or not, and you have at least one other Apple device, get the new Apple TV K. There is little to not like about it. Even if you dont have K, youre futureproofed for a few years at least and the power of the AX is nice.

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In essence, if youve got HD movies that you own from the iTunes store that are on the K list, the Apple TV K has essentially paid for itself. And, it doesnt matter if you bought them directly, or used a code from a BluRay purchase.

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Our biggest issue right now here atAppleInsiderisnt even a major one the lack of H. streaming from iTunes to the device with Home Sharing. While not ideal, it isnt a big deal.

So, the lack of Home Sharing picking up the file isnt a technical limitation of the Apple TV K, and appears at this point to be a choice that someone made along the way to actively prevent this kind of thing.

Our primary testing locations were in a foot by foot living room with a HDRcompatible inch Vizio PE with a viewing range of about feet, and a Acer CBHK K with HDMI . that lacks HDR.

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We contacted our regular sources within Apple to make headsortails out of the lack of Home Sharing compatibility with H. files. At present, they have nothing to share.

Given the price, market penetration of Dolby Atmos is very low, and available consumercing content content is somewhat lacking. It is growing, so it remains to be seen what impact it will have in the home theater market going forward

The oftcomplained about lack of support for K has been rectified in the update to the Apple TV. The new Apple TV K not only has the higher resolution but support for HDR and AppleInsider has examined it in detail.

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Apple, or Hollywood, or both, has decided that full K movies will not live on devices, and must be streamed.

Performancewise, all other aspects of the remote are the same. If you liked it before, you still will. If you didnt, the firstgeneration white plastic Apple remote, and the secondgeneration metal one still work with the Apple TV.

Other grouses about the device include the lack of native resolution switching, and the difficulty of switching the device to a specific resolution as demanded by the user. While not inaccurate, the necessity of this for the mainstream user is unclear.

It is not a iled implementation of a settop box. It is not compromised by supposed bad choices that Apple has made. It is a device specifically designed by Apple, to accommodate as many users as possible, and in that, it has succeeded admirably. Weaknesses of Apples content delivery will be paved over, the same way that absent features on the iPhone have been dealt with for the last decade with solutions by developers.

Since then, Netflix has beefed up its K library, and Amazon has started supporting it in the Fire TV series of devices. Netflix is already on the Apple TV K, and Amazon is coming.

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Switching television resolutions isnt new to oldtime computer users. But, it is for televisions, with it only having been made necessary in the last few years. So, Apples relatively fixed resolution negotiated by the Apple TV K is a conscious choice to not do that, and rely on the devices upscaling technology for lowerresolution content.

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First, Dolby Atmos installations charily start at for aDenon receiver with no speakers, for aninthebox solution from Onkyo, and for asoundbar installationwith the LG SJ. The assortment of Atmoscompatible gear is akin to a deep, dark hole that users can ll into, with adoption costs escalating rapidly.

The Apple TV K is an expensive streamer, for sure. A starting price of is nothing to sneeze at. A K Roku can be had for less than that, and the very recent Amazon Fire HD box is even cheaper assuming you tolerate the ads and data mining associated with the company.

Apple didnt skimp on the processor. The AX fusion processor provides the oomph to drive all those pixels, with more bits per pixel than the last version.

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However, if you either arent bought into the Apple ecosystem with content or devices, or want to use Samsungs HDR, go elsewhere but you knew that well before you got this r into the review.

For the finicky, changing resolution takes three button presses and three fingerflicks on the Siri Remote. Thats it. Hardly an arduous task.

Second, Apple has already said that Atmos is on the way. Complaining about the device lacking the feature at launch serves no purpose, and seems to be looking for a reason to criticize it for the sage of argument and little else.

Other apps, like VLC, will play H. video straight from the device. At present, Plex looks like its transcoding the video, but poking around it appears that support for straight H. streaming to the Apple TV K is coming in the future.

Here atAppleInsiderone of us just lives with it, and the other hangs the remote on the wall with a piece of velcro, with the hookend also used as an orientation device.

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If you still hate the remote, use your iPhone, or train your vorite remote to talk to the Apple TV. Its pretty clear at this point that Apple is sticking with the design for a while.

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Immediate reviews of the Apple TV K screamed blue murder about the lack of Dolby Atmos when the device shipped. But, this is a nonissue for two reasons.

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The gamut on the HDR television eclipsed what weve played back before, with nearly no banding but you know that already.

But, a better way to look at is as an upgrade charge for your existing iTunes content, if you have any. The deal that Apple made with Hollywood to upgrade past HD purchases to K is unprecedented, and a great boon for consumers.

The Siri Remote is polarizing, and has been since it shipped with the fourth generation Apple TV. The ergonomics are such that it is easy to pick it up wrongsideup, and flail away on the case of the device rather than the touchsensitive pad before you realize that, no, the remote is the wrong way.

Two years ago when Apple shipped the fourthgeneration Apple TV with app support, it was immediately decried as substandard since it didnt support K. At the time, there was nearly no content, and the older third generation device was already starting to get a little long in the tooth.

But, we couldnt generate a H. file that would be recognized on the Apple TV. The file will load into iTunes, but Home Sharing just wont pick it up. This same file loaded into VLC plays fine, and isnt transcoded to a lower resolution.

For now, if you have usersupplied K content you want to share through iTunes, stick with H. encoding. Well keep our eyes on it going forward.

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Review Apple TV K is an impressive extension of the iTunes ecosystem to the living room

The new Apple TV K biggest selling point is right in its name K. But, theres a lot of hardware inside to make that happen.

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The content crisis is alleviated somewhat by the deal that Apple struck with Hollywood to allow users with previouslypurchased HD content from iTunes to get a K version if available. This applies to iTunes redemption codes included in BluRay purchases, but not to SD versions of same.

We selected a few HDR titles to watch on both s. Our selections were SpiderMan Homecoming, The LEGO Movie, Alien Covenant. and Brooklyn. All of the titles were streamed to the box from Apples servers, and later to a fourthgeneration Apple TV for comparison.

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A H. file can be generated with a nightly build of Handbrake that will play on a Mac with QuickTime Player, or from inside iTunes. The file can even take metadata for proper presentation on iTunes.

Even with the pair of streaming services, available K content is still an issue. The iTuneshosted movies are great, but there arent a lot of them, and there is still no K television programming. They will come, but theyre just not here at present.

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This is a userfriendly decision. However, it may not be anAppleInsiderreader friendly decision. It is a choice made for the mass market, but the availability of the resolution menu covers that nicely for the settingtweakers.

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In both cases, the picture expressed more fine detail than the previous p Apple TV did. The Vizio television performed profoundly better as youd expect with the extra range that HDR allows. At the range from the television to the couch, the enhancements provided by the Apple TV K still generated a wow from the summoned viewers for the viewing party.

The new Apple TV K remote has a very subtle ridge on the Menu button. At first, we were dismissive of the effect that it would have on handfeel and orientation of the unit, but after a very short adjustment period, its easy enough to figure it out.

Users screaming about the lack of HDR, Dolby Vision oddities, and what have you regarding video and audio delivery, are a disproportionally loud segment of the user base, tilting at windmills.

Two feet is not in the realm of a normal largescreen television watching range, so this is utterly no problem. Even in a smaller environment, like a home office, the n noise is essentially undetecle.

All this is cooled by a n the first of its kind inside the Apple TV. In our testing, streaming several consecutive hours of K HDR video, we couldnt even hear the n rther than about inches away from the device, and even then to be certain that the n was running, we had to put our head directly on the device.

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These expressions were muted a bit with the Acer but at the inch range from the monitor, the fine details expressed by the K picture were more evident than at the foot viewing range to the television.

At present, with usergenerated content, an iTunescompliant H. K file can be made in Handbrake. The video can be loaded in iTunes, and spotted by other iTunes libraries, and streamed from Mac to Mac. That same file will get spotted by the Apple TV K no problem, we streamed it with no issues whatsoever.

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Coupled with the AX Fusion processor is gigabytes of RAM, and either or gigabytes of storage. This all connects to the world either with .ac WiFi or a new Gigabit Ethernet Port, as well as HDMI .. The old USBC port used for diagnostics and developers is gone, and has been replaced with communications across the network.

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So, its a tradeoff. HDR is a ntastic addition to a living room entertainment centers presentation with the resolution less impact. The K resolution even without HDR support clearly made a giant difference at monitorviewing ranges.

What sells the device is the AX processor. Like the A in the fourth generation Apple TV, the processor has enough push to do what it needs to do with on a K television. And, Apple wont have to update the device for a few years because of it.

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apple tv reviewStreamer Reviews News Articles August 3, 2018

apple tv reviewStreamer Reviews News ArticlesThe Zappiti K HDR mily are a solution to replaying virtually any media format, you also get a wellrounded media centre ecosystem into the bargain but is it really worth paying the extra? Well, it depends…

The latest beta of tvOS for developers contains fixes for the dynamic range issues of the Apple TV K as well as adding dynamic refresh rate switching as an option.

Googles new streaming dongle supports Ultra HD and HDR streaming and also, unsurprisingly, interacts with their new Google Home smart wireless speaker and assistant.

According to insiders, Apple is testing its new Apple TV device which will, finally, add Ultra HD capability but does anyone really care?

Its a new SHIELD TV with a host of added features, a redesigned controller and allnew smaller form ctor chassis. Is it still the daddy of allinone solutions?

The new budget Windows Mini PC from Minix is built well, performs great and makes for a very decent option as a media hub.

The biggest draw for the Minix NEO Z Pro Mini PC is a cutprice Windows Pro licence but, as a KODI alternative, the new CPU has stifled matters, somewhat. Still theres lots to like with excellent networking and great build quality among them.

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Popular brands include Yamaha, Roku, Apple, Samsung, Now TV, Kindle TV, iTunes, Sonos, Netgear and Sony.

Do you want pretty much all the major UK streaming services, in up to K HDR, packed in to one, tiny and incredibly easy to use package? Look no further, the Roku Streaming Stick Plus is indispuly the best supported dedicated streamer…

Billed as part NAS and part highend Android Media Player, the DVD Fab Movie Server is designed to simplify and enhance the process of watching your own disc rips but does it broach the interdevice duties successfully?

Streaming content has never been so popular and as internet speeds continue to get ster it is likely to be the biggest growth area of the audio visual industry.

For video streaming we have media players and streamers like the Apple TV and Roku boxes. These have services such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, OD, Demand and Plex. Netflix started the worlds first K Ultra HD streaming service in early .

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The Zidoo XS is a highly capable Android media hub with the ability to play D, K, bit HEVC and HD audio although one or two issues remain.

Somewhere between a Fire TV/Roku and a Sky Q Box Mini or NOW TV box, the Humax H Espresso is the first media streamer from the company and its available now.

NVIDIA launch their new Shield TV at CES and it has everything you could want in a single device including media playback, streaming, gaming and even integrated control.

The Pro Air has a better than average remote and decent allround performance but, as a media hub for enthusiasts, there are vital shortcomings.

Egreat makes a grab at the highend of the media streamer market with the A. It offers excellent video playback, object based audio passthrough, frame packed D and host of other features but is it really worth all that extra cash?

The Remix IO has hit nearly , in pledges for its Kickstarter campain. Can it really marry the worlds of mobile, TV Box and PC? Just a shame its a Rockchip processor…

The Wetek Hub delivers impressive video playback all the way up to bit HEVC K and passthrough of HD audio formats. Its also comes with its own customised KODI media player as well as a range of other useful Wetek apps and features.

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New music streaming services seem to appear on a weekly basis with the most popular being Spotify. In terms of movie and TV show streaming both Netflix and Amazon are fighting it out for top dog status.

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NVIDIA is pitting its SHIELD TV directly against the new Apple TV K if it wasnt already by releasing a games controllerfree, remoteonly, mediacentric SKU at which is precisely the price of the base ATV K model. Has Apple got them…

The Minix Neo NC is the first device from the manucturer that allows for upgrades to RAM and internal storage. It features Triple Display K video output, theres a VESA mount and UHD HEVC K decoding, Netflix, YouTube and the rest to keep…

Streaming is the delivery of audio and video called content into your home and/or on to your mobile device through a local network and over the internet from a delivery service.

The NEO Z promises to be a nifty little PC/Media PC with a Cherry Trail processor, GB of RAM, GB of eMMC storage and a nless design.

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Amazons third generation Fire TV Stick will be available in April in the UK bringing with Alexa digital assistant, more processing power and a revamped user intece, all for forty quid

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For less than the new Fire TV offers up to K HDR streaming, an absolute wealth of apps and games and all the benefits of Alexa but is there a reason why its cheaper than the Apple TV K and NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV?

The Xmedex Xtreme Plus has some good features, a nice UI and promises playback of HD audio, framepacked D and bit HEVC but there are some shortcomings.

The Wetek Play is a hybrid media hub running Android with a builtin tuner for live TV and PVR functions but can it marry its duties to provide value for money?

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There is a cinema mode hiding in the Fire OS source code which would allow the Fire TV to output content at a refresh rate that complements the frame rate of the content. We just need Amazon to unlock it and developers to make use of it now.

Apple finally upgrade their TV streaming box, adding K, HDR and Dolby Vision support. Does the new device eclipse the competition and have Apple changed the game yet again?

The OSMC Vero K benefits from tailor made software, superb manucturer support and some excellent hardware on which to build. There are minor limitations but, chances are, they will be ironed out soon, this one serious little contender.

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The Homy Player features a top of the range AMLogic processor, DRM clearance for K streaming apps and has been built form the ground up as a universal controller for smart home products.

Egreat makes a very credible assault on the upper end of the Android media streaming market with the A. It lacks some of the features of the competition but, in pure playback terms, it is right up there with the best.

While the Vorke V is a pretty competent Windows Mini PC, for the sums involved, its not really a great choice as a mini HTPC or streaming device.

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When it comes to equipment to stream content there are also different approaches. In the home it may be that you want to stream your own music library around the house and there are a few approaches to this. The most popular are modular systems like Sonos and Samsung wireless systems. You also have hard drive based music players. These stream the contents of the HDD around the home using your network.

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The Neo UH is another solid and reliable Android media player from Minix but has it arrived too late and is it worth the price.

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