It’s been four long years since the last Apple TV 4K was released, and during that time there have been a lot of hopes and dreams about what features will come next. A new chip, 4K/120Hz support, audio pass-through, a remote finder, better home control integration: the 2022 Apple TV 4K is a great box, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement. With the fourth-generation Apple TV 4K announced Tuesday, some of those hopes were realized, while others were sadly left out.
The color of the ad is the price of the device. Apple removed the cheapest 64GB, Wi-Fi-only model, leaving only the 128GB, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet model, and raised its price to $300. I repeat, $300 for a streaming device. It’s a high price when all the other major transmitters on the market are at least half the cost.
There are new features I like about this year’s Apple TV 4K. More processing power is great, although my third-gen still runs pretty fast, as does Find My support for when the remote inevitably gets lost in couch cushions or tangled in blankets. The built-in far-field microphones for talking to Siri are also good, as long as you don’t stick the box on a cupboard like I do. The fourth-generation Apple TV 4K also adds a dedicated AV1 decoder, allowing for higher quality streaming from apps that support it, like Netflix, which is great. Any potential improvements to streaming content are welcome.
My main concern, however, is how the Apple TV 4K works as an integral piece of my home theater system. Apple added the ability to create a surround sound system by using its HomePod 2 and HomePod Mini 2 smart speakers in matching pairs for fronts and surrounds. For fans of the Apple ecosystem looking to build a surround setup similar to Sonos or Bose, it’s an interesting idea (and I’m all for people enjoying surround sound in their home theaters). But since I expect it to be the same for many people interested in expensive streaming hardware, I already have a sound system: it’s an Atmos setup with a combination of SVS and Revel speakers. I’m not going to install my two HomePod 2s in my living room and spend another $300 on a pair of HomePod Mini 2s to replace my existing speakers.
What I and many current users have been waiting for from the Apple TV 4K for years is the addition of audio pass-through. This would allow my more expensive and capable audio/video receiver to decode the raw audio stream instead of the Apple TV using its streaming audio connection, which may cause some playback issues.
Additionally, it would have been nice to see Apple support 120fps output, especially for those who use Moonlight to stream games. That’s a feature that would have set the Apple TV 4K apart from all other streamers, which max out at 60fps, and helped justify the high price. Apple could also have used it to focus more on TV gaming. (For movies, however, the 60fps limit isn’t a big deal, as the box can be set to output 24fps, allowing a native 120Hz TV to only use a 5:5 pull-down.)
Other premium features that would set Apple’s streaming box apart and make home theater enthusiasts spend their money on it include an HDMI input for HDMI pass-through or a digital optical output. I understand leaving them out if it meant raising the price even more. This box is already quite expensive. But it leaves the Apple TV 4K in an awkward position, combining a high price with features that are largely matched elsewhere for much less.
Are these high-level omissions a concern for most people? Not precisely. But those people are going to look at the $300 price tag of the Apple TV 4K and then look at streaming devices from Google, Roku, or Amazon that cost half that price or less. The Apple TV 4K is considered the premium streaming option, but the now extra-premium price without some of the admittedly niche features gives me pause.
Maybe the new Apple TV 4K will surprise me. I’ve certainly been waiting for it for a while. I already appreciate the way Apple handles privacy, and if Apple adds features in the coming months, maybe it will be worth it. But that $300 price tag? Perhaps it would be better spent elsewhere in your home theater. configuration.
