Long-time ATV user, and have just upgraded my TV to a new Samsung, so grabbed an ATV 4k.
A lot’s changed in 10 years. Samsung is now full of apps - covering pretty much everything I use ATV for - Apple TV+, Plex, BBC, Netflix, C4. BBC Iplayer also supports UHD on Samsung, but not ATV :(
TV also supports Airplay. To be honest, I’m now questioning what I need ATV for. I don’t use Siri, and things like fitness+ I can mirror from my iPad.
What killer apps am I missing out on? Can you convince me not to regret my new ATV?
(edit - I’m in the UK, although prob obvious :)
Are their advertisements on the Samsung OS?
Sadly yes
This is why you don’t connect your TV to the Internet (and use a separate box instead)
Generally a smoother experience on ATV plus the benefit of being able to use your phone to type in passwords, etc (assuming you have an iPhone), just generally a better interface and quicker/easier switching between apps.
Netflix, in my opinion and experience, is pretty much garbage on the Apple TV though. I always use my Samsung TV’s app for that. YouTube sometimes, too, but not always.
If you’re not in the Apple ecosystem, then I think the ATV loses a lot of its appeal.
Moviebox pro. It’s basically all the streaming services for $3 a month
Thanks for the tip! Do you have an invitation code perhaps?
I’ve been looking for a code as well. Let me know if you find one.
Infuse!
Infuse… i find it so much better than Plex even it only does movies and shows
This is the way
This! I was a Plex user for many years but finally gave up and tried Infuse Pro, WAY better!
I’ve used infuse for a long time (5-8 years I think) and it’s always played everything I’ve thrown at it.
When I first booted up infuse after pointing to my media folders on my PC and seeing it fetch meta data to produce album art, group into seasons, download trailers, descriptions, and subtitles all on its own. I was like… this app is black magic. Incredible app easily worth it for the pro sub
Native, fluid experience! That’s all. Also look at SideLoading (e.g. appdb.to) and find Steamer!
Read the Samsung tv privacy policy. Reason alone to never connect that to the internet and have an ATV
If you are a long time Apple TV user then you do not really need any convincing that the purchase was worth it.
Yes the iPlayer app on the ATV does not (yet) support UHD but that is down to the BBC and not Apple. You are not missing out on much as there is not much UHD content anyway on iPlayer. Hopefully one day the BBC will update their app for Apple TV and add in the guide they have on the web site and iOS apps.
Personally I have all the broadcast TV channel apps for the UK as well as Disney+, Paramount+ and Prime Video. I have two Apple TVs and its very convenient to have them linked to my account so I can pick up where I left off and even continue on the go on my iPhone if I feel like it.
There are games and such on the ATV but to be honest I do not bother with those - that’s what I have a computer for.
My last two tellys are high-end Samsungs and the updating for apps is pretty flaky….there is also that point where they stop supporting Netflix etc as they stop codec support for that model. Personally I used the Samsung apps for years, but have not looked back since I decided to get two HomePods and the latest Apple TV to use them (I have had various ATVs over the years). Biggest things for me are the access to my films etc purchased for the ATV (and the extras / special versions that you cannot play on the Samsung app), the ‘stuff you might be interested in’ for BBC, ITV etc (and up next), the super quick interface (Samsung struggles sometimes) and the superior picture (and sound using Atmos) than the samsung
TV Launcher - this is like a EPG for terrestrial TV. It’s got a great interface and you can easily customise it for the channels you want/need. It’ll open up the correct app too. Really like it for the Now and Next and TV guide features.
Other apps I use: Infuse (I’m a heavy Plex user, this is essential for me), twitch, just watch.
My friend also picked up a high end Samsung TV the other day. Honestly, the OS already lagged when setting it up. I was not impressed. I even owned a Samsung TV and the OS was not easy to navigate. You’re making the right choice with using the Apple TV on it.
Seconded on infuse - it’s become essential for viewing content from my network media centre
Apps aside do you buy movies from apples digital store? If so then you’d be missing out on the iTunes Extras that come with most movies.
VLC with its remote play feature.
Just drag and drop any video files from a laptop to a browser tab, even a whole series if you want to. It will download it to the ATV’s storage and you can watch them whenever, flawlessly, with subtitles and everything. Best. App. Ever.
I find ATV to run faster, smoother, better than any app built in to the smart TV.
Samsung’s OS is garbage and choppy in my experience. AppleTV is one of the most powerful streaming boxes in the market in pretty much every way.
I am also a long time user and can’t imagine switching to anything else.