I have a google chromecast (w GoogleTV) and the UI and lag is becoming a nuisance.
With Apple TV, do you get apps like Twitch and YouTube? Do livestreams work well? The most common apps I use are Twitch and YouTube but also Max, Netflix, Crunchyroll and Amazon Video.
Apple TV is the apex of streaming box experience. I just bought my 4th one for my bedroom. Living Room, kid’s playroom, home gym and master bedroom.
To add on what was already said, there is a Crunchyroll app.
I don’t know what Crunchyroll is but all the other services you mentioned have dedicated apps on Apple TV. I watch quite a bit of Youtube and sometimes something on Twitch and it works great. I have zero lag on the Apple TV.
I use crunchyroll a lot everything you listed works very well
You REALLY have to try hard in order to get an Apple TV to lag… and even then it won’t lag for long lol
The HD is the only current model I’ve experienced lag on, and yeah, it was super minimal.
The only reason I was able to make mine lag is because I was trying to get it to lag on purpose 😂. I was so shocked that mine was never lagging so I decided to put it to the test. I had to open a lot of apps! If I remember correctly I reached 8 streaming apps and 5 games before it started to lag…
I even switched from using my PS5 as a media player to Apple TV. The Apple TV is noticeably quicker.
Apple TV throws every streaming stick or device under the bus. They are all underpowered and buggy. Apple TV uses the iPad chips. Always super snappy.
I sure hope so given it’s like 3x the price
The old phrase “you get what you pay for” really rings true with Apple TV
The complete lack of frustration is worth 3x the price.
I’ve only used YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon Video. All three work great.
I’ve had bad experiences with other services like DAZN because their implementation of HLS is faulty. But, IMO, that’s not AppleTV to blame (other than not supporting, the competitor standard MPEG-DASH): when their HLS transcoding is misbehaving, it just doesn’t work on any Apple product (iPad/iPhone DAZN apps, DAZN’s website on Safari, etc.). Those days, I end up airplaying the content from my MacBook, watching it on Chrome. But again, that’s a technical issue on DAZN’s end.
TLDR, if the services you’re interested in work on your Apple device, they should be fine on Apple TV. And I still haven’t found any streaming service without an app in Apple TV.
We were always an Apple TV household before smart TVs really caught on, but after using smart TVs and other streaming boxes at friends’ houses I’m never going to give up my Apple TV. It’s smooth and snappy and extremely reliable. Even the remote is easier to use and feels more solid in the hand than any other remote I’ve ever used. There’s just so much attention to detail and it’s so well thought out, whereas other companies’ smart TV platforms and streaming boxes feel like an afterthought. The only real downside is the price, but IMO it’s worth every penny to have a smart TV platform that works as smoothly as your iPhone.
I have both. YouTube is better on Chromecast but overall they’re very similar
Did this last week. Moved from Google Chromecast 4k with google Tv to Apple TV 4k.
I should say the difference are like day and night. I’m sure you won’t regret it.
I also had a Chromecast 4K and the Amazon Cube. For me, both are not at all comparable in terms of quality. One of the best features on the Apple TV is the remote control. Thanks to the touch surface, it is ideal for gaming.
Counter opinion: The AppleTV touch remote is a device which I absolutely dread picking up when I can even find it. Nothing in my house gets screamed at except for the AppleTV touch remote. I hate it. HATE IT!
I like the built quality but it does get a little slippery. I wish there was a play next/play back and not just the scrub back/forward.
I found nice silicone covers on Amazon for all my remotes. They can now hang vertically on the back of a couch without slipping down.
Apple TV works great, but I still keep a Roku or Google TV connected for YouTube. The YouTube pairing isn’t so smooth like on other platforms.
Why bother casting? Just play the videos directly in the Youtube app.
I prefer to browse for something to watch on my phone. Then cast it seamlessly to the TV. Then maybe back to my phone without losing my place if I’m going into a different room.
Yeah, this would be solved if the pairing between YouTube apps on phone and tv were more reliable. When it works it is actually really great.
i was in the same boat as you. had google tvs in every room (4k chromecast). so laggy, and slow I ended up buying 1 apple tv just for the main room. Now i have apple tvs in every room lol. So much better experience. its worth the price especially if you can get them for sales
Just now upgraded from firetvstick 4K Max to Apple TV 4K 3rd Gen WiFi 64GB , it’s great so far !
chromecast is fixable if you’re willing to invest time, disabling things, adding ext storage etc
Still the best streaming box by a mile.