i agree roku is not going away anytime soon. due to the fact that there are many private channels that have everything you need like all the sports you could ever need espn,nhl pks,nfl pkg,mlb pkg etc... alos has all the hbo,showtime,ppv movies and ppv events and tv stations all this for around 20usd a month depending on the private channel you get. so no not going away anytime soon
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Ordered Apple TV 4 - Mistake?
- Thread starter BlueFire2009
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I'll be buying a new TV later this year, an LG OLED. As I'm in the UK the apps I care about are BBC iPlayer, Netflix, Amazon, Now TV, All4, ITV Hub, and MUBI. LG's webOS store has all of those except MUBI, and they're full fat versions of each, with nice UIs. Plus Netflix and Amazon support 4K and HDR.
By contrast the Apple TV 4 has BBC iPlayer, Netflix, Now TV, and MUBI. BBC iPlayer is inferior on the ATV to any other modern platform. Netflix is slightly inferior. Now TV is so terrible on the Apple TV as to be next to useless. It's abandonware and hasn't been updated since it appeared on the ATV3 many years ago. Compared to Now TV (which is essentially the UK equivalent of HBO Now) on any other platform, the ATV version is truly terrible. It also looks like an MS-DOS application, and is completely lacking the graphical UI of other versions.
So given the terrible UK app support, that the few apps that are on the ATV are without exception worse than on any other platform, and the lack of 4K and HDR, you can probably see why I think the platform is dead. It's been almost a year and there's still no Amazon Prime for goodness sake. How hard can it be? Amazon is on everything (except the Apple TV). If I was Tim Cook I'd be embarrassed at how bad it is. And no 4K either... It's a really poor effort.
You realize that Amazon Prime not being on AppleTV has absolutely zero to do with technical difficulty, right? Amazon and Apple are competitors, and the fact that there is no app is a positioning/negotiation strategy. Argue all you want about Amazon being on every other platform. It does not at all change the fact that Amazon has significant business terms/issues to work out with Apple before (if ever) we see an Amazon app on the AppleTV app store.
I will hold to my opinion that neither AppleTV nor Roku are dead or dying. Pick the one (or ones) that work best for you and where you live as country restrictions do get in the way of streaming box functionality.
Really, it is very similar to network access on cable/satellite services. Years ago my parents were looking at the major players in our area: Time Warner Cable vs. Dish Network vs. DirecTV. There was 1 specific network they had to have, The Golf Channel. At that time, it was not available on 1 of those 3 providers, I don't recall which now. But in any event, that 1 provider was stricken from consideration immediately, regardless of cost or other factors. If Amazon is of importance to you, the AppleTV 4 is not your friend.
To the end user, they care not about whatever petty business bickering takes place between large corporations, nor should they.
I don't know why Amazon and Apple can't strike a deal, but Amazon are on every other platform, so the only unique variable here is Apple. Amazon are on Roku, which is every bit as direct a competitor as Apple, and they're on all the game consoles and smart TVs too. On my PS4 for example I'm free to rent and buy movies from PSN or Amazon, it's my choice. Sony clearly aren't as restrictive or as fearful of competition as Apple are.
I don't know why Amazon and Apple can't strike a deal, but Amazon are on every other platform, so the only unique variable here is Apple. Amazon are on Roku, which is every bit as direct a competitor as Apple, and they're on all the game consoles and smart TVs too. On my PS4 for example I'm free to rent and buy movies from PSN or Amazon, it's my choice. Sony clearly aren't as restrictive or as fearful of competition as Apple are.
No argument...I too wish Amazon was on AppleTV. But they are not, it is not for technical reasons, and there is nothing you or I can do about it except use a device that does give us what we want.
I've selected the AppleTV almost exclusively because of a fantastic Plex app and AirPlay. Since I use Plex I no longer really need AppleTV's HomeSharing capabilities, so quite honestly I can use just about any streaming player I want. Because of Amazon not being on AppleTV, I simply ignore that as an available service, much like I ignore Showtime and HBO since I don't subscribe to either. Anyhow, it goes back to picking the 1 that works best for you.
I go back to what I started with when I jumped into this thread: IMO the market for streaming devices, and the even bigger market for the underlying services, is mammoth and growing (think billions of devices), and ATV/Roku are nowhere near dying.
I agree with you 100%. I have been very happy with my ATV4. It gets what I want to watch (Netflix, Showtime, MLB, etc) and they all look great to me. I am able to watch the movies on my nas via Infuse or Plex.
Not every product will work for every person. That's obviously why there is a variety of streaming devices available. They have been gaining in popularity and will continue to do so.
I certainly cannot address the lack of support for apps in the UK as I don't live there. Hopefully the app developers can correct that in the future. As far as Amazon, I don't think Tim Cook should be embarrassed since it is just as much Amazon's fault as it is Apple's that the app is not on ATV. Probably the same reason that Amazon refuses to sell ATV on their site. It is a business decision by both parties and not necessarily a wise one.