We don’t currently have a 4K TV but nothing says we won’t replace our current HD set with
a 4K unit in the future?
From what I’ve seen the Apple TV box uses HDMI to figure out what sort of TV it is connected to
so it can send the proper image to the TV.
Also since we have an iPhone and an iMac both can be mirrored to the TV through Apple TV.
One confusing issue is documentation I have read says the iMac or iPhone must be on the same wireless network as the Apple TV. Our plan is to connect the Apple TV box via Ethernet to the same gateway our iMac is connected to (Ethernet also). And the iPhone would be Wi-Fi connected to the same gateway as the other two devices. Is that good enough to be in the same network as the other devices? Note not all three devices will be connected via wire or Wi-Fi.
I have earlier gen AppleTV connected via Ethernet and my phone and iPad can stream to it and control it just fine. I think the ATV does have my WiFi password so it can use WiFi if it needed — maybe it connects to my iPhone that way. I never thought about it. I just wanted more reliable wired connection for streaming.
We don’t currently have a 4K TV but nothing says we won’t replace our current HD set with
a 4K unit in the future?
Here’s what my husband and I have been thinking. We’re happy with the non 4K TV we have, so at the moment we don’t need a 4K Apple TV. At one of Apple’s big events the announced that they have partnered with Charter/Spectrum to enable customers to use 4K Apple TV in lieu of renting a cable box. (I’m trying to refrain from ranting about how we’ve had three crappy cable boxes from them so far this year, and two last year).
I’ve read that Apple is negotiating with other providers, and maybe already has some agreements I haven’t read about. But Spectrum hasn’t made any definitive announcements yet. When the service is active in the wild for a little while and if we hear good things about it. We’ll think about upgrading to a 4K TV then. At the moment, many Netflix originals are broadcast in 4K, but nothing in HBO or Showtime. I’m not sure about Cinemax, and not very much is on other channels, though this is likely to change in the near future. So it’s wait and see for us.
I am also considering the 4K but am hesitant, considering a new version any day now. But here is the other question, I have a recent Apple TV with programs and access. Does all that get transferred to the new Apple TV if I get on, or do I have to start over downloading and putting things into folders, etc?
