I begin by admitting I’m a senior. But I’m also pretty good with tech and have been a loyal Apple customer and an Apple TV user for as long as the device has been in existence.
My frustrations are the UI and not the device. And it seems not to matter how I approach the TV app, whether on iPhone, iPad, my LG TV, or via the hardware Apple TV the problem is the same. Apple has decided to push their products at the expense of all else. I have periodically subscribed to Apple TV+ but do not retain a long term subscription. I subscribe only if there is something specific I want to watch.
I really want the UI to go back to the good old days. No ads for TV series I will never watch. No listings for anything not carried on the Apple TV app. No, I don’t want to add Tubi. I don’t want Amazon Prime. I don’t want Peacock. I just want to see movies (mostly) that I can view or rent or purchase (rare) from Apple.
Is there a way to get rid of all the clutter? Thanks for any suggestions.
Thank you so much for these ideas. That will at least get rid of several annoyances. It’s especially good to get rid of the automated plane of the Preview.
Now, if I could just get rid of the rubbish for Tubi, prime, and Peacock, it would go a long way to bringing back something resembling the original Apple TV I used to watch movies. I understand Apple has to market their productions for TV and movies so I can accept that.
Yes, thanks for those suggestions. But my main issue with the Applet TV interface is that the “selected” item (service or video) is identified by the image getting a (very) little larger. I am constantly selecting the wrong thing because I don’t notice what is selected. Maybe putting a colored outline on selected items…
If you are talking about the TV app on Apple TV, when you open it press the left arrow button (if you have the new Siri remote; otherwise, press the left edge of the old remote) to reveal the side menu, and switch to “Apple TV”, which should show just Apple’s shows from the Apple TV service ( - I preferred it when they called it TV+) or shows/movies to buy or rent. It shouldn’t show any of the other services (like Tubi) that you can subscribe to in the app.
Some people like it that way - they like having all of their services in the app. I rarely use the TV app myself - only when I am looking to watch an Apple TV+ show or movie that I haven’t already started. Otherwise I use the “Continue Watching” screen that shows at the top of the standard Apple TV interface to continue watching shows or series that I have already started, or I go to the individual apps (for me, YouTube TV, Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon Prime for Thursday Night NFL football, Peacock, etc.)
Thanks. I like that! It is pretty obvious now if it is selected,
One off-topic note: The Apple TV (hardware) really wants a good HDMI cable connection. I had it connected to a switch (which was 4K “certified”); I moved the Apple TV to the back of the LG TV with a short 6 inch HDMI cable. Now I get Dolby Sound and Vision. I was using the Apple TV app for the LG TV but with all the issues of what usage information the TV manufacturers share, I moved everything (Netflix, etc.) over to the box, The better performance was a bonus!
Great. I will use the technique to get to “Apple TV” rather than the generic TV+. I don’t mind Apple pushing their shows. I know they need the money (sarcasim intended). But typically we’re just looking for movies to rent and my subscription to TV+ is inactive. Thanks again for another useful trick.
Recently I found a way to avoid much of the clutter and forced sales pitches. The main use I envision for my Apple TV is viewing video stored in my local library. The Apple TV user interface requires jumping through too many hoops to get this to work, including adding the video to the Apple TV app. Simply playing the video on the Mac where it is stored, viewing it full screen, then screen sharing to the Apple TV eliminates any need for interaction with the Apple TV user interface.
You asked for simplifying suggestions. One more recommendation adds a little complexity, but might be worth the effort. Block your LG TV from sending reports on you.
I do find the TV app on Apple TV hardware irritating. I agree the interface has become less user friendly, similar to the issue with Liquid Glass (looking cool takes precedent over practicality).
For local content I keep an “old” iMac going with Mojave so I can use iTunes for Homesharing - mainly because my media library has grown over many years and it is too much trouble to convert the music and videos to a modern macOS. With iTunes it is a little tedious adding video content to the library but I am used to the steps involved.
On the Apple TV (hardware) I use the Computers app to select and watch those videos via Homesharing. This also works with a Macbook Air running Tahoe but I don’t want to fill that up with video files.
I am dreading the day when tvOS no longer supports Homesharing via iTunes.
Do you mean you need to add the video to the Apple TV app on the Mac? Where are the videos stored now?
My suggestion is going to be to run a Plex server on the Mac and use the Plex client on the Apple TV. You’d need to point Plex at where your videos are stored.
Do you mean you need to add the video to the Apple TV app on the Mac?
Actually I am not sure, and this is part of the problem. Apple using the same, or very similar names, for software and/or hardware that has very similar function makes understanding what does what and why difficult. As it makes it difficult us understanding one another as we try to discuss this mess.
Building language glop such as this into our attempts to discuss and understand macOS operations is one example of modern macOS failing. Ongoing technical bugs are examples of a different type. The presence of many issues of various kinds suggests the essential problem is in Apple management.
Trying to answer your question, one part of Apple TV (the software) Video shows “home video”, by accessing an index of Media Files which is video stored somewhere. For a video to appear in Apple TV, it must be added to this index by dropping the video file onto some part of the Apple TV software. The video may or may not be copied into a Media folder, depending on your settings. This description is probably incomplete, but this is enough to illustrate my point. I do not want to try to understand all this. Thankfully, there is another way.
Where are the videos stored now?
The video now is on the Pegasus R4i RAID in my MacPro7.1. (Here we enter another large range of failings of Apple software, discussed at length elsewhere, so I will avoid too much here.)
Thank you for your suggestion of Plex, this is probably a good idea. I thought the same, and some time ago got Plex, but never set it up. Maybe some day I will.
For now, the workaround I found is to turn on Media sharing on the MacPro, connected via UniFi ethernet to my Apple TV hardware (connected to LG TV display and Yamaha sound). On my MacPro, in VLC I open the video, choose to share the display to Apple TV, set VLC to full screen, and play it.
This is a little cumbersome, but works for me.
My suggestion is going to be to run a Plex server on the Mac and use the Plex client on the Apple TV. You’d need to point Plex at where your videos are stored.
Maybe Plex some day. For now I try simplify my computer life by reducing the number of applications I use. (Becoming a UniFi system administrator keeps me busy enough learning for now.)
one part of Apple TV (the software) Video shows “home video”, by accessing an index of Media Files which is video stored somewhere. For a video to appear in Apple TV, it must be added to this index by dropping the video file onto some part of the Apple TV software.
This is one reason that I still use iTunes on an old iMac. But I think the process is the same. After adding the video to the iTunes/ATV index right-click on the video’s icon and select Video Info. Here you can change the video type to Movie or TV Show (default is “Home Video”), select a genre and, with TV, assign a show name and season.
- I preferred it when they called it TV+) or shows/movies to buy or rent. It shouldn’t show any of the other services (like Tubi) that you can subscribe to in the app.