Apple

Nothing. It’s a walled garden.

Fast, can quickly toggle video apps without closing them, Apple Music app.

The default apps on my tv started to go slowly and not all of them support live tv (in the uk); I looked at the other options like fire stick and Roku but I’d probably have to replace them in a couple of years and they have so many ads

Felt worth it to me to get the Apple TV that should last longer and all of the uk tv apps let you watch live tv

It just makes life nice and easy that’s all

For me it’s just the ease of use, casting something from your phone to your television, if you’re an iPhone user of course. Also certain cable companies have apps that allow your Apple TV to function as your cable box, so that will eliminate the need for one.

If you only use legal streaming services and don’t watch plan to use HIDIVE if you are an anime watcher, AppleTV is great. It is fast, the UI is polished, apps work as they should (except HIDIVE), and Dolby Atmos and Vision content work correctly. You can even match color space and frame rate to avoid 3:2 pulldown and SDR->HDR tonemap issues.

If you plan to use “free” streaming services, get a AndroidTV device. Most of those sites work via the web browser or have an app. AppleTV has no web browser so only a native app or AirPlay is how you play videos.

If you are into the more “mature” content, getting a Roku or AndroidTV is the way to go as those work correctly there and have native apps for some websites.

Unless it’s changed in recent years, Smart TV apps aren’t updated after a couple of years and eventually stop working. Smart TV apps are also notoriously slow compared to good quality streaming boxes.

It’s a nice user experience and the ability to easily use Airpods is nice it you use it. AirPlay, too, although some smart TVs now have this. Apple Arcade is relatively ok if you would use it (though it is a subscription)

To be honest, if you have a smart tv that does what you need, you’re not going to get a lot more out of the Apple TV to justify the cost, as long as your TV supports the services you use

Honestly there’s no comparison with a Smart TV and an Apple TV. In function and reliability it’s comparing apples to oranges. Smart TV apps tend to be much spottier and the availability of apps is much more limited. Yes it will have the main five to ten well known streaming apps but after that it’s a shot in the dark at best.

If you’re already in the Apple ecosystem then you already understand seamlessness. Overall it’s also just much smoother. The Apple TV is way overpowered compared to any streaming box on the market. So it’s not going to stutter or struggle like other options do. Personally I have a high end Samsung smart tv and the Apple TV is what I watch everything on.

2 AirPods pairing at the same time. Having a new born this really allowed my wife and I to continue watching our shows at night and have our private time without blasting the tv sound.

Because every developer in the world targets Apple's platforms to make their very best apps. Everything else is an afterthought

I have smart tv with all streaming apps but also have apple tv but the experience with apple tv is its super fast and smooth and everything loads faster and if you want rewind or something its much smoother to control with apple tv remote than tv remote (even though my apple tv is from 2020) and new remote is much better than old one..

Also if you want to add homekit enabled accessories like door bell or lights you can control through tv but i know this is mot the case for many people 😄

Most standalone devices are already an upgrade vs the built in smart tv apps. AppleTV is well liked because they’re fast, have a clean UI with no ads, are well supported by app developers, and have some nice synergy with your phone and other Apple products (using it as a backup remote/easy AirPods connections).

It has an attractive, familiar, easy to use interface. I like that it keeps everything I’m currently watching in the Up Next row. I can search and add shows from my phone and they will be waiting on the TV then next time I turn it on. I can set my HomePods to be the default speakers. I can use the AppleTV box without connecting my actual TV to the internet, so Samsung can’t spy on my viewing habits or show me any advertising since I never use their menus or the TV interface at all.

There are a few biggies for me:

1. It’s just so smooth and fast. I’ve tried other streaming devices but none of them match the polish.
2. Smart home integration, from setting scenes and querying status to getting a live feed of my cameras
3. AirPods as an output source, if me or my partner are sleeping the other can just use their AirPods seamlessly. And in the event we have a guest who’s sleeping we can both use AirPods to make sure we’re not being loud if the guest is sleeping.
4. Games- I know it’s not the best gaming platform but you can literally steam link to your Apple TV and play games from your PC- not to mention decent support for a variety of games from the App Store as well.

It’s not that the Apple TV will remake your entire life in some magical way, it’s just so many things it can do are just polished really nicely.

Let me ask you this- what’s better, your smart TV platform/UI or your iPhone?! When you get the appletv is just like your phone. Flawless and perfect!

The remote, mainly. Once you get used to it it's just super slick and fast to move from app to app. Once you get it the box you'll never go back.

I also do wonder what makes it special and if its worth it.

I have an LGC2 TV, the menu is smooth, everything runs smooth. It can airplay too to airpods or to maxes. Supports screen mirroring from my iPhone and MBA too…. tell me why should I buy one because im geniunely interested in Apple products.

Simple. The speed out performs everything else in the market. Once you have it you can’t go back

Here is the benefit…the OS is Leaps and friggen Bounds better than everything else on the market and it’s not even close. There aren’t ads everywhere. You’re familiar with the layout if you’re in the Apple ecosystem. Everything is snappy and just works. There are other features that are nice and add to the experience…but that’s the big one.

The "what did he say" feature, that rewins 10 seconds or so and engaegs closed caption for that span then turns it off is great and works across all the streaming services I have. Roku has a similar feature at the push of a button which is easier to use but for someone reason does not work on all streaming, specifically Netflix. Without other units having that feature, I use Apple TV.

I echo what everyone else has said. Smart TV UIs are usually slow and have poor design. Apple TV is also regularly updated and maintained. I view built-in Smart TV features the same way I view Smart TV speakers. While it’s good enough, it won’t be as good as a dedicated soundbar.

If none of that is important to you, then no need to spend more money on another device. The built in stuff is good enough for some, if not, most.

Lots of Smart TV’s have a terrible OS, just look at Samsung. Fantastic displays, horrible UI, lots of apps missing.

Another benefit of Apple TV is unified search across your apps. I open the TV app on my Apple TV and can search for the movie or show I want and it takes me directly to the right streaming service.

I have had one since 2017. Still works like brand new.

Bought 2019 model used in 2022 for my bedroom tv. No issues.

I also take 1 apple tv with me in vacations lol. You can't make me use other devices lol.

Everyone else has mentioned other positives. I would never go back to any roku, firestick or Google one.

The only reason I bought one is that you need it to see iTunes Extras content on your digital video purchases.

Nvidia Shield TV Pro for me it just works

if you're already getting internet via say Charter or Spectrum, you should be able to get the basic cable channels via the Spectrum app at not extra cost. I've tried and it seems that they have a deal there in place and you won't get access to the app on say FireTV, and I think they stopped supporting the Samsung apps on anything older then 5 years.

another bonus is the likelihood is that you have an apple phone. if you wanted to you can mirror stream from your phone to watch anything on there on the big screen, and you can use your iPhone as a remote. I've lost my Apple TV remote a dozen times, I'm rarely if ever misplacing my phone.

It just works…. REALLY well, and is VERY fast, and SUPER intuitive, and aside from Dolby TrueHD lossless (which only maybe the Nvidia shield does?) it plays everything, and VERY well.

Not to mention AirPod support, FaceTime support, HomeKit hub, Apple Music Spatial Audio and Karaoke mode, Apple Fitness, and seemingly any other Apple ecosystem “features” to come in the future. But even without those the Apple ecosystem stuff…

It’s just one of those things where you don’t realize you can’t live without it until you live with it.

If you travel - handles captive portals at hotels seamlessly. Good luck with Chromecast or Fire TV.

Everything is great, apart from the remote which is awful

I have one on each TV at home to access my Movie and Series collection via Infuse, besides Netflix, Prime, Youtube and DAZN (NFL). The response time and the quality is much better that the smart TV embedded applications.

Another big advantage is that Apple TV apps are updated from time to time. The applications integrated into Smart TVs do not do this. Not to mention that it has more applications than those available on Smart TV ecosystem, like I mention DANZ to watch NFL season.

It’s worth it. Trust me. You’ll know what I’m talking about if you get one. It’s just a better overall TV navigation experience

It’s just a neat all in one experience if you have other Apple shit. AirPlay, iCloud, deep integration with Apple Music and Apple TV content. It’s a great device. I’ve had Apple TVs since the beginning.

I will say though if all you’re doing is video streaming and you happen to have a ps5, that will suit you just fine. Most of the streaming apps have been better on my ps5 than Apple TV.

u can use tailscale to make the apple tv as an exit node and control your smart home from anywhere outside the house withput exposing any ports

also Infuse app

Remote always handy on the iPhone, consistent UI, ability to use Philips Hue Play Sync if you have an older TV (pre-2022) that doesn’t support it.

I love my 3rd gen Apple TV that my husband got me for my birthday. Best streaming device I've ever used.

It's fast, easy to use and just works. My favorite thing is the continue watching, it knows all my shows I watch. It's so cool.

Happy streaming 😀

Turns the brain and UI of your TV into an Apple product experience. Worth it.

It's 🍏!

It is faster and smoother. That's literally it vs native TV apps or any other streaming box. To some people, that faster and smoother part is worth the premium. Because it really is silky smooth.

Apple TV just gets so many things right. You get buttery smooth animation due to Apple using Apple A Series chips. My model from 2021 uses the A12 Bionic chip and everything just feels snappy with no lag. Most TV manufacturers might have a great Google TV or Roku interface, but use crappy processors and teeny amounts of onboard memory/storage so you end up with laggy performance (e.g. Sony using Mediatek processors for their Bravia XR TV models).

App selection has been great, especially since the apps are optimized for televisions despite using a similar framework to what apps use on an iOS/iPadOS device. Almost all major streaming apps are there.

You might see ads for Apple TV+, but only when you have the app highlighted. By default it’s usually the first app on the first row of your Home Screen. You can always just move down lower so you don’t see the ads.

One important thing that made me switch - and this has been an issue on Roku - is when Roku and a company like Google or Warner are bickering about fees, especially when YouTube TV was gaining traction was that apps would be unavailable (same thing happened with DirecTV on Roku) on the platform until a deal between these companies was made so that the apps become available again. That was the last straw that got me to switch permanently to Apple TV.

I cannot overstate the use of your phone as a keyboard. It’s seamless. When a keyboard pops up on the screen, your phone automatically buzzes and asks you if you want to use it to type. Logging into streaming services is also super seamless if you have a password manager on your phone like Apple keychain or LastPass as it can auto-fill from your phones keyboard. This feature alone is worth it to me, but on top of everything everyone else has said… I have 4 Apple TVs and have also bought them as gifts for everyone I care about

I love Apple TVs. We have dumb Vizio smart tvs. I can control the tv right off my phone, tell Siri to turn them on or off, AirPods/beats. I’d like my lights to be connected to Apple HomeKit but haven’t been that lucky yet.

Apple TV box is apple version of Nintendo for Mac users

It's experiential. My advice. Buy one. Use it for a week. If you are not convinced that every other streaming device is garbage in comparison, return it.

I will say that it truly becomes amazing if you are in the apple ecosystem (iPhone, MacBook, iPad, Apple Watch. Your iPhone and watch become an amazing remotes for the Apple TV. You can set up apple home to turn off your TV when you leave your house. You can write scripts to do very cool things in Home.

It's $129. Buy it on credit and return it if it doesn't fundamentally change what a streaming device is for you.