We lift the veil of secrecy surrounding the Apple TV app
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Most of us are spending more and more time (either voluntarily or involuntarily) indoors, and streaming services are taking center stage in our lives and in our living rooms. It's no surprise that Apple is looking to grab as big a piece of the pie as possible, and its own Apple TV app is helping it do that.
It's essentially an all-in-one video management hub where you can buy or rent movies from the iTunes Store, subscribe to premium Apple TV Channels, and access Apple TV+, a Netflix-style branded streaming service offering Apple Original programming.
Next, we will talk about what the Apple TV application is rich in and list the devices that support it - from smartphones to smart TVs and multimedia network players.
So, the most reliable information about the Apple TV application is in our review.
What is the Apple TV app?
The company released the Apple TV app in the US in 2021 and expanded it globally over the next year (you can check Apple TV availability in different regions at this link). It was originally called Videos and included five sections: Watch Now, Sports, Library, Store and Search.
Today, the app has grown into a one-stop streaming store offering a variety of free and paid TV programs and movies. Much of Apple TV's appeal comes from its thoughtful user interface and careful selection of high-quality content.
Apple TV Store
Apple TV's biggest selling point is its movie and TV rental library, which includes the world's largest selection of 4K HDR releases, most of which are recorded in Dolby Vision. If you want to watch a completely new movie in the highest possible quality (excluding discs), you will find it on this resource.
Apple TV+
However, the application is not limited to the library. It provides access to Apple TV+, the equivalent of streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video. Apple TV+ subscribers enjoy a variety of programs and exclusive Apple Original TV movies, including some great ones.
Apple TV Channels
The app also features Apple TV Channels, a series of third-party channels that you can watch on-demand online or offline. With the click of a button, you can subscribe to Showtime ($10.99 per month) or History Play (£3.99 per month) and pay through Apple. It's a convenient system, but the selection is limited at the moment: it doesn't have Netflix, Hulu or HBO Max, for example.
Finally, in an effort to "bring all of TV in one place," the Apple TV app recommends shows you might like based on your previous viewing data. It offers content from major streaming platforms such as BBC iPlayer and Amazon Prime Video in the UK and Hulu and HBO in the US.
How can you get a ticket to this carnival of entertainment? The Apple TV app was initially limited to Apple products—iPhone, iPad, and the Apple TV set-top box—but is gradually becoming available for other brands and types of devices, such as smart TVs and streaming servers.
Everything about the Apple TV+ service: what to watch and what to watch on
On November 1, the Apple TV+ video streaming service began operating with several exclusive series. All of them are available under a single and, moreover, inexpensive subscription: 199 rubles per month. And owners of iPhone 11 (any version) will be able to use Apple TV+ for free for a whole year. We don’t know whether it will become a serious competitor to Netflix, but we answer the main questions about the service itself.
Where and how to watch
Overview of the Apple macOS Catalina operating system
The most important thing: to access the service, you must install the latest version of the Apple operating system. In the case of iPhone this is iOS 13, on iPad - iPadOS, on computers - macOS Catalina, on Apple TV - tvOS 13. Unfortunately, nothing will work without updating.
In our review of macOS Catalina, we told you that instead of the previous iTunes application, there are now three applications, one of which is Apple TV. This is where you need to subscribe. Likewise on all other devices.
However, it's important to understand that this app isn't just for Apple TV+, but for all video content from the former iTunes store. Therefore, in addition to subscription series, there are individual movies for a fee, and your library, which includes past movie purchases on iTunes. The screenshot below shows several Apple TV+ projects (they have corresponding icons), but there is also “The Lion King” (it has nothing to do with the service, you need to buy it) and “Mad Max” (it has already been purchased and is also not associated with Apple TV+). The “Up Next” menu is what we have already started watching (it doesn’t matter whether this content is from Apple TV+ or not, and whether it was watched on this device or on another).
All this is true for mobile devices. Although on the iPhone at first you may get the feeling that TV+ has literally taken over everything. But if you scroll down, there will be regular movies from the store.
An important point: through Apple ID, information about your views is synchronized across all devices. So you can start watching on your smartphone, then continue from the same place on your laptop, and finish on your Apple TV media player. In addition, on any of your devices you can download the series and watch it offline.
However, it is worth considering that each series can “weigh” several gigabytes. And, for example, the one and a half hour documentary “Queen of Africa” - more than 7 GB. Therefore, downloading may not be the most rational solution. Rather, it is needed for those who want to take a few episodes on a trip or like to watch TV series on the way to work or home.
What to watch
What is the content itself? What is the range of films and TV series? So far, at the start, the choice is very small: one documentary - the already mentioned “Queen of Africa” - and seven TV series, each of which has several episodes available (at least three).
It’s interesting that the series are completely diverse and designed for different audiences. “The Morning Show” is a poignant drama about a popular TV presenter (Jennifer Aniston), whose TV partner was accused of sexual harassment. Viewers will find behind the scenes of the TV world, intrigue and total cynicism. “For All Mankind” is a story about an alternate reality where Soviet cosmonauts landed on the moon and the space race continued. “See” is a spectacular post-apocalyptic saga starring Jason Momoa. According to the plot, after a global epidemic, only two million people survive on the planet, and they lose the ability to see, and the achievements of progress are gradually forgotten, so that a century later, humanity finds itself thrown back into the Stone Age.
“Ghost Messages” is an adventure story about a schoolboy whose parents work in a bookstore, and all sorts of miracles begin to happen there, while the boy tries to solve his problems in a new class. While "The Morning Show" and "See" are aimed at an adult audience, "Ghost Messages" will appeal to middle school-aged viewers. And older children, teenagers, may be interested in the series “Dickinson” - an ironic costume film about the 19th century American poet Emily Dickinson. The main role here is played by Hailee Steinfeld, known for the films “True Grit” by the Coen brothers and “Bumblebee”. And, in fact, this is a typical teenage drama about rebellion against adults and one’s environment, attempts to find oneself and conquer the world. The actors, however, overact, but, in general, it is suitable for high school age.
There are also two projects for very little ones: “Helpers ” and “Snoopy in Space” . In the first, puppets in the spirit of “Sesame Street” and real actors act, in the second, everything is drawn. It’s difficult for me to evaluate them, but my seven-year-old son was skeptical about both series: even for younger schoolchildren, they are already boring. But “Helpers” is so far the only project on Apple TV+ with full Russian dubbing. All other Russian-speaking viewers will have to watch with subtitles. Even Snoopy in Space.
Perhaps, of all that is currently presented on Apple TV+, the most impressive work is The African Queen . This is a truly magnificent documentary about a herd of elephants, which their leader - the elephant Athena - leads across the vast African expanses in search of the best place to live.
On the one hand, there is amazing wildlife footage here - from huge elephants, which you can see in such detail (you can't help but fall in love with them), to tiny East African frogs, mantises, chameleons and other jungle inhabitants. On the other hand, this is not just a documentary in the spirit of Animal Planet, but a touching story, a whole drama with many branches and colorful characters.
What's under the hood
All content presented on the service is played in 4K. Moreover, if the Internet connection is not fast enough, the quality automatically decreases. In case you download the episode to your computer, it ends up at the following address: Macintosh HD/Users/username/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/TV Shows/series name/season number/episode file.
If you download a movie (for now there is only one on Apple TV+, but others will appear later), then its address will be slightly different: Macintosh HD/Users/username/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/Downloads-TV/movie title . And here's what's interesting: the file format is now HLS Video. It can’t be played by any player other than Apple TV+, and we couldn’t even get information about the resolution, codec and other parameters, either using built-in or third-party means.
The HLS Video file can be opened as a package, and the contents are quite interesting. There are a huge number of folders inside, but almost the entire volume is made up of the first one. It contains many approximately identical files with the .frag extension.
Apparently, those that weigh 10-15 MB are just pieces of video. And the rest are auxiliary files. In another folder there is a similar number of many times smaller files: apparently, this is sound. Why the files in the remaining folders are needed is a mystery.
Please note that some movies previously purchased from iTunes will still download in good old M4V. The screenshot below is the “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” file, which was uploaded at the time of writing this article.
But, for example, the latest “Mad Max” is also in HLS Video. We can assume that this is a file format designed specifically for 4K content.
Strictly speaking, the average user, of course, does not care in what format what is downloaded there, since it was impossible to freely transfer files between devices before: iTunes content has always been well protected from any unauthorized use. But in this case, from the researcher's point of view, the problem with HLS Video is that we cannot get any information about the video. By the way, you can't take a screenshot during playback on Apple TV, no matter what device you're using. More precisely, you can formally take a photo, but instead of a frame you will see a black screen.
The only way to roughly estimate the bitrate, for example, is to simply divide the file size by the duration of the movie/episode in seconds (well, multiply by 8 to get megabits from megabytes). However, you can notice that the volumes vary greatly. An hour and a half movie is more than 7 GB, and an hour episode is less than 3 GB. In general, everything is very individual.
Subjective impressions of the video quality are very good. In “Queen of Africa” the picture is simply amazing - it is so detailed and expressive. “Dickinson” and “See” look great. “For All Mankind”, “Ghost Messages” and “The Morning Show” are a little less impressive - the video sequence itself is simply more boring. But there are no complaints.
Overall, we can say that Apple is setting new quality standards for streaming services: 4K and no compromises.
How much does it cost and who needs Apple TV+
Apple TV+ costs 199 rubles per month in Russia, before which a free seven-day trial subscription is available (but if you don’t like it, don’t forget to cancel it, since after a week the money for the first month will be debited automatically). For owners and future buyers of new iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs, iPod touches and Apple computers, the service will be free for a year. And you don’t have to do anything - the system automatically gives you the opportunity to sign up for an annual subscription. The service will be free for those who have an Apple Music student subscription.
But if we still proceed from the cost of 199 rubles per month, then is this a lot or a little? It all depends on whether you like at least one of the series currently presented on the service. If you find one, the price will be justified. Still, one new movie on iTunes is already more expensive. And here are several episodes at once. A huge plus is, of course, multiplatform and convenience. The downside is the lack of Russian-language voice acting (except for “Helpers”). But the cornerstone is still content.
True, it will be replenished. Several more films and TV series are promised in the near future. Of these, judging by the announcement and the names of the creators, the thriller “Servant” by M. Night Shyamalan looks the most promising. The problem with everything else is the clear emphasis on the American audience and its problems. We are promised the following stories: “the trendy true crime podcasts taking over America are forcing us to think seriously about media ethics and the boundaries of privacy,” “a series based on the true stories of the lives of immigrants in America,” “two black entrepreneurs try to circumvent the racial restrictions of the 1950s.” 's, providing mortgage loans to African Americans in segregation-era Texas," "the main character tries to find a balance between the ordinary life of an American teenager and the realities of a traditional Muslim family" ...
Is any of this impressive? Would you like to see it? Of course, everyone has their own tastes, but for now I would like to classify both announcements and already released projects, rather, into the category “you can look at it at your leisure if nothing more interesting comes along.” However, this is just the beginning. Even at the presentation, projects by Spielberg and JJ Abrams were promised, and such authors do not waste time on trifles.
In general, if you have Apple devices and are interested in foreign TV series, and the prospect of watching with subtitles or in English does not bother you, sign up for a trial subscription and watch at least parts of Apple TV+ projects. Well, “Queen of Africa” - in its entirety. And then decide whether to pay 199 rubles or whether it’s better to wait for a fundamental expansion of the range.
Which iOS devices support Apple TV?
Apple iPhone, iPad, iPod touch
To get started, just download the Apple TV app from the App Store. You can also download and install the latest version of iOS on your device, and the Apple TV app icon will appear on your desktop.
Apple Mac
The Apple TV app became available on Mac computers in 2019 with the release of macOS Catalina. Download and install Catalina and search for the app for “Apple TV.”
Apple TV 4K
Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD (fourth generation)—network video players also called "Apple TV," which is confusing—support the Apple TV app. The third-generation version of Apple TV, released in 2012, is now also compatible with the application, but its support does not extend to first- and second-generation consoles. A guide to identifying your Apple TV model can be found here.
What's with the voice acting?
There is no Russian or Ukrainian voice acting. But there are subtitles. Some people may not like it, but that's just the way I see it.
Several voiceovers are available: Spanish (a couple of options for different regions), Italian, Portuguese, German and Japanese. Moreover, Japanese voice acting is the worst from the point of view of the work of a sound engineer - there is just a voice at the microphone without regard to the room. And this is dubbing, that is, the original English track cannot be heard at all.
A still from the series “See”. Source: Apple
Which TVs support Apple TV?
Samsung
Samsung offers Apple TV on all 2021 and 2020 smart TVs, including the Q series, which includes 4K and 8K QLED TVs. Some 2021 models, such as 4K-QLED, 4K-LCD series 6, 7 and 8, and HD-LCD series 4 and 5, also support Apple TV.
LG
LG premium TVs based on OLED and NanoCell technologies support the Apple TV app, not only the 2020 models, but also part of the 2021 lines - OLED, NanoCell SM85 series and above, as well as NanoCell SM83 series and below. Owners of compatible TVs can find the Apple TV icon in the video app feed on their home screen.
Sony
The Apple TV app is now supported on Sony smart TVs. It is already rolling out in Europe via firmware updates, starting with the XH90 series. According to Sony, by the end of this year, Apple TV support will be added to “select” 2021 models (AF9, ZF9) and to “most” 2021 (XG85, XG87, XG95, AG9, ZG9) and 2021 models (XH80, XH81, XH85, XH91, XH90, XH92, XH95, A8, A9, ZH8).
What's available?
At launch, Apple is offering eight shows on its video service, both for family viewing and for children or adults. This is the drama "The Morning Show" with Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA7D4_qU9jo
In addition to him, there is the show “See” with Jason Momoa:
Cartoon "Snoopy in Space":
Alternate history "For All Mankind" in which the Soviet Union was the first to land on the moon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3RjayAF0b4
The tenth episode of the Dickinson series about a young rebel played by Hailee Steinfeld:
Children's show "Helpers":
A strange mixture of "Charmed", "Jumanji" and "Stranger Things" in the form of "Message from Ghosts":
And the documentary “The Elephant Queen”:
What other devices support Apple TV?
Amazon Fire TV
Amazon offers the Apple TV app on the Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Stick (2nd generation, basic edition), Fire TV, and Fire TV Cube (1st and 2nd generation). It is also available on Toshiba Fire TV Edition and Insignia Fire TV Edition devices.
Roku
Most Roku devices support Apple TV, including the 4K-compatible Streaming Stick+, Premiere, the new flagship 4K-compatible Ultra network player, and the Roku Smart Soundbar.
Xbox
There are rumors that Microsoft is in talks to include Apple TV in Xbox gaming consoles. Perhaps the technology giants will announce a successful agreement during the launch of the new generation Xbox Series X and S, which awaits us on November 10.
The library of films and TV series is constantly growing
The main difference between Apple TV+ and other streaming services is its unique films and TV series that are not available anywhere else. Apple produces many of them independently.
This is a unique approach that, as far as I know, no one else is using. Netflix produces its own production, but also buys a huge amount of content from other studios. KinoPoisk, Okko and HBO Max, which is not available with us, work in a similar way. Disney+ is somewhat similar to Apple TV+, but it is still different due to the fact that it had many famous films at the start.
Apple took a unique path. She brought in famous actors and directors to create series that no one had ever heard of. In addition, at the start there were very few of them.
But time passes, and over the year many new series in different genres have appeared on Apple TV+:
? Tehran, drama: Mossad agent falls into trap after failed mission in Iran? Ted Lasso, comedy: American football coach moved to England and took over the local club? Tiny world, documentary: a series about the smallest creatures on our planet? Mystical quest, comedy: about the developers who created the popular game? Truth be told, drama: Podcast author solves a high-profile murder, but an innocent man may have gone to jail? Home before dark, drama: a nine-year-old girl tries to solve an unsolved case in a small town that her father left many years ago
It couldn't be done without films either:
? The Banker (review), drama: two black entrepreneurs in the 1960s buy up banks in the US with the help of a fake white worker? Greyhound (review), action: a destroyer captain tries to transport thousands of soldiers and supplies across the Atlantic? Young Politicians Documentary: More than a thousand teenagers from across Texas come together to create a model for true democratic government
This is just a small part. Apple releases new content on Apple TV+ several times a month.
And that's not counting the large number of bonus materials, including interviews with the actors. This is rarely the case with competitors, but Apple has a streamlined production of additional content.
Spatial Audio
There is now support for spatial audio (Spatial Audio) when connecting wireless headphones to Apple TV. As you rotate your head, the system tracks your position and dynamically adjusts the sound as if your head is in the center of the screen
For better sound quality, go to Settings - Applications - Music and set Dolby Atmos to Auto mode. And select Lossless sound quality.
After connecting to the headphones, a new icon appears in Control Center (on iPhone). In it you can adjust the volume, enable spatial sound and control noise reduction.
HomePod mini
What's new? There is now support for HomePod mini as the default audio source. After waking up from sleep, HomePod still remains connected. But after rebooting it will have to be connected again.
Possible desynchronization in sound (when connecting a pair of wireless speakers) is treated in the Settings - Video and Audio - Synchronization of wireless audio transmission section.
