Apple TV 4K Review – 2021 is all about getting the colour right

The Apple TV is one of the most powerful, outstanding set-top boxes on the market. No question – and I think in that sense it’s desperately underrated. For our look at the 2021 Apple TV 4K Review, it seems clear it’s all about the colour, and the remote.

A newly designed Siri remote might be the big physical and visual change but in reality it’s a bunch of things under the hood that add the real value to this device.

Powered by the A12 Bionic chip, you’ve got performance for days. As a really simple example, that power is why Kayo is able to do a four way split screen – no TV has that power, which is why at best the Kayo app on a TV will do a picture in picture of two live streams. Apple TV provides the immense processing power to watch four at a time.

It’s also what allows for the output options that bring cinema quality to your home.

I found the setup process to be something very new, but maybe it’s just been a while since I went fresh into TVOS – all based around your iPhone as is now common with Apple devices, very nifty.

There’s WiFi 6 for fast connectivity and some nice future proofing, and a little thing called Thread which I’m tipping we’ll hear a lot more about, it creates a mesh network of smart home devices which is nifty and will I assume take away load from your WiFi network itself.

That New Apple TV 4K Siri Remote

The remote is completely new. No Menu button, now a “back” arrow, along with Power and a redesigned navigation tool and the addition of the Siri Button.

Siri is summoned by pushing and holding the side button, similarly placed to your iPhone.

The navigation is now not just a “touchpad”, it’s a five way button, up, down, left and right along with “ok”. This alone makes navigation a lot easier.

Gone are the days of swiping too far, now you have precise control.

However, the whole top circular set of buttons is touch sensitive, so you can still swipe around as you choose.

Perhaps the best use of that touch surface is the jog-wheel when skipping around a show. Scroll forward, scroll back, it’s precise and really easy to use.

I’m getting another remote for my older generation Apple TV 4K for sure!

Colour Balance your TV with your iPhone

We’ve all got control of things like brightness, contrast, colour, hue, who knows what on your TV – but have you adjusted them? If so how would you – to what level? Your eye?

Now with Apple TV and your iPhone, you can do a colour adjustment.

In the settings, you initiate the colour balance, at which time you unlock your iPhone and are prompted to perform the colour balance.

Press that button, and your TV will start to shine and glow, prompting you to hold your phone up to the screen.

I’ve placed mine on the screen, to remove any bleed in from the lights of the studio, Apple say you can hold it a small amount away without touching the screen.

The result was instant, and very obvious to my untrained eye.

Highly recommend this as it means from that point on, your Apple TV 4K is outputting a signal to suit your TV.

Brilliant feature.

Apple TV 4K price in Australia

It’s bloody amazing value really for $249. If you really want that new Siri Remote, you can get that for just $79, compatible with the Apple TV 4K previous generations and Apple TV HD (the bigger fatter Apple TV’s – not the thinner original)