Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. News

Apple is reportedly testing the next-gen Apple TV featuring 4K, possibly HDR

Kris Wouk
By

Apple TV (2015)
Bill Roberson/Digital Trends / .
Despite being one of the original streaming media players on the market, the Apple TV has been anything but forward-thinking in recent years. While other players focus on features and picture quality, the main thing the Apple TV has to offer is tight integration with the rest of the company’s ecosystem. A new model of the set-top box could be on the way, but so far it isn’t really looking like things are going to change all that much.

Apple is reportedly testing testing the fifth-generation model of the Apple TV, according to Bloomberg. Code-named J105, the latest model is said to finally bring support for 4K Ultra HD resolution, as well as “more vivid colors.” While this could mean High Dynamic Range (HDR), details are currently scarce.

Recommended Videos

Outside of a bump in resolution and possibly better color, the updated set-top box doesn’t seem to bring much new to the table. While this will be a welcome upgrade for Apple TV users who simply want a box that works better with their new TV, it likely won’t lead the Apple TV to wildly higher sales, nor does it fit with the lofty goals Apple reportedly had for the device originally.

Related

Earlier this month, Apple hired Timothy Twerdahl,. former director and general manager of Amazon’s Fire TV unit. That the company is said to be testing the device means that Twerdahl couldn’t have had much influence over the design of the product. Whether the unit Apple is said to be working on will be enough to persuade customers to hold out for a future model that offers a major upgrade in functionality remains to be seen.

There are no firm details as to when this fifth-generation Apple TV could be available for purchase, but Bloomberg’s sources say it could arrive as soon as this year. Would the company be better served by shipping later and adding more features? Possibly, but considering that 4K was already gaining traction when the current-generation Apple TV launched, Apple may feel the pressure to get a more 4K-capable version out as soon as possible.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Kris Wouk
Kris Wouk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…
Music might not bootstrap NextGen TV and ATSC 3.0, but Roxi at least tries to make it fun
The Roxi ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV music channel.

Roxi plays music over the air via an ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV-capable channel. Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends

You’ll be forgiven if you’re not aware of a thing called NextGen TV. (And even more so if you’re not aware that it’s also part of a broadcast TV standard called ATSC 3.0.) You’re less forgiven if you haven’t installed an over-the-air antenna in your home because that’s very much something we think you should do in 2024.

Read more
TCL’s giant 115-inch QM89 is the world’s largest 4K mini-LED TV
The 115-inch TCL QM89 television.

If you're going to unveil the world's largest mini-LED TV, CES 2024 in Las Vegas seems like an appropriate venue at which to do it. The honor goes to TCL's new QM89 -- an absolutely massive 115-inch 4K, quantum dot mini-LED TV. TCL announced the QM89 along with the rest of its 2024 TV lineup and its 2024 soundbars.

First Look at TCL’s 115-Inch QM89 TV | The World’s Largest Mini-LED TV at CES

Read more
The tvOS 17.2 update is now available with redesigned TV app
Apple TV tvOS 17.2 update screen.

It's update day in Apple land. And in addition to the new hotness that is iOS 17.2 for phones and tablets, and MacOS 14.2 Sonoma for, uh, Macs, we also have tvOS 17.2 for Apple TV.

We've been running the beta track for a little while now and already have talked about updates to the sidebar in the TV app, as well as new functionality for the Siri button on the remote control. And they're still there, which is good.

Read more