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Apple TV 4K: All you need to know

Apple TV 4K has been revealed. Here is everything you need to know about it, including the price, details of HDR support and when it arrives.

Good news, Apple TV fans, Apple is finally bringing 4K visuals to its signature set-top box. But what else is new when it comes to the digital streaming device.

Apple TV 4K: What is it?

It is a higher resolution version of Apple TV, which provides a 3840×2160-pixel ultra high-definition (UHD) resolution. Pair that up with a 4K-enabled TV and you are getting much greater detail than full HD (1920×1080 pixels).

Apple TV 4K also supports high dynamic range (HDR), which is a technology that makes the pixels look better. Basically, it provides a more vivid and impressive image.

A minimum of 15Mbps connection will be needed to stream 4K content on Apple TV, which means a reasonably fast internet connection (and that includes the fact that multiple users quickly eat into the overall maximum).

Apple TV 4K: Standard 4K vs 4K HDR comparison

It also means access to 4K-ready movies, of which the number is growing all the time, and 4K streaming via Netflix and Amazon Video. 4K has already been available through a number of rival streaming devices, including the Roku, Google Chromecast and Amazon Fire TV.

The new Apple TV features revised internals to cope with the greater data requirements, including the same A10X processor used by the company’s iPad Pro. Apple claims it’s twice as fast as the fourth-generation Apple TV device and has four times the graphical processing power.

Meanwhile, 3GB of memory and those six cores of processing oomph will allow for seamless multitasking, although how often you need that on a video streaming device is debatable.

Apple TV 4K: What about my iTunes library?

Any iTunes movies that you already own will be upgraded for free upgraded to 4K for free (where possible). Not only that, 4K movies will cost the same as their HD counterparts, so no need to worry about your current digital movie collection being left in the past.

In addition, Apple is also bringing its Apple TV app, which grants access to all of your existing iTunes content and on-demand media from the various streaming services in one place, to iOS devices in the UK before the end of 2017.

Apple TV 4K: How much does it cost?

Apple TV 4K will sell as a standalone box alongside the HD one, priced slightly higher for the privilege of those extra pixels. It’s priced at £179 for the 32GB model and £199 for 64GB version. The standard Apple TV will cost £149.

Apple says it will be available to pre-order from the 15th of September on the Apple Store, with deliveries beginning on the 22nd of September, 2017.

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