Apple TV

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1st Official Post

    Got Apple TV for the next 11 months because I got a new device, basically an iPad Air


    The only good thing on Apple TV


    Movies

    Greyhound - World War 2 drama starring Tom Hanks

    The Banker - Samuel L Jackson stars in this movie, I think it is based on a true story


    TV shows

    The Morning Show - they had to get a star studded line up to make it good, let alone a few jokes along the way, but it's passable

    For All Mankind - I like space shows, so it's alright


    There are others, but I don't like the look of them. Seen the trailers, and watched one or two episodes, and got fed up


    Is it worth £4.99 (or whatever currency you use) p/month when the freebie runs out? Unless they really improve the quality and quantity.......nope, not in my books

    Quote from Splinter

    Greyhound was excellent and I acquired it elsewhere, but frankly Netflix and Prime have quite enough choice for us and we don't have cable anymore, either.

    I've heard that some of the best content is on HBO.

    I would imagine that Netflix would have quite a lot of content, same goes for Amazon. Netflix has been around for years more than the others

    We still have cable so we had flow to give us access to HBO and Fox Premium on demand. HBO is alright but it is not the full streaming service. Netflix remains our go to and for me on my own, 99% of anything I watch is on YouTube. The best thing about YouTube is it lets me niche down. I have 2 to 3 content creators I watch across each of my hobbies and interests. Netflix is mostly for documentaries and the occasional series or movie. Could never get into Amazon Prime but that’s because it is not on our TV or Chromecast and I don’t like watching through a PC.

    • Official Post
    Quote from Semigoodlooking

    We still have cable so we had flow to give us access to HBO and Fox Premium on demand. HBO is alright but it is not the full streaming service. Netflix remains our go to and for me on my own, 99% of anything I watch is on YouTube. The best thing about YouTube is it lets me niche down. I have 2 to 3 content creators I watch across each of my hobbies and interests. Netflix is mostly for documentaries and the occasional series or movie. Could never get into Amazon Prime but that’s because it is not on our TV or Chromecast and I don’t like watching through a PC.

    Smart TV, mate?

    • Official Post
    Quote from Semigoodlooking

    We still have cable so we had flow to give us access to HBO and Fox Premium on demand. HBO is alright but it is not the full streaming service. Netflix remains our go to and for me on my own, 99% of anything I watch is on YouTube. The best thing about YouTube is it lets me niche down. I have 2 to 3 content creators I watch across each of my hobbies and interests. Netflix is mostly for documentaries and the occasional series or movie. Could never get into Amazon Prime but that’s because it is not on our TV or Chromecast and I don’t like watching through a PC.

    Can't you install the app on Chromecast?


    Our previous configuration was a 3rd gen Apple TV with Netflix and Amazon Prime. When we exhausted the local movie catalogues, I subscribed to a VPN service and I was able to mask my IP and access the US catalogue. With a US IP there are a lot more services available on the Apple TV, although most require an expensive subscription with very little free content - it is basically cable TV on the Internet, with US cable TV service prices which can be 40-50 USD per month.

    Other services are niche, such as Kids, History, Reality etc. and slightly less expensive. You can also subscribe to a specific TV network or Producer (HBO, A&E, abc, TLC, HGTV, the History Channel etc.). There is plenty of choice! Some content is shared over more than one service - for example on Hulu there is some seasons of certain HGTV shows, depending on the licensing (such as Season 5 to 7 of 'Flip or Flop', or episode 143 to 165 of International House).


    However, this configuration only allowed me to use a US IP with my Apple TV because it is not possible to install the VPN app on it and a workaround with static DNS is used, instead. My VPN provider offers this workaround only to get a US IP address, unfortunately. They call this service Mediastreamer.


    With the Amazon Fire Stick I was able to install the VPN app on the Fire Stick, so I can use whatever IP address I like (UK, US, IT, ES, BRA, CAN, JP and so on). However.... I found out that since the Amazon Fire Stick is linked to your Amazon account, and your Amazon account is set on a specific region/location, this impacts the choice of services you are shown, regardless of your IP address. You can easily change this setting in your Amazon account at no cost and without having to provide proof of foreign address, however this must be done from a computer, and you have to de-associate and associate the Fire Stick every time you switch country. It's a pain in the butt!


    So , now we have the Amazon Fire Stick associated to my Amazon account set to UK as a location, the VPN on the Fire Stick set to UK - London, and I was able to download the BBC iPlayer app and watch the BBC iPlayer content.

    Our 3rd Gen Apple TV is set to the US using the Mediastreamer, and I can access the US catalogue of Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu, plus the free content of other services.


    We could connect both devices to the same TV and switch between UK and US easily, in a far simpler fashion than the procedure described above to change your Amazon account location.

    In reality, we are keeping the TV downstairs connected to the UK and the one upstairs connected to the US, so that we can both watch whatever we like.


    Maybe a Roku or similar devices would have been a better choice because it is not linked to Amazon, and not limited as an Apple TV. But my VPN provider recommended the Fire Stick for the ease of installation and it was about the same price. I wasn't also sure of the quality of smart TV boxes sold here and I didn't want to spend too much on it.


    In the past, I spent just USD 14,99 a month on Netflix, and right now I am piling up subscriptions for the VPN and Hulu. I am considering this as an investment to keep me sane and entertained during this looooong quarantine. I wouldn't normally spend 40 USD a month in TV service.

    • Official Post
    Quote from Splinter

    Bloody hell Serafina.

    Ever considered writing for a tech blog?

    I'll take it as a compliment. It took me a lot of time to write this, I am not a natural like you!


    Anyway, I wasn't expecting that whole Amazon account location thing and I am not super duper happy about it, because working around it involves getting up and going to the computer, disconnect and reconnect the account to the Fire Stick... all in all, it was simpler to keep a small notebook next to the TV like we did in the old time. But it means having a computer and cables around just for that, and getting up to stop the video instead of using a remote.


    However, it's true it was easy to configure and Express VPN chat support is prompt and helpful.

    It took me 6 hours to figure it out with their help, and I was exhausted afterwards. =O

    I have to say that the stream is fluid and bufferless - I am really impressed with Express VPN. It's well worth the price.

    As of now, I've finished watching For all Mankind and there's nothing new to watch. Just what you would expect from a company that gets nearly a trillion dollars in revenue


    Oh wait, there is Ted Lasso, which is released next week. It's about an US football coach coming to the UK to be manager of AFC Richmond. Should be good

    • Official Post
    Quote from GlasgowJohn

    Are they easy to recode?

    They are bluetooth as far as I know. You just need to pair it with the device.


    Apple Remote (aluminum or white)

    1. Unlink your Apple Remote to your Apple TV. On your Apple Remote, hold down Menu and Left for six seconds. Then on your Apple TV, look for broken_chainlink.png above an icon of a remote.
    2. Link your Apple Remote to your Apple TV. On your Apple Remote, hold down Menu and Right for six seconds. Then on your Apple TV, look for chainlink_symbol.png above an icon of a remote.
    3. Unplug your Apple TV from the wall power outlet. Wait at least six seconds, then plug it back in.

    https://support.apple.com/en-u…ssibility%20features%20on.

    • Official Post
    Quote from serafina

    They are bluetooth as far as I know. You just need to pair it with the device.


    Apple Remote (aluminum or white)

    1. Unlink your Apple Remote to your Apple TV. On your Apple Remote, hold down Menu and Left for six seconds. Then on your Apple TV, look for broken_chainlink.png above an icon of a remote.
    2. Link your Apple Remote to your Apple TV. On your Apple Remote, hold down Menu and Right for six seconds. Then on your Apple TV, look for chainlink_symbol.png above an icon of a remote.
    3. Unplug your Apple TV from the wall power outlet. Wait at least six seconds, then plug it back in.

    https://support.apple.com/en-u…ssibility%20features%20on.

    Then stand on one leg and sing Dixie for ten minutes.