Finally installed Apple TV 4K

[eytonxav]

Although the Apple TV box was a Christmas present, I have procrastinated on hooking it up as my existing setup is housed in a very large credenza that I am not able to move to get at the cables which are best hooked up from behind. I finally figured a way to do this without moving everything and got the Apple box hooked up yesterday. Although I have an older TV set, 2015 Samsung, I am blown away at how much better the picture is when streaming through the Apple box vs the apps that were built into the TV. I really do not understand why that is the case as my TV streaming was fed from the same cat5e as the Apple box. Next, want to remove my Denon AVR and the left, right and center speakers which I have not used in a very long time as they were not playing nice with our set top box, and replace all that with a Sonos soundbar. DW and I both have trouble hearing voices clearly and hope a soundbar will do better job than the TV speakers and that the soundbar will not have problems passing all the various audio signals. We still have Frontier cable TV, and hopefully we will cut the cord once we figure out how this Apple TV works with maybe a YouTube TV subscription for the local channels, along with a few premium channels.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Although the Apple TV box was a Christmas present, I have procrastinated on hooking it up as my existing setup is housed in a very large credenza that I am not able to move to get at the cables which are best hooked up from behind. I finally figured a way to do this without moving everything and got the Apple box hooked up yesterday. Although I have an older TV set, 2015 Samsung, I am blown away at how much better the picture is when streaming through the Apple box vs the apps that were built into the TV. I really do not understand why that is the case as my TV streaming was fed from the same cat5e as the Apple box. Next, want to remove my Denon AVR and the left, right and center speakers which I have not used in a very long time as they were not playing nice with our set top box, and replace all that with a Sonos soundbar. DW and I both have trouble hearing voices clearly and hope a soundbar will do better job than the TV speakers and that the soundbar will not have problems passing all the various audio signals. We still have Frontier cable TV, and hopefully we will cut the cord once we figure out how this Apple TV works with maybe a YouTube TV subscription for the local channels, along with a few premium channels.

I bet in hindsight you wished you would have hooked up the Apple TV a lot sooner!

I would advise you to try and get the Denon AVR setup to work properly before downgrading to a Sonos soundbar. If you just want to remove the AVR and speakers for aesthetic reasons, I understand, but realize you are taking a big step down in sound quality.

 

[audreyh1]

We really enjoy our 4K Apple TV.

 

[Jerry1]

I really like my Bose TV speaker.

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products.../bose-tv-speaker.html#v=bose_tv_speaker_black

The price was good and the sound works well. Most of the time, I just use my TV speaker, but when I have trouble with the voices, I turn the Bose speaker on. It has a switch to turn on a voice mode and I think it works really well. You may also find a sound bar with similar functionality, but if you’re not an audiophile and don’t want to spend too much money, I found this to be a good option - especially for movie watching.

 

[eytonxav]

I bet in hindsight you wished you would have hooked up the Apple TV a lot sooner!

I would advise you to try and get the Denon AVR setup to work properly before downgrading to a Sonos soundbar. If you just want to remove the AVR and speakers for aesthetic reasons, I understand, but realize you are taking a big step down in sound quality.

The problem with the Denon is that it is old and does not support 4K, and I keep running into HDMI hand shake problems and clipped signals. It is also a mess of cables that I want to simplify. If I remove it, it might enable me to move the credenza as it and the speakers are quite heavy. As to the Sonos ARC, some have said it is excellent, almost as good as dedicated AVR speaker setup.

 

[Qs Laptop]

The problem with the Denon is that it is old and does not support 4K, and I keep running into HDMI hand shake problems and clipped signals.

Does your TV handle 4K? If it's from 2015, chances are it doesn't.

Anyway, you could run all your HDMI inputs to your TV then run an optical cable to the Denon unit for the audio signal. However, the best audio you can get would be 5.1 dolby surround and you'd have to use the AVR remote power on/off the AVR.

 

[eytonxav]

Does your TV handle 4K? If it's from 2015, chances are it doesn't.

Anyway, you could run all your HDMI inputs to your TV then run an optical cable to the Denon unit for the audio signal. However, the best audio you can get would be 5.1 dolby surround and you'd have to use the AVR remote power on/off the AVR.

TV does handle 4K and has HDR tech built in. It uses a Samsung One Connect box that connects to the TV and all other components. And I am using an optical cable to connect to the Denon. The other issue with the Denon is that it is behind a cabinet door, gets very hot and is a pain to turn on and off. I have not used it in 2-3 years. It is getting the boot, but I appreciate your comments nevertheless.

 

[explanade]

One reason picture might be better is that the processor on the ATV is much faster than the processor used by the built-in apps. So better decoding of codecs used in the streams as well as better responsiveness when you navigate the UI.

Plus some smart TVs have a lot of adware running so that may slow down things.

OTOH, some streaming services have tended to support the built-in apps more than Apple tV or Chromecast.

For instance, my understanding is that YouTube TV gets 5.1 sound on the built-in apps but not Apple TV. Don't know about Chromecast, though you'd think so since it's a Google product.

 

[eytonxav]

I really like my Bose TV speaker.

https://www.bose.com/en_us/products.../bose-tv-speaker.html#v=bose_tv_speaker_black

The price was good and the sound works well. Most of the time, I just use my TV speaker, but when I have trouble with the voices, I turn the Bose speaker on. It has a switch to turn on a voice mode and I think it works really well. You may also find a sound bar with similar functionality, but if you’re not an audiophile and don’t want to spend too much money, I found this to be a good option - especially for movie watching.

Thanks that is much cheaper than a Sonos ARC. When I clicked on the little demo they had I got no sound at all. Not sure what's up with that.

 

[eytonxav]

One reason picture might be better is that the processor on the ATV is much faster than the processor used by the built-in apps. So better decoding of codecs used in the streams as well as better responsiveness when you navigate the UI.

Plus some smart TVs have a lot of adware running so that may slow down things.

OTOH, some streaming services have tended to support the built-in apps more than Apple tV or Chromecast.

For instance, my understanding is that YouTube TV gets 5.1 sound on the built-in apps but not Apple TV. Don't know about Chromecast, though you'd think so since it's a Google product.

Definitely might be the case, unless the apps themselves on the TV have not updated properly. I don't know much about YouTube TV, but need to look into that. Don't need anymore incompatibilities with sound or picture quality.

 

[mpeirce]

…my understanding is that YouTube TV gets 5.1 sound on the built-in apps but not Apple TV. Don't know about Chromecast, though you'd think so since it's a Google product.

From YouTube TV on twitter

We’re still working internally and with partners to enable 5.1 on Apple TV, Fire TV, and game consoles. We don’t like keeping you waiting, but we’re excited for you to hear 5.1 audio soon. Our current compatible devices can be found here: http://yt.be/yttvsurround

 

[tulak]

I have an AppleTV 4k with a Sonos Arc, subwoofer and two Sonos Ones for surround sound. Not the cheapest setup, but I’m happy with the sound and simplicity.

 

[Qs Laptop]

TV does handle 4K and has HDR tech built in. It uses a Samsung One Connect box that connects to the TV and all other components. And I am using an optical cable to connect to the Denon. The other issue with the Denon is that it is behind a cabinet door, gets very hot and is a pain to turn on and off. I have not used it in 2-3 years. It is getting the boot, but I appreciate your comments nevertheless.

OK, I understand you're wanting to get rid of the Denon.

 

[eytonxav]

I have an AppleTV 4k with a Sonos Arc, subwoofer and two Sonos Ones for surround sound. Not the cheapest setup, but I’m happy with the sound and simplicity.

Does your TV have eARC? I am wondering how it way play since in my setup it would need to be connected to an older HDMI ARC or optical connection. Are there any issues playing back various Dolby signals?

 

[eytonxav]

From YouTube TV on twitter

Geez, looks like some competitive foot dragging.

 

[tulak]

Does your TV have eARC? I am wondering how it way play since in my setup it would need to be connected to an older HDMI ARC or optical connection. Are there any issues playing back various Dolby signals?

I’m not sure and not around right now to look.

I remember that I confirmed the Sonos Arc received a Dolby Atmos signal, but a quick google shows there is compressed and lossless Dolby Atmos, which I wasn’t aware of. I don’t know which one I’m using. I haven’t had any issues with Dolby signals, but the only time I looked is when I originally set it up. I’ll take a closer look when I’m back home, but that won’t be for a couple of weeks.

And yes, my TV supposedly supports eARC, but you have to configure it (LG OLED). I know I played with settings on the TV when I installed the Sonos Arc, but I don’t remember the details.

 

[mpeirce]

The Apple TV 4K does support eARC (it didn’t initially). Here’s how to make sure it’s turned on:

Use HDMI ARC or eARC with your Apple TV 4K (2nd generation)

 

[eytonxav]

Q is making me rethink dumping my AVR and existing speakers. The issue I am dealing with is a 2008 Denon AVR with HDMI 1.0 and no ARC HDMI, a 2015 Samsung smart 4K TV with HDMI 2.0, and now Apple TV 4K with HDMI 2.1. I stopped using the Denon a while back because of major HDMI handshake issues which destroyed audio and video. Plus my AVR is housed behind a cabinet door, and it was a nuisance opening and closing and using so many remotes to control everything. The speaker setup is only a 3.1 config and I only used the AVR to drive the sound for TV viewing. Unfortunately the TV is only ARC enabled and not eARC which would be better. I am thinking maybe just need to get a more current AVR that supports HDMI 2.1 and HDCP 2.3. and ARC/eARC and perhaps turning the AVR on and off/volume in a closed cabinet can be accomplished via CEC and if not, an IR blaster setup. I have also been eyeing a new TV, but will hold off on that till black friday or 2023 Super Bowl timeframe. Since I only need a 5.1 AVR, that might be as cheap as a soundbar setup and then I can keep using my Definitive Technology speakers which are still pretty decent sound makers.

 

[swakyaby]

I changed from a Yamaha AVR with 5.1 speakers to a Sonos arc + subwoofer and 2 rear surrounds last year, and I am very happy with the setup, the sound, and the simplicity. The dialog also comes in quite clear, and that’s without activating the dialog enhancement setting the Sonos arc has available. For TV and movie viewing, it’s really nice. But if your main interest is music listening, then I agree with others, you’re best sticking with audiophile components.

 

[swakyaby]

My TV is a 2017 LG OLED, so has only the arc hdmi, not the e-arc connection. So the best sound I could get with the Sonos arc setup is compressed Dolby Atmos instead of lossless. Still, I am satisfied with the improvement.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Q is making me rethink dumping my AVR and existing speakers. The issue I am dealing with is a 2008 Denon AVR with HDMI 1.0 and no ARC HDMI, a 2015 Samsung smart 4K TV with HDMI 2.0, and now Apple TV 4K with HDMI 2.1. I stopped using the Denon a while back because of major HDMI handshake issues which destroyed audio and video. Plus my AVR is housed behind a cabinet door, and it was a nuisance opening and closing and using so many remotes to control everything. The speaker setup is only a 3.1 config and I only used the AVR to drive the sound for TV viewing. Unfortunately the TV is only ARC enabled and not eARC which would be better. I am thinking maybe just need to get a more current AVR that supports HDMI 2.1 and HDCP 2.3. and ARC/eARC and perhaps turning the AVR on and off/volume in a closed cabinet can be accomplished via CEC and if not, an IR blaster setup. I have also been eyeing a new TV, but will hold off on that till black friday or 2023 Super Bowl timeframe. Since I only need a 5.1 AVR, that might be as cheap as a soundbar setup and then I can keep using my Definitive Technology speakers which are still pretty decent sound makers.

Denon AVR are known to run hot. Yamaha's run cool.

I just got a Yamaha TSR-700 at Costco on sale for $399. This is the same model as the RX-V6A at Best Buy and elsewhere for $699. Like you, I'm only running a 3.1 system right now.

You will get three HDMI 2.1 inputs and four "regular" HDMI inputs on this Yamaha unit. I have everything running into the Yamaha AVR (blu-ray player, cable TV box, Sony Playstation) and one HDMI cable going to the ARC input of my Hisense Roku TV. I can turn the AVR on/off with the TV remote as well as adjust volume with the TV remote. If I change inputs on the TV remote from, say, cable to Roku streaming apps the Yamaha will automatically switch to that input for the audio.

It came with a system called YPAO that will optimize your speaker outputs to take into account the location of your main listening position (and 7 other spots in the room) while compensating for the acoustics of your room.

It also has built in Spotify, Amazon Prime music (and many more apps), internet podcasts built in, and various audio output settings (Dolby Digital, Neural X, DTS, etc.)

It's got a bewildering set of features and functions that I've barely explored. For $400 it's the best electronics purchase I've ever made.

Fair warning though, there have been reports this AVR has problems with Apple TV 4K and Dolby Vision (usually related to programs with Atmos content.) I don't know as I don't have an Apple TV 4K stick and I don't have Atmos speakers on my system. However, Yamaha has supposedly fixed this by installing a different circuit board in these units for the past 6 months or so.

 

[eytonxav]

Denon AVR are known to run hot. Yamaha's run cool.

I just got a Yamaha TSR-700 at Costco on sale for $399. This is the same model as the RX-V6A at Best Buy and elsewhere for $699. Like you, I'm only running a 3.1 system right now.

You will get three HDMI 2.1 inputs and four "regular" HDMI inputs on this Yamaha unit. I have everything running into the Yamaha AVR (blu-ray player, cable TV box, Sony Playstation) and one HDMI cable going to the ARC input of my Hisense Roku TV. I can turn the AVR on/off with the TV remote as well as adjust volume with the TV remote. If I change inputs on the TV remote from, say, cable to Roku streaming apps the Yamaha will automatically switch to that input for the audio.

It came with a system called YPAO that will optimize your speaker outputs to take into account the location of your main listening position (and 7 other spots in the room) while compensating for the acoustics of your room.

It also has built in Spotify, Amazon Prime music (and many more apps), internet podcasts built in, and various audio output settings (Dolby Digital, Neural X, DTS, etc.)

It's got a bewildering set of features and functions that I've barely explored. For $400 it's the best electronics purchase I've ever made.

Fair warning though, there have been reports this AVR has problems with Apple TV 4K and Dolby Vision (usually related to programs with Atmos content.) I don't know as I don't have an Apple TV 4K stick and I don't have Atmos speakers on my system. However, Yamaha has supposedly fixed this by installing a different circuit board in these units for the past 6 months or so.

The specs on the Yamaha look great. I looked at Costco's site and some of the reviews are talking about significant HDMI problems which is the last thing I want to encounter. Perhaps these have been resolved over time, but it does give me pause even at a great price. All these various Dolby/Atmos decoding problems between some devices is also something I need to understand better, but that is a function of all the various components in a setup which can make selecting something that works across all products difficult to determine. That said, Dolby Vision is not necessarily a requirement for me. I just want good basic sound and volume that improves the ability to hear dialog clearly.

 

[swakyaby]

I like Yamaha receivers. I’ve owned several over the past 40 years and currently own 2. The YPAO sound equalization appears to optimize music listening to the room’s acoustics. But it doesn’t address the OP’s main issue with TV viewing——the difficulty hearing dialog clearly. Higher end sound bars appear to address this issue. Read the reviews from customers who bought higher quality soundbars. I only know about Sonos because I had BTD money. They have a smaller less expensive soundbar called the Beam (Gen 2) designed for medium to smaller media rooms. It has excellent dialog clarity like it’s larger Arc which is designed for medium to larger TV rooms. If you’ve been suffering with your TV’s internal speakers or your Denon 5.1 setup for TV viewing the past 2 years, you will like what a quality soundbar will do with speech enhancement.

 

[Qs Laptop]

The specs on the Yamaha look great. I looked at Costco's site and some of the reviews are talking about significant HDMI problems which is the last thing I want to encounter. Perhaps these have been resolved over time, but it does give me pause even at a great price.

Yes, look at the dates on the reviews talking about HDMI problems. Read the complaints carefully--they probably apply to people that have sophisticated speaker setups and are trying to decode the latest and greatest sound formats.

All these various Dolby/Atmos decoding problems between some devices is also something I need to understand better, but that is a function of all the various components in a setup which can make selecting something that works across all products difficult to determine. That said, Dolby Vision is not necessarily a requirement for me. I just want good basic sound and volume that improves the ability to hear dialog clearly.

Yes, there is a lot to untangle when it comes to understanding the various formats and their compatibility with components.

The key to clearer dialog is the quality of the center speaker. About 75% of the dialog in surround sound mode is sent to the center speaker.

As I said, I've got a 3.1 setup and everything works. I have no immediate plans to add Atmos Speakers. If you don't have Atmos speakers the Yamaha will not even try to decode it. So if your Apple 4K is sending Dolby Atmos encoded audio to your AVR it shouldn't have problems with it.

 

[Qs Laptop]

I like Yamaha receivers. I’ve owned several over the past 40 years and currently own 2. The YPAO sound equalization appears to optimize music listening to the room’s acoustics. But it doesn’t address the OP’s main issue with TV viewing——the difficulty hearing dialog clearly.

Yamaha has an adjustment called "Dialogue Volume" which you can adjust to increase the ability to hear dialogue clearly.

Higher end sound bars appear to address this issue. Read the reviews from customers who bought higher quality soundbars. I only know about Sonos because I had BTD money. They have a smaller less expensive soundbar called the Beam (Gen 2) designed for medium to smaller media rooms. It has excellent dialog clarity like it’s larger Arc which is designed for medium to larger TV rooms. If you’ve been suffering with your TV’s internal speakers or your Denon 5.1 setup for TV viewing the past 2 years, you will like what a quality soundbar will do with speech enhancement.

No doubt a quality soundbar can help with understanding dialogue, especially when compared to TV internal speakers. But it doesn't do much for bass response or for filling a room with sound compared to a system with an AVR. A quality center speaker as part of a 3.1 or 5.1 system would blow away any soundbar setup.