A new report out from Bloomberg today says that Apple should unveil its 4K Apple TV alongside new iPhone and Apple Watch models. The devices are expected to make a debut at next month’s September event.
Over the past few months, we’ve seen leaks from Apple firmware that have pointed to a potential new Apple TV set-top box. In early August, code references to an Apple TV with Dolby Vision and HDR10 support was discovered. HDR image assets referencing the Apple TV’s codename were found soon after in the iOS 11 beta 7.
According to Bloomberg this new Apple TV will sport a “faster processor capable of streaming the higher-resolution 4K content”. Although 4K TVs have been coming down in price to become a household norm, not all of them support High Dynamic Range (HDR) content. Finding HDR content can prove troublesome as well.
Some of Netflix’s original content is streaming in Dolby Vision/HDR10, but not all. References to 4K and HDR films have popped up in the UK iTunes Store, possibly giving early indication that Apple is preparing its library for the upcoming Apple TV. Bloomberg’s report mentions that Apple has “begun discussions with movie studios about supplying 4K versions of movies via iTunes”.
During Apple’s WWDC 2017 keynote, discussions about tvOS were light. Tim Cook shared that “you’ll be hearing a lot more about tvOS later this year.” It seems as though we will, as Bloomberg reports that Apple is testing an updated version of its TV app that can further integrate with third-party applications.
One of the current limitations with the TV app is that third-party apps can only share back streaming, but not live content. That means that apps like Hulu, or ones that integrate with cable-providers to offer live TV streaming, weren’t able to showcase themselves in the official TV app. This new version of the TV app could open the door for pulling in that additional live content.
No word yet if Apple’s $1 billion push into original content will mean we’ll get to enjoy Planet of the Apps and Carpool Karaoke in 4K HDR.
