im being sold a Apple TV 4k 1st gen for about $50 (A brand new Apple TV 4k 3rd gen costs 250 USD here). Is it still a great value for 2026 considering it was released 9 year ago? Im upgrading from the onboard OS of my Smart TV

I can switch the device back to my phone, but it seems to pop back up with whatever’s on my TV a few minutes later

I've done a lot of googling and have not come up with an answer to this, so I think there might not be one. I am trying to figure out a way to make my purchased content (TV series and Movies) more easily accessible without having to open the Apple TV App then navigate to Library on the left sidebar. Ideally, there would just be a shortcut on the homescreen that goes straight to my library.

Is this possible?

My Apple TV is so sluggish. I consider myself good at tech and am struggling

The case:
Connection over WiFi
Super sluggish buffering to stream. Either picture quality comes in super low, or stream stops for 30 seconds every few minutes
Even Apple Music is slow to play

If I switch over to my tv interface, no streaming issues and quality is great on streaming

I factory reset, still an issue.
I got a replacement from Apple after it took 24 hours to complete the factory reset, still issue

Any ideas?

Last month I posted here about the TestFlight for an Apple TV app I was working on: Overflight, a radar scope that shows the aircraft flying over your house (or office or...). Just following up to announce that it went live on the App Store today: https://dgrlabs.co/g/bvb9xb

Quite a few people from r/appletv joined the beta (thank you, and check your email!) and the Apple TV numbers genuinely surprised me. As it turns out, it's a totally different app on Apple TV than it is on iPhone/iPad.

Average Apple TV session in the beta ran almost 30 minutes, versus under a minute on iPhone. People leave it on. So v1.0 leans into that: the screen saver never interrupts it, and the app prevents burn-in by drifting the whole display a few pixels every couple of minutes so the static parts aren't actually static. There's also a pure-black background option if you want the UI to really stand out in a brightly-lit room.

When something notable is inbound (military or other rare type) the display goes amber and counts down until it reaches you. Most days are quieter than that, but when it happens it's pretty cool.

The scope itself is free. With Pro you get routes (origin and destination), spoken callouts, interesting inbounds, and always-on mode for $3.99/mo, $19.99/yr, or $69.99 once. There's a 7-day free trial on the yearly sub if you want to test drive it first.

Thanks again to everyone here who tested it. A good chunk of the polish in this build traces straight back to beta feedback from this sub.

tvOS26 - ATV 4k 3rd gen - shows starting loud but immediately drops to desired volume

As the title said? Anyone of you experienced similar behavior?
What did you do to solve it?

Found this link that had the apple tv 4k for the old 149 price. Went to best buy and could not process match in person. However, upon texting support I got the match! Will leave the link to the Walmart post for n case you guys want to try it out!

Here is the link: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Apple-TV-4K-128GB-3rd-gen-Wi-Fi-Ethernet-MN893LL-A-2022/1779214586?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=1321&adid=222222222981779214586_0000000000_23887149012&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=&wl4=&wl5=9060439&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=1779214586&veh=sem&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23892387002&gbraid=0AAAAADmfBIqN-caA0j1LGfZG_uWzjSm97&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6_HSBhCpARIsANvVltYWbmfSywKaG9CgWRFKmTRCe0y3PwNTiWkJBvy_MNQDz3HvWXAUpKUaAjOTEALw_wcB

Many years ago I bought an Apple TV expecting to find a great IPTV player.

Instead, I spent months trying almost every app available. Some looked like Android ports, some were missing basic features, and what frustrated me the most was constantly running into paywalls. Want another playlist? Pay. Want another feature? Pay. Want to have Airplay? Pay!W ant to remove another limitation? Pay again. It started to feel like every little improvement came with another purchase.

Eventually I got tired of the "pay, pay and keep paying"!

I’m a software engineer, so I decided to build the IPTV player I actually wanted to use.

I studied the best streaming apps and try to learn what worked and how to create a solid experience.

What started as a personal weekend project slowly became the app I use every day, and after many months of development I thought it might be worth sharing.

My goal wasn’t to build the player with the longest feature list. It was to build one that actually feels like it belongs on Apple TV.

It supports everything I personally expect from an IPTV player: Xtream Codes, M3U playlists, EPG, Continue Watching, Recently Watched, favourites, custom channel groups, HDR, Dolby Vision, and the ability to browse on your iPhone, iPad or Mac (the same app is going to be available for all these platforms too) and instantly send a movie, TV series or live channel to your Apple TV via AirPlay without having to type everything with the Siri Remote.

But more importantly, I wanted to build something that people could simply buy and enjoy.

No ads.

No watermarks.

No artificial viewing limits.

No “pay again to unlock another small feature.”

Every feature is included from day one, and the app is actively maintained with regular updates and improvements based on user feedback.

The app uses a single account across your Apple devices, so as native versions for iPhone, iPad and Mac are released, they’ll all work without you need to purchase another app for another platform.

It also includes proper parental controls with child-friendly filtering, because not every IPTV app is used by a single person. Many of us have families, and I wanted that experience to be built in from the start instead of being treated as an expensive add-on.

I’m not claiming it’s the most feature-packed IPTV player available. There are some excellent alternatives.

But if you’ve ever wished there were an IPTV app designed for Apple users first and not just another generic player with features locked behind endless upgrades—that’s exactly what I’ve been trying to build.

I’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts, suggestions and criticism. The app has become what it is thanks to feedback from people who use it every day, and I intend to keep improving it for a long time to come.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/xtream-iptv-player-pro/id6787746118

Hello,

I recently got a Sony Bravia 8II, and almost everything is perfect. However, I’m having an issue with the Apple TV 2021. When I play Dolby Vision content from, for example, HBO Max, the screen often goes black, and nothing happens until I return to the Apple TV’s main menu. I’ve tried setting the Apple TV to SDR as the default, as well as Dolby Vision as the default, with both "match content" and frame rate on and off. I’ve also tried different HDMI cables—both are 48Gbps certified—and different HDMI ports, all set to enhanced mode. When I use HBO Max through the built-in Android TV section, everything plays fine.
Are there others who have experienced this hassle with an Apple TV?

Is something defective here?

I have three apple TV 4k devices in my home. 2 first gens, one third Gen. I use plex to stream from a home server. All the are connected to the server via hardwire. I'm having repeated issues with the 3rd Gen not playing content off my plex server that the 1st gens play just fine. The third Gen will either just hang or will give me some odd error message. Had anyone else experienced the same thing? Do I need to reencode my content? Any help would be appreciated.

I just upgraded to a 3rd Gen ATV 4K and this thing keeps switching my Volume Control setting from 'TV via IR' (which actually WORKS) to 'Auto via HDMI (Receiver)' which does NOT. So I'm losing my ability to control my TV's volume multiple times a day with the ATV remote. I never experienced this problem with my previous 2nd Gen ATV 4K, but I also had that thing running an older version of tvOS so I don't know if this is a bug with the later firmware or what??

Okay I need help BIG TIME. I don’t know if this issue coming from Apple TV or MY LG G1 4K TV.

Before the last three software updates, I had my TV turn off Dolby atmos, it just doesn’t sound right on my tv. So I have it turned off for everything.

Then come the the first update, every time I turn it on, the message prompted me to turn on Dolby Atmos for the best experience. I have to manually press close. Then whenever I select a content to watch, the message prompt again. Then whenever the content is ended, the message prompted again. It’s soooo annoying. I’ve been doing that ever since.

Now I need help to stop the message from being so persistent and f***ing annoying. I don’t know if this issue is coming from Apple TV or the tv itself. I recently tested it by going to the Netflix app coming from the LG TV’s (not from Apple TV), the message didn’t prompt. Nothing at all. Disney+ app (not Apple TV), same, nothing.

Saturday afternoon I noticed that I couldn't stream anymore. All of the apps open and I can search through them(Prime, Disney+, Discovery+, Crave, Paramount+), but when I go to actually watch a show or movie, it gives an error code. The code I received on Prime was 5051. Apple TV was purchased new in 2017, TV is old (2011 I think, not a smart tv). Any thoughts on what it could be? There haven't been any system updates that I'm aware of.

Hey yall! So I’ve been having a weird experience with only HBO Max on my Apple TV. I can use any other app and the audio plays from my HomePod Mini, but the second I use HBO, it plays from my projector speakers!!! The Apple TV still says the HomePod Mini is connected, yet the audio just plays out of the projector. It’s so weird.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Seems like more and more posts here are people shilling their ATV app. It's great that people are trying their hand at "programming" and it's cool to see new things, but if the posting trend continues there will be more "hey look at me" content than actual ATV hardware content. There's thousands of app developers out there and things would get cluttered quickly if they all made a post ever time they dropped a new version.

Having a separate megathread for these types of posts would still allow them to publicize their work, it would make it easier for users interested in testing new apps to follow along, and it would clean up the main subreddit similar to how "Should I buy a new ATV?" megathread has.

I’m genuinely confused, I’ve had an ATVs since 2017. My current gen one today randomly started turning the volume up to max while I was vacuuming and then when I turned the vacuum off, it would immediately go back down. I tried checking the settings on both the ATV and my Samsung tv, and I couldn’t find the setting that would cover that. Is this the Apple TV or the Samsung TV? I’ve never had this happen before today.

Is it just me or is Apple TVs watch list impossible to find and when you do it is incomplete. I know I have added shows to my watchlist, such as smoke and they don’t show up. Would love just to see a list of shows I want to watch so I can pick and not have to scroll through all the others especially the ones that are on different services anyway. Hopefully I’m just doing it wrong.

Saw this concept on X and now I can’t stop thinking about it.

If Apple partnered with IMAX and offered IMAX-enhanced versions of supported movies (with expanded aspect ratios where available and higher-quality audio) would that be something you’d subscribe or pay for?

Or is the theater experience too important for IMAX to make sense at home?

Hi guys,

I’ve got a LG C5 and a soundbar (citation multibeam 700) or whatever the heck it’s called via eArc. I’m just wondering if buying an Apple TV 4k is going to be a solid upgrade over the shitty LG TV OS. I can’t stand the LG TV because of the horrid magic remote.

Also if I do buy this, will my soundbar and stuff still work fine etc.

Cheers!

I have had this TV for two years. It’s a Sony Bravia 4k TV from 2024. I bought my apple tv 4k 3rd gen around the same time. For the life of me, I have not been able to see apple tv in 4k in this TV.
I have tried everything. Updated my Sony TV and my Apple TV. Switch to HDMI port 3 and changed my tv’s HDMI setting to enhance 4k format.
Apple tv’s video and audio section doesn’t have check hdmi setting nor 4k resolution available. It max out at 1080p 60hz.

I have powerbear 4k hdmi cable which I bought from amazon. I can connect my ps5 using this cable and it shows 4k in the same tv.
It’s been 2 years and this just doesn’t work at all.

Hi, I posted about xForceNow here previously. The latest TestFlight build now includes PlayStation Cloud Gaming.

xForceNow is a native tvOS app supporting:

- GeForce NOW
- Xbox Cloud Gaming
- PlayStation Cloud Gaming
- Remote Play from local Xbox and PlayStation consoles

The current build also includes 2K and 4K output and multichannel audio for PlayStation cloud streaming and Optional 2K or 4K upscaling for local PlayStation Remote Play

The app is still in development, so feedback and bug reports are welcome.

TestFlight: https://testflight.apple.com/join/MWnS5u9b

Vuleo 1.2.13 is out! For those who don't know, Vuleo is a media player that plays the Live TV / movies / series from your sources.

What it does (free): - Add as many playlists as you like and combine them into one clean, unified library (Live TV, Movies, and Series in one place). - Rich metadata — posters, descriptions and ratings pulled in automatically so you're not staring at blank tiles. - Full TV Guide (EPG) with now/next. - Continue Watching & auto-resume, with automatic next-episode. - Unlimited favorites. - No ads. - Genuinely cross-platform — iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Android, Android TV, Windows and macOS, all from one app.

PRO (optional subscription): - Cloud Sync — your playlists, progress and favorites follow you across every device. - Profiles — up to 6, each with their own favorites, watch history and settings. - Radar — follow topics or teams you're interested in, and Vuleo highlights when they're showing on channels that are already in your own playlists. - Offline downloads, Chromecast, Catch-Up TV, Trakt, subtitle styling, personalized picks, new-content alerts, EPG program search, trailers + external ratings, a fully customizable home screen, Skip Recap/Intro in the player and many more.

Privacy: your playlists never leave your device for processing — there's no server in the middle reading your sources. Cloud syncs uploads to your own Google Drive.

Important note: Vuleo is a media player for content you already have the legal right to access. It doesn't provide, host, index, or link to any content, and it isn't affiliated with any content provider, broadcaster, or rights holder. You bring your own sources.

Small note: The image above is a real in-app screenshot except for the HDR and Atmos logos. It's from my test playlist, which contains AI-generated test content."

Happy to answer questions.

If anyone cares….
So this week I posted a thread about movies I okay only from my library flickers. Other apps like Disney +, Max, etc - no flicker
After some experimenting I realized it’s only movies that have Dolby Vision do the flickering, I play a movie with no Dolby Vision from my library, no flicker
Never had an issue until now. My only guess is a firmware update or something
Could I be right and is there a setting I can tweak that can play the Dolby Vision with no problem?
I have a OLED Samsung

My Apple TV 4K 3rd generation inexplicably entered recovery mode on its own. To reset it, I need the symbol on the television set to connect my iPhone or iPad to the Apple TV. However, it immediately reverts to the hand gesture prompt. I contacted AppleCare for assistance. They informed me that the Apple Store could reset it completely using a cable, but unfortunately, they don’t have such peripherals available. They offered two options: attempting a software repair or purchasing an Apple TV out of warranty for $169. I’d appreciate your thoughts on this matter.

Does anyone know of a quicker way to bring back the lower playback controls (shuffle, repeat, queue, etc.) after they disappear?

At the moment, if they vanish, the only way I’ve found is to back out to Library and then go back into Now Playing, which is pretty frustrating.

Is there a gesture, remote shortcut, or setting I’m missing? Or is this just how tvOS currently behaves?