One of the topics that often comes up in the comments section is about devices. Which one is the best? How reliable is it? How much does it cost, etcetera? We’ve taken the input from you, the readers, as well as our first-hand experience. As a result, here’s why we believe every soccer fan needs to buy an Apple TV.
At World Soccer Talk, we’ve been using a combination of streaming devices for years. Everything from a Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast and even an Xfinity Flex. If we go further back in history, we were also one of the first ones to use the FLO TV and ITVN streaming devices.
Every year, we watch more than 1,000 soccer games. As a result, we have real world experience seeing which devices offer the best quality and reliability.
While we love Roku and Amazon Fire TV, there is only one winner for soccer fans. It’s the Apple TV.
Taking the confusion out of the name
Naming products has never been a strong suit for Apple. For instance, Apple TV is not a TV. Subsequently, Apple TV is not the same as Apple’s streaming service Apple TV+. To avoid any confusion, we will explain what it all means.
Apple TV+’s streaming service is the one that features Ted Lasso, as well as a host of other original movies and shows. You don’t need an Apple device to watch their original programming. To think of it another way, Apple TV+ is just like HBO Max, Disney+, Netflix or any other streaming service.
Conversely, Apple TV is a streaming device. You don’t need Apple TV+ to use it. With Apple TV, you can plug it in, hook it up to your TV or monitor, and then add the apps you love.
It’s important to add that you don’t have to be in the Apple ecosystem to use Apple TV. For example, I have an Android phone, but when it comes to watching games, AppleTV is what I turn to.
Reasons to buy an Apple TV
While there is nothing wrong with Roku, Chromecast or Amazon Fire TV devices, Apple TV is in a completely different league.
Here are some of the reasons why:
Firstly, Apple TV has two killer features for ESPN+ and fuboTV subscribers. For instance, ESPN+ subscribers can watch up to 4 games at once with Multicast. Subsequently, you can watch up to four games at once too with fuboTV. Those two features are not available on Roku or Amazon Fire TV devices.
In particular, ESPN+’s Multicast is life-changing for soccer fans. With ESPN+ having so many rights to leagues from around the world, you can watch Bundesliga games at the same time as La Liga, Championship, FA Cup, etcetera. In another example, watch MLS and USL games at the same time on the same screen during the evenings.
With fuboTV’s MultiView, you can watch several Premier League games at once, for example.
Secondly, you can multi-task where you can have multiple apps open and switch between them.
Thirdly, Apple TV features easily integrates with other services all inside the app. For instance, the Apple TV App on the device aggregates all of the popular streaming services and cable TV providers together. Also, the App recommends what shows to watch next from your favorite streaming services. Examples include Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and more.
Finally, Apple TV is built on a powerful operating system called tvOS. That allows app builders to add features that are otherwise not available on other devices.
Experience the difference
There’s no doubt that Apple TV is the ultimate streaming device for soccer fans. It leverages the enhanced technology inside the Apple TV device. And it makes it easier to watch as many of your favorite games.
With Apple TV, you get what you pay for. Yes, it is more expensive than the comparable streaming devices. However, the difference is in front of your eyes. In fact, we only brushed over a few of the reasons why soccer fans should buy an Apple TV. Once you use the device, you’ll experience all of the other benefits. Picture quality and audio quality are just two of the many other differentiators.
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- Starting price: $33/mo. for fubo Latino Package
- Watch Premier League, World Cup, Euro 2024 & more
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- Price: $35/mo. for Sling Blue
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- Price: $9.99/mo. (or get ESPN+, Hulu & Disney+ for $13.99/mo.)
- Features Bundesliga, LaLiga, Championship, & more
2,000+ soccer games per year
- Price: $4.99/mo
- Features Champions League, Serie A, Europa League & NWSL
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- Starting price: $4.99/mo. for Peacock Premium
- Watch 175 exclusive EPL games per season
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Turfit
January 7, 2022 at 8:06 am
I stopped around the same time because it is too silly and not family friendly.
Ra
January 6, 2022 at 12:37 pm
It was good to take a break of soccer these holidays. I have to thank Peacock for that. I ended up watching the 3 DTS (Drive to Survive) seasons over the holidays. Brilliant! And no, Ted Lasso does not compare at all. It is (completely) fictional. I stopped after S2E1. Is it just me, or S2 just seemed silly?
Ra
January 6, 2022 at 12:32 pm
PS: You can check if 4k makes a big difference for you by checking on YouTube. Type ‘Soccer 4k’ of ‘F1 4k’. For me, it does not make that much difference in soccer, but Sky’s F1 4k broadcast is brilliant.
Ra
January 6, 2022 at 12:13 pm
Some points about the 4k vs 1080i/1080p discussion:
1. It is hard to see the difference between 4k and FHD on a small screen. You need at least a 55-inch screen on average – but it will depend on your viewing distance.
2. Not all 1080p and 4k are created equal. The codecs and compression ratio used to make a huge difference. It is like MP3. FLAC vs 32kbps vs 128 kbps vs 320 kbps are different beasts.
For reference, uncompressed 1080p is about 3000 Mbps (24-bit, 1080p @ 60 fps: 24 × 1920 × 1080 × 60 = 2.98 Gbit/s). ESPN+ uses about 5-10 Mbps. Netflix 4k Dolbly Vision stream uses only 16 Mbps. To me, ESPN+ video looks sharper than Paramount which is already better than Peacock.
3. Yes, as technology progresses, I expect to have a 4k stream now. Costs to produce 4k content are decreasing fast and bandwidth has increased exponentially. I had dialed internet at some point, then 1Mbps, 10Mbps, 30Mbps..I am now at 1,000. I would like to use 15-30 Mbps of it to watch sports. There are much fewer bottlenecks now.
4. If you are using an FHD TV or a smaller screen, you obviously won’t see a difference. But it is very notable at anything 65-inch or higher.
5. I also don’t like motion artifacts. What I do is that I use BFI (black frame insertion) at 240Hz while keeping the brightness setting at max.The technical details are tricky, but there is a great article on it at https //www.cnet.com/tech/home-entertainment/tv-motion-blur-explained-and-why-all-the-4k-tv-solutions-fall-short/
My TV panel is IPS, which does not have a good contrast ratio (ie, my blacks are a tad grayish), but has great brightness and viewing angles. Perfect for sports. It works well for me.
Turfit
January 6, 2022 at 12:11 pm
@greg, “Plus I’ll be they bank on a fair amount of people forgetting to cancel”……. That remind me of back in the AOL days when Prodigy had that in their business model…….
Ra
January 6, 2022 at 11:36 am
Glad to hear about the Olympics. It seems that my $15 for 6mo of Peacock will not go completely to waste after all.
greg
January 6, 2022 at 11:27 am
@Turfit – I’d imagine it’s a great opportunity to put the platform onto the radar of people who might otherwise not know about it. I’m sure lots of adverts will be about Peacock exclusive programming. Plus I’ll be they bank on a fair amount of people forgetting to cancel or figuring it’s a small enough expense to keep.
SteveK
January 6, 2022 at 10:36 am
“from the business side, this does not make a whole lot of sense especially when you take into account the latest EPL contract that does not have all matches live on Peacock, there seems to be no consistency.”
Personally I don’t care about consistency across different properties but remember that this year is the last year of the older PL rights deal. A new deal with perhaps fewer restrictions won’t kick off until next August. If this change in approach to the Olympics on Peacock is any indication there might be a real chance the new Peacock President will argue successfully for changes in response to criticism they’ve received from Premier League viewers, too. From an organizational standpoint the Peacock Premier League Hub is already great, it’s easy and quick to get to, it’s laid out logically and you don’t have to be annoyed every time by a bunch of distracting crap like you do wading through the clutter on ESPN+
We still have to see how Peacock does with its revamped Olympics Hub but at least they seem to be saying the right things
SteveK
January 6, 2022 at 10:07 am
Turfit, smart folks did the same thing with the Euros, signed up for Sling Orange on a $10 for one month deal just to get all the ESPN channels and access to every single game live and the less smart-more whiny folks signed up to ESPN+ and expected everything to also be there. If everything was simulcast live on ESPN+ I suspect a whole lot of new subscribers would have stayed but Disney knew no matter what they did a certain segment of people wouldn’t stick around. We can quibble after the fact now but some percentage was always going to stay and that would be a net gain. By putting everything live on Peacock and making an Olympics Hub on Peacock that is really meaningful I suspect Comcast is aiming for the same end result but also not trying to piss anyone off with some partial bait and switch like the vaunted Disney did.
I’m surprised by this but it seems to me Comcast has actually tried to learn from the criticism they received last time with the Olympics when Peacock was still in its nascent stages, there is someone new in charge of Peacock and she had previously been in charge of Hulu so maybe there is reason for continued hope.
What I’m really hoping for is NBC to follow through on what they promise, meaning given the time difference involved in an Asian Olympics: every event live on Peacock, every event immediately available for replay on demand after its conclusion AND nothing held back for exclusive replay later in the morning or at night. Might be a pipe dream but that is what the President of Peacock has promised. Let’s see if it turns out that way…
Turfit
January 6, 2022 at 8:26 am
From a business side, is it wise that NBC is putting all of the Olympics on Peacock? How will it drive subscription? I currently do not have a subscription to Peacock but I’m sure a lot of people will be like me and start the commercial free subscription on Feb 3 and cancel the subscription on Feb 21. So, from a consumer side, this is great, $10 and I get to see any and all of the Olympics. But from the business side, this does not make a whole lot of sense especially when you take into account the latest EPL contract that does not have all matches live on Peacock, there seems to be no consistency.
greg
January 5, 2022 at 8:30 pm
That is good news about the Olympics. I appreciated what they tried to do on the NBC sports website, showing niche sports and alternate camera feeds of main sports. It was fantastic to pop in to judo, badminton, archery, whatever. And maybe the coolest part was the world feed for track & field, where you got lots of shots of what was happening in-between events or in-between heats/tries for the session.
Once I figured out how to navigate the site is was fine. Hopefully the Peacock experience will be easily navigable by sport or day/time. Though TBH given their track record with bad UI I’m not going to get my hopes up too high.
dave
January 5, 2022 at 6:50 pm
@SteveK, that is good news about the Olympics!
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Did the article mention if Peacock will make live Olympics easier to find (or do you have pointers from the summer)? I binged the summer Olympics – big events on NBC OTA and niche events on NBC Sports app. I tried Peacock a few times, but all I found were hundreds of short highlight clips and interviews. Perhaps the target Peacock Olympics consumer enjoys human interest stories much more than live sports?
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As you note, it is encouraging that NBC may be investing time and money to spruce up Peacock. Here’s hoping it is in a good place by the first events in February. I have no real problems with Peacock for EPL, but if that improves at no extra charge, I am all for it.
SteveK
January 5, 2022 at 5:23 pm
You might be a good candidate to switch to an Apple TV greg, it has a video setting to match your content’s frame rate and that works very well with sports if you tend to keep motion smoothing turned off on a slightly older TV. The pause and rewind for Peacock matches I believe is still an Apple TV only value add.
Didn’t see it mentioned here but SportsBusinessJournal & TVLine just reported that Peacock “will present live streaming coverage of every event at the 2022 Winter Olympics, inclusive of all events airing on broadcast and cable television (on NBCU outlets such as NBC, NBCSN, USA Network and Olympic Channel).
In addition to live competition streams across all 15 sports, premium tier customers will also have access to the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, NBC’s nightly primetime show, full replays of all competition (available immediately upon conclusion), exclusive daily studio programming, medal ceremonies, extensive highlight clips, and more.”
Every event live, everything on a network or cable channel ALSO live on Peacock is a massive improvement over what Comcast offered on Peacock during the last Olympics. And full replays available immediately after conclusion makes me think we all have something to look forward to for the next Premier League season and the 5 years after that one.
“As the streaming destination of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Peacock will offer the ultimate fan experience all in one place,” Peacock president Kelly Campbell said in a statement. “From every live event and gold medal moment to exclusive daily shows, channels and original documentaries, viewers will be able to easily catch-up and keep up on all the action throughout the Games with our comprehensive Olympics hub on Peacock.”
Gotta think the Olympics will be a big boost for Peacock and that by extension the Premier League Hub next Fall will be quite something.
greg
January 5, 2022 at 12:32 pm
@mercator – Agreed….super-high-res video isn’t necessary for me…for sure I want better than whatever ESPN dished up for the Union match against NYFC. The video quality I get from NBC, Peacock, ESPN & Paramount is fine for me.
My main set-up is a Roku (about 2 years old I think) wired by ethernet cable to the router – Fubo, ESPN, Paramount+ apps on the Roku. TV is a samsung, about 7 years old I think. If I watch on a laptop (Mac, OSX Big Sur) it’s usually wifi and a chrome browser. Sometimes I’ll plug in an ethernet cable. So I generally don’t have too many mediating influences between what is being sent to me and what appears on a screen, and barring issues with network speed the picture quality is perfectly good.
I’m the kind who hates motion-smoothing on HDTVs, I find that to be distractingly fake, so too high-res a sports picture to me sometimes seems fake.
Mercator
January 4, 2022 at 8:42 pm
I don’t have any data but I suspect it’s a bust. I wouldn’t pay more for it over actual 1080p/60fps video, you really can just sit further back and be fine with a smaller screen for the same quality all the way down to 720p (its the FPS that bothers me because regardless of where you sit, it looks choppy). But I will take 30 seconds to turn on the VPN to go to Amazon to watch the game in 4K v 1080p or certainly the 30 fps on Peacock. But there must be some cost to providing such a high bitrate because 4K is expensive even on IPTV.
As far as I know Fox in US and Amazon in UK are really only the ones to stream live sports for no upcharge in 4K, and I think Fubo does as well (and has multicast). If it made money everyone would be doing it instead of ESPN still showing 720p on cable while Peacock is running 30 fps streams. I’m not sure how Fox pulled off 4K so well tbh but if they do it for the world cup I will look past Alexi in the studio. Amazon prints its own money so why not 4K, but its funny Amazon Thursday Night NFL games are NOT in 4K, even though the Fox broadcast is. Sky you need Sky Q, it basically is a second cable bill but in fairness the Sky 4K looks great live, best i’ve seen anywhere. I wouldn’t pay that much for it of course, but Sky breaks out HD as a separate fee and tbh I always paid that fee and it was worth it for HD over SD, but not for 4K (and the 4K premium is like 3x as much as the HD premium).
I have bad ears or I’m a poor listener or something because audio quality has never been an issue for me and I basically don’t notice the difference between the built in tv speakers and some very high end system. I can’t comment on audio and I suspect for a lot of viewers video quality is similar – they just don’t notice beyond a base level.
dave
January 4, 2022 at 3:37 pm
Do you have data on how much of a premium 4k sports drives (share, revenue, etc.)? I find all sports streaming these days far exceeds my “good enough” threshold. Sometimes video or audio is a little better or worse, but nothing that would drive me to pay more, switch games, etc. Often as not, the limiting factor is my device or eyes.
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I thought I read somewhere that 4k sports was a bit of a bust from a business standpoint, but with hopes it may take off with ATSC 3.0. Not my area of expertise, just curious.
Mercator
January 4, 2022 at 2:27 pm
@Michael F – Fair enough. I don’t think there is an explanation and its frustrating because otherwise the Peacock picture quality is fine, but I actually do notice the frame rate and it bothers me. ESPN is terrible with its 720 broadcasts, but to be honest I would rather have sport in 720 and 60fps than 1080 and 30fps (really want full 1080p/60fps but I guess only the Malaysian bootleg streamers are capable of implementing such advanced technology). This is what is so frustrating about Peacock – you can actually get all the EPL stuff on there in better quality elsewhere. Ties in with the frustration of being able to access NBC/SKY EPL content on youtube, but still can’t get it on Peacock. When Paramount+ airs a poor stream of some CONCACAF game…I can complain but really they are the only broadcaster showing this game at all. When ESPN+ doesn’t have 4K for La Liga, okay I can complain but La Liga isn’t available in 4K anywhere. But for the EPL, I’m sitting here watching some of these games in full 4K on amazon, and Peacock is showing the game in 30 fps. It’s like NBC is actively handicapping the product and making it WORSE for viewers.
Michael F
January 4, 2022 at 12:36 pm
@Mercator Thanks for the detail feed back and objective response. As to your last inquiry regarding Peacock 30 fps feed, no idea. I don’t work for NBC/Peacock to answer that question, despite the claims by others that I do – smile.
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I do wonder why some have noticed an upgrade in Peacock’s picture quality of late (per previous comments made) and whether that is something we can expect going forward.
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That said, the video quality of Peacock’s aired EPL matches for me via Apple TV 4th gen on 4K TV and iPad Pro etc has been good. Frankly, generally better than Paramount’s aired matches of the CL. That’s been my experience.
Mercator
January 4, 2022 at 11:12 am
@Michael F – NBC does 4K by upscaling. They take a 1080p feed and upscale it to 4K so it looks better, but its not native 4K as NBC isn’t using a 4K feed. The Xbox does this as well, you can set it to output everything in 4K, even if the incoming feed is really 1080p or something (never tried watching on my xbox but I may give it a shot to see if the 4K upscale does much). I agree with Leo it’s fake 4K, but the picture quality is much better so its not that big of a deal to me.
That said, the YTTV 4k version at least is not as good as the Amazon UK broadcast which is full 4K with HDR, and it’s not as sharp as the Sky or BT 4k broadcasts through IPTV. YTTV and IPTV also are essentially $20 premium to get 4k, so simply not worth it. Amazon UK can be accessed with VPN and the 4K streams are no extra charge.
But the real issue here is not 4K. It’s broadcasting a sport in 30 fps, which NO other broadcaster except NBC does. It’s crazy some of these EPL games look WORSE than the mid table Belgian pro League games on ESPN+! You keep ignoring this – tell us why Peacock is still in 30 fps and how this is at all acceptable for a “premier” sport.
Michael F
January 3, 2022 at 8:48 pm
And btw… IF Leo was really talking about Peacock when referencing 4K broadcasts as fake, he really then doesn’t know what he is talking about.
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As already clearly mentioned above and generally known by all, no stream only service like Peacock or ESPN+ or Paramount broadcasts their soccer matches in 4K. Only the NBC cable network channels (ie. USA or OTA NBC) are broadcasting select EPL matches in 4K.
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And I am surprised that has to be spelled out in such clarity.
Michael F
January 3, 2022 at 8:36 pm
@Ra. You need to read carefully these posts. Leo was not talking about 4K broadcasts on Peacock, because those don’t exist – but select 4K broadcasts of EPL matches on NBC network telecasts (i.e. former NBCSN, now USA or NBC). Although thanks for chiming in just to take your cheap pot shot on something totally unrelated. 🙂
Leo believes these select 4K broadcasts by NBC are fake. I contend he is spreading fake news and to prove it.
Ra
January 3, 2022 at 6:23 pm
PS: Have any of you had luck getting Peacock to refund your money? I already canceled, but I want out immediately. Even $15 for 6mo is too expensive for this cr*.
Ra
January 3, 2022 at 6:20 pm
@Leo I would say that it is fake HD even. I get better image quality on Eleven Sports than Peacock. Picture quality is a joke on my 4k Sony. The biggest U20 tournament in the world has just started – 128 teams. Been watching this instead of day old matches. This is where Kaka, Casemiro, Neymar, Gabriel Jesus, Lucas Moura, and many others started…
Michael F
January 3, 2022 at 3:49 pm
@Leo Would you like to back up your claim with actual proof that NBC broadcasts select premier league matches on their cable network USA or NBC network channel in fake 4K??
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Talk about spreading fake news. Tell this to those that watch these select matches in 4K, as they have been stating it is an amazing picture. I believe most can tell the difference between 4K and 1080p if they have a 4K TV. I certainly can.
Leo
January 3, 2022 at 3:25 pm
NBC does not provide 4K. NBC gives just an upscaled version of 1080p, a fake 4K. I would bet that’s the reason ESPN plus hasn’t provided 4K option yet. Maybe they were waiting more sports productions in true 4K instead of scamming the subscribers. We will see when the ESPN plus start offering 4K which route they followed.
Michael F
January 2, 2022 at 9:59 pm
@Ilya You see… you have to understand you are having an exchange among those that have completely cut the cord and/or despise the idea of subscribing to any cable-like conglomerate like live tv service like FuBo or YouTube TV etc.
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This audience wants all of this content on Peacock etc and apparently all of it in 4K etc etc and of course all of it on the cheap. They will say that its about principle to make such demands – but the concept of abiding by a principle does indeed cost either some money or inconvenience. So they must decide which. 🙂
Michael F
January 2, 2022 at 9:50 pm
@Ilya. I know that. You need to read the exchange above to understand that i was referencing stream only services like Peacock, ESPN+ etc and not cable-like ‘live TV’ stream services. The whole context was based on the fact that none of these stream only providers that own rights for a soccer league air matches on their stream service in 4K.
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UTube TV also broadcasts in 4K whenever its done on FuBo for EPL matches.
Lou
January 2, 2022 at 9:15 pm
Xbox one X/S will up upscale all streaming content to near 4K resolution with a 4K smart TV. Just press display button on remote to verify. Yes, it’s not native 4K but its much better PQ than HD. I watch all matches on Peacock, Paramount+ and ESPN+ on my Xbox.
Ilya
January 2, 2022 at 7:07 pm
Fubo TV streams select EPL matches in 4K it looks amazing. You can check it out if you have fubo tv.
Michael F
January 2, 2022 at 4:20 pm
@Mercator. Thanks for the reply. Fair points.
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However… So as to recap… no one that carries soccer from a stream only service (aka ESPN+, Paramount+, Peacock etc) broadcasts their matches in 4K. Thanks.
Mercator
January 2, 2022 at 3:54 pm
@Michael F – All the other streaming services offer 4K, except ESPN+. Most of the new stuff on Netflix, Paramount+, Disney+ etc is 4k. For sports, only Fox does 4k broadcasts with cable login. But again, for sports, its completely different because the broadcaster must do a bunch of things to produce a 4K broadcast (at great cost). For EPL, this is not the case, Sky already has the 4K broadcast, Peacock just has to show it! I actually have a lot of issues with ESPN and their crappy 720 broadcasts, but these are issues with US sports – for the football they really give us the best picture quality available (Euros being the exception, that was already produced in 4K and ESPN should have given it to us in 4K but my complaints were more focused on the Euros not being available on ESPN+ initially, which they did correct). If La Liga was in 4k in Spain I would be demanding ESPN+ give us the 4K version or I would simply pirate it in 4K, Peacock is no different.
I don’t even want 4K that bad, I just want 60 fps like literally every other sports broadcaster. The 30 fps stuff is absolute nonsense for sport in 2022 though. Even ESPN, trashy as their 720 broadcasts are, is 60fps which is important for live sports. I checked peacock this morning and it was still 30fps for me. Any confirmation they have actually gone to 60 fps? This would surely be news as its the biggest easily fixable complaint people have about Peacock. ESPN, Paramount+, all are in 60 fps so It would be great if you could be fair and balanced and admit that its completely unacceptable today to be showing a “premier” sport in 30fps. If we are such big fans of the league, surely it is a concern that the broadcaster cannot even show the matches in the same basic definition that ESPN or Paramount+ manage to show minor random leagues.
Michael F
January 2, 2022 at 2:50 pm
@Mercator Name me a streaming service provider (not a cable-like live tv stream like YouTube TV or FuBo) out there today that is broadcasting sports in 4K.
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If you are going to complain about Peacock not broadcasting in 4K, please be fair and balanced to acknowledge that no other stream service like it currently does.
Mercator
January 1, 2022 at 12:22 pm
@Michael F – The difference is the EPL is ALREADY produced and broadcast in 4K. Why would that version not be available from NBC? It’s not like US sports where if the broadcaster wants to do 4K, they need to film, produce etc in 4K which costs quite a bit per event. The EPL games are ALREADY in 4K. I’m watching them in 4K. So why not on Peacock? There is no good reason for this and you know it.
Peacock also does not broadcast at 1080p/60fps, unlike ESPN and the other broadcasters. This is the primary issue, not the lack of 4K (although the lack of 4K, even for a higher price, is inexplicable as these games are already produced and broadcast in 4K). It does seem like more of the PLTV content is available on demand though, so that is a positive thing I can say. Give them a few more years and Peacock might be usable. Maybe we will even get Sky Sports News, which also is inexplicably not on Peacock.
Michael F
December 31, 2021 at 1:00 pm
And so as to not confuse our readers that 60fps is the same as a 4K broadcast, because it isn’t… below is a quote from techradar.com site posted September 2021.
“ Can I watch ESPN Plus in 4K and HD?
While you’re unable to watch ESPN Plus in 4K, the sports streaming service offers content that is mostly available to stream at 60fps 1080p. In other words, Full HD. In some circumstances, depending on the strength of your internet connection, etc. you can expect streams to downgrade to 720p when necessary.”
Michael F
December 31, 2021 at 12:41 pm
Please tell me what stream service like ESPN+, Paramount+ etc is broadcasting in 4K? Oh yea… none of them are.
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To solicit any response by Mercator about Peacock’s video quality will predictably summon a negative response. I saw that easily coming from a distance .
Mercator
December 30, 2021 at 1:45 pm
I wasn’t watching the game on Peacock. Why would I? It’s available in 4K/60FPS from Amazon or IPTV. I really do hope Peacock has upgraded to 60fps, but I doubt they have. NBC upgraded all its channels from 720 to 1080 about 6 weeks ago from what I can tell, I suspect this is the quality difference you are seeing (although this was for NBC channels like NBCSN, idk about Peacock). I will try to check on the next Peacock game, maybe they do have 60 fps now. Either way, it’s still huge step behind the standard 4k broadcast available for these games. There really is no excuse when Sky or Amazon already produce these games in 4K already.
SteveK
December 29, 2021 at 5:47 pm
Thank you for replying Nosferatu, We need Mercator to weigh in too because though he hates Comcast and the Peacock app I know he uses an Apple TV and he has a critical eye for video quality. I trust my eyes enough to say it has dramatically improved but I am as susceptible to bias as anyone, he has often compared the poor quality of Peacock streams to alternative foreign sources and would be a good person to corroborate what we are seeing.
I hope it isn’t just a temporary thing thanks to Amazon.
Nosferatu
December 29, 2021 at 4:55 pm
@SteveK, I know someone a couple days ago mentioned a game on Peacock being streamed at 60 fps instead of the usual 30. I didn’t get a chance to confirm then, but watching this (very good) game today, I noticed the same thing. That leads me to believe it’s an actual upgrade. Between this and the live DVR service, Peacock seems to have really stepped it up heading into 2022. Now they only need a “Start in-progress games from the beginning” option, but even ESPN+ doesn’t have that (which I find more problematic with hockey, anyway).
SteveK
December 29, 2021 at 3:06 pm
Is anyone watching Chelsea Brighton right now on the aTV? The picture quality for Peacock is superb, is that a function of this being an Amazon game or is this just the new standard of excellence for the app?
Tim
December 29, 2021 at 2:55 pm
No doubt, Apple TV is the best. I have one on every TV in the house. Worth every penny.
Ra
December 24, 2021 at 10:40 am
@Chris Agree. I bought the new remote for my previous gen AppleTV 4k and, albeit expensive ($59), was worth the investment.
Johnny
December 24, 2021 at 10:08 am
The one thing I absolutely HATE about the Apple TV is the remote. “Slide your thumb along this area and we’ll decide if it’s a tap, skip, fast forward, double fast, quad fast, or pause. You’re welcome.”
Christopher Harris
December 24, 2021 at 10:11 am
The new remote that they have with the most recent Apple TV is much better with click buttons instead of the previous design.
Hans
December 21, 2021 at 10:27 pm
@Christopher
I have a season pass for URC TV and here is what I found out. If you have a Roku as I do you are out of luck finding an app for it. They have an app for Android 6 to 11, I have a Samsung S21 with Android 12 and it crashes. They also have an App for the iPhone ONLY. Since this is their initial release of the app, be prepared for it to be buggy as well as poor in features and navigation.
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To watch it on a Big screen you do have the option as already said to cast it and you can do that with the Roku as it supports both the Chromecast and Airplay method, but since it is wireless the closer you are to the router with the device that does the casting the better. Another option is to get a HDMI adapter to either iPhone or Android and then directly connect it to the TV or big screen equipment, but again you are getting the games using WiFi.
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I am running an HTPC (Home Theater PC) which has an Internet browser and use that for big screen experience. In addition, remember URC TV does not produce the program nor do they create the player. RTÉ, the national news service provided by the Irish public broadcaster handles the broadcasting, provides the player and other technical support. Therefore be prepared to use what worked best at the start of the tournament which was the Internet Browser.
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If you want to use the Roku you can connect wireless using any Apple or Android phone or tablet since the most recent Roku and 10.5 software supports this very well.
SteveK
December 21, 2021 at 9:46 pm
Christopher, the Apple TV acts as an Airplay destination so just about anything that you can watch on an iPhone or iPad can be sent wirelessly to it. Airplay is Apple’s proprietary version of “casting” or streaming between devices. Presumably there is an iOS app for this rugby but not a tvOS specific app? If so, there’s probably a little Airplay symbol in the video player, tap it, choose the Apple TV and it will magically start playing there.
support.apple.com/en-us/HT204289
It’s much better to avoid these extra wireless hops, though, for sports especially wiring your Apple TV to your router and using a native tvOS app is preferred. If this rugby league isn’t developing a specific Apple TV app they may not yet be ready to deliver a reliable end product. Whatever you do, test Airplaying some free content before committing to a big buck subscription.
Christopher
December 21, 2021 at 12:14 pm
So the United Rugby Championship doesn’t have an app you download for Roku and other streaming players. I have read you can watch on your AppleTV streaming box. How would you do this ?
Turfit
December 21, 2021 at 10:34 am
@Mercator, Yes, the score alert is a very nice feature that reminds you of matches that are about to start and matches that may be entertaining.
Mercator
December 21, 2021 at 9:26 am
An underrated aspect of the Apple TV is that it has every streaming app (except BEIN Sports) that you could want. There is never any fighting between apple and some app which will cause the app to be taken off the platform. It’s also quite flexible for IPTV viewers with plenty of apps, unlike Roku which bans IPTV apps entirely. The score alert popup is nice as well – it will tell you when you favourite teams are playing or if there is a close game somewhere. I have one on every TV in the house and the 2015 version is still very snappy with no input lag or anything – great value when you consider it works and work well for 6+ years.
locofooty
December 21, 2021 at 9:21 am
Agree. The one and only drawback I would say is the closed ecosystem. You can really take advantage of VPN and IPTV capabilities on an Android TV device. Aside from that, love it.
Turfit
December 21, 2021 at 6:30 am
I hate hate hate hate Apple. I hate everything Apple. But I am a FuboTV and ESPN+ subscriber and I could not resist everything I heard about the “Multicast” Feature so I got one. This Apple TV device is by far the best streaming device out there. I have several Roku, Google TV with Chromecast, Android TV, LG WebOS TV to compare it with and nothing compares to it. As a none-apple person, setup was very frustrating ( I think if you have an IPhone or IPad, setup would be very simple). There is room for improvements, as Chris says in the article “Apple TV features easily integrates with other services all inside the app” which is true and a wonderful feature but my complaint is that it does not integrate with ALL other services. Fanatiz, Eleven Sports, WillowTV and Netflix are not integrated and since they are not integrated their programming does not show up in their guides. But let me repeat, this is the best streaming device out there currently. As a long time Roku user (had the very first Roku device and upgraded many times) I’m hoping and wishing that Roku steps up their game and come out with a device that is better than Apple but until then, Apple TV is the device for me.
Michael F
December 20, 2021 at 12:37 pm
Good article Chris. And absolutely right about Apple TV experience in overall quality and features. It always comes down to ‘you get what you pay pay for.’ And I also have Roku and Samsung Smart TV with access to the same streaming service apps. And Apple TV simply trumps them all.
SteveK
December 20, 2021 at 10:17 am
The ability to pause and rewind all the way back to the start of live Premier League matches on Peacock is the most significant Apple TV soccer value add for me.