Apple TV Buyers, set-up how to guide & FAQ.

Apple have now released their Apple TV 2021 model. This features 4K High definition and Dolby Atmos sound, a faster processor which will be great for games and a new much improved remote control. Other than that it’s not much different to previous models, and if you don’t want these new features you could pick-up a bargin and buy one of the previous models.

Yes, you can download the BBC iPlayer App from the Apple TV App Store. The BBC iPlayer app lets you watch previous programmes and live BBC TV Channels.

Yes, you can download the ITV Hub App from the Apple TV App Store. Click here for a full blog on the ITV Hub App for the Apple TV.

Yes, Channel 4 have a 4 On Demand App for the Apple TV which was launched in early 2019. C4 were the last on the UK networks to have a native Apple TV App but they’ve got one now and it works really well. The also have a separate App for Channel 4 News. 

Yes, again the Channel 5 App can be downloaded from the Apple TV App Store. It works really well for watch C5 programmes on catch-up.

Yes, there is a native Netflix app for the Apple TV. It’s fully integrated with the Apple TV Siri search, so after installing you’ll see results appear for Netflix as well as iTunes and other providers. 

Yes, you can catch-up with Top Gear repeats on Dave using your Apple TV. All you need to do is download the UKTV Play App from the Apple TV App Store. This then gives you access to all these free UK channels. 

Yes, If you only want to watch occasional programmes on Sky Channels you can watch Sky without a subscription by buying a time limited pass using the Now TV App.

The Apple TV App Store is the blue icon with the capital A on it. 

At the time of writing some of the best deals are on Amazon.co.uk

Apple TV 4K (32GB) £149

Apple TV 4th Generation (32GB) £126

Apple TV 4K (64GB) £191

Apple TV 4K 2021 (64GB) £187

If you click on these links when you get to Amazon look a little way down the page for “New & Used”, at the time of writing they are offering the 4K 32GB model for £157.52 through their Amazon Warehouse factory outlet often only due to damaged packaging.  I also recommend checking out https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/refurbished/appletv on the Apple store. It’s a well kept secret that Apple also have a factory outlet for what they describe as ‘Refurished’ but which I suspect is also a way for they to sell of surplus stock. I have used this to buy many Apple products over the years and everything has apeared to be brandnew when I received it.

I note that at the time of writing John Lewis prices are the same as Amazon. They make a point on their site of saying you will get Apple TV+ free for a year with the purchase. My understanding now is that you should get this with any new Apple TV, iPad or iPhone purchase whereever you buy it.

If you have a 4K TV or are likely to buy one in the next couple of years then it’s probably best to spend the extra and get the 4K model. If however you only plan to use this on a standard HD TV then there’s no point spending more to get the 4K version.

What size memory do I need in my Apple TV? Well for most users the 32GB of memory is fine.  The system dynamically pulls content as required over the Internet. If you have a slow Internet connection you may want to consider the larger memory sizes so that more content can be cached (stored) locally to reduce what is being downloaded.

If you can’t find your Apple TV remote you can control the Apple TV from your iPhone or iPad. Swipe up to see the controls and usually under the torch icon you will see a remote control icon. Press this and you you will see the remote control app (see left) which you can control your Apple TV with.

In someways this is better as when you need to enter text you can use the pop-up keyboard. You are also a lot less likely to misplace your iPhone.

Finally you can buy replacements for the Apple TV remote. If you don’t want to full Siri Remote which comes with the Apple TV you can still buy the cheaper remotes from the previous generation of Apple TV and these work just as well but without Siri and not as games controllers. 

I was always a fan of this little remote and it is worth having one as a backup. You can pick them up now on Amazon with next day delivery for around £18 – click here.

For 2021 Apple have introduced a new Siri Remote, which is larger and less likely to get lost. They have replaced the touch pad with an iPod inspired jog wheel touch control. They have even added a power button so you can switch your TV on and off without having the rember the button combination. At the time of writing you can buy these from Amazon for about £55 – click here.

The 4th Generation Siri Remote does not take batteries. It is rechargable using an iPhone charger. A full charge lasts a week or more in my house with a couple of children using it all the time for TV and games. It only takes an hour to charge. 

The silver 3rd generation remotes do take the flat watch style batteries but they last for a year or more with reasonable use.

For the 4th generation / Siri remote see above.

The silver 2nd / 3rd generation remotes take a single CR2032 or BR2032 lithium coin battery – you can find them on Amazon by clicking here.

On the otherhand if you check Amazon the top rated HDMI 4K cable at the time of writing is the Syncwire HDMI Cable 2M 4K High Speed 18Gbps HDMI 2.0 Cable. This has a 4.8 out of 5 rating from almost a thousand reviewers and it’s much cheaper at just over £12 and available for next day delivery – click here for details.

Do make sure you get one of the above cables and not a cheap unbranded  HDMI cable as this can affect picture and audio quality espetially at 4K with high refresh rates. I have seen many problems caused over the years by cheap cables with poor screening picking up interferance from nearby WiFi routers, microwaves and electrically noisy switches and central heating theremostats.

No not at the time of writing. However this shouldn’t be a problem as most Apple products maintain their value well and you should be able to sell a 2 to 3 year old model on eBay for atleast half the original purchase price. Do keep the original box as this makes it much more attractive when you come to sell it.

Yes, there is quite a large and growing selection of games in the App Store and Apple now have their Apple Arcade games subscription service which lets you play hundreds of games for just £4.99 a month. Unlike some other platforms there are no hidden in game purchases / upgrades. 

You can use the Siri remote to control the games and this is fine if you just want to play the occasional game. 

If you want to spend more time playin the games or you want multiple players you can use Microsoft XBox Games controllers which you can buy from Apple or Amazon for about £50 – click here. 

There are thirdparty XBox compatible controllers but be careful with these they may be compatible with XBox but Apple only test their product using the official XBox controller, so a cheaper product may not work. 

I haven’t had any problems with the ITV App but I have seen issues with other apps and have some general advice.

• first try force-quitting the ITV Hub App and then restart it (see how to force quit an app on your Apple TV)
• If that still doesn’t work then restart your Apple TV – make sure you see the Apple Logo while it is rebooting, because if you don’t see this you have only put it into sleep mode.
• If the issue persists, delete the app, re-download from the App Store and try again. This will delete any temporary storage used by the app which may have become corrupted.
• If you still have an issue, check your Apple TV is running the latest version of Apple TVOS.  Developers test against the latest version so there is greater chance that the issue is resolved when running on the latest TVOS. Apple also look at App Crash reports and may have addressed issues at the OS level.
• Finally if it still doesn’t work, do contact the developer,  they will normally be interested to hear that there is an issue.

I have written a detailed guide to using the Apple TV App Switcher. This covers how to switch between active apps, force close apps and start new apps from the menu.

Apple TV channels in the UK include all BBC, ITV, Channel Four, Channel Five, Sky News, Now TV, Disney Plus and may more. If you would like me to check if a specfic UK TV channel is available please leave a question below and I will get straight back to you.

Currently Apple do not make a dedicated TV Set. There have been many rumours about this over the years but I think now that the Apple TV App is on so many thirdparty TV sets it is unlikely they would want to compete in this market but I would love to see one.