Just got Spectrum . Ordered one spectrum box/dvr for the Smart TV and 2 Apple boxes for the 2 “dumb” TVs. Spectrum CS said Apple TV was great option.

Got the boxes. Minimal written instructions. Spectrum Tech on phone couldn’t set up. Had to go to apple for phone instructions.

Up and running. Apple remote is awful. To go from channel 6 to 500 have to scroll entire way. Can I set up recording on apple tv to Spectrum dvr? Who knows?

I’m considering returning apple units for spectrum Boxes. Can someone tell me what advantages the apple tv boxes have over regular spectrum boxes? I hear”apps” but I’m only Interested in TV series, movies, sports etc.

I’m fairly computer literate but, have no Computer operation instincts.

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Originally posted by maxdog:
Got the boxes. Minimal written instructions. Spectrum Tech on phone couldn’t set up. Had to go to apple for phone instructions.

That's because they're so simple to set up you don't generally need any written instructions. I hooked up my first one and just followed the on-screen prompts.

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Originally posted by maxdog:
Up and running. Apple remote is awful. To go from channel 6 to 500 have to scroll entire way.

That's pretty common for streaming devices.

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Originally posted by maxdog:
Can I set up recording on apple tv to Spectrum dvr? Who knows?

Does Spectrum have an app for it that allows it to work with the Spectrum DVR? If so: Maybe. If not: Probably not.

quote:

Originally posted by maxdog:
I’m considering returning apple units for spectrum Boxes. Can someone tell me what advantages the apple tv boxes have over regular spectrum boxes?

No monthly hardware fees? Streaming apps for streaming services for other than what Spectrum offers?

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Originally posted by maxdog:
I hear”apps” but I’m only Interested in TV series, movies, sports etc.

Odds are "there's an app for that." Certainly TV series and movies. But you may have to pay for them. Some cable companies provide certain free streaming services with the cable package.

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Originally posted by maxdog:
I’m fairly computer literate but, have no Computer operation instincts.

I'm not sure how one can claim computer literacy yet admit to having no computer operation instincts

Perhaps I should claim semi computer literacy. I hooked up the boxes, correctly, and cranked them up. No “on screen prompts” as suggested. Took the Apple guy on phone 30 minutes to figure out why the system wouldn't work as described. Had to unplug, reboot several times.

I have no instincts. I’m 72 and was on board for the great computer revolution in the workplace. I used regular programs daily. I’m from that generation that expects things to work as described. I never attended programming school. I don’t expect to have to be a mechanic to operate my car. For the most part, it works as advertised. I don’t need to be a mechanic to operate it. Unlike the Apple boxes.

I like instructions. Especially those that say what to do if “prompt” doesn’t appear. I like instructions that are not vague, inaccurate or missing information. I wish that the geeks who write the instructions would attend a basic technical writing class and learn how to write instructions. Not only did the Apple boxes lack written instructions, They failed to provide the “on screen prompts.

So what extra features, apps, advantages or entertainment features do the Apple boxes have that Spectrum doesn’t? Additional entertainment sources?

The thing about streaming is you don't need a dvr, because it's always available to stream, most apps remember where you left off in a series or movie and ask if you want to start over or from where you left off.

The TV device, ROKU, FIRE, AppleTV are like mini computers/phones everything is app driven. Apps are gateways to the programs.

Hulu, Netflix, etc. Since you have Spectrum you can download apps for ESPN, FoxNews, etc and just go to the app to see the shows on the tv with the AppleTV box.

Have to agree the IOS and android devices lack the ease of a cable or sat tv box for searching, changing channels etc.

One you get the hang of it, then its not so bad, however IMO it is a bit more of a PIA to find shows on a box like that then on your cable box. If only from a familiarity standpoint, your kids probably stream tv from illegal apps on their devices to a tv..

It's a transitional time for media..

Amazon Firesticks have voice search, as do other services, Spectrum boxes have voice command as well, at least my fathers does, not sure about APple if so, then just say, Hey Siri go to channel 487

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just say, Hey Siri go to channel 487

I have no first-hand knowledge, but I have been told that channel 487 is a porn channel.

You can your iPhone or iPad for the Apple TV remote with an app called “remote”.

quote:

Originally posted by maxdog:
I hooked up the boxes, correctly, and cranked them up. No “on screen prompts” as suggested. Took the Apple guy on phone 30 minutes to figure out why the system wouldn't work as described. Had to unplug, reboot several times.

Dunno. Normally you hook it up (make sure TV has the proper HDMI input selected), it'll ask you what WiFi network to which you want to connect, then ask you for the password/pass phrase, and connect. Then it'll ask you for your Apple (or whatever) account login. Supply that & done.

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Originally posted by maxdog:
I’m from that generation that expects things to work as described.
...
Unlike the Apple boxes.

Don't have an answer for you. I've installed Roku, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV boxes. All of them installed and configured more-or-less similarly, as described above.

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Originally posted by maxdog:
I like instructions.

Then you might want to stop buying new tech gadgets, because nobody includes much in the way of "instructions" any more, except for maybe indecipherable graphics with no text.

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Originally posted by maxdog:
So what extra features, apps, advantages or entertainment features do the Apple boxes have that Spectrum doesn’t? Additional entertainment sources?

Covered by HRK.

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Originally posted by maxdog:
To go from channel 6 to 500 have to scroll entire way.

Does your Apple TV remote have a button that looks like a microphone? Mine does. I use voice commands frequently, and that might solve this problem.

You can use AirPlay where you use your iPhone to play/stream your pictures, videos and music.

All you do to do the pics and videos is to view the pic/video in your Photos app, click on the square with an arrow pointing up in the lower left, scroll down to and click on Airplay. You can then flip through all of your pics and videos after being connected.

I love our Apple TV 4K device we can watch YouTube Tv, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Discovery, and the list goes on. Yes, the remote sucks but we use a Harmony remote that controls our TV, AVR, DVD, and Apple TV - plus controls some lights on SmartThings.

Today we watched a webinar by mirroring my iPad to our TV. killer device.

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Originally posted by maxdog:
...the system wouldn't work as described. Had to unplug, reboot several times.

And herein lies the issue with the Apple TV along with the piece of crap remote as you have learned.

We’ve had Apple TV devices for several years and I’ve lost tract of the number of times I’ve had to restart the damn things to get them to work correctly and even then it is no guarantee.

The only benefit I can see is access to Apple’s content on its store and my guess is that most of that is not exclusive.

We use to purchase a lot of TV series off off Apple/iTunes, particularly one that would run on the non-premium cable channels, so we could avoid the commercials. It seems these days, however, we are streaming more and more off of Netflix with an occasional Amazon Prime. We buy less and less off of Apple TV/iTunes.

I generally like Apple products, but Apple TV is crap.

I gave up on Apple TV. I bought a smart tv for <300 bucks with apps already there. Click the app, sign up for the service (some are free), and you're good to go. I dumped Spectrum for ATT (Direct.) It sometimes looses a signal on network tv, but you can still watch recorded stuff or stream. Mostly I record and playback anyway to avoid commercials.

I have an apple tv box and love it. Plug it in the wall, turn it on, connect it to my wifi and presto-changeo

it works great

was able to get Hulu and OANN set up in literally minutes and I now spend most of my tv watching time on either Amazon Prime, Hulu or OANN if I want to see any news

Lots of good ans here, esp HRK, thanks all!

Installed mine 5 yrs ago, Gen 3. hardwired to my router. Great little unit. I use it every evening.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
The thing about streaming is you don't need a dvr, because it's always available to stream, most apps remember where you left off in a series or movie and ask if you want to start over or from where you left off.

Yes, but for anyone accustomed to a local DVR (tivo, cable box / DVR, etc), they need to realize that cloud DVRs really suck as to functionality - mostly due to the lag.

For a brief period, we tried to operate without a local DVR and relied solely on OTA directly connected to the TV (ie no time shifting capability) and a YouTubeTV subscription in the Roku. I hated that approach. The YTTV guide was slow, as were the DVR controls. I dumped that subscription and bought a Tivo OTA Bolt (we’ve had TiVo’s sporadically for decades).

Streaming works best for movies (say Netflix) when you just want to start it and let it run (with an occasional pause). But the lag dissuades one from hitting “replay”, etc.

Until those cloud dvrs can respond much faster, you will miss a local tuner/DVR. Our Tivo has its limitations and my wife gets annoyed at having to swap inputs from the Tivo to the Roku (for Netflix, Prime, Vudu, AppleTV+), but I haven’t found a better solution given that we mostly watch local networks and like the DVR capability and speed.

It sounds like the OP is using the Apple TV's with the "Spectrum TV" app?

I have ATV4K on my two 4K OLED's, and an older ATV4 on a smaller HD LCD. I think they are fantastic.

They run a version of iOS and work similarly with downloadable apps from the App store. Apps for services you have as part of your regular Cable service can use a free login through your cable provider.

The ATV implementations of Netflix, Amazon Prime, and other streaming services are better than what I have seen on various smart TV's, faster and more responsive. The HBO Go app (used along with a regular Cable subscription) or the HBO Now app (standalone) have the entire catalog of HBO series for streaming any time you like.

Another benefit is they can stream music and videos from my iTunes music collection (and ripped CD's) to my home theater system, and all of the digital copies I have from Blu Rays and 4K UHD discs can be streamed from Apple in 4K Dolby Vision.

The movie rental system on the ATV is also great, getting access to new releases around the time they are released on disc, and the quality is better than Amazon Prime and Netflix. ATV actually downloads the movie to flash memory so you can watch at full quality regardless of your internet speed - just need to wait a little while to start the movie until it is downloaded enough that it will finish downloading ahead of your viewing. Netflix doesn't buffer very much (esp on smart TV's) and reduces quality to match your internet speed.