the best home hub for Matter? • Test • digital room

With a bundle of software updates, Apple has made its products fit for the smart home standard Matter (link). Including the all-rounder apple tv, which has just appeared in its seventh edition. I’m a fan of this box and have bought it again and again over the past 15 years – from the first silver-colored generation in 2007, back then with an integrated hard drive, to the Apple TV 4K in its current form.

The only thing I skipped was last year’s hardware upgrade. Because me the Audio Return Channel with eARC did not bring any advantages and some HomePod minis in the household have already been used successfully as routers for the radio standard thread to serve. The newly added thread support in the 2021 model was therefore dispensable.

But when Apple asked me if I wanted to test the latest version, I was curious. Would the advancement be big enough to displace my 2017 Apple TV 4K from its place on the TV?

What’s new in the Apple TV 4K in 2022

One difference is immediately noticeable in a direct comparison (picture above): the latest generation of the Apple TV 4K has slimmed down. At 93 x 93 x 31 millimeters, it is smaller than its predecessor. And lighter: the weight has shrunk by almost 50 percent to 213 grams.

Apple explains this with a new, fanless design. The energy-saving A15 Bionic processor (the same as in the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14/Plus) apparently makes it possible to do without any ventilation. The case is closed and no longer has the ventilation slots on the underside that were on the predecessors. The energy consumption in standby fell minimally to 1.1 watts and fortunately hardly exceeds 2.3 watts in streaming mode. But the previous Apple TV models were also among them most economical smart home centers on the market.

What is new is the division into two models, which not only differ in terms of memory size. In the cheaper version with 64 gigabytes (169 euros), Apple has also left out the LAN connection and thread radio. Both are only available in the “large” version with 128 GB (189 euros). However, the price difference is so small that I wonder who should even buy the small version. For 20 euros more you get twice the memory and all three connection options that currently play a role in Matter – clearly the better choice in my opinion.

The Apple TV 4K as the entertainment center

But first, let’s get to what the Apple TV is by name: an entertainment machine on the television. And the model of the 2022 vintage also masters this task brilliantly – at least for users who are in the Apple ecosystem are at home. The manufacturer sent me a copy of the Apple TV WiFi + Ethernet provided for the test, but the statements should be transferrable 1:1 to the small model with WiFi.

The 3rd generation Siri Remote introduced in 2021 (also available individually for retrofitting older devices for 69 euros) is a little more angular in the hand than its predecessor. The touchpad with a cursor cross on the edge makes navigating much easier compared to the previous smooth wiping surface. I also like the separate on/off switch because you no longer have to open a menu with it to activate sleep mode.

Energy efficiency and environmental protection are becoming increasingly important in Apple’s product development. This is shown by the plastic-free packaging, but also by the housing of the remote control, which is now made from 100 percent recycled aluminum. In view of the two micro-screws on the case, replacing the battery seems at least conceivable. USB-C is used as the charging connection – as desired and required in the EU from 2024. Incidentally, charging and HDMI cables are not included in the scope of delivery.

In order to be able to use all picture modes up to Dolby Vision, Chroma 4:2:2 and 4K with 60 frames per second, a HDMI Ultra High Speed-Cables like the one from Belkin that Apple itself sells in its stores. Cost: around 40 euros. It’s worth the expense, because you don’t usually tell which of the countless cables you have by looking at them HDMI variants since 2002 support them. Older strips are quickly overwhelmed because they cannot transmit enough gigabits per second (Gbit/s).

The multitude of supported streaming services – in addition to Apple’s own offerings such as AppleTV+, Fitness+, Music and arcade – to list them here would go beyond the scope. The box seems to handle them all smoothly – without stuttering, buffering times or annoying resolution changes. In the current version, in addition to HDR and Dolby Vision, it now also masters HDR10+ (more about the HDR standards here), although there is still hardly any content in this format. It doesn’t matter, it’s in there and doesn’t hurt either.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to try out one innovation in the test because it won’t come with a software update until later in the year: Quick Media Switching (QMS VRR), which is intended to speed up switching between programs with different frame rates.

Anyone who – like me – specified in the settings that the Apple TV should play back the original frame rate will be punished with dark pauses when switching. The screen will remain black for one to three seconds until the signal is synchronized. This is particularly annoying on YouTube, because inserted commercials usually work with different frame rates than the main stream. In addition to the commercial break, there are black screens before and after the spots. Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) QMS is designed to solve this dilemma. However, the television must also have a Generation 2.1 HDMI socket, because QMS and VRR are part of the HDMI format.

Apple TV 4K: the ultimate smart home center?

In the in-house HomeKit-Universe and in the future also for matterproducts, Apple TV assumes the role of an automation center. The HomePod mini can also do this, but with less power. During the ball speaker received a chip from the Apple Watch (S5) when it was launched two years ago, the latest smartphone technology is at work here. For comparison: an iPhone 14 with the same processor (A15 Bionic) and 128 GB of memory costs almost 1000 euros. An Apple TV 4K WiFi + Ethernet costs less than a fifth.

The box should therefore not be lacking in performance for the foreseeable future. Whether it’s a quick switch between cameras or the display of the live image in the running video program (PiP): everything is animated smoothly and smoothly. Select a function and “boom” there it is, as Apple founder Steve Jobs would have put it onomatopoeically in one of his keynotes. And in case I haven’t mentioned it, the remote control is a treat.

With its Siri button, it is also recommended as an alternative for people who want voice control if necessary, but do not want to have a HomePod with activated microphones standing in the room. Or who find it annoying when Siri acknowledges every execution of a command over the loudspeaker. With the Apple TV, the confirmation appears silently on the screen – provided the television is switched on. Since tvOS 16, it has also appeared very discreetly at the bottom right edge of the display.

Seen like that Apple TV WiFi + Ethernet the perfect basis for a HomeKit/Matter system: powerful, future-proof thanks to Thread, easy to use and, by the standards of the iPhone inventor, even inexpensive. Especially if you include the functions as a streamer, game console and photo player in the calculation. Compared to its predecessor, the new model is 30 euros cheaper. This should not go unmentioned in times of rising prices, especially at Apple.

But it is also true: the box is useless without an iPhone or iPad. As the only one large ecosystems Apple does not offer an Android app for its home control. Other cool features like AirPlay, SharePlay with friends or shared iCloud photo albums also require hardware with the Apple logo. So the box is a truly compelling home hub in the new, expanding Matter universe. But only for residents of the Apple galaxy.