Apple 4K TV vs Vudu

[polonyc2]

I'm not sure if this the right place to post this but I'll give it a shot...I currently have an LG C7 OLED (with Dolby Vision support)...is there a difference in UHD/HDR picture quality from using the LG C7's built in Vudu app versus something like an Apple 4K device when streaming movies?

I keep seeing people rave about Apple 4K (iTunes) but I don't understand...do they use more bitrates in their UHD streams?...is the quality that much better?...what about something like FandangoNow vs Vudu (using the LG apps)?...I always thought streaming quality was generally the same (of course UHD Blu-ray quality is much better)

I've never used Apple TV before and was thinking about picking one up if the difference in quality is much better then LG's built in streaming movie apps

 

[enyownz]

For Dolby Vision the built in apps will do a better job because DV libraries are proprietary and specific to devices. So Apple TV 4K DV library instantiation is different from your TVs. The local library is certified by Dolby to be device specific (hence why DV updates take so long). Apple TV 4k is great if you want to use apps not found on your tv or if you want a more centralized device to use, but I think the built in apps in WebOS are just as fantastic.

 

[VulnoX]

I'm not sure if this the right place to post this but I'll give it a shot...I currently have an LG C7 OLED (with Dolby Vision support)...is there a difference in UHD/HDR picture quality from using the LG C7's built in Vudu app versus something like an Apple 4K device when streaming movies?

I keep seeing people rave about Apple 4K (iTunes) but I don't understand...do they use more bitrates in their UHD streams?...is the quality that much better?...what about something like FandangoNow vs Vudu (using the LG apps)?...I always thought streaming quality was generally the same (of course UHD Blu-ray quality is much better)

I've never used Apple TV before and was thinking about picking one up if the difference in quality is much better then LG's built in streaming movie apps

Bitrate can definitely be a factor, but odds are pretty good you won't see a lot of difference since it's streaming in the end and they have to account for limitations on network connections. One big thing you may get from an AppleTV is better performance of a lot of applications over a TV. Smart TVs have come a long way as far as performance, so it isn't as huge as it was 5 years ago, but the Apple TV 4K is really quick, which can make application navigation better, and loading of streams/data a little more seamless. I definitely prefer to use my Roku over my 2017 Samsung's built in apps, as while it's a high-end TV, the set top box just feels better to use and I some apps, like Plex, are much better on Roku than Samsung due to application maturity on the platform.

 

[polonyc2]

I also read that Apple handles the encoding themselves which may be another reason it might look a bit better on the Apple TV 4K

 

[westrock2000]

If you are not in the Apple eco-system, nor plan to get into the Apple eco-system, then I would hesitate to recommend it over any other quality device. The responsiveness is great, as it has always been on Apple TV. But the real benefit comes from having iTunes running locally (streaming your own music or movies), using Apple Music, having an iPhone, using Airplay, Purchasing content from Apple, etc. The integration is fantastic.

Apple 4K uses something like 15Mb/s to stream 4K. If your connection can't handle that, it automatically downgrade to 1080p. You CANNOT save any purchased Apple 4K content locally. It MUST be streamed. Additionally, the pricing of Apple 4K is extremely competitive. No one is allowed to charge more than $20 for a title on iTunes, so very often you can get 4K movies for much less then buying the disc at a local store or buying digital from other competitors (which is why Star Wars Last Jedi 4K was not released on iTunes because Disney wanted $$$$$ ). Also, when you buy "HD" on iTunes, you get whatever the highest HD is. So if you bought or redeemed a 1080p movie and it comes out on 4K, you now have 4K (there are a few cases where this has not happened). I really like the AppleTV (have 4 in the house), but you need to "embrace" it to fully enjoy it. Otherwise, much like owning an iPhone and no other Apple products/services, it's just regular like any other product.