Apple TV+ Review – AppleTV 4 Jailbreak (appletv4jailbreak.com)

When Apple TV+ launched, Apple joined an already-crowded video streaming market. The streaming service from Cupertino didn’t offer nearly as much content as long-standing competitors at launch, and the size of its library still lags behind competitors, since it is almost competently reliant on Apple’s original shows and movies. Apple TV+’s low price and premium features are impressive, though: Subscribers can stream shows in 4K, download content for offline viewing on iOS, and watch everything without any ads. Apple TV+ now has more shows and long-form titles than it did at launch, but it just doesn’t have enough substantive content to compete.

What’s on Apple TV+

Apple TV+’s launch titles included Dickinson, The Elephant Queen, For All Mankind, Ghostwriter, Helpsters, Oprah’s Book Club, The Morning Show, See, and Snoopy in Space. These shows cover a range of genres and content ratings, which was a good indication that Apple TV+ won’t cater exclusively to one audience. At the time of the announcement, Apple promised new shows every month and new episodes every week. Apple also said that new shows would typically launch with three episodes (with new episodes arriving every week thereafter) or with full seasons available all at once.

That production rate may have slowed down due to the coronavirus crisis, but some new shows are available to watch, including Central Park, an animated musical series about a family who lives in the famous park; Little Voice, a romantic comedy; Ted Lasso, a sports comedy; Tehran, a co-produced spy-thriller revolving around the Israeli-Iranian conflict; and Tiny World, a nature documentary series. The complete list of shows is growing too long to name them all here, which is a testament to the larger library size, but the total number of titles (shows and movies) still sits below 50 entries.

You won’t find any fan favorites from broadcast networks or older shows to bolster Apple TV+’s offerings. Disney+, on the other hand, debuted with a staggering number of shows and movies from its vast catalog and a trove of 21st Century Fox content, in addition to the promise of new originals, such as The Mandalorian. None of the other services we’ve reviewed depend entirely on brand-new original shows.

Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, and Netflix are the current leaders in producing original content. Among Amazon Prime’s most notable shows are Bosch, The Boys, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Patriot, and Undone. HBO Max is highly regarded for its original shows, both past and present, including Game of Thrones, Six Feet Under, The Wire, and Westworld. Netflix’s blockbuster originals include Bojack Horseman, Ozark, Russian Doll, Stranger Things, The Crown, and Tiger King. All these services offer non-original shows and movies as well.

We aren’t sure whether a streaming service can thrive solely with original shows, especially since Apple TV+ simply doesn’t have as many quality shows as competitors. There’s also a clear value in the third-party content that pads out the vast catalogs of services like Hulu and Prime Video. Apple certainly has the resources to build up its library, but subscribers should weigh reviews of existing and soon-to-be-released shows before jumping into a subscription.

Apple TV+’s library includes several documentaries and feature-length films, such as Beastie Boys Story, a documentary about the band directed by Spike Jonze; Greyhound, a WWII thriller starring Tom Hanks; and the soon-to-be-released comedy On The Rocks, which stars Bill Murray, Rashida Jones, and Marlon Wayans. Cinephiles should check out our roundup of the best movie streaming services for more complete options. For good selections of classic and independent films, look to Filmatique, Mubi, Ovid, or The Criterion Channel.

Pricing and Platforms

Apple TV+’s $4.99-per-month price is very affordable, though you can save money by subscribing to the $49.99-per-year annual subscription. Apple does offer a seven-day trial, but you need to provide a payment method to get access. Purchasers of new Apple devices get a year free, too. Sick of subscribing? Here’s how to cancel your Apple TV+ subscription.

You can also get Apple TV+ through one of several Apple One subscription bundles. The Individual plan includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and 50GB of iCloud storage for $14.95 per month. The $19.95-per-month Family tier bundles Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and 200GB of iCloud storage and can be shared with up to six family members. The $29.95-per-month Premier option features Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, Apple Fitness+, and 2TB of iCloud storage and can also be shared among six family members. Other video streaming services offer bundles, too; for example, you can pay $12.99 per month to get Disney+, ESPN+, and the ad-supported version of Hulu.

The subscription price for Apple TV+ is likely cheap enough that you won’t bother to cancel it, even if you only end up watching one or two shows every month. Apple TV+ is one of the cheapest video streaming services we’ve reviewed. ESPN+ matches its price, but Filmatique is even cheaper at $4.95 per month. Other on-demand competitors are more expensive. Hulu’s ad-supported tier is $6.99 per month, Netflix’s Standard plan (the tier we recommend) is $12.99 per month, and Amazon Prime Video costs $8.99 per month. HBO Max is $14.99 per month and Disney+ is $6.99 per month.

If you don’t want to pay for your entertainment, our roundup of the best free video streaming services has some options worth checking out. Our top pick for the category, Peacock, includes some popular network shows and movies to stream on demand, for example.

For a rundown on how to get going with the service, read How to Get and Use Apple TV+. In addition to housing Apple TV+ originals, the app lets you subscribe to other services, which it designates as channels. These include on-demand services, such as Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and CBS All Access, as well as live TV services such as AT&T TV Now. You can also rent and buy movies and shows from the app. Note that Apple TV channels are not the same as subscribing to these services on their own; if you subscribe to them via the Apple TV app, you can only watch them on devices that support the Apple TV app.

You can subscribe to Apple TV+ on any devices that support the app, including Apple TVs, iPhones, iPads, and Macs. You can also do so via tv.apple.com in your web browser. Support extends to select LG, Samsung, and Sony smart TVs, as well as any media streaming devices that support the Apple TV app, such as newer Roku units. Owners of Android devices, game consoles, and Chromecasts are out of luck. Apple Music is available on Android, so we hope Apple brings the Apple TV+ app to the platform eventually. As a workaround, you can access Apple TV+ in a browser on those devices, but that is far from ideal.

Apple TV+ on Mobile

We tested Apple TV+ on an iPhone X running iOS 13. Apple TV+’s interface is clear and easily navigable, with set buttons across the bottom for Watch Now, Library, and Search. In the Apple TV app, Apple Originals live in your Watch Now and Library tabs alongside content from HBO, Showtime, and Starz. Note that you can’t sort shows by network, unless you are already a subscriber. To download a show for offline viewing, just tap the standard cloud-plus-down-arrow icon next to an episode listing. Downloading a show may take several minutes given the large file sizes.

We tried watching an episode of The Morning Show over PCMag’s Wi-Fi network and playback was sharp for the most part. At one point, however, the playback resolution dipped noticeably and the episode restarted. We don’t like that you need to back out of the playback screen to the show listing in order to play the next episode in a show. We also wish that you could take a screenshot of the app; if you try to do so, you just get an image of a blank screen with the controls. Other video streaming apps behave in the same way, however. Note that Apple TV+ integrates with iOS’s built-in parental control options.

Apple TV+ on the Web

Although Apple’s marketing mostly highlights the Apple TV+ streaming service on those devices that support the Apple TV app, you can sign up for the service and watch shows on your web browser, even if you don’t have a preexisting Apple ID (you’ll need to create one, though). In testing, Apple TV+’s web interface seems less polished than the Apple TV app. For instance, you can browse and watch only Apple TV+ content—none of the other services that you can subscribe to via the Apple TV app appear here. The web interface is also missing several common features from other services.

The Apple TV website looks elegant, but like many of the service’s shows, the richness of the experience is only surface-deep. As of this review, all the shows appear in a wide, vertically scrolling list with icons to either Play Episode (it doesn’t specify which one) or Go to Show (a description page with the show’s available episodes, cast information, and other Apple TV+ recommendations). There’s currently no way to sort or search for shows, which seems problematic, especially as the number of Apple TV+ titles grows. You can access account settings via the profile icon in the upper right-hand side of the screen to view billing information and change your subscription. You can also set up parental control restrictions, but note that these limitations are not profile-based; whatever settings you choose apply to everyone using that account on the web.

We watched several episodes from The Morning Show, See, and For All Mankind in Chrome and Edge on a 1080p monitor, and the shows looked and sounded excellent. Playback controls are standard with a draggable progress bar, forward and rewind buttons, a volume slider, and accessibility options in the lower-right corner.

We appreciate the wealth of language and closed caption options, but with several English options (as well as duplicate listings for other languages) in the list, we weren’t sure how they were different from one another. We discovered that the various options affect the size and position of the text on screen, but we would prefer a clearer option menu for customizing the subtitles. We appreciate that at least the Audio Descriptions options are clearly labeled.

Notably missing from Apple TV+’s playback interface are options for advancing to the next episode in a season and a skip intro button. As with the mobile app, you need to head back to the show’s description page and select a new episode there. There is an Add to Up Next button on the web, but we couldn’t find a way to access that list in a browser.

Technical Prowess

Apple TV+’s technical features are impressive. As noted, subscribers can download content for offline viewing on iOS devices via the Apple TV app. CBS All Access, HBO Max, Netflix, Prime Video, and Showtime also include offline viewing capabilities. Hulu only offers this capability to subscribers of its premium ad-free tier. We hope Apple adds a feature similar to Netflix‘s Smart Downloads feature, in which Netflix automatically downloads the next episode in a season after you finish watching the current one.

Apple TV+ users can share a subscription with up to six people via Apple’s Family Sharing feature, but Apple caps simultaneous streams to three for most TV Channels. Apple says that Originals are “subtitled and/or dubbed in nearly 40 languages, including Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (SDH) or closed captions” and that they support audio descriptions in eight languages. Amazon Prime Video and Netflix also support Audio Descriptions, an accessibility feature that adds vocal narrations to scenes to explain character movements, settings, and other on-screen actions not discernible from character dialog. These accessibility options outclass those found in competitors.

4K streaming, HDR, Dolby Atmos, and Dolby Vision support round out the list of Apple TV+’s tech specs. Note that only select devices, such as the Apple TV 4K, support all these capabilities. Netflix and Prime Video offer some original shows in 4K, with sporadic support for the Dolby Atmos and Vision standards. Since most of the launch shows support all of these high-end standards, the service, when combined with the Apple TV 4K, could be very attractive to home theater buffs.

Note, too, that Apple does not run ads on any of its content. Other premium video streaming services, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and HBO Max don’t show ads, either. The lack of advertising is particularly notable given that Apple TV+’s price undercuts both that of CBS All Access’ and Hulu’s ad-supported tiers.

Apple TV+ and VPN

You should use a VPN to protect your internet traffic from nosy ISPs and malicious actors on a network. Many video streaming services block VPN traffic, though, because a VPN also allows you to spoof your location and potentially watch location-restricted content. Apple plans to offer Apple TV+ in over 100 countries with the same content, so that shouldn’t be an issue. We were able to stream content from Apple TV+ via the web with a desktop connected to a US-based Mullvad VPN server.

Even if you do find a VPN that works with your video streaming service, you might eventually get blocked, as video streaming services actively work to block VPN connections. We recommend you choose a VPN based on other factors such as privacy policy, performance, and features.

Apple Is All-In on TV

Based on its price and technical features alone, Apple TV+ competes with the current front-runners in the video streaming category. However, Apple TV+’s stable of content isn’t intriguing enough to draw interest away from the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime. We would like to see improvements to the interfaces and support for more devices. You’re better off waiting until Apple TV+ offers more shows that appeal to you or for its current shows to find their footing. Netflix is our current Editors’ Choice for on-demand video streaming. For live TV services, we recommend either Hulu + Live TV or YouTube TV.

Pros

• Inexpensive

• No ads

• Offline downloads on iOS

• Good accessibility options

• Support for 4K and HDR streams, Dolby Atmos

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Cons

• Growing content library still can’t compete with established rivals

• No apps for Android or game consoles

• Web interface is bare-bones

The Bottom Line

Apple TV+ is impressive from a technical standpoint, but its current library of original content is not competitive with that of top-tier video streaming services.

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https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/apple-tv-plus
AppleTV 4 Jailbreak (appletv4jailbreak.com)