BuzzFeed’s John Paczkowski, in a followup to his previous report on the features of Apple’s much-rumored next -generation Apple TV, says the set top streamer will not support 4K video streaming.
Sources in position to know tell BuzzFeed News that the 4th generation Apple TV will not initially support 4K video — a newer high-definition video resolution that delivers a more detailed, immersive picture. “4K is great, but it’s still in its infancy,” said one source familiar with Apple’s thinking.
While the A8 that Apple will likely use to power a new Apple TV is reportedly capable of supporting 4K video, the fact remains there is little 4K content available on popular services such as Netflix or Amazon Video, nor are that many households that currently own a 4K-capable television set. In addition, a recent report estimated that fewer than 19 percent of household Internet connections had enough bandwidth to properly support a 4K video stream.
“The additional cost to shoot, store, encode and deliver video in 4K, when compared to HD, is huge,” Frost & Sullivan principal analyst Dan Rayburn told BuzzFeed. “No one wants to talk about it, but going from Netflix’s average 3Mbps stream to their 4K stream at 16Mbps is very expensive. That’s why it’s said it will offer “limited” content in 4K for a long time. 4K is many, many years away from being adopted at critical mass.”
When contacted by BuzzFeed, Apple declined to comment on “on rumor and speculation.”
Paczkowski reported in March that Apple had a new Apple TV in the works, to be unveiled in June at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference. The new box would offer beefier specs, along with an App Store, and Siri.
Apple is also rumored to be readying a streaming television service, offering content from at least 25 major cable networks, for the price of $30-$40 per month.
