Roku Ultra(2022) vs Apple TV 4K(2021)

[Stereoguy]

HI: Trying to decide between these 2 devices....my main uses would be streaming content for Prime,Netflix,Disney,etc...also will want to stream local from my plex server which has 4K movies on it so Atmos,HDR & HDR 10+ etc is important for me.Thanks for any insight on this!!

 

[Danzilla31]

HI: Trying to decide between these 2 devices....my main uses would be streaming content for Prime,Netflix,Disney,etc...also will want to stream local from my plex server which has 4K movies on it so Atmos,HDR & HDR 10+ etc is important for me.Thanks for any insight on this!!

Roku can do atmos but isn't always licensed to with certain streamers. The Apple 4k is licensed for atmos and meets all your other requirements as well. I actually prefer my Roku over the Apple 4k tho for some reason the Roku is more dynamic with the audio and bass.

But I've never heard any else complain of that so it might be I have a buggy Apple 4k or there's an issue with my setup

 

[panteragstk]

HI: Trying to decide between these 2 devices....my main uses would be streaming content for Prime,Netflix,Disney,etc...also will want to stream local from my plex server which has 4K movies on it so Atmos,HDR & HDR 10+ etc is important for me.Thanks for any insight on this!!

If you're using plex, get the device plex can direct stream to. The other requirement for me would be that the device that can handle direct streams should also be able to output them without transcoding anything.

For streaming services, either should be great for that.

I'm a Shield TV guy, but my main use is Plex. Streaming is secondary.

 

[eljr]

HI: Trying to decide between these 2 devices....my main uses would be streaming content for Prime,Netflix,Disney,etc...also will want to stream local from my plex server which has 4K movies on it so Atmos,HDR & HDR 10+ etc is important for me.Thanks for any insight on this!!

I refuse to use anything Apple.

BTW, ROKU rocks.

 

[Danzilla31]

I refuse to use anything Apple.

BTW, ROKU rocks.

Am I the only one the feels Apples audio doesn't sound as good as Rokus?

 

[Trebdp83]

Am I the only one the feels Apples audio doesn't sound as good as Rokus?

Yes.

 

[Danzilla31]

Yes.

Maybe I just have a bad unit then. I always have to turn the volume up higher on the Apple then the Roku on the same material and vocals I have to boost. Plus the bass isn't as good. I've had friends over and everyone could tell the difference.

Just sucks that even tho Roku can do Dolby atmos they don't really have the license for platforms like Amazon to use it.

I'm really thinking of replacing my Apple 4k with that NVIDIA shield pro they're 200 dollar version seeing if I like it. Everyone raves about that one it's not cheap tho

 

[Stereoguy]

I have the shield it is great!!!! Have been reading good to have 2 devices so either of these would be a backup to my Shield!!

 

[Trebdp83]

Roku isn’t consistent with settings for different years and models. I like my Roku Ultra 4800X but its settings are as ridiculous as those on my LG TV. They are all over the place. The Apple TV 4K lacks DTS and HDR10+ support. It converts all but Dolby Atmos tracks, for which it uses Dolby MAT, to LPCM. Many enjoy bitstreaming audio without any conversion. I liked the Nvidia Shield Pro and many recommend it when Plex is a must. It supports bitstream and HDR10+ as does the Roku Ultra.

Apps are all over the place and different tiers of service and output settings in devices will disable different features including HDR and Atmos output. It’s no small task to get devices and apps to work optimally in a system these days and homework must be done.

 

[j_garcia]

FYI, Apple TV IS a rebranded Roku. What is different is how they license and work with various services and the software. Hardware is the same.

 

[Cos]

Say what you will, but as someone who has used Roku since their first generation, I have since replaced all of them with Apple TV 4k 64GB models. With the exception of losing vudu new releases, it does everything I want it to, works flawlessly for me and is overall a better experience and user interface. I definitely prefer the remote.

Note the following;

• Tribdp83 is correct that the Apple 4k TV does not currently support HDR10+ but that is getting fixed in the next software update:
• I have not run Plex on my Roku or Apple TV, but from what I understand it works better on Roku.

https://www.idownloadblog.com/2022/07/28/apple-tv-hdr10/#:~:text=The release notes simply state,Apple has supported for years.

• Dolby Vision is the superior HDR format, but if you have a Samsung TV, then HDR10+ is the only thing you have.
• As far as DTS, I haven't used a DTS audio track in ages, so not a major issue for me. If it is an important feature for you, then Roku is your best choice
• As far as ease of setup. It took me all of about 5 minutes to set up my 4k TV to work properly with Dolby Vision and Atmos, so I am a little confused as the issue.
• As far as apps, I use Hulu Live TV, Vudu (playback only), Netflix, Paramount, AMC+, AppleTV+,HBO Go, ESPN, Disney+, Amazon Prime, Youtube, etc. I have used Peacock in the past. I have never had any issues getting apps to work

Having had extensive experience using both, I greatly prefer the Apple TV 4k. It's OS is faster, more flexible and well supported by Apple. I like Roku for the simple menu systems and complete neutrality between apps, but Apple just does it better IMO.

 

[Cos]

FYI, Apple TV IS a rebranded Roku. What is different is how they license and work with various services. Hardware is the same.

Are you serious? Last I checked Roku does not use Apple's A12 chip, unless they drastically changed during this last revision. Pretty sure the Roku doesn't have 32 or 64GB of ram and the list goes on. Not even sure why you made that statement unless you were joking.

 

[j_garcia]

Are you serious? Last I checked Roku does not use Apple's A12 chip, unless they drastically changed during this last revision.

I haven't looked at the hardware recently, but they had been made by Roku since the first Apple TV came out. Those early versions were literally identical. Current devices may be made specifically for Apple now, using their chips instead of those sourced by Roku, but i am going to guess either Apple OEMs them from Roku and they final build them with their own chips or Roku actually builds them still.

 

[Cos]

I haven't looked at the hardware recently, but they had been made by Roku since the first Apple TV came out. Those early versions were literally identical. Current devices may be made specifically for Apple now, using their chips instead of those sourced by Roku, but i am going to guess either Apple OEMs them from Roku and they final build them with their own chips or Roku actually builds them still.

Not sure where you are getting your information from, but that is just not the case and 100% false

Apple used x86 is the failed first attempt
Every generation from gen 2 has used an Apple CPU, at no time was roku making steaming devices for apple

Apple TV - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It's the good and bad about apple, they maintain a closed ecosystem when it comes to hardware, unless you go back to the very early days of Macs, a long long time ago. Apple TV was never associated with Roku, completely different hardware.

 

[Trebdp83]

I will say that my Apple TV 4K Gen 1, in my setup anyway, produces a superior picture than the LG C1’s Smart apps, the Roku Ultra and even the XBOX Series S using different video service apps. Results will vary of course but that has been my experience. For those interested in Dolby Atmos music, the Apple TV 4K is the only device that supports it from both Apple Music and Tidal. Some others, like the Nvidia Shield Pro, support Tidal’s Dolby Atmos music tracks but only the Apple TV 4K supports Apple Music’s Dolby Atmos tracks via HDMI. Now, Apple just needs to add a “Star Trek” themed background, screen saver and sounds like the Roku Ultra. Everybody should be offering rechargeable remote controllers like Apple.

 

[j_garcia]

It is a conspiracy theory of mine. I am telling you, I still have 2 of the old Rokus and when I saw the Apple TV, there is NO WAY a company like Apple would release a device that looks 99.9% identical with the possibility of lawsuits (and Roku has since changed the look of theirs). These two have some secret agreement that lawyers are keeping under wraps. Or not, but it just seemed extremely unlikely a company like apple would introduce a new product so fast that looks suspiciously similar to an existing one. I could be wrong.

 

[Danzilla31]

I will say that my Apple TV 4K Gen 1, in my setup anyway, produces a superior picture than the LG C1’s Smart apps, the Roku Ultra and even the XBOX Series S using different video service apps. Results will vary of course but that has been my experience. For those interested in Dolby Atmos music, the Apple TV 4K is the only device that supports it from both Apple Music and Tidal. Some others, like the Nvidia Shield Pro, support Tidal’s Dolby Atmos music tracks but only the Apple TV 4K supports Apple Music’s Dolby Atmos tracks via HDMI. Now, Apple just needs to add a “Star Trek” themed background, screen saver and sounds like the Roku Ultra. Everybody should be offering rechargeable remote controllers like Apple.

Does the Nvidia Shield pro support Tidals Dolby atmos tracks via HDMI? Tidal is my main streaming source for music so it would be great for me if it did

 

[Trebdp83]

Does the Nvidia Shield pro support Tidals Dolby atmos tracks via HDMI? Tidal is my main streaming source for music so it would be great for me if it did

Yes. I also remember it supporting up to 96/24 with MQA tracks.

 

[Danzilla31]

Yes. I also remember it supporting up to 96/24 with MQA tracks.

Awesome thanks!!! That probably seals the deal for me!

 

[panteragstk]

Does the Nvidia Shield pro support Tidals Dolby atmos tracks via HDMI? Tidal is my main streaming source for music so it would be great for me if it did

Yes. I also remember it supporting up to 96/24 with MQA tracks.

Not just this, but the shield will also output whatever sample rate the track is too. Not just Tidal either.

Plex needs to update their app to support this feature since they still output everything at 48/16 which is annoying. Kodi works great for my local music files, but the multichannel ones make it upset sometimes.

Short story, the Nvidia Shield TV supports pretty much everything you could ask for on the audio side. The newer versions have Dolby Vision support for those that care so you're covered on the video front as well. I think the only video format not supported is VP9 and AV1. Both are very new and are used in streaming so my use case of playing my local audio/video files isn't affected.