Apple TV is basically a digital media player or micro-console developed by none other than Apple. It plays video or audio when connected to a television and receives media data. Since the release of its second-generation device, Apple TV became highly HDMI-compliant. Meaning that it could only be connected to high-definition, modern TVs through the HDMI cable.
First Generation
Apple announced their first generation of the device in September 2006, in a special Apple event. Although it must be mentioned that when it was announced, it was titled as “iTV”. But it was renamed to Apple TV before the launch due to a copyright dispute with a British broadcaster, ITV. The device was then officially released in March 2007.
Second Generation
Apple released its second generation of the device in September 2010. It is one-quarter the size of the first-generation variant. The second generation doesn’t support standard definition TVs and only high definition, HDMI-supported TVs. It also introduced the feature of supporting playing videos from iPhones and iPads.
Third Generation
Apple announced its third generation of this device n March. Its appearance looked the same as the second generation but it included an A5 processor and supported a 1080 video output via HDMI.
Fourth Generation (HD)
Apple announced its fourth generation (HD) of the device on September 9, 2015. This generation allowed Apple to designate the TV’s own operating system, the tvOS. Users were now able to access App Store and download many third-party apps. The fourth generation adopted Apple’s A8 processor. However, in March 2019, Apple rebranded the fourth-generation TV as Apple TV HD.
4K Generations
On September 12, 2017, Apple announced the device 4k that supports 2160p video output, Dolby Vision and HDR10. It also ran on an Apple A10X Fusion processor. The Menu button also included the Siri remote this time.
However, on April 20, 2021, Apple announced an updated version of the device. The updated version consisted of A12 Bionic Processor, supported high frame rate HDR, Wi-Fi 6, and HDMI 2.1.
How Do I Know If My Apple TV Is 3rd Generation Or 4th Generation?
There are three main ways to identify your current TV generation. You can either look at the box or at the bottom of your device. Or you can open Settings from the device home screen. Then go to General and further press on About and there you can view your generation and model.
How Many Apple TV Versions Are There?
There is a total of six of these device generations released up till now. However, only two main models go for sale these days. The fourth generation a.k.a Apple TV HD and sixth generations also gone by the name of Apple TV 4K.
Is Apple TV 4K The Same As the 4th Generation?
The Apple TV 4K offers a 2160p video streaming output, subsequently offering 4 times the resolution of the 4th generation which provides 1080p video.
