Whether you’re considering an Apple TV or you already have one, you can fully master Apple’s living room device with this ultimate guide by TidBITS managing editor Josh Centers. You’ll learn how to set it up and use it to watch movies and TV shows, play music, display photo slideshows, give presentations, and access all manner of apps on the big screen.
All Take Control books are delivered in three ebook formats—PDF, EPUB, and Mobipocket (Kindle)—and can be read on nearly any device.
Whether you’re considering an Apple TV or you already have one, you can more fully enjoy Apple’s entertainment device with this ultimate guide by TidBITS managing editor Josh Centers. You’ll learn how to set it up and use it to watch movies and TV shows, play music, display your photos, give presentations, and run all manner of apps on the big screen.
Josh walks you through cables, ports, and setup, and explains how to use gestures and spoken commands with the Siri Remote—yes, you can talk to your TV! He helps you navigate and customize the Home screen, plus describes getting-started settings such as inputting your Apple ID, enabling parental controls, and turning on single sign-on.
You’ll learn how to use the built-in TV app, and how you can best view home movies and any DVDs or Blu-ray discs you own.
The book also looks at using an Apple TV to listen to your music or Apple Music, download and play podcasts from iTunes, and browse your photos. And you’ll find recommendations for apps that bring fitness, food, mapping, shopping, art, gaming, and more to your big screen.
In Take Control of Apple TV you’ll read about:
Connecting your Apple TV to iCloud Photo Library, iCloud Photo Stream, iCloud Photo Sharing, or to photos stored on your local computer
The easy Siri Remote shortcut for sleeping your Apple TV
Checking the battery level and charging your Siri Remote
Three ways to rewind on the Siri Remote
Alternatives to the Siri Remote
Beaming the display of your Mac or iPhone screen to your TV
Making Mac or iOS audio play through your TV’s speakers
Ripping DVDs and Blu-ray discs
Running iTunes Home Sharing to play media from a local computer
Using Plex Media Server to take your media library beyond iTunes
Essential items to pack if you’ll be giving a presentation via an Apple TV
What you can do with Conference Room Display mode
How to tell if an iOS app includes a free copy of its Apple TV version
How to reset or restore an Apple TV—useful for troubleshooting or for handing your device to a new owner
Compatibility? This book covers the fourth-generation Apple TV as well as the newer 4K model, but after you buy the book, you can visit the Ebook Extras topic to download the first edition, which focuses on the second- and third-generation Apple TV models.
Josh Centers is the managing editor of TidBITS and a freelance writer who has written for Macworld, the Magazine, Boing Boing, and the Sweethome. He has been featured on Daring Fireball, the Loop, TUAW, and Scientific American, and is a frequent guest on MacVoices and the Tech Night Owl. He lives in Tennessee with his wife, Hannah, and their son, Harris.
What’s New in Version 2.2
This new version of Take Control of Apple TV is updated for tvOS 11, which Apple released in September 2017. It’s also generally updated to reflect the state of the Apple TV in early 2018:
To find out what’s new in tvOS 11, see What’s New in tvOS.
Apple has integrated an Apple TV Remote into the iOS 11 Control Center. See Using the iOS 11 Control Center.
I discuss the new Apple TV 4K in Decide Which Apple TV to Buy.
The Disney Movies Anywhere service has been replaced by the new, more-encompassing Movies Anywhere. See Access Purchased Movies and TV Shows.
Single sign-on now works with many more TV providers. If you haven’t tried it yet, see About Single Sign-On.
iOS and iTunes now offer new ways to control Apple TV playback. See Using the iOS 11 Control Center and AirPlay from iTunes.
What Apple TV models does this book cover?
This book covers the fourth-generation Apple TV as well as the newer 4K model, but after you buy the book, you can visit the Ebook Extras topic to download the first edition, which focuses on the second- and third-generation Apple TV models.
The Apple TV world had been pretty quiet until Apple’s March 25, 2019 special event that announced some major new things coming to the Apple TV:
A redesigned TV app, redubbed Apple TV, that’s built around services, integrates live TV, and will even be available on most popular smart TV platforms, such as Roku
Apple TV Channels, which will let you subscribe to à la carte cable channels and streaming services inside the Apple TV app
A new streaming service called Apple TV+, which has the backing of big-name celebrities like director Steven Spielberg, media queen Oprah Winfrey, and director J.J. Abrams
A new subscription game service called Apple Arcade
The new Apple TV app will be available in May, with Apple TV+ and Apple Arcade due later in the year. We’re currently evaluating the best way to update Take Control of Apple TV to best cover Apple’s strategic shift. In the meantime, you can read the TidBITS articles Apple Reveals Its Vision for TV and Apple Announces Apple Arcade Gaming Service.
In the here and now, iOS 12.2 has added some major Apple TV-related improvements:
You can now control an Apple TV via iOS Siri using commands like “Pause the bedroom Apple TV.”
AirPlay has been improved to play more nicely with multitasking.
When AirPlaying content from iOS to an Apple TV, playback controls show in Control Center and on the Lock screen.
Also, Apple has changed the Apple TV remote logo in Control Center and the Remote app to show a small Siri Remote instead of the Apple TV logo, undoubtedly to prevent confusion with the new Apple TV app.
Video-ripping app HandBrake has finally reached version 1.0 — actually 1.0.2 as of this writing. With that comes a few minor changes, but the most significant for readers of “Take Control of Apple TV” are the new presets. The now-legacy AppleTV 3 preset I recommended in the book is still there, but you should instead choose the Apple1080p60 Surround preset, which is now the best-quality Apple-compatible HandBrake preset.
Apple TV, slowly but surely, continues to gain features and capabilities, this time with its new TV app and Single Sign-on capability. Josh and Chuck Joiner of MacVoices discuss the state of streaming TV, Apple TV’s place in this dynamic and highly contested market, and what’s new in the latest edition of his book. Adjust your rabbit ears, sit back, and enjoy.
When we published “Take Control of Apple TV, Second Edition,” the Plex app still required you to enter your username and password to sign in to your Plex account. Thankfully, Plex has now been updated to use browser authentication instead, so you don’t have to type or dictate your credentials with the Siri Remote. When prompted, visit http://plex.tv/link and enter the code on your TV screen.
Apple has new gear for the biggest screen in your home, and that means a new edition of Josh’s Apple TV book and a MacVoices interview. So pop some popcorn, put your feet up, and tune in to watch Josh and Chuck Joiner chat about all the new features found in the fourth-generation Apple TV, including apps and Siri. And, if you have an Apple TV you can watch the interview right on that system (the “Master AirPlay” chapter in the book tells you how)!
July 14, 2019—We hope to release an updated version of this book later this year to cover changes in Apple's TV-related hardware, software, and services.
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