I’ve been Zwifting for a couple of years with an Apple TV4k and a Samsung 32" Smart TV and it’s been simple and stable and the picture quality has been pretty good.
I now want to go to a larger TV screen for a more immersive effect, so I’ll be shopping for something this week. My question is - what are the minimal Smart TV specifications that I need, and since I assume the Apple TV4k will be the limiting factor for video quality, what is the maximum that the Apple TV4k can process/handle? i.e. I don’t want to overspend on the Smart TV if I don’t have to.
Your assumption that the Apple TV 4K is the limiting factor is correct. No matter what TV you connect it to, the realtime 3D graphics will look exactly the same - a 1080p picture (with only the text overlays in 4K), and a frame rate up to 30 fps, with low resolution models and no shadows, so here are 4 things to consider - 1) a 4K TV will not make the picture more detailed or smoother. 2) a screen size of over say 43" would start to look blocky and jerky at the edges, unless you also increase the resolution and frame rate on the ATV 4K, which you cannot, and 3) you may not need any of the ‘Smart’ features at all given that you already have the ability to run apps on the ATV. A non-smart 43" 1080p TV in Black Friday sales is what I would get if I were you. Can you even buy a non-smart TV these days?
Excellent! Thanks for all of that as you answered important questions that I didn’t even ask! I’m not much of a tech nor TV guy, so it hadn’t occurred to me that the Apple TV already has the Smart features… I’ll get a 43" 1080p non-Smart TV - and like you said - if I can find one.
having HDR is probably the most important spec for a cheap TV.
4k is not necessary, but the diff in price between that and and 1080p is really small, so i think just get the 4k so you CAN go higher rez if you get a gizmo that can do it.
side note: i’m almost 100% sure there will be black friday deals on this, so maybe hold out a few days!
One more question please: There’s a possibility that I might go to a PC or something faster at some later date. So, if I were to get a 50" TV now (since prices for 43’s and 50’s are almost the same) and use it with the Apple TV, will the picture will be annoyingly “blocky and Jerky” with the Apple TV? Or will it still be better overall on a 43" now?
For optimal viewing enjoyment, how far away you are from the tv and its resolution is important to determining the size that you want. TV Viewing Distance Guide | AVForums
And HDR is awesome. Dynamic HDR will be even better.
I use a 50” TV with Apple TV 4K. While I certainly wish the ATV would render Zwift in 4K, I think the graphics rendering is just fine. And, as has been mentioned already, if you plan to use the TV for anything else (Netflix, Prime Video, NBC Sports Gold, etc, having the larger TV might be handy.
I forgot to add that coverage of the various colour gamuts is important as well for vibrant displays. A good tv should cover at the very least 100% RGB and a good portion of DCI or REC 2020.
FWIW, I traded up to a 50" from a 32" TV. I still ride so that my head is about 4 ft away from the screen. The 50" is so much more immersive. I’m finding myself turning my head (just a bit) to the left and right to view bystanders, etc. alongside the road, other cyclists almost startle me when they pass by, and I’m noticing more details in the landscape. Yes, the image pixelation is slightly more noticeable, but It was sooo worth it to go bigger with the Apple TV 4k.
I found an inexpensive 49inch 4K HDR TV at the supermarket of all places. Zwift is fine with the Apple TV, maybe the next gen Apple TV will render in 4K but 1080p is fine for now. I’ve also connected a high end MacBook Pro and while the graphics are better, the ease of use and always on isn’t there. My TV is decidcated to Zwift but I also sometimes run regular TV in 4K and Zwift on my ipad so I’d always say bigger the better. Mine is a smart TV but I’ve not bothered with any of that as it’s irrelevant if you connect a smart device like ATV.
the picture quality of apple tv is better then any other smart tv. as per your choice you can do manually setup resolution . if by any chance it is not working then take this to MacBook Repair Dubai to rectify all issue . they will connect your apple smart tv with macbook for uploaded all necessary software. and your tv will run fine.