Does the Apple TV 4k still have a "Computers" app?

Question

Level 4

1,523 points

Does the Apple TV 4k still have a "Computers" app?

I have an Apple TV 3rd generation (A147), which has a "Computers" app that lets me stream my iTunes Library content to my TV. The TV is a 4k Samsung which has the Apple TV app. I have recently purchased several 4k movies, & downloaded them to my computer…

The problem is that if the Internet is not working, I can't stream the movies from Apple's servers, so the obvious workaround would be to view the downloaded versions on my Mac.

But the Apple TV 3rd generation doesn't (apparently) stream in 4k, so I'm just seeing HD versions of the movies — not 4k.

And the Apple TV app doesn't have any access to my computer (AFAIK).

So… I'd do the 'right' thing & buy an Apple TV 4k, except that I've been told that it doesn't support streaming content from iTunes libraries any more, as the old "Computers" app used to do.

I tried contacting Apple Support in order to enquire before purchasing, but the person I chatted to told me the bizarre workaround was to connect the Apple TV 4k to my Mac via a Thunderbolt-to-HDMI adapter instead of connecting it to my Samsung TV.

This was so strange that now I could do with some clarification! I can't find any reference to doing this online, & I suspect it's simply not true.

So: is there a "Computers" app on the Apple TV 4k which will let me access my Mac's library content? Or, even better, is there another way (using what I already have) to view my 4k movies WITHOUT using the Internet?

The Internet is very heavily subscribed at the moment, with everyone using Zoom/Facetime/etc. all day long to talk to each other, so I do NOT want to rely on it.

Posted on Apr 5, 2020 9:10 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Urquhart1244

Community+ 2024

Level 10

142,992 points

Apr 5, 2020 11:26 AM in response to Caramby

Is there anywhere this is documented?

Find and watch movies with 4K, HDR, Dolby Vision, or Dolby Atmos - Apple Support

“You can download a copy of an HD movie to your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or PC, but you can't download a 4K version. You might be able to download Dolby Vision and HDR versions to your iOS, iPadOS, and macOS devices.”

Reply

Answer 2

Apr 5, 2020 9:45 AM in response to Caramby

So… I'd buy an Apple TV 4k, except that I've been told that it doesn't support streaming content from iTunes libraries any more, as the old "Computers" app used to do.

You were misinformed. The Apple TV 4K does have the Computers app for Home Sharing. Still an orange icon on the home screen.

However, the version of a movie that you download from the iTunes Store for offline use is HD instead of 4K. 4K is streaming-only for iTunes Store content.

Reply

Answer 3

Caramby Author

Level 4

1,523 points

Apr 5, 2020 11:12 AM in response to Urquhart1244

Aaargh. Well, that's good news… but mostly very bad news.

I've deliberately chosen to buy movies in 4k from Apple rather than on 4k disc because of the convenience of having them on my external hard drives; now you're saying that none of the items I've downloaded are in 4k.

To be sure of having 4k movies without an Internet connection, I will have to buy the discs… & that's a lot of movies I've bought in the last few days… many of them supposedly upgrades from HD! (Of course I understand that when streaming is actually working for a change, they will be in 4k.)

Is there anywhere this is documented? I have other questions about the quality of Apple movies & TV shows (such as what they actually mean by "HD" when that's such an ambiguous term), & it would be good to have somewhere definitive to look.

I've searched & searched, but if there are any good results out there, they're swamped by the same too basic information repeated endlessly.

Reply