[jpm]

The box says that those Aerial screensavers are about 600MB each to download. Have you looked at that setting?

[DS-21]

Screensavers were set to update monthly. I changed to never.

I really think it's just Comcast making up numbers now that they have decided to cap data and have effective monopoly power at my address, given that there's no way I know of to independently audit their usage claims.

[cody69]

I pulled the trigger and purchased an ATV 4G during the holidays and have been using it for web streaming and playing videos from my iTunes library. I am enjoying the convenience of streaming vs DVD connected player -- but beyond that, probably not scratching the surface of capabilities the unit has.

The ATV is connected to the TV using HDMI, with analogue audio output from TV connected to home-grown TPA3116 amp and speaker combination to get better sound than the flat screen speakers. This setup works good and provides good sound while I'm using exercise equipment.

[avta]

I have a similar set up using a home theater amp. My impression is that the sound is better with the ATV 4 compared to the ATV 3.

[jpm]

Screensavers were set to update monthly. I changed to never.

I really think it's just Comcast making up numbers now that they have decided to cap data and have effective monopoly power at my address, given that there's no way I know of to independently audit their usage claims.

I feel for you. All you can really do is write to the FCC about the anti competitive practice of Comcast driving you to their TV offering by effectively surcharging your alternatives.

Cox Communications is our monopoly, no caps but their rate increase are driven by loss of TV subscribers. 3.5 years ago I paid $58 per month and after the umpteenth hike they reached $87 this month for the same service tier.

[srb]

Cox Communications is our monopoly, no caps but their rate increase are driven by loss of TV subscribers.

All of the Cox data plans in my market have data limits, which range from 150GB to 1,000GB per month.  It's possible that your market doesn't, but I thought this was common to Cox nationwide.

Cox Speeds & Data Plans Information

Most people are unaware of data limits they may have, which usually means they aren't exceeding them.  Unlike some cellphone plans, you aren't charged for data overages, but if you consistently go past them you will be contacted with a notice that you need to select a higher tier to continue.

Steve

[jpm]

All of the Cox data plans in my market have data limits, which range from 150GB to 1,000GB per month.  It's possible that your market doesn't, but I thought this was common to Cox nationwide.

Cox Speeds & Data Plans Information

Most people are unaware of data limits they may have, which usually means  aren't exceeding them.  Unlike some cellphone plans, you aren't charged for data overages, but if you consistently go past them you will be contacted with a notice that you need to select a higher tier to continue.

Steve

Steve - you're correct about the notional limits they quote, but I've never heard of Cox enforcing them. I typically blow past the limit 1/4 of the way through a month and used to get their "love letters" each month suggesting that I might enjoy a higher level of service (read: more expensive).   

If my recollection is correct, Cox stopped sending the "love letters" around the time that Google suggested Phoenix as a potential Google Fiber location.  As their TV profits come under more pressure, I'm sure the burden will continue to be shifted to customers using other services. 

All we can do is hope that something changes to introduce competition. Whether Google Fiber or something like this http://9to5toys.com/2016/01/27/starry-aereo-internet-service/

[Doublej]

Regarding monitoring data usage, while I haven't researched it, your wireless router or cable modem might be able to give you amount of data transmitted and received.

[DS-21]

I feel for you. All you can really do is write to the FCC about the anti competitive practice of Comcast driving you to their TV offering by effectively surcharging your alternatives.

The irony is we have a TV package. I like my Thursday and Monday Night Football in the fall, as well as Comedy Central and AMC.

Interestingly, Comcast is pulling this crap at the same time that Google Fiber is literally laying cables in our neighborhood this quarter, and AT&T just sent us a mailing yesterday that their Giga-whatever (I assume their fiber offering) is available at our address now. AT&T offers a "give us your data" price as well as a modestly higher-priced offering where they claim not to snoop on your data habits for advertising. The latter looks like it costs about what we pay Comcast now....

Regarding monitoring data usage, while I haven't researched it, your wireless router or cable modem might be able to give you amount of data transmitted and received.

Interesting. All our internet traffic flows through an Apple AirPort Time Capsule (one of the newish tower models). Any idea if that one shows how much data was sent/recieved?

[Don_S]

I actually returned mine and we are back to the ATV2. It is the only Apple product I have returned in 20 years.  I've heard you can now use a bluetooth keyboard with the new one, which fixes one huge irritation.  No one in the family liked the siri remote, and the 12 year old game addict was underwhelmed by the games.  The white font on light grey background was a challenge to read. The apps all staying open until you swipe-close them seemed bizarre. 

If the rumored amazon app ever materializes, I might reconsider this, but for now, even the resolution gain over the 720p ATV2 wasn't worth the price.

I am considering an ATV4 and have a few questions.

I already have an RF 2.4GHZ wireless keyboard with a USB adapter.  Will it work with the ATV4 instead of BT?

Can I connect the HDMI output of the ATV4 to my receiver or does it have to connect to a TV?

Can I surf the internet or only do specific aps like HuLu, YouTube, and Netflix?  I already have access to those via my Bluray player and DVR although the interface is not the elegant.  I do not subscribe to any paid service and my TV reception is strictly OTA (antenna).

Someone told me I could use the "Remote" app via my iPad.  When I went to the app store the ratings on the app were very poor especially related to the ATV4.  It appears the app works best with older versions.

Now my interest has been sparked in Roku so I will look at the link posted previously.

Thanks for any help.

[ajzepp]

Hey guys...

I've been close to pulling the trigger on the ATV4, but couldn't quite justify it. Then I saw that my favorite penny auction site, quibids, had them, so I took a shot. Ended up getting one for $21 (total expense).

I, too, am unhappy that roku and ATV have gotten rid of the optical output. Heck, I'd even be happy with a simple minijack output.

I have ATV3 (x2), Amazon FireTV, and a Roku among three rooms, so I use them all for one purpose or another...hoping this new ATV can compete more with the FireTV in terms of the speed and controls.

Anyway...didn't really have any point to saying all this...carry on 

[tdogzthmn]

I might be in the minorety but I'm a big fan my my Apole TV4.  It works great for my purposes of watching movies/tv, listening to music and playing the occasional game.

Being an audiophile I was skeptical of its ability to deliver great sounding music but after living with it for a few months the sound quality of Apple Music is good enough that I'm not forced to play music from my hi-resolution music library on my NAS server.

I recently picked up a Meridian Director DAC which is connected to the optical out of my TV.  I was attracted by the ability of the DAC to upsample and smooth out the sound of lower sample music.  I wouldn't say it makes a massive improvement but the resulting sound is clear and smooth.

Overall I'm very happy using the Apple TV as my primary digital source!