Apple has announced a brand-new version of the Apple TV called Apple TV 4K that will let you play back 4K HDR video, which provides significantly better video quality than current high-definition video.
The Apple TV’s cheaper rivals — Google’s Chromecast, Amazon’s Fire TV, and the Roku — have been offering 4K HDR playback for some time now, but both 4K content and televisions that support the new standard have only started going mainstream in the last year or so. Apple’s been in talks with Hollywood to bring 4K content to the iTunes Store, and if you own any high-definition movies or TV shows on iTunes, it will automatically upgrade them to 4K HDR versions at no additional charge.
To handle the higher-resolution video, the new Apple TV 4K has an A10X fusion chip — the same chip that powers the iPad Pro — that’s twice as fast as the chip in the last Apple TV and provides four times its graphics performance, claims Apple.
Apple’s also upgrading tvOS, the software that powers Apple TV, with a dedicated Sports tab that will change games depending on the season. You’ll also get notifications when your favorite team is playing.
The new Apple TV will cost $179 and be available to order on Sept. 15. It will be available on Sept. 22. Make sure your TV supports 4K HDR and you have a fast enough internet connection to stream 4K content before you head over to the Apple Store though.