It’s taken years, but the new and improved Apple TV is finally here.
It’s much different than the set-top boxes Apple has released in years past. There’s an all-new App Store, a redesigned remote, Siri integration, and a revamped interface.
All of these new additions have been tailored to make the viewing experience better than ever, according to Apple. But it could take some getting used to.
Here’s a guide to help you get started.
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Ask Siri to help you catch up on a scene you missed.
Siri can show you bits of dialogue you missed while watching a TV show or movie, which can be really helpful if you’re watching with a noisy group of viewers. Press the Siri button and say, “What did he/she say?” and Siri will rewind the video by 15 seconds. Siri also turns on close-captioning for that specific scene so that you can see exactly what’s been said.
Search for TV shows and movies based on genre, title, cast members, and more.
If there’s one thing you probably know about the new Apple TV, it’s that you can use Siri to search for TV shows and movies across apps. But you might not realize that there are many different ways to customize your searches. For example, you can ask Siri to find movies starring Brad Pitt, TV shows for children, scary movies on Netflix, and highly-rated content in addition to searching for specific titles. Plus, you can search for specific episodes of TV shows based on guest stars and cameos.
Narrow down your Siri search results.
Let’s say you’ve searched for Brad Pitt movies, but perhaps you just want to see drama films he’s starred in. Ask Siri to filter your search by saying something like, “only the drama movies” to see more targeted results. You can apply different types of parameters to your searches, such as time period or ratings (i.e. “only the good movies”).
Use the Apple TV remote to control your television.
Keeping track of more than one remote for your TV can be annoying. You shouldn’t have to worry about this with the new Apple TV, though, since the Siri remote can be used to adjust the volume on your TV, turn on the TV and switch it to the correct HDMI output, and turn off your TV whenever you put Apple TV to sleep. Apple says this should work automatically upon setting up the device if your TV supports HDMI-CEC — a standard for TVs that makes it easier for devices like set-top boxes to interact with your TV.
This feature should still work if your TV doesn’t support HDMI-CEC, but you may have to navigate to Settings > Remote and Devices > Volume Control to set it up. If your TV does support HDMI-CEC, you may have to enable it in your television’s settings first.
Learn about the weather and sports scores by asking Siri.
The version of Siri on the Apple TV is more geared towards entertainment than the Siri on your iPhone. However, Siri on the Apple TV can still pull up some answers related to other topics, such as the weather outside or scores for sporting events. You can ask Siri things like, “What’s the temperature outside?” or ” What’s the score of the Mets game?”
Pair headphones to your Apple TV for private listening.
If you want to watch a movie or TV show without waking up the whole house, you can pair headphones to the new Apple TV so that you’re the only one who can hear it. Just navigate to Settings > Remotes and Devices > Bluetooth. This prompts your Apple TV to search for nearby Bluetooth devices. Just make sure your headphones are in pairing mode first.