Latest tvOS 11 beta points to HDR-equipped 'J105a' model for Apple TV

Further backing the impending arrival of a new Apple TV, the seventh tvOS 11 beta — released on Monday — makes references to a "J105a" model with support for HDR (high dynamic range).

Both the model name and "HDR" appear in several graphics assets related to the tvOS Settings app, iOS developer Guilherme Rambo noted via Twitter. The "J105" codename first manifested in a report from February.

Earlier this month, code in Apple's HomePod firmware indicated that a future set-top will support multiple HDR standards, such as Dolby Vision. The device's key feature though should be 4K resolution, catching up with other TV streamers like the Roku Ultra, Chromecast Ultra, and Amazon Fire TV.

Apple likewise appears to be upgrading videos on the iTunes Store — a necessity if the company doesn't want people viewing movies and TV solely through third-party services like Netflix or Vudu.

An Apple TV announcement will most likely take place at Apple's usual September press event, even if the focus is expected to be on the "iPhone 8" and "iPhone 7s." No date has been set for this year.

21 Comments

mac_128 3452 comments · 12 Years

About 7 years ago

I'll be upgrading to the 4K HDR ATV as soon as it's available. Can't wait. The Android TV OS on my Sony set is the worst piece of crap I've ever seen. Google hasn't even updated their YouTube App to support HDR on it. With any luck, I'll never have to touch my TV remote again, or use the Android TV OS except for simple adjustments.

SpamSandwich 32917 comments · 19 Years

4K is so ten minutes ago... the cool kids are all doing 8K now.

http://en.community.dell.com/dell-blogs/direct2dell/b/direct2dell/archive/2017/01/05/world-first-32-inch-8k-overall-thinnest-monitors-ces-2017

:p /s

zoetmb 2655 comments · 17 Years

SpamSandwich said:

4K is so ten minutes ago... the cool kids are all doing 8K now.

http://en.community.dell.com/dell-blogs/direct2dell/b/direct2dell/archive/2017/01/05/world-first-32-inch-8k-overall-thinnest-monitors-ces-2017

:p /s

The hardware is not really relevant. It's the content that counts. And even when released on 4K Blu-ray, most movies are finished as a 2K Digital Intermediate, so everyone is fooling themselves a bit. Having said that, if Apple releases a 4K, Dolby Vision equipped, HDR TV streaming box at a reasonable price, I'll certainly buy it. I was using my Blu-ray player for Netflix and VUDU streaming up until now, but I sold that player and the UI on my old Sony player is so bad, it's almost unusable as is the UI on my 5(?) year old Sony TV.

zoetmb said:

SpamSandwich said:

4K is so ten minutes ago... the cool kids are all doing 8K now.

http://en.community.dell.com/dell-blogs/direct2dell/b/direct2dell/archive/2017/01/05/world-first-32-inch-8k-overall-thinnest-monitors-ces-2017

:p /s

The hardware is not really relevant. It's the content that counts. And even when released on 4K Blu-ray, most movies are finished as a 2K Digital Intermediate, so everyone is fooling themselves a bit. Having said that, if Apple releases a 4K, Dolby Vision equipped, HDR TV streaming box at a reasonable price, I'll certainly buy it. I was using my Blu-ray player for Netflix and VUDU streaming up until now, but I sold that player and the UI on my old Sony player is so bad, it's almost unusable as is the UI on my 5(?) year old Sony TV.

I hope you noticed my "sarcasm tag"?