Whatever you think of the material on offer, you can’t really deny that Apple TV+ shows look amazing. With most TV+ content offering 4K HDR video and Dolby Atmos sound, Apple is flexing its CDN muscles with its new streaming service.
In a forum post, FlatpanelsHD editor-in-chief Rasmus Larsen has now put some numbers to the claims.
Rasmus Larsen writes that TV+ shows have the highest streaming quality for 4K out of all the services on the market at the moment, and eclipses most iTunes movies in bit rates.
Apple TV+ drama SEE hit highs of 41 Mbps with an average bitrate of 29 Mbps when streaming using an Apple TV 4K. Even the Snoopy cartoon recorded a 13Mbps average, which is high given it is a 2D cartoon with a relatively limited color palette.
This is about half the size of a Hollywood movie recorded on UHD Bluray media. Blurays have always offered the best quality and lowest compression but the stats for Apple TV+ really are impressive for a streaming service.
Whilst maximum quality is mostly a benefit, we have received some complaints about the lack of a Low Data Mode. Apple’s streaming technology ramps up and down depending on available network conditions but there’s no way to force the device to use a lower quality stream at all times.
In countries like India, where mobile data is vastly prevalent compared to home broadband, low data modes help to conserve data usage. As it stands today, TV+ can very quickly blow through a data cap.
- Apple TV+ Guide: Here are all the Apple TV shows and movies available now
