One glaring omission from Apple TV’s capabilities could soon be remedied if the company bakes 4K and HDR support into its next box. New evidence further indicates that Apple is planning just that.
BGR spotted a tweet from iOS developer Guilherme Rambo that points out new bits of data that name drop J105A, Apple’s apparent internal code for the upcoming 4K-enabled Apple TV, in the seventh tvOS beta.
This latest piece of evidence comes after Apple earlier this year announced the addition of Kaby Lake, Intel’s latest processor which can handle 4K digital rights management, for the new MacBooks, along with the announcement of HEVC and 4K video support. It all means Apple could be getting closer to launching a version of its Apple TV hardware that supports 4K.
Apple didn’t reveal many details about Apple TV during WWDC earlier this year, save for the fact that the device finally supports Amazon Prime Video. But Apple could be saving a new Apple TV product announcement for when it unveils its newest iPhone in September.
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While details await regarding the next Apple TV, the current models just got an interesting new transactional VOD option through the recent launch of Walmart’s Vudu app. While Vudu users won’t be able to directly rent or purchase content through the Vudu Apple TV app, they will be able to access the content they purchase using Vudu on different platforms.
For Apple, which has carefully steered its customers toward its iTunes platform for all of their rental and purchasing needs, the addition of the Vudu app shows some further relaxing of the strict operating system boundaries set by Apple.