Apple TV (1st generation) vs Apple TV HD

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

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TV (1st generation) compared with TV HD

	AppleTV (1st generation)	AppleTV HD
Overview
Released
Released	March 2007	October 2015
Video and audio
Resolution
Resolution	720p	1080p (better)
HDR
HDR	None	None
Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos	No	No
Video
Video	H.264 up to 5 Mbps, Progressive Main Profile (CAVLC), 1280 × 720 at 24 fps or 960 × 540 at 30 fps; MPEG-4 up to 3 Mbps, 720 × 432 at 30 fps; .m4v, .mp4 and .mov files. Maker lists compatible TV timings up to 1080p/1080i, which are distinct from its maximum decoded video resolution	HEVC SDR up to 1080p, 30 fps, Main/Main 10 profile; H.264 up to 1080p, 60 fps, High or Main Profile level 4.2 or lower
Audio
Audio	AAC, protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Apple Lossless, AIFF and WAV; Dolby Digital 5.1 pass-through on the retained maker sheet, reflecting software added after the launch reviews	AC-3 (Dolby Digital 5.1) and E-AC-3 (Dolby Digital Plus 7.1); Apple Lossless, FLAC, AIFF, WAV, AAC, HE-AAC and MP3
Performance
Software
Software	Apple TV Software	tvOS
Storage
Storage	160 GB (better)	32 GB
Chip details
Chip details	Intel processor (Apple); 1 GHz Pentium M with Dothan core and NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300 graphics with 64 MB VRAM (Ars Technica teardown)	A8 chip with 64-bit architecture
Memory
Memory	256 MB DDR2 (Ars Technica teardown)	2 GB (9to5Mac, from Apple's developer documentation)
Storage
Storage	40GB or 160GB hard drive; 160GB option first sold in the US on 31 May 2007 and in the UK on 1 June. Originally synchronised with one iTunes computer and streamed from up to five additional computers	32GB; a 64GB model was also sold at launch in 2015
Software and services
Software and services	Apple withdrew iTunes Store access from 25 May 2018 (MacRumors, quoting Apple's notice); the retained spec sheet and launch reviews describe historical services	–
Connections
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11n (draft), 802.11b/g	Wi-Fi 5
Ethernet
Ethernet	Yes	Yes
Voice remote
Voice remote	No	Yes
Ports
Ports	HDMI video and audio; component video; optical audio; analogue RCA stereo audio; 10/100BASE-T Ethernet; USB 2.0; IR receiver	HDMI 1.4; 10/100BASE-T Ethernet; USB-C for service and support; IR receiver
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth	IEEE 802.11n draft specification, compatible with 802.11b/g; wireless video streaming requires 802.11g or 802.11n	802.11ac Wi-Fi with MIMO; Bluetooth 4.0
Remote
Remote	Included Apple Remote, using infrared	Siri Remote (1st generation) with touch surface, microphone, accelerometer and three-axis gyro, Bluetooth 4.0, IR transmitter and Lightning charging, 124 × 38 × 6.3 mm, 45 g; Siri Remote (2nd generation), with clickpad and Bluetooth 5.0, from May 2021
Design
Type
Type	Box	Box
Power
Power	Built-in 48 W universal power supply	Built-in power supply
Size
Size	197 × 197 × 28 mm (W × D × H); 1.09 kg, varying with configuration and manufacturing	35 × 98 × 98 mm (H × W × D); 425 g
In the box
In the box	Apple TV, Apple Remote, power cord and Quick Start guide; video and audio cables sold separately	Apple TV HD, Siri Remote, power cord, Lightning to USB cable, documentation