Don't buy apple's expensive garbage. If you are thinking about getting some Apple TV device you should get a shield, an Android TV, even a raspberry pi 4b would be better than bending over for apple.
AppleTVs are really nice. It's easily the best streaming device for the layman and I say that as someone who generally dislikes Apple's products. It's solid, small, and is fairly easy to integrate.
An Nvidia shield costs more money than an Apple TV. Unless you need those extra features, it's a waste
It's insane that you'd recommend an Android TV, though. Shit performance and data harvesting galore. Never connect your tv to your network.
All of the data harvesting of Android TV can be blocked with ease. None of the closed ecosystem, price gouging, or feature rot of Apple devices can be worked around in any way.
If you're content with the limited offerings available on Apple devices and the exorbitant prices you have to pay to get access to them then by all means continue to fund that nightmare company and it's war on consumers.
OP is using Jellyfin. I don't think they're planning on subscribing to Apple's monthly services.
AppleTV (the device) is cheap as fuck for what you're getting because subscribers is the real money maker for them. What feature rot do you speak of? I installed AppleTVs for years and the only functionality my clients ever lost was when they forced iCloud integration for awhile. I also think it has by far the best remote of any streaming device but that's personal preference.
I use a heavily-blocked Roku Ultra so it's not a fanboy but you're like....a reverse fanboy. Hating on it for the weakest of reasons
If I could get Apple devices in an open compatibility I wouldn't hate them I probably still wouldn't buy them though.
My hatred comes from the fact that I believe critical thinking and mental flexibility are very important skills for people to develop at a very young age. I think one of the most important avenues for the development of reasoning and technical skills is through interaction with technology.
That technology should encourage and reward your curiosity. Apple does not reward curiosity or encourage it, it taxes it to such a degree that Apple users are by and large technologically illiterate.
I grew up on Apple computers, and when I was little the Mac nerds we're doing some pretty cool and impressive shit with their Mac tech that you just can't do now. It was a gateway to me learning about a lot of this technology, but they are a walled garden now, and it gets worse every year.
A large part of my job is helping young people and seniors learn how to use technology. Apple makes that much more difficult because Apple stuff only works the Apple way none of it translates to any other technology.
Whenever I talk to somebody who doesn't know what a folder is, what a browser is, that when they download files they go to a place, how to share content with non Apple users, how to use non Apple software, how to use any other non Apple technology, its because Apple wants it that way. I just don't understand why a company this abusive would have fans.
It's like being a fan of Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Wells Fargo, or The Pinkertons. You are paying extra for fashion accessories that are objectively lower spec and with a reduced feature list than the alternative that is cheaper. The only benefit of Apple devices is the security, And that's easily bypassed because they don't need to compromise the device to get your information from Apple.
What kind of apps are you side loading? Apple TV has VLC and Plex, which seem like the apps people who manage their own media use. Of course you need a NAS or server to host your content and it won't do that. Then all the major streaming services have first party apps (though Netflix seems to neglect theirs)