I in general think the Apple UX experience is pretty awful across all their products with Apple TV being the worse of all. I have used the Samsung interface and it is bad but I still dislike the Apple TV more.
Most streaming boxes have the same basic interface... my usual issue is when one is laggy (e.g. TV built-in, Roku, Chromecast, etc). The Apple TV is buttery smooth, fast to scrub through videos, and never feels limited by its CPU.
I much prefer my Roku TVs and don't have any issue with lag which bothers me.
Yesterday's news. ATV4K remote couple years now has all the buttons and no track pad (well, you can swipe in middle of the round OK button, but you wouldn't).
I too am in the wrong group, like you. I was finally talked into becoming an owner of an Apple device for the first time in my life about a year ago (an iPhone), and I have hated its interface with increasing passion every day since. I hate getting rid of electronics before the natural end of their lives, because I'm cheap and I'm environmental and I'm obstinate, but I may actually do it in this case.
But anyway it is all right, everything is all right, the struggle is nearly finished.
That feeling of absolute helplessness when trying to deal with any issue on your Apple device, you must embrace. It is by design. Your helpless feeling will some day be transformed into a warm feeling of being nannied, which will eventually feel maternal, and that will eventually become love.
We will win the victory over ourselves, and we will love Big Brother Apple.
I can use my phone to fill in passwords and as a second remote on my Roku TV without needing to be locked in to the eco system of a single vendor. Haven't used the current remote but the previous one was an atrocity.
What are you trying to discover?
The only hidden gestures left on ATV4K are tap-tap home to show carousel of recent apps, and swipe up to force quit (same as iPhone gestures on iPhones or iPods w/ a home button). Everything else in ATV UI is giant buttons on screen, real buttons on remote.
> use my phone to fill in passwords
Also, 1Password (among others including keychain) works great on ATV, and happily fills in passwords for, e.g., HBO+, from your laptop logins. Any input field, you can input from another device and 1Password into those on the device which inputs it on ATV.
>I can use my phone to fill in passwords and as a second remote on my Roku TV
Mind explaining how?
No one is "locked in". I can sell my phone and my Apple TV will still be better than all of its competitors.
And many of them don't know the features they could be using and enjoying but aren't because they aren't discoverable.
>I can use my phone to fill in passwords and as a second remote on my Roku TV
>Mind explaining how?
The Roku app allows you to fill passwords via your phone and use the phone as a remote for your Roku. I can also use Roku's private listening feature to redirect its audio to my phone allowing me to listen using the headphones connected to my phone. Roku also has a remote available with a wired headphone jack which automatically redirects the audio to it when headphones are connected to the jack.