New Apple TV 4K adds far-field microphones for hands-free Siri

Apple’s new fourth-generation Apple TV 4K features three built-in far-field microphones, allowing users to find something to watch and control playback without picking up the Siri Remote.

Users can activate the voice assistant by saying “Hey ‌Siri‌” or “‌Siri‌”, including while playing a movie or TV show. Apple says advanced echo cancellation separates the user’s voice from background audio, helping the device recognize requests through TV audio.

The microphones also enable hands-free control of compatible smart home accessories and scenes. With ‌Siri‌ AI, users can conversationally search for entertainment and ask follow-up questions about what they’re watching, with answers appearing in a compact overlay on top of the video.

Apple says the new Apple TV 4K and its A19 chip include Secure Exclaves, which are protected processing environments that handle microphone data separately from the rest of the system. According to Apple, the data processed and analyzed in these environments is not accessible by tvOS, applications, users or Apple itself.

Far-field ‌Siri‌ support varies by region and language. The feature is supported when the tvOS primary language is set to English, Mandarin Chinese, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Norwegian, or Swedish.

The new ‌Apple TV‌ 4K is available for pre-order today for $299 in the US, with availability starting November 13.