The public beta of tvOS 14 is now available for those who want to experience the future of Apple TV today. Although it may not look so different from what you are currently using, the latest and greatest have some serious features.

tvOS 14: Beta be ready

As with other public bets for tvOS, to enter the new bundle requires registration in Apple's beta programs by registering at beta.apple.com. After registration, you'll see an option in the Software Updates menu on the labeled Apple TV Get beta updates. For detailed steps on how to navigate the right area, see our guide here.

Even though the beta is available to the public today, just remember that It is another beta. This means that you can expect to see compatibility issues with some applications, unexpected behaviors, and general instability. In other words, if your household depends on Apple TV for their media consumption, then you may want to stop.

That being said, tvOS 14 is generally more stable than the beta versions of iOS, due to the limited nature of the platform, and things have generally been solid so far. However, it is in the early days, so things may break in future versions, and the developer will not be able to update their applications for tvOS 14 until the actual launch later this year.

tvOS 14: Compatibility

TVOS 14 continues, you guessed it, all the top boxes of the Apple TV that come with the operating system included. This means that Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K get the newest and biggest models, but older, without the App Store, such as the third generation and earlier Apple TV, are left out.

The biggest thing you will notice even in the brakes in tvOS 14 is that it looks about the same as always. There are no drastic changes, such as the new widgets of iOS 14 and the App Library, only small changes scattered here and there. This means you'll be browsing Siri Remote or the perfect remote app to get to your favorite shows and movies, just like before, which is important for keeping things just a few clicks away.

My favorite visual change in tvOS 14 is a small improvement in user profiles. Although profiles are certainly underused on tvOS, they are a crucial part of the Apple TV experience with the Up Next feature. However, the memory of switching to a profile is something that everyone forgets, which leads to all sorts of confusion and raised their tails.

This changes to tvOS 14 with a simple notification that appears every time you wake Apple TV from sleep. The notification receives back everyone who was last logged in, filled in with the person's name and profile picture, which makes identification quick and easy. Of course, it is not an automatic process based on time or habits, but on the child's steps.

Another small change in tvOS 14 is the way Apple's wonderful screensavers are presented. Surprisingly, Apple didn't use the main WWDC video to announce new locations, or even mentioned the popular feature in general. However, behind the scenes, Apple has added a way to select which category of screens are displayed.

Removed in the screen save settings, you can now filter one or more of the four available categories: Landscape, Earth, Underwater, Cityscape. Once I discovered the feature, I immediately turned off Subwater, because jelly fish was definitely not a favorite in our household. However, it's a shame we have to say goodbye to everyone who protects the water-themed screen, because some of them were really nice. Here at tvOS 15?

tvOS 14: Picture-in-Picture

Ok, ok, there is only one visual change in tvOS 14 that you will notice, Picture-in-Picture! Apple knows that its TV is suitable for more than just binge watching, fitness apps, games and more being available for the platform. So it has finally brought the exclusive function for the iPad to the big screen, and everything about it is excellent. However, PiP support is not free, as the feature only works with applications that have been updated to support it.

Enabling PiP in compatible applications, such as the Apple TV application, is not the easiest feature to locate today. In essence, a pop-up video cassette will appear when watching videos, however, it is not always displayed. I found that the most reliable way to display it is after the pause and then resume a video. I would absolutely love for the feature to only work every time you press the Home button while watching videos, but I'm sure it will bring frustration to those who just want to escape the Home screen.

PiP also works great when AirPlaying video from your iOS devices, which will be useful for those times when your content doesn't have an Apple TV app. And for those wondering, yes, you can totally watch two of the same show on the big screen by this method, if you really wanted to, because, why not?

tvOS 14: 4K all things

By pasting visual images, Apple TV gets some new 4K experiences in tvOS 14. First, first of all, the YouTube app finally, yes, finally, it supports streaming video in 4K. The ultra-high definition 4K resolution has long been a painful place for those of us caught in the grip of Apple and Google on video codecs on all our favorite devices. In short, Google uses the VP9 codec for its YouTube catalog, which Apple has refused to support in favor of the AV1 codec.

Although we may not realize who withdrew or what exactly changed to bring this controversial feature, Apple dropped the ad after the main WWDC video, as a minor point for tvOS 14. Needless to say, the addition it's huge for the platform and it's one that most users will use every day to get funny videos about cats.

Speaking of 4K, tvOS 14 also adds support for sharing videos recorded in high definition format on the big screen via AirPlay. Of course, tvOS has always had the ability to show and play videos and photos directly from the Photos app via iCloud, but having the ability to share in 4K via AirPlay makes Apple TV accessible to everyone in a household or even guests.

tvOS 14: HomeKit

Despite being on several of our wish lists, tvOS 14 does not bring the Home app to our TVs. tvOS do what however, it brings support for HomeKit cameras in a surprisingly elegant way.

Available in the tvOS Control Center, accessible by a long press of the Home button on the Siri remote, you can now go through all the HomeKit cameras, with a full screen view with a sound at another click. Prior to tvOS 14, HomeKit cameras were only available through third-party applications, all of which lacked audio due to a platform limitation.

Aside from the default screen savers on Apple TV, a live stream from one of my outdoor cameras is one of my favorite things I have in the background during my day, and now with sound support, it does. better.

So far, the camera experience in tvOS 14 has been wonderful, but I've seen a few bugs where full screen viewing will drop randomly or audio will stop. I'm not sure if the function intends to have a certain term, but I saw it in both ways, in which the feed will stop after a minute or not at all, which leads me to believe that it is a beetle.

HomeKit bells will support notifications from tvOS 14 whenever the day comes when one is available. In combination with face recognition technology, tvOS will present a live view in a small window when a bell rings, complete with the name of the person at the door.

This feature works with photo tagging that you may already be using on iOS and macOS, there is no need to train the Home app or assign a name manually. If you want to do a little work, you can access a log of all home visitors in the Home app on iOS, but you shouldn't do it the way it should.

tvOS 14: Gambling

The addition of Apple Arcade last year brought new life to the gaming scene on Apple TV, after years of stagnation and notable departures from the title. In tvOS 14, Apple continues to intensify its gaming efforts, using Game Center, another platform-specific feature that has been brought back from the dead.

Through user profiles, Arcade games on tvOS 14 will be able to sync and resume progress on all Apple platforms. So the next time a member of your household wants to continue where he left off in Sneaky Sasquatch or Castle Crossy Road, he can do so without destroying your progress or spending all the money you earn. As you probably guessed, this bit me before, because I'm quite a fan of Sasquatch.

The GameOS functionality from tvOS 14 also introduces deeper social elements into the game and through the App Store and Arcade applications. User profiles will display player-specific friend lists for easier access to achievements, challenges, and invitations. Game Center suggestions will also appear online through each store, with titles your friends have recently played and progress made to encourage involvement.

Finally, as much as I would like to see Apple take on its own game controllers to strengthen the platform, tvOS 14 expands the compatible options. Along with the traditional Xbox One and PlayStation 4 controllers, tvOS 14 adds support for Xbox Elite 2 with unfavorable Microsoft prices and the insecure Xbox adaptable controller.

tvOS 14: Audio

During the unveiling of TVOS 14, we were struck by the visions of setting HomePod as a permanent audio output for Apple TV. Unfortunately, this did not materialize, but we still managed to get a nice audio function instead.

Audio sharing is now transformed into tvOS allowing the ability to set two pairs of AirPod as audio output. As I am the only one in my household who has never offered iconic photos, I have not been able to test this feature, but I can easily see this extremely useful in situations where more people want to enjoy great sound, but you have to keep quiet in the house.

tvOS 14: Privacy and restrictions

When it comes to TV, privacy is not a topic we often think about, except when smart TVs are caught sending everything we do to data brokers or even sharing images from the built-in cameras. Say what you want about the price and capabilities of Apple TV compared to cheaper alternatives, but I appreciate the level of commitment that Apple makes to privacy for all its platforms, which is worth it.

In iOS 14 and tvOS 14, Apple has introduced a new tracking setting, which now applies to third-party applications. Applications developed for tvOS 14 will now require the user's permission to watch the first release, which uses an identifier that combines activity in certain applications.

Now, I'm sure there are some legitimately useful features that could be enabled by combining data from apps, but you better think we've disabled this when we discovered this feature. If you choose to disable it, you will be given the option to disable it for all applications or allow the applications you have granted permission to keep track of and stop additional requests.

Moving on to the restrictions, the changes in tvOS 14 refer to the Game Center to go along with the emphasis on extended user profiles. New settings are available for Disabling Nearby Multiplayer, Private Messaging, Avatar and Name Changes and Profile Privacy Changes, all of which can help provide a safe gaming experience for everyone.

tvOS 14: More income

While tvOS 14 doesn't have a lot of new flashy features, like iOS 14, it still represents an important step forward for the living room through features like Picture-in-Picture integration and HomeKit. Although available to the public now, tvOS 14 is still in beta, so expect to see changes and changes as development continues.

Jump to beta life on Apple TV? If so, which feature pushed you over the edge? Already on tvOS 14 beta? What is your favorite feature so far? Tell us in the comments below!