Skip to main content

Apple Vision Pro brings TV, 3D movies to a massive, 100-foot-wide screen

Image used with permission by copyright holder

As expected, at WWDC 2023, Apple unveiled its first mixed-reality headset, the Apple Vision Pro. Among its many amazing features, Apple demonstrated what it will be like to watch TV and movies on the device, and the results look impressive. The headset is expected to be available in 2024, for $3,500.

Apple showed how the Vision Pro will let you open a virtual screen within your field of view that can be as small or as big as you want — virtually speaking. At its largest size, Apple claims the screen can occupy a relative width of 100 feet.

The screen can simply float on top of your existing real-world environment or you can select from a variety of other spaces, including a dedicated movie theater environment that places you in a dedicated space for just the content you’re watching.

The resolution should be excellent. Apple claims that the micro-OLED display built into the headset has greater than 4K resolution for each eye, which will create the same approximate viewing experience as a 4K TV, though it remains to be seen if the individual pixels are as just as invisible as a 65-inch 4K TV sitting 7 feet to 8 feet away.

Cinemic environment for watching movies on the Apple Vision Pro headset.
Apple

Apple pointed out that Vision Pro is also going to make for a great way to play the many titles available within Apple Arcade as the headset also includes the same game controller support as the Apple TV 4K.

That content can also be 3D, and Apple promises that the Vision Pro will be the best way to watch 3D movies. The Vision Pro will also let you see the 3D photos and videos that the headset can capture. Adding to the realism of 3D (or any content for that matter), is spatial audio, provided by two built-in speaker pods.

Apple hasn’t said so, but we imagine you’ll be able to use Apple’s headphones or earbuds too, for even better sound quality.

Simon Cohen
Simon Cohen is a contributing editor to Digital Trends' Audio/Video section, where he obsesses over the latest wireless…
You Asked: New device vs. new TV, connection conundrums, and CRT calibrations
You Asked

On today’s You Asked: When are streaming boxes and sticks better than smart TVs? What’s the best way to use the eARC port on your TV? Hisense USA president, David Gold, comes onto the show to address the trend of TVs getting bigger and where UST projectors fit into all of this. And should a CRT TV and retro gaming fan try to calibrate his own TV?
New streamer or new TV?

Tom Bickford has a 55-inch Roku TV from 2018 and is looking to upgrading to a 65-inch TV. With current Roku options more limited now, he says, should he buy the best TV in his price range, regardless of platform? Is there any disadvantage to using a Roku stick or box on a TV with a different smart TV system already on it?

Read more
Apple might once again be considering a TV of its own
The Apple TV Siri Remote in hand.

Toward the end of the first decade of the 2000s, rumors swirled that Apple had its sights set on making a TV — a proper set, not a streaming device like what the Apple TV has become. Steve Jobs even claimed to have figured out exactly how to add the product to the company's portfolio, but the idea never came to fruition before his untimely passing. In today's Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman said that Apple "may even revisit the idea of making an Apple-branded TV set."

Gurman didn't mention details beyond that. In fact, the mention of the TV set came on the heels of a discussion around Apple's upcoming smart home device. Gurman's phrasing regarding the TV — "something [Apple] is evaluating" — is the key here. Gurman suggests that revisiting an Apple-branded TV might be dependent on the success of upcoming smart home devices, especially since HomeKit has been the least popular and least-supported platform of the three major choices.

Read more
How to cut the cord: quitting cable for streaming services
Roku Pro Series TV

If you're tired of paying too much for a cable subscription that doesn't deliver the shows you want to watch, then it may be time to cut the cord and head for greener pastures with streaming. Unlike the early days of streaming, the most popular streaming services and smart TVs now deliver access to huge amounts of content with VOD libraries, along with great new exclusive movies and shows. Even better, some streaming services also offer live streaming, which means you can still catch every new episode of your favorite shows without being hit with an expensive cable subscription.

Of course, having tons of options doesn't actually make figuring out which streaming service is right for you any easier. After all, Hulu + Live TV is different from Netflix, and when you start considering the options that Amazon Prime Video delivers, things get even trickier. When you throw streaming devices into the mix, it complicates everything even more. Have no fear, as we've got all the details you need to make an informed decision. Let's dig in.
Internet speed and streaming

Read more