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Gary2701

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 1, 2023
2
0
Here is a thing, when I play say a series like Ted Lasso the picture is very dark and don't seem to be able to change it. If I was to watch on another system the picture is fine. Thoughts and ideas please?
 
Is it only HDR content? There may be a setting within your TV settings to brighten up the image, There is on my LG TV.

Check Rtings.com for your model of TV and then see if it suggests a setting if you find HDR content too dim.
 
I‘ve recently noticed that some movies purchased in the Apple TV store are too dark. For an extreme example, check out “Galveston” (2018, starring Ben Foster), which is currently on sale for $4.99. It is practically unwatchable, whether on my iPad Pro M1, MBP M1 Max (mini LED screen), or through an external 27” LG monitor connected to my MBP. It’s so dark that almost the entirety of the screen is pitch black (even with brightness turned up to 100%).

However, the same movie looks great when streamed on Tubi (where it’s free with ads). I assume it’s an issue with the actual video file on Apple’s servers.

This got me thinking that there seem to be a number of movies in my Apple TV collection that look too dark; certainly not all of them (and none is as bad as Galveston), but more than one. Has anyone else encountered this issue?
 
Modern TVs will have individual picture settings PER INPUT. So, for example, if your Apple TV is in HDMI 1, your TV will have individual settings for HDMI 1. I just got an Apple TV last weekend and the first job was spending a bit of time on the TV setup for that input, which I'd never used before.
 
It’s your tv settings. Like the user above…Input specific, but also, Dolby, HDR10 etc specific. It’s probably switching over to Dolby vision and since it’s not fine tuned by you it always looks super dark.
 
I‘ve recently noticed that some movies purchased in the Apple TV store are too dark. For an extreme example, check out “Galveston” (2018, starring Ben Foster), which is currently on sale for $4.99. It is practically unwatchable, whether on my iPad Pro M1, MBP M1 Max (mini LED screen), or through an external 27” LG monitor connected to my MBP. It’s so dark that almost the entirety of the screen is pitch black (even with brightness turned up to 100%).

However, the same movie looks great when streamed on Tubi (where it’s free with ads). I assume it’s an issue with the actual video file on Apple’s servers.

This got me thinking that there seem to be a number of movies in my Apple TV collection that look too dark; certainly not all of them (and none is as bad as Galveston), but more than one. Has anyone else encountered this issue?

I’m adding another movie here: Reservoir Dogs. It looks too dark in the Apple TV app (on an iPad Pro and a MacBook Pro M1 Max with mini LED screen), but looks fine in the Amazon Video app. I still have not found an explanation as to why some movies are too dark in the Apple TV app.
 
I finally found the solution to dark video on Apple TV on iPad - you have to put your iPad in low power mode. This turns off HDR, and fixes the problem. Reservoir Dogs, Nightmare Alley, and Galveston all look great now.

Why doesn’t Apple give us the option to toggle HDR off?
 
If your TV's peak brightness is not very high (e.g. below 600 nits, which is most TVs), ensure HDR is turned off in your Apple TV settings.

This was the case with my Samsung TV, which looked incredibly dim when using my Apple TV as the input source.

To turn it off:
  1. Go to Apple TV Home screen
  2. Go to Settings
  3. Select Video & Audio
  4. Select 4K SDR to disable HDR
 
  • Wow
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