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Apple TV Audio Distorted

J

jwzimm

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 19, 2017
101
37
Hey all,

I have been having a problem with my Apple TV 4K for some time now and I am starting to get frustrated. I have the 4K connected directly to my Sony XBR55A1E OLED TV using the Belkin HDMI cable Apple sells. The problem I am having is when there is a loud sound in the program I am watching I get a crackling distortion from the TV speakers. It is most prominent during loud low frequency sounds with little else in the track. The best way to cause it is when watching a show like Star Trek: TNG when they switch to an external shot of the ship and they overlay the engine sounds. It is almost like the sound signal is being overdriven. The volume setting on the TV makes no difference except it make the crackling quieter or louder (it is still there though). This implies it is either an issue with the source (Apple TV) or with how the TV is processing the input. It occurs in many different apps on the Apple TV as well (Netflix, Philo, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Plex, etc...).

I have tried adjusting the cable run to get it away from other cables and switching the HMDI input on the TV to no effect. I do have my wireless router right behind the TV. I can't imagine that would have an impact on a completely digital signal though (HDMI).

Anyone have any suggestions?
 
Did you upgrade the TV to Android 8.0 (Oreo)? Because at least in Europe the update has been retired due to many issues with AVR/Soundbars. Miraculously it works with my Bravia XD80 connected to my Yamaha RX-v483. Volume apart, that using the TV remote is a rollercoaster (it jumps sky high even with little tappings). But that was an old bug, it has just gotten MUCH worse!
 
To determine whether it is the Apple TV or HDTV, feed the audio from the Sony to a receiver. the receiver doesn't have to be 4k compatible.

Have you tried different audio settings on the Apple TV?
 
The TV is running the latest software revision. I did attempt a factory restore of the TV and it looks like it may have cleared up the issue. Hopefully that holds.
 
Well, spoke too soon. It is still doing it. It is almost like the source audio is just too high resulting in crackling distortion. Now that I listen for it I can hear it in most all audio. It is most prominent when watching TV through Philo. I don't hear it through Plex as much though. Could it be that Philo is just providing overdriven audio?
 
ErikGrim said:
Sounds like there's a compressor or gain somewhere in the chain. The audio signal from the ATV itself should be fine.
Click to expand...
There is nothing else in the chain. I literally have the Apply TV connected directly to the Sony TV with an HDMI cable.

Apple TV -> Belkin HDMI -> HDMI3 on Sony TV

I did listen to some music off iTunes using the Apple TV and I can detect no distortion at all in the audio. This is looking more and more like a compression artifact from streaming services. I can definitely hear it using Philo and it is present, if reduced, using Netflix or Amazon Prime. I wonder if there is information on what sort of compression each streaming service uses that would be helpful in finding a higher quality one.
 
jwzimm said:
I wonder if there is information on what sort of compression each streaming service uses that would be helpful in finding a higher quality one.
Click to expand...
At least netflix shows in the movie info screen the audio format, if I'm not mistaken. So does iTunes. Have no Prime to check.
Mostly they use either DD5.1 or DD+7.1 (optionally with Atmos). Streaming services may also use AAC for 2.0 audio.
Whatever the encoding, appleTV decodes it internally and sends PCM to the TV (or AVR) over HDMI. Unless you've set "Change audio" in Audio & Video settings on tvOS 12.
 
ErikGrim said:
Your TV is part of the chain. Any amount of audio sweetening or processing can happen there.
Click to expand...
Understood. I have scoured the TV's settings to see if I can do anything to correct the problem. Nothing I have found works. Combined with the fact that the audio sounds fine when listening to iTunes on the ATV leads me to believe it is an issue with the streaming apps, rather than hardware. Unfortunately, I have no control over that. I have sent an email to Philo asking if there is anything they can do.
 
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jwzimm said:
Combined with the fact that the audio sounds fine when listening to iTunes on the ATV leads me to believe it is an issue with the streaming apps, rather than hardware.
Click to expand...
I use iTunes Movies and Netflix as streaming apps on my aTV and neither of them has audio problems. So it may be that Philo in particular has this issue.
 
Have you tried watching some of the same shows from the apps built into the TV? Have you tried watching anything from another HDMI source, Blu-Ray player, Video Game Console, etc?
 
Decided to cancel Philo and switched to Sling. Sound is much better plus it integrates with TvOS properly.

What nailed it for me was when I installed the Philo app on the TV itself it had the same problem. That told me it was a Philo issue.
 
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