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AppleTV 4K won't download new screensavers

dukee101

dukee101

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 17, 2009
294
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Has anyone else experienced this issue? My new Apple TV 4K (latest gen) is "stuck" on the Downtown LA screensaver, after a week of owning the unit and having it set to download new screensavers daily, it's downloaded not a single new one in over 7 days.

I have the 64GB model with hardly any of the storage used up. When I go to 'Manage storage' it only shows a short list of apps that in total amount to probably ~1GB. I doubt anything else is cached so much it consumes the rest of the storage available.

Really not sure what's going on. I restarted it and still nothing. I've set it to 'show' all four screensaver themes. My TV fully supports 4K HDR. I've owned the prior-gen ATV4K for years and it never did this. Everything else about my ATV is functioning completely normally. If anyone has a clue, please help!
 
Is your default video output set to SDR or HDRin the AppleTV settings? If SDR, try changing it to HDR to get more screensavers to show.
 
MacManiac76 said:
Is your default video output set to SDR or HDRin the AppleTV settings? If SDR, try changing it to HDR to get more screensavers to show.
Click to expand...
Good question. It was actually set to 4K Dolby Vision for a few days, but we experienced random blue or green “blinks” when watching content. Figured it was the Dolby, so switched “down” to HDR, but then the display was a lot dimmer with HDR. We switched to SDR and it looks nice and bright and crisp, so I’m on SDR for now the last day or so.

I have a 2020 TCL 4K 65” so I think HDR should be supported, but it just looks really dim (when on the tvOS UI).
 
You need to adjust the HDR/DV picture settings on your TV. SDR and HDR/DV should each have their own set of settings on the TV depending on what is being displayed at the time the settings menu is brought up. Do not set them up all the same. Take the time to optimize the settings for each dynamic range that best suits your viewing preferences.
 
I also was getting just the Downtown LA screensaver the other day, so I switched my screensaver to Photos shot on iPhone. That was also about the time I changed my default video output from Dolby Vision to 4K 60SDR with Match Frame rate and Match dynamic range enabled. So maybe that is what causes it.
 
RLRabb said:
That was also about the time I changed my default video output from Dolby Vision to 4K 60SDR with Match Frame rate and Match dynamic range enabled.
Click to expand...
Just curious what made you want to change it? Do you also have a TCL TV?
 
I had just purchased both a new 4K tv (my first 4K model) and the newest generation 4K AppleTV and I read on these forums that that was the best setting to use, so I switched to those settings about a week after getting the new equipment.
 
freediverx00 said:
Apple TV works best when configured for SDR with auto frame rate adjust.
Click to expand...
Not for me. I prefer to have it set as Dolby Vision with Match Content Range & Frame Rate. This way I get to see the screen savers in beautiful Dolby Vision and the main layout looks better to me on my LG OLED when displayed in Dolby Vision. In SDR it looks like a dull gray to me. I don't believe in the SDR myth that is spread around here. It does not apply to every television. Also when SDR content is displayed through the Apple TV 4K, it will switch to SDR output on my LG OLED so don't try to use that as an excuse that I will be getting a washed out looking SDR video stream if I leave it how I have it.
 
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Nothing has helped. HDR, SDR, nothing. My Apple TV simply refuses to download screensavers beyond the default "Downtown LA at Night".

Even if a picture mode (HDR or SDR) is left on for weeks at a time, it will download no new screensavers calibrated to that mode.

Also, changing picture settings on my TCL 4K doesn't change anything. I've tried it all.

As a last resort, I completely erased and re-setup the Apple TV, thinking that would get rid of whatever "ghost" was causing this. Nope! Didn't fix a thing.

Unfortunately, I have no other TV in my home to test with. Really not sure what to do anymore. The Apple TV works perfectly well in all other regards.
 
dukee101 said:
Has anyone else experienced this issue? My new Apple TV 4K (latest gen) is "stuck" on the Downtown LA screensaver, after a week of owning the unit and having it set to download new screensavers daily, it's downloaded not a single new one in over 7 days.

I have the 64GB model with hardly any of the storage used up. When I go to 'Manage storage' it only shows a short list of apps that in total amount to probably ~1GB. I doubt anything else is cached so much it consumes the rest of the storage available.

Really not sure what's going on. I restarted it and still nothing. I've set it to 'show' all four screensaver themes. My TV fully supports 4K HDR. I've owned the prior-gen ATV4K for years and it never did this. Everything else about my ATV is functioning completely normally. If anyone has a clue, please help!
Click to expand...


I had a similar situation but not as drastic. It seemed like my Apple TV hadn’t downloaded any new screensavers in over a year. But unlike you, I had a good 10 or so. The problem was that it only played those same 10 for over a year.

Most of them were outer space, so I went in an unchecked the space wallpapers. Ever since I did that, my Apple TV kind of “woke up”. Now it seems to download new ones and remove old ones on a regular cycle. I mean, I‘m not seeing new screensavers every day but maybe once or twice a month I’ll see a new one that I had never seen before. They’re probably just new to me since I hadn’t seen new ones in a LONG time.

Maybe try unchecking whatever category is the cityscapes and see what happens?
 
MacManiac76 said:
Not for me. I prefer to have it set as Dolby Vision with Match Content Range & Frame Rate. This way I get to see the screen savers in beautiful Dolby Vision and the main layout looks better to me on my LG OLED when displayed in Dolby Vision. In SDR it looks like a dull gray to me. I don't believe in the SDR myth that is spread around here. It does not apply to every television. Also when SDR content is displayed through the Apple TV 4K, it will switch to SDR output on my LG OLED so don't try to use that as an excuse that I will be getting a washed out looking SDR video stream if I leave it how I have it.
Click to expand...
You don't have to use Dolby Vision with Match Content and Frame Rate. You can also use 4K HDR with Match Content and Frame Rate and not get that gosh awful bright interface from DV. It is still brighter than with SDR, but at least with HDR it is tolerable, whereas with DV the interface is like looking at the Sun without eye protection because it is way too bright. And with 4K HDR with Match Content and Frame Rate you also get the HDR Screensavers, and you get true DV whenever content is actually created with it, but not shoved in your face all time.
 
I've yet to see the new screensavers that were supposedly released with tvOS 15.2. But I use 4K HDR with Match Content and Frame Rate so I only see the HDR screensavers. I'm not sure if the new ones with 15.2 were SDR, HDR, or both. But like many others, I rarely see new ones or even different ones. I periodically switch the options so it will load different ones, but that usually doesn't help much. Apple clearly has screwed the pooch on the tvOS interface in places, just like they did with iOS and iPadOS 15. But this issue goes back a few versions of tvOS.
 
w5jck said:
You don't have to use Dolby Vision with Match Content and Frame Rate. You can also use 4K HDR with Match Content and Frame Rate and not get that gosh awful bright interface from DV. It is still brighter than with SDR, but at least with HDR it is tolerable, whereas with DV the interface is like looking at the Sun without eye protection because it is way too bright. And with 4K HDR with Match Content and Frame Rate you also get the HDR Screensavers, and you get true DV whenever content is actually created with it, but not shoved in your face all time.
Click to expand...
You obviously have your picture preferences setup wrong on your TV if you are getting a god awful bright display when setting as Dolby Vision. Maybe it's because I am using an OLED TV and have it set as 50 brightness and 100 contrast like it is supposed to be along with some other custom settings to get a great picture all the time. I found the proper settings to use, at least for OLED, on an enthusiast site when I first bought this LG OLED 4 years ago. I also get true Dolby Vision, HDR and SDR when switching between different video sources which is indicated on the screen with a clear content icon in the upper right corner of the screen anytime a video loads, regardless of the app or service being used.

IMG_6583.jpgIMG_6584.jpg
 
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w5jck said:
I've yet to see the new screensavers that were supposedly released with tvOS 15.2. But I use 4K HDR with Match Content and Frame Rate so I only see the HDR screensavers. I'm not sure if the new ones with 15.2 were SDR, HDR, or both. But like many others, I rarely see new ones or even different ones. I periodically switch the options so it will load different ones, but that usually doesn't help much. Apple clearly has screwed the pooch on the tvOS interface in places, just like they did with iOS and iPadOS 15. But this issue goes back a few versions of tvOS.
Click to expand...
I have seen several new ones since 15.2 update. I'm set to SDR with Match Content and Frame Rate on.
 
Just this week I’m seeing some beautiful ones like flying over Langisjor Iceland. But since I haven’t had any new ones for a year I don’t know if they’re just new to me or actually new.
 
perezr10 said:
Just this week I’m seeing some beautiful ones like flying over Langisjor Iceland. But since I haven’t had any new ones for a year I don’t know if they’re just new to me or actually new.
Click to expand...

Iceland and Scotland ones are new to tvOS 15.2
 
MacManiac76 said:
You obviously have your picture preferences setup wrong on your TV if you are getting a god awful bright display when setting as Dolby Vision. Maybe it's because I am using an OLED TV and have it set as 50 brightness and 100 contrast like it is supposed to be along with some other custom settings to get a great picture all the time. I found the proper settings to use, at least for OLED, on an enthusiast site when I first bought this LG OLED 4 years ago. I also get true Dolby Vision, HDR and SDR when switching between different video sources which is indicated on the screen with a clear content icon in the upper right corner of the screen anytime a video loads, regardless of the app or service being used.

View attachment 1932595View attachment 1932594
Click to expand...
Common mistake by some people, thinking the world revolves around them and everyone has their tastes, opinions, TVs, etc. No, my Sony is set up correctly and so is my ATV 4K. When DV is the native format, that video looks great. But if I force DV on all the time, the menus and apps are way too bright and the colors are off. Setting by Bravia to HDR with Match Content and Frame Rate works well for ALL formats on my non-OLED TV. So you have to understand that YMMV always applies. It depends on your equipment.
 
w5jck said:
Common mistake by some people, thinking the world revolves around them and everyone has their tastes, opinions, TVs, etc. No, my Sony is set up correctly and so is my ATV 4K. When DV is the native format, that video looks great. But if I force DV on all the time, the menus and apps are way too bright and the colors are off. Setting by Bravia to HDR with Match Content and Frame Rate works well for ALL formats on my non-OLED TV. So you have to understand that YMMV always applies. It depends on your equipment.
Click to expand...
You must be talking about yourself here. I even explained that it might just be my TV or OLED TVs in general. I am just saying that not everyone needs to have SDR/HDR with Match Content & Frame Rate enabled to always have a great picture. Maybe some TVs don't stay on or switch to SDR when it should be able to easily when set to Dolby Vision with Match Content & Frame Rate enabled.
 
I had this issue as well. Came to find out my Apple TV storage was all used up and it automaticly started purging my screensavers. Eventually left me with only the downtown LA one too. Not really sure what was eating up all the space as after resetting the APPLE TV and reinstalling all the previous content/apps it looks like it only fills up a about half the storage space. Also have all of the different screensavers now as well.

A reset to factory defaults should fix the issue for you.
 
dsaponaro said:
I had this issue as well. Came to find out my Apple TV storage was all used up and it automaticly started purging my screensavers. Eventually left me with only the downtown LA one too. Not really sure what was eating up all the space as after resetting the APPLE TV and reinstalling all the previous content/apps it looks like it only fills up a about half the storage space. Also have all of the different screensavers now as well.

A reset to factory defaults should fix the issue for you.
Click to expand...
See, I suspected this as well, but it wasn't the issue. I downloaded some third-party Apple TV storage utility to see the breakdown (because lord knows Apple doesn't make this easy to do), and it showed that I had like 40GB free. It wasn't storage space that was holding back downloading screensavers. It was after that that I decided to do a reset to factory defaults, and then still, nothing.
 
dukee101 said:
See, I suspected this as well, but it wasn't the issue. I downloaded some third-party Apple TV storage utility to see the breakdown (because lord knows Apple doesn't make this easy to do), and it showed that I had like 40GB free. It wasn't storage space that was holding back downloading screensavers. It was after that that I decided to do a reset to factory defaults, and then still, nothing.
Click to expand...
Curious, did your problem get fixed? I ran across this thread searching a different screensaver issue.
 
Edd70 said:
Curious, did your problem get fixed? I ran across this thread searching a different screensaver issue.
Click to expand...
@Edd70 yes I did! My "fix" wasn't a fix at all -- I was looking at the screensaver settings UI "wrong".

In other words, when selecting screensaver themes to have in rotation, whether a theme is set to "Show" or "Hide" was not clear whether that represented the desired state. This is not great design!

So all I had to do was flip the button state, and then it started downloading. That was my problem the entire time. THE ENTIRE TIME!

Apple-TV-Landscape-Aerial-Theme.jpg
 
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