Enabling DolbyVision

[Edd70]

Simple question, if you have the ATV (4K 2nd gen) set to 4K SDR, with match dynamic range and frame rate on, will the ATV enable DolbyVision when the content is appropriate, like some HBO and Disney shows?

I had DolbyVision enabled for the longest time, but set it to 4K SDR recently because of the YouTube black screen issue. After 2-3 weeks, I think content generally looks better, the blacks look blacker, specifically. There is a minor intermittent issue with very dark scenes where the overall brightness gets VERY low suddenly, and then seems to fix itself within 3 seconds or so.

But I am wondering if what I’m looking at is DolbyVision. House of the Dragon last night looked magnificent, especially in a scene with Damon visiting that large dragon, the torch in the darkness was gorgeous. Also, Ms. Marvel on Disney is such a pretty show to look at.

TV is an LG CX OLED.

 

[satcomer]

The new Apple TV now had HDMI 2.0 ports on it for dolly vision and + display technologies that in only Samsung TVs right at this moment!

 

[Edd70]

Oh man, I just checked a couple of shows delivered in DV, and the DV logo IS popping up in the upper right corner when I start them. I somehow stopped noticing that some time ago. This answers my question. Hopefully, this helps anyone wondering same, so having the matching setting on WILL turn on DV when the content allows, even with the ATV set to 4K SDR.

I’m now convinced this is the best way to set the ATV, at least for the LG CX OLED model. Having DV forced on for so long was a mistake on my part.

 

[-griffy-]

Yes, that is generally considered the best way to have the ATV set to ensure accurate picture modes across most apps. Set it to 4K SDR with match dynamic range/framerate on. Then apps that send HDR/Dolby Vision will trigger that, and SDR apps that don't use the match setting will still play in SDR.

I think the language they use at the top of the video menu to "enable" Dolby Vision is needlessly confusing, as you don't need to select that for Dolby Vision to work.

 

[Edd70]

I think the language they use at the top of the video menu to "enable" Dolby Vision is needlessly confusing, as you don't need to select that for Dolby Vision to work.

That confusion is what drove me to start the thread and inadvertently give it a slightly misleading title. I noticed this morning that the “enable DolbyVision“ option was there in the settings. This does indeed give you the impression that DV is fully turned off but that’s not the case with match settings turned on.

 

[w5jck]

Correct, as you now know, to set either to SDR or HDR and set match dynamic range/framerate on. I personally prefer using HDR because tvOS doesn't automatically display your Photos app photos and videos or the screensaver videos in HDR if you use SDR. Not sur why, but it doesn't. tvOS does display SDR and HDR content from other apps correctly though, but not from Photos and Screensaver apps.

 

[Gator5000e]

So if I have my ATV set to SDR, the screensavers are not shown in HDR?

Also, I do not have Match Framerate enabled (as it caused lipsync issue a few tvOS versions ago) but I still get DV on DV shows.

 

[Edd70]

So if I have my ATV set to SDR, the screensavers are not shown in HDR?

Also, I do not have Match Framerate enabled (as it caused lipsync issue a few tvOS versions ago) but I still get DV on DV shows.

Yes, the screensavers look different when it’s set to SDR so I’m pretty sure they’re not delivered in HDR natively.

As for the other issue, perhaps it’s the dynamic range matching that kicks DolbyVision in when it’s needed? I wouldn’t think you’d need to turn off frame rate matching for a lip sync issue. I think the TV onboard OS typically has adjustments for that.

 

[Gator5000e]

Thanks. Well, I turned on match frame rate to watch Andor and the lip sync issue was there. I turned it off and it was gone….no lip sync issue. Maybe there is some setting on my TV that causes this when frame rate match is on. But I don’t think it really effects anything as far as I can see.

 

[JimmerJabber]

Simple question, if you have the ATV (4K 2nd gen) set to 4K SDR, with match dynamic range and frame rate on, will the ATV enable DolbyVision when the content is appropriate, like some HBO and Disney shows?

I had DolbyVision enabled for the longest time, but set it to 4K SDR recently because of the YouTube black screen issue. After 2-3 weeks, I think content generally looks better, the blacks look blacker, specifically. There is a minor intermittent issue with very dark scenes where the overall brightness gets VERY low suddenly, and then seems to fix itself within 3 seconds or so.

But I am wondering if what I’m looking at is DolbyVision. House of the Dragon last night looked magnificent, especially in a scene with Damon visiting that large dragon, the torch in the darkness was gorgeous. Also, Ms. Marvel on Disney is such a pretty show to look at.

TV is an LG CX OLED.

Hello Edd.

I have ATV (4k 2nd gen) video output to 4K SDR (ie DV "Off"), with "Match Dynamic Range - On" and "Match Frame Rate - On".

Using the information button on my Sony A90J OLED while streaming a video in DolbyVision from the ATV, the information overlay on the Sony screen (ie coming from the Sony rather than from the ATV) confirms that the stream is in fact showing in DolbyVision.

Hope this helps.

 

[w5jck]

To clarify some of the questions and answers:

Match Frame Rate should match the native frame rate of the video and should work, if it doesn't then it is buggy. Apple has a very buggy tvOS, so I wouldn't be surprised if they shanked this option.

Match Dynamic Range should automatically set the ATV to use SDR or HDR based on what the video's native dynamic range is.

Dolby Vision will turn Dolby Vision on for everything, and I don't suggest that. However, your tastes might vary from mine, so use what looks best to you.

If you do not select Dolby Vision but choose SDR, and turn off Match Dynamic Range, everything will be delivered in SDR format. If you do not select Dolby Vision but choose SDR, and turn on Match Dynamic Range, everything will be delivered in the video's native format.

If you do not select Dolby Vision but choose HDR, and turn off Match Dynamic Range, everything will be delivered in HDR format. If you do not select Dolby Vision but choose HDR, and turn on Match Dynamic Range, everything will be delivered in the video's native format.

As far as screensavers go, I haven't checked in tvOS 16.x yet, but earlier versions had two sets of screensavers, and each set had different scenes than the other one. One set was in HDR and one was in SDR. They are different screensavers though so you won't see the HDR ones if set to SDR. I like the HDR scenes better, personally.

 

[Edd70]

As far as screensavers go, I haven't checked in tvOS 16.x yet, but earlier versions had two sets of screensavers, and each set had different scenes than the other one. One set was in HDR and one was in SDR. They are different screensavers though so you won't see the HDR ones if set to SDR. I like the HDR scenes better, personally.

Are you certain about this? I don’t get why this would be the case. Why wouldn’t they all be available regardless of this setting?

 

[Gator5000e]

Well, I tried the suggestion to set the video to 4K HDR and yes my TV indicated the screen savers were in HDR as the HDR badge was present when I opened the settings (I don;t know if that means the SSs are actually in HDR or if it's just that since HDR is turned on in Video, that everything will bear an HDR tag). The SSs didn't look all that much different to me when I ran them with the HDR setting. Also it seemed as if some other issues popped up - there would be a delay with a black screen when changing apps or shows. Anyway, I set it back to SDR 4K and I am happy with that setting as everything seems to just work better that way.

 

[w5jck]

The important thing is to find what works best for you.

I received a Fire TV Cube 3rd generation (just released) a few days ago and now use it as my goto streaming box because tvOS blows chunks. It has the ability to match frame rates and dynamic range too, as well as using DV or HDR10. I left it set to using DV all the time and everything just works with it and the interface is stunning in DV and there are no delays with black screens, and Youtube actually looks stunning with true HDR. It is aggravating to me that Apple can't seem to match that performance because they can't figure out how to properly program tvOS. Maybe some day they will get it right, then I’ll switch back to using my ATV 4K for everything. For now I will only use it for Apple TV+ streams.

 

[bozzykid]

It has the ability to match frame rates and dynamic range too, as well as using DV or HDR10.

Fire TV doesn't actually match frame rates except for the Prime app (perhaps a few other apps but none that I have found).

 

[DSTOFEL]

Note: I edited this post on Nov 4th to correct obvious misunderstandings that I had in my original post. If I’m misstating anything, please let me know…I’m really trying to understand this all.

This particular topic has always been a confusing one for me and I’ve owned every version of the Apple TV. The screen shot below is from the 2021 4K ATV attached to my LG C2 4K TV (which is capable of Dolby Vision).

Seems to me there are 3 settings involved in the Video and Audio section as relates to this topic:

• The top row in the pic below (Enable Dolby Vision): This is a confusing row in that it only appears if you have a set capable of Dolby Vision & you’ve chosen not to set the “Format” setting to one of the options that enable/turn on Dolby Vision.
• The “Format” setting
• The “Match Content” setting

My understandings are as follows. This pertains to 4K TV‘s that support Dolby Vision and the 2021 4K ATV:

• If I set the ”format” to 4K SDR, and have “Match Content“ turned on for both dynamic range and frame rate (ie as I do in the picture below):
  • The home page (ie app listing) will be in 4K SDR
  • When I watch any content that is streamed in 4K Dolby Vision (ie the Crown on Netflix) it will switch to Dolby Vision and the content will be displayed in 4K Dolby Vision.
  • When I watch anything that is streamed in 4K SDR (ie various movies on Netflix and Prime Video) the content will be displayed in 4K SDR.
  • When I watch anything that is streamed in 4K HDR (ie various movies on Prime Video) it will switch to HDR (on my LG 4K OLED set) and the content will be displayed in 4K HDR.
  • When I watch anything that is streamed in 1080P (ie Network news shows and various HBO movies on my YouTube TV app) the content will be upscaled to 4K and will be displayed in 4K SDR.
  • When I watch anything streamed in non HD (ie various old sitcoms on my YouTube TV) the content will be upscaled to 4K and will be displayed in 4K SDR.
• If I set the “format” instead to 4K Dolby Vision and have the “Match Content” set the same as above:
  • As noted above: I no longer see the top row in the pic below. The one that says “Enable Dolby Vision”. I guess since I’m already “enabling it” by choosing it as the format…that would be redundant to also have this “notice”.
  • The home page (ie app listing) will be displayed in “4K Dolby Vision). I think 🤔
  • Other than this, the two settings behave exactly the same for the functions I’ve noted above (ie streaming content on Netflix, Prime Video or YouTube TV App will be displayed in the dynamic range and frame rate of the source content being streamed).

So, it seems on the surface at least that regardless of how you set the “format” setting (ie either 4K SDR or 4K Dolby Vision), as long as you turn on the “Match Content” settings for both dynamic range and frame rate, your streaming outcome (on Netflix and YouTube TV at least) will be the same….as described above.

I guess Apple TV gives us the option (under my use case) to set the format to 4K SDR (ie as I’ve done) and to also not “turn on” the two “Match Content“ settings (ie Dynamic Range and Frame Rate). In this case, when you streamed a 4K “Dolby Vision” show in Netflix, it would display in 4K SDR (instead of in Dolby Vision). Not sure why anyone would want to do that….but seems they’ve given us that option.

I guess also that Apple gives us the option to (under my use case) to set the format to 4K Dolby Vision and turn off “Match Content” for both dynamic range and frame rate to force everything you stream to be mapped to and displayed in Dolby Vision at the native frame rate of my TV. Not sure why anyone would want to do this either. I can imagine some unnatural colors and other artifacts depending on what the content is (ie from the mapping to Dolby Vision).

For Most of us, I’d imagine that if we have a 4K TV that’s capable of displaying in Dolly Vision that we’d want turn on the “Match Content” settings for both dynamic range and frame rate so that Dolby Vision, HDR or neither would kick in depending on the content being streamed. But then this leaves us with the 1 simple choice. Do we set the “format“ to 4K SDR or 4K Dolby Vision? I chose to set it to “4K SDR” so that any content that is not affected by the “Match Content“ settings (ie the home page for example) will display in 4K SDR and not be forced to display in Dolby Vision (ie the home screen app’s for one).

Can anyone see a reason why you would want to set the “format” to 4K Dolby Vision instead of 4K SDR when you‘re also enabling the “Match Content” settings?

What a confusing topic 😊. You’d think Apple could have explained this better…but I’ve yet to find any documentation from them that goes into the various nuances of these settings in the detail needed to really understand the optimum way to set them.

 

[priitv8]

* When I watch anything that is streamed in 1080P (ie Network news shows and various HBO movies on my YouTube TV app) it will be displayed in 1080P (ie non 4K).
* When I watch anything streamed in non HD (ie various old sitcoms on my YouTube TV) they will be displayed in non HD.

That is not true. AppleTV does not match resolution. If you are set at 4K SDR, then all content is upscaled to 3840x2160p.

 

[DSTOFEL]

That is not true. AppleTV does not match resolution. If you are set at 4K SDR, then all content is upscaled to 3840x2160p.

This is why I emphasized that this is my understanding 😊. Why don’t you give it a go and explain how this all works

 

[priitv8]

This is why I emphasized that this is my understanding 😊. Why don’t you give it a go and explain how this all works

That is the only thing I know for sure.
With the rest I have come to terms - I keep it at 4K SDR (why burn the panel backlight constantly at max?).
Only if I want to watch my 3D SBS clips, do I need to switch video output to 1080 SDR.
Match Range and Framerate are on, so when content comes in HDR, DoVi or 60fps, then that is also being sent verbatim over the HDMI. There has been some discussion on avsforum about aTV's inability to display 24fps, if I'm not mistaken.
EDIT: Seems to have been fixed in 14.5 already:

[fixed!] Apple TV 4K lacks support for 24.000 video

//EDIT 26th April 2021: I still cant believe what I'm writing as I have given up hope. I guess cows are flying and hell is frozen over now. With iOS 14.5 Apple has finally added integer frame rates such as 24.000 and 60.000. The below behaviour does not apply anymore. I recently got an ATV 4K...

www.avsforum.com

 

[Gator5000e]

My understanding of your picture is that you have NOT enabled DV though the menu. It says "Enable DV" not that DV is enabled. If you click on Enable DV, ATV will check your settings and once it's finished, will give you the option to keep those settings. I forget what it says if you select keeping the options but I believe it says DV is the format, not SDR or HDR. I can't recall as I keep mine at 4K SDR with Match Range only selected. Frame rate has given me lip sync issues in the past. Everything else is the same as your settings in the photo. I've never had an issues watching a DV or HDR show that way.

 

[Gator5000e]

And if you think those setting menu items are confusing, try testing your HDMI cable. The results won't say your cable passed or is sufficient for passing HDR. It will your cable looks better or looks good. Looks better than what? Or looks good? Really dumb choice of wording.

 

[DSTOFEL]

That is the only thing I know for sure.
With the rest I have come to terms - I keep it at 4K SDR (why burn the panel backlight constantly at max?).
Only if I want to watch my 3D SBS clips, do I need to switch video output to 1080 SDR.
Match Range and Framerate are on, so when content comes in HDR, DoVi or 60fps, then that is also being sent verbatim over the HDMI. There has been some discussion on avsforum about aTV's inability to display 24fps, if I'm not mistaken.
EDIT: Seems to have been fixed in 14.5 already:

[fixed!] Apple TV 4K lacks support for 24.000 video

//EDIT 26th April 2021: I still cant believe what I'm writing as I have given up hope. I guess cows are flying and hell is frozen over now. With iOS 14.5 Apple has finally added integer frame rates such as 24.000 and 60.000. The below behaviour does not apply anymore. I recently got an ATV 4K...

www.avsforum.com

That makes sense! Apple’s really done a great job at simplifying all of this. It’s just a complicated topic that few know a lot about…including me. I edited my original post (above) as I had some misunderstandings. For one, the “Enable Dolby Vision” (top row of the picture imbedded in my post) only displays when I set the ”format” to something other than Dolby Vision. I guess what Apple is trying to tell us is that “Hey, you’ve got a set that’s capable of displaying content In Dolby Vision….are you sure you don’t want to set your format to Dolby Vision?” The other misunderstanding was around the “resolution” being switched (ie 1080P, 4K, etc…) depending on the content. I was mistaken about this and have corrected.

 

[Banglazed]

My understanding of your picture is that you have NOT enabled DV though the menu. It says "Enable DV" not that DV is enabled. If you click on Enable DV, ATV will check your settings and once it's finished, will give you the option to keep those settings. I forget what it says if you select keeping the options but I believe it says DV is the format, not SDR or HDR. I can't recall as I keep mine at 4K SDR with Match Range only selected. Frame rate has given me lip sync issues in the past. Everything else is the same as your settings in the photo. I've never had an issues watching a DV or HDR show that way.

I tested this today. If I Enable DV, I will be prompted to select OK or Cancel. If you hit OK, then it will enable DV. There will be a delay when playing SDR content if on HDR or DV. If you hit Cancel, it sets to a compatible format (4K HDR). The Match Dynamic Rate works when playing DV content from Netflix. If you set it to 4K SDR, it will match correctly playing DV content. If you hold power button on the remote to turn off and on, then no issue with Match Dynamic Rate.

However, if you restart your device after setting it to 4K SDR, it will not correctly match DV content and it will play in 4K SDR. It only works if you enable DV and select Cancel which it will set at a compatible format (4K HDR) but you can change it to 4K SDR instead.

I was also under the impression the Match Dynamic Rate was solid until I restarted the device and found out that it plays in SDR after restarting the device which I do after updating tvOS.

 

[tiberria]

The important thing is to find what works best for you.

I received a Fire TV Cube 3rd generation (just released) a few days ago and now use it as my goto streaming box because tvOS blows chunks. It has the ability to match frame rates and dynamic range too, as well as using DV or HDR10. I left it set to using DV all the time and everything just works with it and the interface is stunning in DV and there are no delays with black screens, and Youtube actually looks stunning with true HDR. It is aggravating to me that Apple can't seem to match that performance because they can't figure out how to properly program tvOS. Maybe some day they will get it right, then I’ll switch back to using my ATV 4K for everything. For now I will only use it for Apple TV+ streams.

Fire OS applies frame rate matching at the app level - apps that don't support it just won't have frame rate matching at all. Netflix, Disney+, etc. definitely do not have frame rate matching even on the 3rd gen Fire Cube. TvOS on the other hand has frame rate matching at the OS level, which means that all major apps (except YouTube who disabled it earlier this year due to issues) have it. YouTube HDR also works perfectly fine on my Apple TV 4K.

Stunning is not what I'd call the FireTV interface, regardless of what video quality it's in - I guess it's stunning if you find never ending bright flashing advertising billboards stunning - to me FireTV has the worst interface of any streaming platform and is a complete cluster - especially because you have ads for stuff like McDonalds and Ford trucks right on row 3 of your home page that you can't disable. You can't customize anything at all on the FireTV homepage outside of setting 6 app shortcuts. At least AndroidTV/GoogleTV let you somewhat customize the mess that is their interface.

 

[Edd70]

Fire OS applies frame rate matching at the app level - apps that don't support it just won't have frame rate matching at all. Netflix, Disney+, etc. definitely do not have frame rate matching even on the 3rd gen Fire Cube. TvOS on the other hand has frame rate matching at the OS level, which means that all major apps (except YouTube who disabled it earlier this year due to issues) have it. YouTube HDR also works perfectly fine on my Apple TV 4K.

Stunning is not what I'd call the FireTV interface, regardless of what video quality it's in - I guess it's stunning if you find never ending bright flashing advertising billboards stunning - to me FireTV has the worst interface of any streaming platform and is a complete cluster - especially because you have ads for stuff like McDonalds and Ford trucks right on row 3 of your home page that you can't disable. You can't customize anything at all on the FireTV homepage outside of setting 6 app shortcuts. At least AndroidTV/GoogleTV let you somewhat customize the mess that is their interface.

I can’t believe people tolerate ads on the home page of a streaming device. Getting rid of that alone is worth the tvOS premium. It’s ridiculous.