How to Use Apple TV's iPhone-Based Color Balance Feature

[JLL]

The article perhaps could give the hint, that you will probably get the best result by choosing the most suitable profile on your TV to begin with - usually called Movie or Professional.

This tool won't disable all the shenanigans that TVs have enabled in their default profile, and the color temperature is way off.

 

[TheAustrianGuy]

Just tried it on my old LG TV.
The difference is not only noticeable, it is very obvious.

Very nice feature!

 

[IT Troll]

Why does it require a Face ID iPhone?

I'd really like to know how the mono IR or depth data is being used to calibrate a flat colour display.

Otherwise the camera system is the same on the non-TrueDepth SE.

 

[mw360]

I'd really like to know how the mono IR or depth data is being used to calibrate a flat colour display.

Otherwise the camera system is the same on the non-TrueDepth SE.

They may just be checking that you’re holding it the correct distance from the screen. Because people will ignore instructions and then complain loudly on the internet that it produces stupid results.

 

[JBaker122586]

Anyone that’s serious about calibration won’t touch this.

I’m anxious to see Vincent Teoh do a breakdown.

 

[Kissmo1980]

I tried the calibration during the normal lighting conditions of when I normally watch TV (don't know if that affects the accuracy) and while I'm certainly by no means a pro at color calibration, the "balanced" outcome looked significantly "warmer" than the original. So much so to the point that it is still jarring after 3 days. I know I can change back, but I've looked around online and of the dozen or so people that have commented on the coloration, probably like 10/12 of them have said their outcome was also "warmer" as a result.

Are "warmer" colors "more accurate" in general?

Panels tend to decalibrate over time and shift towards blue and green.

no surprises here. I have the same on my monitors, I calibrate for photography editing and have the same experience

 

[deckard666]

I’m sure it wont be a professional level calibration but it’s a free innovation and I’m sure it will improve with time so hard to understand the moaning....oh wait I’m on the MR site...now give me the same for audio...

 

[danny842003]

The purpose of calibration is to get the output to match how it is intended to look by the creator, not to make it look the best in the opinion of the viewer.

no idea why you quoted me in this 🤷

 

[danny842003]

What if you use your appletv on two tv’s

I guess you would need to it each time you move it to a different TV. Or just not bother and leave it how it’s always been.

 

[m.x]

I’m sure it wont be a professional level calibration but it’s a free innovation and I’m sure it will improve with time so hard to understand the moaning....oh wait I’m on the MR site...now give me the same for audio...

I feel the same. It's perfekt for the "normal" people, like my parents. They bought their TV, plugged it in and it would never occur to them that they could change the color settings. This feature is perfect for them, what's not to like about it? It's not like your Apple TV stops working when you don't use the calibration feature...

 

[The Banker]

Would be great if this would work for the software Apple TV variants in Smart TVs, but probably hard to implement.

 

[Kuba77]

I'm an iPhone SE2 owner (color balance feature is unsupported). Is it possible to use a friends iPhone to do calibration without too much hassle?

 

[vannibombonato]

Anyone that’s serious about calibration won’t touch this.

Maybe 0.01% of TV owners professionally calibrate a TV.

Apple makes stuff for the other 99.99% of population.

 

[Kram Sacul]

Maybe 0.01% of TV owners professionally calibrate a TV.

Apple makes stuff for the other 99.99% of population.

I’m pretty sure 99.99% can’t afford Apple’s stuff and those that do won’t even bother with Apple’s half-assed calibration feature.

 

[Muzzakus]

Looks awesome, do we know how accurate the phones camera and calibration result is?

downloading beta to give it a whirl.

edit: think phone needs the latest iOS beta also, not just the atv. Gonna wait.

 

[Muzzakus]

I’m pretty sure 99.99% can’t afford Apple’s stuff and those that do won’t even bother with Apple’s half-assed calibration feature.

Probably can’t even afford a tv 😂

 

[contacos]

Curious to see how it works. I am very anal about the picture on my tv. One day I think it looks great, the next day I am like why is it looking like that. I am never really satisfied 😅

 

[CasparAremi]

I just did this and the outline of the phone was significantly bigger than the size of my phone. Does it just expand with the width of your tv or should it be closer to actual iphone sioze on most TVs? I'm worried I have some silly zoom setting on that I hadn't ntoiced. (it's a 52" LG TV, i think its a 2020 model as I got it earlier this year).

 

[bookcase]

I'm eager to try this -- so glad it's coming to current Apple TV 4Ks. I can't justify upgrading to the new Apple TV, but I'll be ordering the new remote for sure.

 

[BuffaloTF]

Yes, absolutely. The whole industry works off the 6500K white point, which is warmer than it is cooler.

It's how practically all media content is mastered, so if your desire is to view things how the creators have intended, you should leave it.

Give it a few days and your eyes will adjust and forget about it in due time.

?

6500K is cooler than it is warmer. The numbers are opposite their perceived effect when referencing color temperature (it's counter-intuitive). 2000 is warm color, 10,000 is cold color. It's just the human experience of it... we perceive red/orange as hot, and blue as cold... when in fact something burning blue is considerably hotter.

 

[dbassy]

I thought this was for the new Apple TV only.
When does 14.5 release

I have a nice 4K HDR Samsung but the color is all over the place so hopefully this helps!

Yeah Samsung’s don’t support Dolby vision which Apple does support... LG TVs are the way to go.

 

[dbassy]

Does the Apple TV know how big your tv screen is. And adjust that for the size of the area to play your phone. Like does it ask you if you have a 65 inch tv?

In April, Apple introduced an iPhone-based color balance feature for Apple TV that can improve the overall picture quality of your television set when you're using Apple's set-top box.

Using the iPhone's light sensor, the feature compares the color balance to industry-standard specifications, and automatically adjusts your Apple TV's video output to deliver more accurate colors and improved contrast.

Follow the steps below to try it out. For best results, Apple suggests avoiding the use of bright or highly saturated picture modes on your TV like "vivid" or "sports."

What You'll Need

• Apple TV HD (2015) or later
• iPhone with Face ID (iPhone X or later)
• tvOS 14.5 or later
• iOS 14.5 or later

How to Color Balance Apple TV With iPhone

1. With your iPhone unlocked and nearby, launch the Settings app on your Apple TV.
2. Select the Video and Audio menu.
   
   
   
   Under "Calibration," select Color Balance. If the option says "Not Required," your smart TV doesn't need adjusting. It also is unavailable with Dolby Vision.
3. When the notification appears on your iPhone, follow the onscreen instructions: Turn your iPhone around so the front-facing camera is pointing at your TV, hold is centered inside the displayed frame within one inch of the screen, and keep it there until the progress icon fills up (it should only take a few seconds).
   
   
   
   Select View Results to see how your TV has been adjusted.

The results show you a side-by-side comparison of the original colors that your TV was displaying and the balance-adjusted colors. The calibrated version should look more natural and perhaps warmer.

Article Link: How to Use Apple TV's iPhone-Based Color Balance Feature

 

[realpras]

Can you use someone else’s Face ID iPhone if you don’t have one, or does it require the iphone and atv to both use your Apple ID?

I'm an iPhone SE2 owner (color balance feature is unsupported). Is it possible to use a friends iPhone to do calibration without too much hassle?

To answer your questions, yes it is possible to use someone else’ iPhone with Face ID.

I have 7 Plus, but calibrated MY atv with my girlfriend’s XR. No need to sign in or anything, just hold the face ID phone close to your atv (make sure your phone is not close by so it doesn’t get picked up by the atv).

 

[peterh988]

I've been using the THX Tune up app to calibrate for a while, does a decent job, but I'll give this a try, too.

 

[paulsydaus]

A lot of people are misunderstanding the warmer tones in the San Fran image. I have not tried the calibration yet, but the way the calibration should work is as you would expect, display accurate color. This will allow you to view the content *as it was intended to be seen by the content creator*.
Just because you are now seeing warmer tones in that one image shown in the OP does not mean the calibration didn’t work. All it means is that the content creator colorized or produced that image with a warmer tone. You are accurately seeing the color as produced. If you want perfectly accurate color, this would require the content creator to provide it. But in reality natural color tends to be pretty dull and boring. So most colorists tend to produce warmer or stylized color which is more interesting. That’s not a fault with the calibration. If you don’t like what you see, complain to the colorist/producer of the content!
You need to view a wide range of content. A lot of dramas tend to have bluer/colder pallets to reflect the mood. Whereas the Apple screensavers tend to be warm and vibrant.