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

[jlc1978]

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

It's not so much more accurate than more pleasing for many people. Being "more pleasing" is why stores often fiddle with settings to make a TV/receiver/etc. appear "better."

It's a gimmick the way Apple is promoting it !

It needs to be Dynamic, to be of any real value.

Light in a room isn't constant throughout the day.

For the price (i.e., $179+ USD), one would think Apple would throw-in an External, Battery-operated, BT-enabled "light sensor" that Users could mount NEAR their TVs !

NOT Rocket Science Cook, you're solution is half-baked !

Have said it before, will say it again, Apple is where they are today because of a Lack of (viable) Competition !

That, IMHO, is a solution in search of a problem. Besides adding yet another device to keep charged, stick somewhere, etc., it probably would simply add cost while most users wouldn't bother with it. You'd have to calibrate the ATV at different times of the day and under different lighting conditions, and most users wouldn't bother to put up with the hassle. Sure, the ATV could autocorrect but then it's guessing and people would probably complain about the changing picture. Also, what happens if someone turns on a light, opens a door that lets in light momentarily, etc. ? The ATV could very well make several noticeable changes over a short period which would be visually unappealing.

Tired of seeing the professional calibrators upset about this feature. It's not for you, its for the masses who use out of the box settings.
This is cool, thanks.

As long as tech exact, going back to Thag and Ogg arguing over the relative values of obsidian vs. flint* for spearheads, measurbators will worry about numbers while the rest of use simply want to enjoy the tech.

*For the record, flint rules.

It’s better than nothing but it’s still a poor mans way of doing it.

Poor and Apple are two terms really used together.

Better off adjusting your TVs settings with a few easily found test patterns.

Yea, but how many people know how to do that properly?

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.

I disagree. While some may want to, it's not unreasonable to want to watch the content how you prefer to see it, no matter what the creator intended.

 

[srbNYC]

I used this feature. Then I was watching a sitcom rerun last night, and their living room and all its inhabitants were very red. I think this function will improve, and perhaps I should execute the process at a different time of day.

 

[vipergts2207]

I disagree. While some may want to, it's not unreasonable to want to watch the content how you prefer to see it, no matter what the creator intended.

Obviously people can do whatever they want. Setting up your TV to where everybody looks like they just spent a week in Florida or conversely look like Smurfs seems silly to me. Give me the most accurate picture every day of the week.

 

[vipergts2207]

I used this feature. Then I was watching a sitcom rerun last night, and their living room and all its inhabitants were very red. I think this function will improve, and perhaps I should execute the process at a different time of day.

What color temperature is your TV currently set at? Most TVs are set far too blue out of the box, so correcting to a correct color temperature may make things look odd until you get used to it. Or maybe the feature is bunk. I have yet to find out one way of another.

 

[mw360]

?

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.

The person you are responding to is saying that 6500K is warmer than the white point on a typical TV.

 

[1258186]

The before and after photos never actually look like that in reality. I think they’re desperate to find reasons for people to upgrade. A better remote and a few extras is not worth another $200.

 

[mrmister]

"For the price (i.e., $179+ USD), one would think Apple would throw-in an External, Battery-operated, BT-enabled "light sensor" that Users could mount NEAR their TVs !"

Great idea—Apple is so famous for including extra stuff for free! I, for one, am shocked, SHOCKED that they have not included a separate device that has always on light sensors and bluetooths with the Apple TV to provide constant calibration updates for free in the box.

 

[Duane Martin]

I disagree. While some may want to, it's not unreasonable to want to watch the content how you prefer to see it, no matter what the creator intended.

I was with you until this statement where you argue the purpose of calibration IS NOT to make colours as the creator intended. Technically that is exactly what a calibration tool does, setting one monitor to match a source image and all other calibrated monitors should look the same; calibration is to ensure we are all looking at the same image.

No one is going to stop you from dialing in your own preferences but that is not what a colour calibration tool is intended to do.

 

[KrisAK]

Anything similar for the iMac?

I've got an XRite which is a bit ponderous to use; it would be great if Apple developed a streamlined version.

 

[Duane Martin]

The before and after photos never actually look like that in reality. I think they’re desperate to find reasons for people to upgrade. A better remote and a few extras is not worth another $200.

Well, except you do not need to upgrade your Apple TV to use this function at all unless your’s is earlier than 2015. So, in fact, Apple is retroactively providing a tool to many Apple TV owners for free. That’s good news, right?

 

[vipergts2207]

The before and after photos never actually look like that in reality. I think they’re desperate to find reasons for people to upgrade. A better remote and a few extras is not worth another $200.

Except the old ATV can do the calibration feature as well, so they must not be as desperate as your seem to think. And this is the same company that once had an exclusive ringtone for a new iPhone model.

 

[Duane Martin]

Anything similar for the iMac?

I've got an XRite which is a bit ponderous to use; it would be great if Apple developed a streamlined version.

I was wondering why this could not be made to work with Macs as well. Pros will still want to do a proper calibration but I cannot tell you how often I see a computer with two monitors attached, or a room full of monitors in a class, and none of them look the same. Rather than me fiddling with the different settings give a quick tool like this and I could be done in seconds. Maybe we will see this on the Mac?

 

[1258186]

Well, except you do not need to upgrade your Apple TV to use this function at all unless your’s is earlier than 2015. So, in fact, Apple is retroactively providing a tool to many Apple TV owners for free. That’s good news, right?

Maybe if your an obsessive. I wouldn’t bother using it anyway because My TV picture looks good to me.

 

[Corsig]

Samsung’s color correction app to follow shortly

 

[BF1M]

Again, calibrate your tv correctly then leave it be.

 

[kk200]

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

how can I use it with a projecto?

 

[jlc1978]

Obviously people can do whatever they want. Setting up your TV to where everybody looks like they just spent a week in Florida or conversely look like Smurfs seems silly to me. Give me the most accurate picture every day of the week.

Exactly, to each his own.

I was with you until this statement where you argue the purpose of calibration IS NOT to make colours as the creator intended. Technically that is exactly what a calibration tool does, setting one monitor to match a source image and all other calibrated monitors should look the same; calibration is to ensure we are all looking at the same image.

I can see where my response was confusing as I was referring to the ability of the viewer to decide what they like in terms of color balance.

While I agree with you in principal, a couple of thoughts:

1. Calibration makes all monitors/TVs show the same output based on a standard. That's really important in many cases, back when i was doing some photography work I calibrated my monitor and used specific printer profiles so WYSIWYG.
2. The assumption, however, when calibrating is that all creators used the same standard. IIRC, a lot depends on the color chart someone used. If ATV uses a different source then the calibration would be off. Any weird lighting effects the creator added in can change your colors unexpectedly as well.
3. Yes, I'm being pedantic. But this is MR after all, where arguments over minor details can run for pages...
4. Yes, 4 is more than a couple except for large enough values of 2.

No one is going to stop you from dialing in your own preferences but that is not what a colour calibration tool is intended to do.

Exactly. Ultimately the viewer decides.

 

[kk200]

It's a gimmick the way Apple is promoting it !

It needs to be Dynamic, to be of any real value.

Light in a room isn't constant throughout the day.

For the price (i.e., $179+ USD), one would think Apple would throw-in an External, Battery-operated, BT-enabled "light sensor" that Users could mount NEAR their TVs !

NOT Rocket Science Cook, you're solution is half-baked !

Have said it before, will say it again, Apple is where they are today because of a Lack of (viable) Competition !

I dont think this is a good idea. It requests atv to be put on top of the tvboard. Which doesn’t fit for a lot of people including me.

 

[w5jck]

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?

I've read that most TV manufacturers tend to oversaturate the colors and tend to use too much blue. The rationale is that the manufacturers want to make the colors pop and look good in a retail store setting where all the bright fluorescent lights require more blue and more vivid settings. Blue is considered on the cool side of the color spectrum and red is considered on the warm side. So to compensate for too much blue the calibration would push the results to a warmer setting. So my guess is that most TVs are setup too blue (cool) at the factory and that is why so many people are reporting that the calibration pushes their colors to the warm side.

 

[gnipgnop]

Part of what's confusing about color calibration and TVs is that reviews for a particular model will say that it's not calibrated very well, but all that refers to is the default setting for the TV. For example, I bought a 2019 LG B9 OLED that did not have particularly good calibration ratings out of the box versus the LG C9 OLED, but simply choosing Expert Dark Room from a list of color options LG provides within the OS instantly provided professional color calibration for a room that tends to be darker.

 

[w5jck]

What a joke. Is the Apple TV going to magically increase my tv’s backlight level?

Color calibration has nothing to do with brightness. You get what you get from the TV's hardware, or you adjust brightness settings. Color is calibrated separately from brightness. So how exactly is it a joke?

 

[w5jck]

Part of what's confusing about color calibration and TVs is that reviews for a particular model will say that it's not calibrated very well, but all that refers to is the default setting for the TV. For example, I bought a 2019 LG B9 OLED that did not have particularly good calibration ratings out of the box versus the LG C9 OLED, but simply choosing Expert Dark Room from a list of color options LG provides within the OS instantly provided professional color calibration for a room that tends to be darker.

My Sony Bravia, like most TVs, comes with multiple settings for each input port and the TV itself. For example, for the ATV 4K it will allow me to choose from Vivid, Standard, Cinema, Sport, Gaming, etc. I'm wondering if calibration on just one of those options will allow the ATV 4K to adjust the others too, or whether I will have to separately calibrate each option.

 

[mhmercer]

How does this compare to the Spyder X pro?

The process described does not calibrate the TV, as does the Spyder X. It calibrates the AppleTV4K box connected to the TV.

 

[mannyvel]

I use thx tune up, because it'll helps you calibrate the TV. If you use the atv one it'll only adjust the atv output...which is fine if that's all you Watch.

 

[scartart]

Part of what's confusing about color calibration and TVs is that reviews for a particular model will say that it's not calibrated very well, but all that refers to is the default setting for the TV. For example, I bought a 2019 LG B9 OLED that did not have particularly good calibration ratings out of the box versus the LG C9 OLED, but simply choosing Expert Dark Room from a list of color options LG provides within the OS instantly provided professional color calibration for a room that tends to be darker.

For any TV review worth reading the reviewer would have tried the different modes and selected the one most accurate before performing a calibration. Default modes aren't accurate at all, they are store modes designed to make the picture pop against all the other TVs.

Most TVs have a mode that is intended to be colour accurate, be that cinema, movie, expert, THX calibrated. These are the modes you should use but don't be confused that if your TV is in one of those modes it is 'accurate' - it could be but manufacturing tolerances will mean two sets are never identical and each TV only receives a very short time being 'calibrated' on the factory production line.

You B9 in Expert mode is probably pretty good and Apple's calibration probably won't improve on it. You may be lucky and have a really good one, but the grey scale and colour points are probably out where only a professional calibration using expensive, accurate meters can determine that with an hour or so then needed to tweak the settings to get it to within acceptable tolerances.