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tvOS 18.2 Beta Adds Support for 21:9 Projector Aspect Ratio

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Apple today provided developers with the first beta of tvOS 18.2, and the update adds support for the 21:9 aspect ratio that projectors use.

tvOS-18-Thumb-3.jpg

As noted by Sigmund Judge, the update includes a new option that lets the Apple TV automatically detect the best aspect ratio for a television or projector. Options include 16:9, 21:9, 2.37:1, 2.39:1, 2.40:1, DCI 4K, and 32:9.


Support for the 21:9 aspect ratio was announced as a tvOS 18 feature, but it was not in the initial tvOS 18 release. tvOS 18.2 includes an option to show or hide volume feedback from external devices like sound bars in addition to the aspect ratio change.

We are also waiting on new Snoopy screen savers, but those do not appear to be included in tvOS 18.2.

Article Link: tvOS 18.2 Beta Adds Support for 21:9 Projector Aspect Ratio
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/11/04/tvos-18-2-projector-aspect-ratio/
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Hopefully Disney properly formats videos for wider-than-16-by-9 now. Trying to watch on my Mac on a 21:9 display, Disney sends me a 16:9 video feed, so I have a "Windowbox" effect, where the 16:9 video gets black bars on the left and right, but has black bars "baked into the 16:9 feed" on top and bottom.

IMG_0419.jpeg
 
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What advantage is changing the aspect to 21:9 over what the default behaviour is currently ie you get the black bars ?
 
MacRumors said:
We are also waiting on new Snoopy screen savers, but those do not appear to be included in tvOS 18.2.
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Remix26 said:
Like be fr, Apple. How long does it take to make Snoopy screen savers?
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I don’t understand why they would even bother to announce it back in June if they weren’t going to release them this year.

They could have done a gradual roll out of a few different ones with each 18.x update. We don’t need them all at once.

Snoopy Screensavers are turning into the AirPower of AppleTV. Giving us a tease and then never releasing it.
 
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activate said:
What advantage is changing the aspect to 21:9 over what the default behaviour is currently ie you get the black bars ?
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Movie theater movies are about 21:9. tvOS prior with would assume 16:9 on my ultrawide. Everything stretched to fit. I really love watching movies on my ultrawide, just not with tvOS.
 
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I’m intrigued as to how this will work.

I have a lens and projector. When I watch movies in 21:9, my system crops the black bars off the top and bottom and scales up the image accordingly by first stretching the image taller in the projector and then wider with the lens to fill the 21:9 screen.

I thought the purpose of this new mode on Apple TV was so that when you are using the interface etc, Apple will constrain it to the middle of the screen and output black bars at the top and bottom so that when using a lens the interface isn’t cropped off the top and bottom.
 
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Really ? That would be fantastic but I thought you need an anamorphic lens for that
 
Anonymous Freak said:
Hopefully Disney properly formats videos for wider-than-16-by-9 now. Trying to watch on my Mac on a 21:9 display, Disney sends me a 16:9 video feed, so I have a "Windowbox" effect, where the 16:9 video gets black bars on the left and right, but has black bars "baked into the 16:9 feed" on top and bottom.

View attachment 2446922
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Blu-rays have the black bars baked into the video feed too. They don't always remove them when they upload them for streaming.
 
scottrichardson said:
I’m intrigued as to how this will work.

I have a lens and projector. When I watch movies in 21:9, my system crops the black bars off the top and bottom and scales up the image accordingly by first stretching the image taller in the projector and then wider with the lens to fill the 21:9 screen.

I thought the purpose of this new mode on Apple TV was so that when you are using the interface etc, Apple will constrain it to the middle of the screen and output black bars at the top and bottom so that when using a lens the interface isn’t cropped off the top and bottom.
Click to expand...
Agreed, I was looking for the same thing as you. What I see is not helpful for most projector users (being those with zoom lenses), which is ironic. This is useless for me, with my projector, for that reason. Sigh.
 
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Yimbaz said:
So what’s up with 3:4?
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4:3. That’s the original TV format. 16:9 is exactly one third wider, and I guess 16:9 is easier to market than 5.33:1.

Cinema formats are generally specified as x:1, and easier to compare. 4:3 is 1.33:1. 16:9 is 1.78 but rarely if ever used in cinema, they use the slightly wider 1.85:1, and various ultra wide formats but mostly between 2.35:1 and 2.40:1. There are all sorts of other variations in cinema, such as 2.20:1 (Lawrence of Arabia), and 2.76:1 (Ben Hur).

21:9 is usually (as far as I can tell) typically actually 21.33:1, which is 2.37:1. Close enough. This is again one third wider than 16:9.

In other words, TV has a fairly logical “add one third to width” logic between the three formats, while the cinema movies that will be shown on them are all over the place. The TV formats were chosen to be approximations of typically used cinema formats, but also to be easier to convert between due to the one third logic.
 
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Oh, and by the way, sometimes you will see material in 14:9. This is a format invented by BBC to be a compromise between 4:3 and 16;9. The material would not be shot in this format, only broadcast in it, and in my opinion it was a bit of a mess.
 
galangel said:
With the M processors being so advanced, I don't understand why this is not a gaming machine already,
what a waste
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Maybe a new AppleTV 4K could have a M4 CPU? If Apple does release such an AppleTV, I'll buy it immediately.

Or... the new Mac mini M4 could be transformed into an Apple TV. Anyone remember Front Row?
I could imagine the option to install MacOS or tvOS on the same Mac mini M4.
 
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do many projectors have 21:9 panels? I'd heard of anamorphic lenses but the panel is normally 16:9. Interesting.

Would be nice to see on my 32:9 samsung monitor but I don't know if it has the necessary HDCP support.
 
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