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YouTube 2sec black screen on Apple TV

MacGiver

MacGiver

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 12, 2007
946
214
France
it’s been a few weeks now that when I start watching a video on YouTube there is a quick black screen at the very beginning of the video. Like a 2sec black screen. The video starts, the 2sec black screen and it comes back. It does this on both apple
TV I have in two different TVs. It does not happen all the time but quiet often.
Anyone else? This is so annoying!
 
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That’s what you get with Match Dynamic Range and Match Frame Rate as your TV is matching the content coming from the ATV.
If you go into the App Store there should be an update available which disables Frame Rate Matching.
Providing you have your ATV4K set to 4KSDR you shouldn’t get that black screen switch until you try to play a video with HDR.
 
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-Gonzo- said:
That’s what you get with Match Dynamic Range and Match Frame Rate as your TV is matching the content coming from the ATV.
If you go into the App Store there should be an update available which disables Frame Rate Matching.
Providing you have your ATV4K set to 4KSDR you shouldn’t get that black screen switch until you try to play a video with HDR.
Click to expand...
Exactly its a ATV frame rate issue. It never used to be that bad until a month or so ago then with all the ads it was an epilepsy warning ha.
 
Thanks guys. But I noticed it got worse recently. Maybe more HDR content recently? My ATV 4K is as you said set up to match frame rate and dynamic range with a 4K SDR video format. I am used to this black screen when watching HDR/DV content but was not on YouTube!
 
MacGiver said:
Thanks guys. But I noticed it got worse recently. Maybe more HDR content recently? My ATV 4K is as you said set up to match frame rate and dynamic range with a 4K SDR video format. I am used to this black screen when watching HDR/DV content but was not on YouTube!
Click to expand...
Just out of curiosity what TV do you have? Mine is an LG oled so wasn’t sure if it was a tv update or the ATV.
 
The upside of this is that, at least for me, it truncates the ads to just a second or two. I no longer have to click "Skip Ads" as they are skipped automatically.
 
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Buadhai said:
The upside of this is that, at least for me, it truncates the ads to just a second or two. I no longer have to click "Skip Ads" as they are skipped automatically.
Click to expand...
Actually the 2sec black scree starts for me just after the ads so It is truncating the beginning of the video. Again it is something new to me. Did not happen a few weeks ago.
 
For me, even turning "match frame rate" off alone didn't entirely stop the black screens around the ads, though it does improve the situation a lot. Even though as far as I can tell none of the ads I'm getting actually invoke HDR, I had to turn "match dynamic range" off too to completely stop it.

The latest update makes a difference, but not a huge one.

I suspect, as it is impacting on people being able to see the ads (I doubt they care too much about us missing the start of certain videos) this might actually be something they get around to fixing at some point soon.
 
residentgalah said:
For me, even turning "match frame rate" off alone didn't entirely stop the black screens around the ads, though it does improve the situation a lot. Even though as far as I can tell none of the ads I'm getting actually invoke HDR, I had to turn "match dynamic range" off too to completely stop it.

The latest update makes a difference, but not a huge one.

I suspect, as it is impacting on people being able to see the ads (I doubt they care too much about us missing the start of certain videos) this might actually be something they get around to fixing at some point soon.
Click to expand...
Glad to see I am not the only one. Is that also something rather new to you? Did you notice that recently?
 
It’s something that was introduced the update before the last one. Ironically it’s a feature people have been requesting for ages, but getting it this way is a bit like asking for a doughnut and being force-fed an entire display case of them.

This update improves it a bit over the last one, so hopefully the next one might rectify it completely - or better yet, give YouTube an option to enable or disable this potentially helpful/infuriating feature?
 
residentgalah said:
It’s something that was introduced the update before the last one. Ironically it’s a feature people have been requesting for ages, but getting it this way is a bit like asking for a doughnut and being force-fed an entire display case of them.

This update improves it a bit over the last one, so hopefully the next one might rectify it completely - or better yet, give YouTube an option to enable or disable this potentially helpful/infuriating feature?
Click to expand...
Ok I was not aware about what all these updates were bringing. So it due to an iOS update… How did you find out? Is it listed in the iOS updates improvement list?
 
I call BS on blaming it on frame rate matching. In tvOS 15 you can sometimes get that blank screen if the system is switching to HDR or Dolby Vision, but it was only at the beginning of the video. In tvOS 16 YouScrewed now displays a short blank screen when the video starts and every time a stupid ad is displayed. The behavior has changed for the worst, and might be caused by frame rate or SDR/HDR switching, but tvOS has totally made it much worse than it was under tvOS 15. Probably just another bug(s) introduced by totally incompetent Apple software developers. They should change their title to software destroyers...
 
w5jck said:
I call BS on blaming it on frame rate matching. In tvOS 15 you can sometimes get that blank screen if the system is switching to HDR or Dolby Vision, but it was only at the beginning of the video. In tvOS 16 YouScrewed now displays a short blank screen when the video starts and every time a stupid ad is displayed. The behavior has changed for the worst, and might be caused by frame rate or SDR/HDR switching, but tvOS has totally made it much worse than it was under tvOS 15. Probably just another bug(s) introduced by totally incompetent Apple software developers. They should change their title to software destroyers...
Click to expand...
No blank screen here but a black one. Usually happens once ads end. Between the ad and the video begins. So I am missing the first words of the video!
 
MacGiver said:
Ok I was not aware about what all these updates were bringing. So it due to an iOS update… How did you find out? Is it listed in the iOS updates improvement list?
Click to expand...
Not iOS updates, YouTube updates. It started doing it before I updated to tvOS 16 and has kept it up, but like I said the last YouTube app update has improved it somewhat (without actually fixing it entirely).
 
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I have an LG B7 Oled and I use my ATV to watch YouTube TV and other streaming channels. When I turn on the tv and and ATV, it used to default and turn on the YouTube TV app. For the last few weeks (probably since the update) I get a black screen when I turn everything on and have to hold the arrow button on the remote to pull up the app screen.
 
Been having this issue for a couple months, at least. Tried re-downloading YouTube, etc. Nothing fixes it. Sometimes, and three times last night, it causes my ATV4K to lose the HDMI handshake with my Onkyo AVR. Only recourse is to power cycle the ATV.

Will look at the settings later to see if I can get it to stop...
 
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viggen61 said:
Been having this issue for a couple months, at least. Tried re-downloading YouTube, etc. Nothing fixes it. Sometimes, and three times last night, it causes my ATV4K to lose the HDMI handshake with my Onkyo AVR. Only recourse is to power cycle the ATV.

Will look at the settings later to see if I can get it to stop...
Click to expand...
Make sure your ATV4K is set to 4KSDR then there should be no handshake issues at all, the only time there’ll be a black screen switch issue is for any videos that are HDR.
As the vast majority of videos are SDR then that should be quite a rarity.
 
-Gonzo- said:
Make sure your ATV4K is set to 4KSDR then there should be no handshake issues at all, the only time there’ll be a black screen switch issue is for any videos that are HDR.
As the vast majority of videos are SDR then that should be quite a rarity.
Click to expand...
Even set on 4KSDR we are having that issue. This is from what I understood YouTube recent app update…. On other app or when watching TV I do not have that issue. Unless as you said I play a HDR content. YouTube screwed it up.
 
MacGiver said:
Even set on 4KSDR we are having that issue. This is from what I understood YouTube recent app update…. On other app or when watching TV I do not have that issue. Unless as you said I play a HDR content. YouTube screwed it up.
Click to expand...
Are you sure you’re on app version 2.10.06?
 
-Gonzo- said:
Make sure your ATV4K is set to 4KSDR then there should be no handshake issues at all, the only time there’ll be a black screen switch issue is for any videos that are HDR.
As the vast majority of videos are SDR then that should be quite a rarity.
Click to expand...
Ok, set that, so far so good…

Downside is I get the full ads back… 😂
 
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MacGiver said:
How do I check that o the ATV? Btw how do you force app update on the ATV?
Click to expand...
Go to the App Store and search for YouTube, if it’s not the latest then you’ll see UPDATE.
It shows the version number within that store listing screen if you scroll down a bit.
 
-Gonzo- said:
Go to the App Store and search for YouTube, if it’s not the latest then you’ll see UPDATE.
It shows the version number within that store listing screen if you scroll down a bit.
Click to expand...
You’re right. An update was available. I updated it. Will see how it goes. Thanks
 
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