Dolby Vision content displaying distorted since tvOS 12.4 update.

I have only seen this issue with the Apple TV and Dolby Vision Content.

I have two TVs that support DV and here are my observations of this issue:

Built in Netflix App, Vizio P65-F1 - No Issue

Netflix on Xbox One X, Vizio P65-F1 - No Issue

Netflix on Xbox One X, TCL 2018 6 Series - No Issue

Netflix on Roku TV, TCL 2018 6 Series - No Issue

AppleTV+ on Apple TV, Vizio P65-F1 - Issues

Netflix on Apple TV, Vizio P65-F1 - Issues

I have not tried my ATV on the TCL, but will try and do that and report back.

I think this issue was originally related to Dolby Vision display errors with AppleTV4K devices.

I don’t believe any implementation of the Apple TV+ app running on Roku or other TVs support Dolby Vision playback, but let me know if that has changed.

I have a Roku TCL 6 series TV 55R625 with software 9.2.2 and Apple+ or movie Dolby Vision content hosted by Apple still has problems with certain low light scene content.

I have feeling it won’t be fixed until new versions of these movies are re-encoded and re-uploaded to Apple’s servers with new Dolby Vision profiles applied.

I’m not convinced it’s an issue with Apple TV 4K any longer. When I unplug my HDMI cable with a bad Dolby vision image on screen, then plug back in or into another HDMI port, the image is no longer distorted.

Unfortunately this ‘fix’ doesn’t stick.

I’ll try to test out the replugging of HDMI as others have said this helps but wouldn’t I need to pause the movie on the problem scene to see if it worked and, if I change inputs, wouldn’t the Apple TV force me to run the Dolby Vision test again?

I've been digging into this a bit over the weekend. I can also see the problem in Lost in Space s01e04 on the AppleTv netflix app. On my TV's netflix app it plays without any issue. I plugged in an FireTv 4k stick which also supports DoblyVision and the episode plays without issue in DolbyVision.

It seems highly unlikely that Netflix have a specially encoded apple version of the show sitting on their servers - so it would be fair to conclude that the problem is not with the TV or the encode but with the AppleTv hardware/software introduced around 12.4 update. I think short of apple issuing an OS fix, there's nothing we can do.

I think you’re right and I won’t hold my breath on Apple fixing it any time soon.

We seem to be in a minority with this issue.

Oh well, they lose a sub for ATV+ from me since the problem is more apparent there than anywhere else.

I was also able to pause my Apple TV on a scene with a raised black/color error, unplug and plug back in the HDMI cable from back of the Apple TV device and it did fix the problem until I changed content or tried playing the same scene again. I also tried a another certified cable and different HDMI ports on the TV and got the same behavior.

Interesting, but what does it mean?

Just bought an Apple 4k TV to go with my new Sony Str dn 1080 Atmos receiver, as iTunes has the most Atmos content. Unfortunately I have the exact same issue as you guys on my Sony A8F DV certified TV. Have isolated all possibke causes - it's definitely the Apple 4k TV...

I have to say, I dont think even the 'fixed' image is correct (on mine at least), its just better than the bad image. The shadows are blocked up and have a blueish tinge to them. Just my observations. Hard to tell as I've not seen it as 'correct'

Since I think we’ve established that no one has issues with DV via the smart TV apps ie Netflix but all issues seem to be anything running from ATV through HDMI, can we say that no one has had any issues running DV from any other source through HDMI ? Just to be sure it’s definitely isolated to ATV hardware/software?

As far as I can tell, reading all the threads from different places I could find this issue on, the problem seems isolated to Dolby Vision content from Apple TV+, iTunes content with Dolby Vision (only certain titles as far as i can tell) and certain Dolby Vision videos on Netflix (Lost In Space as an example).

All of these issues are when using the Apple TV 4K as the streamer.

I had the same problem with the Dolby Vision iTunes copy of Once Upon Time in Hollywood as posted previously. Dark scenes throughout would bloom off and on and it became unwatchable, so I had to finish by watching the Blu-ray. It even happens at the beginning of Apple's own Morning Show -- it became so annoying that I just turned it off. I thought it might be my new TV, which supports DV, but apparently not. I have have had no issues with DV in Netflix and Disney+, so it has to be an Apple issue. Severely disappointing.

I have an update for the problem. I have an LG TV UH850V model as I have previously posted and I tested my iPad Pro with a USB-C to HDMI 2.0 converter by Apple and guess what no problem with the Apple TV+ content! So the problem must lie in the Apple TV 4K software or hardware and not on the iTunes or Apple TV+ Dolby vision encoding. The problem is there for months and Apple had done nothing to fix this.

I called this in last week as well and have an active case open with Apple. Received a call back today stating that engineering is most definitely aware of the overall issue and working to resolve. Remember, the more people that call in for case numbers, the more traction it will get. Thanks.

Yes. Apple all but admitted it was 100% related to its firmware update. It has to be. My fire TV displays and native TV apps display Dolby Vision just fine. I’m not sure what Apple Is doing with their Dolby Vision, but it is a bit frustrating that a $35 dollar Amazon dongle works perfectly and the $180 ATV is buggy. If I didn’t own so much iTunes content I’d just use the Fire TV and my problem would be solved.