Netflix Dolby Atmos problems with new Apple TV 4k

The argument about the Apple TV not passing through audio to the AVR has been raging since the introduction of the Apple TV. People apparently want to see their AVR’s display showing the encoding and are confused when all it says is “multi-in” or “PCM". Why Apple does this is anyone’s guess. Could be licensing, could be engineering, could be a reason we don’t know about. As I said, this argument has been around for many years now and Apple hasn’t budged.

There are two avenues to pursue in my opinion:

1. Keep sending feedback.
2. Get rid of your Apple TV and buy something else.

there are a few major concerns here:

1. possible buggy code released into production before its ready
2. insufficient testing done
3. possible hardware design problem?
4. apple not admitting to the issue/shifting blame/not responding on these forums

i thought Apple was better than this :-(

In my experience, I have found that any content featuring a Dolby Atmos track will produce this result to varying degree/severity, so you might consider a full switchover to TV apps to save yourself the juggling act and possible damage to your speakers. Or, if you are more enamored of your video quality of the ATV, then disable Atmos processing. I decided on the former option as I truly enjoy the Atmos experience and had need of the ATV to be used elsewhere in a non-Atmos setup.

I find the behavior is the most severe in Netflix, but I have also witnessed the popping/clicking to occur in:

• Disney+ (Encanto)
• HBOMax (Matrix Resurrections)
• iTunes movies (Trolls World Tour)
• VUDU (can't remember which movie)

I've had Atmos issues in Netflix with the following setup:

• Apple TV 4K 2ᴺᴰ gen
• tvOS 15.3
• LG SL8Y soundbar
• Mecer UHD monitor
• ATV -> Soundbar -> Monitor (ARC, EDID 2.0)

Software for all devices is the latest available for each.

In Netflix, I started watching The Adam Project yesterday and the soundbar repeatedly switched in and out of Atmos, causing sound to drop out every second i.e. audio for 1 second, no audio for 1 second, audio for 1 second, no audio for 1 second ... endlessly. This happened with any Atmos title in the Netflix app.

I restarted all devices, no change. Switched 'Audio Format > Change Format' to 'On' to force Dolby 5.1, audio issues gone.

Switched 'Audio Format > Change Format' to 'Off' to allow Atmos again, the issue returns.

In the Amazon Prime app, launched The Tomorrow War and the soundbar switched to Atmos, without any audio issues.

Back to Netflix, launched The Adam Project again and the soundbar switched to Atmos, and the audio issues are now gone.

All signs point to software for me ...

Hey folks…I think I’ve done it!!!!! Short version: Amazon app not working, read “not connecting to internet”. So, appletv user says he changed the DNS configuration and, viola, the Amazon app worked again. Confusing communication I guess. Well, rewatched Warrior Nun on NetFlix tonight and not one dropout! Not one! Now, this is only one hour on NetFlix but I have never gone this long without the audio issue on this new Appletv 4K!

Change the configure DNS from automatic to manual in settings. Give it a try and report back.

For those of you NOT tech savvy, here’s how you do it:

1. Go to “settings” (the gray wheel app), click
2. scroll down to “network”, click
3. “Ethernet” should be highlighted, click
4. scroll down to “configure DNS”, click
5. scroll down to “manual” click
6. scroll right to “done”, click
7. exit out of “settings” back to AppleTV app screen

Crossed fingers!!,

Just watched the Adam project without any dropouts.

I had my Apple TV in a closed closet (only opening in the back) and it felt rather warm. When I installed the Netflix update I at the same time got The Apple TV out of the closet and it's now standing free and doesn't run warm. Since then no dropouts for several days now.

I wonder of the problems are also heat related in the Apple TV. Maybe it is a combination of things and it is worth to try out.

1. Use a good 48GB/s HDMI cable
2. Use the latest FW on the Apple TV.
3. Put the Apple TV where it runs cool enough.

People just coming into this discussion should read a bunch of comments before they post

1. It is definitely not just Netflix. Apple TV, Paramount Plus, Etc. all have dropouts. If they don't for you, you are lucky
2. You already have great cables (I would hope if you have an Atmos setup). Don't waste your time and money changing them.
3. Why in the world would you switch to 1080p??????? I would get rid of the Apple TV before I even tried that to see if it worked
4. I forget which update but it is now an issue with 1st gen 4k's as well
5. The only thing that seems to help is connecting via WiFi and not ethernet. I have no idea why but it does appear to make a difference (at least for me and many others)
6. It is mind boggling that Apple has not fixed this problem

You are losing some of the audio effects that way but if you can't tell the difference and I don't think many can then that is a work around. I put a lot into the Atmos setup with 4 in ceiling speakers and can't really tell they do anything. :(

Did you ever figure this out?

Or have you had any further experiences with it?

I have a new Atmos sound bar & we watched our first Netflix / Atmos movie using it last night. The sound will drop out inexplicably and unpredictably, but I’ve had no other issues watching stuff on other apps. 🤷‍♂️

Okay, I may be misunderstanding the whole thing...First thing first, what was you guys's problem with NF app on ATV 4k, to begin with? I bought the ATV today & updated it to the latest software, I can see the Atmos label in the title description on NF via ATV, however, the surround & SQ doesn't feel like atmos. When I play the same title on my windows laptop NF app, it's far better sound & image. Also, the receiver app displays the audio input details (5.4 ch +atmos) better when played on windows app..

I was expecting a bump up in AV quality with ATV 4k, but it's been a disappointing first day. For cables, my ATV sits next to the receiver, I can get a 2 ft. wire. But the projector is about 8 ft away.

Yes! I also have the new AppleTV 4k (released May, 2021) and a Denon AVR8500HA that I purchased last summer (August, 2021). The AppleTV 4k is connected directly to the Denon's "Media Player" HDMI input as my TV doesn't have E-ARC.

There's no problem with most Netflix programs, but when I watch "Drive to Survive", every minute or two, the audio glitches. It goes silent, and then there's something like an echo that gets faster and faster until finally, the sound re-synchronizes. Kind of a stuttering that gets faster and faster for about 5-10 seconds.

The video is fine, and I have a Monoprice certified 48gbps cable between the AppleTV and the Denon -- not that this should matter, since I'd expect the video would go bad before the audio.

If I tell the AppleTV to disable Atmos and deliver 5.1, everything is fine. But it's only 5.1 and "Drive to Survive" has absolutely spectacular sound (it should win awards as an Atmos showcase).

Both Denon and AppleTV had software updates a few days ago, and neither had any effect so I'm running the latest and greatest software.

I understand that AppleTV does not have a "Passthrough" mode so my Denon can decode the streaming audio signal. Instead, AppleTV decodes the lossy Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 stream that Netflix sends to uncompressed PCM audio and then uses something called Dolby MAT 2.0 to send the Atmos metadata information. I suspect something is going wrong in that process, at least with Netflix. It mostly seems to fail when there is a lot of bass-heavy audio going on in "Drive to Survive", like the room-rattling racecar noises (vroom vroom).

Why, oh why, can't AppleTV just pass through the audio and let our receivers do the decoding? Riddle me that!

Is there a way to raise a bug report?