Will the new Apple TV 4K 3rd generation support hi-res lossless audio?
Apple TV 4K, tvOS 16
Save your money. The correct answer to this question is NO the new Apple TV 4K, 3rd generation DOES NOT offer “Hi-Res Lossless audio (ALAC up to 24-bit/192 kHz)” as an option. You will find this offered on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac, but not the new Apple TV introduced in November 2022. The best you can do is CD quality (i.e. Lossless) which is not the same as “Apple Digital Master” Hi-Res Audio. I wasted money buying the new Apple TV 4K after being told in the Apple Store that it DID support Apple’s Hi-Res audio. Very dissatisfied with the way Apple has rolled out this Hi-Res feature.
@1RS
If the mini does no other things than playing Music you could buy an old one at ebay. Mac Mini Mid 2011 works with the "OpenCore Legacy Patcher" and Monterey. - It's not a setup I like. But it works and I get the hi-res for which I pay Apple Music to the hi-fi system.
I called apple and after the tiresome task of finding anyone who even understood my question I was told at first the new Apple TV would support hi-res audio, only to be sent the specs which do not say that at all. Called again and after asking to get a representative who undertstood what I was talking about I was told it does not, but he didn't even know there was a third generation just released.
@BitzgiSF
I bought a WiiM Mini. It's a funny little sweet thing. Witch much streaming services. Amazon, Tidal, Spotify, Qobuz, Deezer, Napster, SoundCloud, TuneIn, vTuner (without subscription) and a few more. It plays hi-res up to 24/192, but it's not a high-end device. I think I will use it to pimp up an old stereo radio. The WiiM Pro would be the better solution for HiFi.
The App is good. Amazon Music makes more fun with the WiiM App, than with the original.
To compare Amazon Music and Apple Music I installed Amazon on my Mac mini too. Amazon Music is less intuitive and the search is worse. Also, any piece of music that is 24k is classified as "Ultra HD", even if it is 44.1kHz. Amazon Music also seems to me to be less curated. In terms of sound, I couldn't find that the same resolutions sounded worse on Apple. In both cases I saved the music as files on the Mini and then sent it to the DAC via USB.
In the meantime, I think Apple should release not only an ATV with hi-res output, but also an only audio device that provides storage and also SPDIF and USB out. Or they finally license Apple Music to other manufacturers, like Apple TV. On the WiiM website the Apple Music logo was already visible beside Amazon....
I'm sure I got Hi-Res audio from my MacBook pro hooked up via HDMI running Apple Music. And when testing my iPad Pro with a dongle (Apple Lightning Digital AV Adapter) I'm pretty sure I got Hi-Res there too (24/192).
I don't understand why the Apply TVs of 2022 don't - technically. Financially I understand why.
@crofford
I told in this thread that there is a Mac App that setups the output rate on the fly. It is called "Lossless Switcher".
https://github.com/vincentneo/LosslessSwitcher
There is a ready DMG file to install it on github. But you can also compile a newer (beta) by yourself.
https://github.com/vincentneo/LosslessSwitcher/tree/1.1.0-beta7
Yes. You got hi-res with a MacBook over HDMI or USB. But to use Mac hardware (and iPad via USB-C) is the only possibility to play 24/192. And many people want more, above all to play hi-res with an ATV.
Yes, if it meets the requirements, see About Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos in Apple Music - Apple Support
Apple TV 4K supports FLAC, AIFF, and WAV = High resolution lossless.
It’ll do that if the connected HiFi equipment is capable of it. Also true of your iDevices and Mac. Use Feedback - Apple TV - Apple if you don’t find Apple’s guidance clear.
I would agree that the Music App is bit of a black box when it comes to high resolution formats, Atmos, device compatibility, external DACs, specs etc. Use Feedback - Apple TV - Apple.
No. Airplay 2 does not support the highest quality audio format from Apple (24-bit/192kHz). As previously stated.
I don’t - that’s what Feedback’s for. Here’s the link: Feedback - Apple TV - Apple.
Yes, and my Apple TV 4K 2nd generation supports all those formats, too. But it doesn’t support Apple Hi-res Lossless, which are ALAC files about 48 kHz. I am trying to find out if the new 3rd generation Apple TV 4K will support Apple Hi-res Lossless. The specs just say “Apple Lossless.”
ALAC is not high resolution lossless but supported on ATV. High resolution lossless is FLAC, AIFF, Wav etc., all also ATV-supported.
Your original question confused the two (and everyone here) - that’s ok, no problem 😁. Anyway, I believe there’s enough in this thread for you to sort it out; for the rest you can use feedback Feedback - Apple TV - Apple. Good luck!
New Apple TV 4K and hi-res lossless
