AppleTV 4k Flicker in Dark Scenes

Question

Level 1

14 points

AppleTV 4k Flicker in Dark Scenes

I think many others have had this issue but I haven't seen a good solve for this.

When watching movies on any streaming app on AppleTV, when there are very dark scenes we see flickering in the dark scenes. It's become very distracting and consistent across Netflix, ATV+, HBO Max, etc.

I thought it was a Dolby Vision issue but it happens on Dolby Vision, 4K HDR, etc. And I have a new AudioQuest Cinnamon 8k-10k 48 GBPS HDMI cable going into a new Sony A95K TV.

Oddly, I've noticed zero flickering using the same native apps on the Sony TV. So it must be an AppleTV issue. I've tried unplugging the AppleTV, restarting it, etc but it still comes back.

Anyone have any good resolutions here?

Thanks!

Apple TV HD, tvOS 10

Posted on Dec 10, 2022 5:36 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Alahel40

Level 1

8 points

Jan 25, 2023 2:41 PM in response to Eric--F

Hi Carey Head. If you didn't already solved this problem, I probably encountered the same issue on both my LG C1 and G2.

Huge near-black flickering in dark scenes, and sometimes on more vivid content, only on apple TV. The native apps are OK.

I turned of the option called "smooth gradation" and the flickering in clearer scenes went away (and no issue with color banding, I really don't understand the purpose of such an option at LG).

For the main near-black flickering, it appears this is related to some kind of color-or-whatever mapping done by the Apple TV. I turned off the "match dynamic range", so everything is actually converted in dolby vision (not the best option, as it can mess with the original intent of some videos, but this seems an acceptable drawback regarding the flickering issue). No more problem after this, I can confirm this is working on both TVs.

Best regards.

Reply

Answer 2

mario49

Community Specialist

Dec 13, 2022 9:03 AM in response to Carey Head

Hello Carey Head,

We believe the following article can help you explore settings to resolve the flickering you're experiencing. With either or both of these settings please share any details you have about changes that occurred: Turn on Match Dynamic Range or Match Frame Rate on your Apple TV - Apple Support

Regards.

Reply

Answer 3

Eric--F

Community Specialist

Dec 14, 2022 5:12 PM in response to Carey Head

Hello Carey Head,

Yes, anything is possible at this point. The first thing you want to do is start isolating the issue. Try another cable. Try another port in the TV. Try hooking up the Apple TV to another TV and seeing if it's also occurring there too. We need to start ruling out everything to see if it's the TV, TV port, cable, Apple TV, or issues with streaming.

Thanks.

Reply

Answer 4

Bill_T1

Community Specialist

Dec 14, 2022 12:13 PM in response to Carey Head

Hi Carey Head,

While you've done some great isolation thus far, one element rule out before landing on the Apple TV as the responsible component would be the HDMI cable. From About 4K, HDR, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision on your Apple TV 4K:

"Apple recommends HDMI cables that have the Compatible Dolby Vision mark as they have been tested with Apple TV 4K and a wide range of TVs. An example is the Belkin Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable."

That article has other suggestions as well such as trying other HDMI ports, removing splitters or switch boxes, and confirming that the software on your Apple TV is fully up-to-date. If all of these are tested and fail to address the concern, then working with Apple directly via Get Support for the Apple TV would be next.

Regards.

Reply

Answer 5

Carey Head Author

Level 1

14 points

Dec 13, 2022 4:42 PM in response to mario49

Thank you for the reply. I checked the ATV settings and both match dynamic range and frame rate were on. Let me know if you have any other tips….

Also, interestingly I A/B’d watching some dark scenes in the movie Barbarian through HBO Max on the ATV and on the Sony A95K native HBO Max app. The flickering continued on the ATV but did not show up in the app on the Sony TV.

So something is fishy with the ATV itself. It’s a relatively new one as well. I’d hate to lose it but the flickering has become a consistent distraction.

Reply

Answer 6

Carey Head Author

Level 1

14 points

Dec 14, 2022 3:17 PM in response to Bill_T1

Thanks for the reply. I only have the 1 HDMI cable going from the ATV to the TV and its the AudioQuest Cinnamon 8k-10k 48GBPS cable here - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08J8H9XNZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Do you think the cable is suspect? I had read reviews that it was premium and should be able to handle this kind of content. Wdyt?

Thanks again

Reply

AppleTV 4k Flicker in Dark Scenes

Similar questions