Apple TV app pixelated on Sony Bravia Android Tv

I think I've found the fix. It seems to be an issue with the Android TV software in the Sony Bravia TV. I had my TV set to Update Automatically, but it seems that wasn't really the case. You have to manually update the Android TV software by going to the TV's home screen, Settings, Device Settings, About, System Update, Update Manually. After doing that, I can finally watch Apple TV+ with a 4K stream without glitches.

Yeah, that’s not a fix. That’s lowering the video quality. I have a 4K TV that works with every other app and streaming service on it in 4K with zero problems. Apple TV+ is a pixelated mess in HD, no matter what movie I play. I sell and install AV systems and Sony TVs. I have hardwired gigabit Ethernet, and 300Mb Comcast Business bandwidth. There should be no buffering or steaming issues. This is a MAJOR problem with the Apple TV app

i think I found a way to fix it.

goto you Apple TV settings - limit play back to SD make sure this is on. This actually fixed the pixelled movie streaming that on Apple TV had the issue with. I turned the tv on and off, cleared cache on all the apps on my Sony Bravia, restarted the router as well which didn’t fix it. I also turned off the Share Apple TV app analytics as well. Hope this helps

I had trouble at first finding how to force the relevant software update. My Sony Bravia (model KD65A1, purchased March 2018)is a Google one and last year I could not even install the Apple TV app. It wasn't offered in the Google store. Then in January this year I discovered it was now available and so installed it to be able to watch Bad Sisters. When it was unwatchable I, I searched for help and stumbled upon this thread, and by switching to SD only was at least able to watch the series with minimal picture problems.

I thought my TV was set to automatic software updates, so when I checked last week to see if problems had been resolved by an update (as other writers had found) and discovered they weren't, I was puzzled.

Instructions on how to locate software update controls did not apply to my TV model so went exploring and finally found the answer. Might help others.

Go to Home Screen

Go to Apps

Go to Help

Go to System Software Update

Select System Update - "check for update and install"

As soon as this was done I checked Apple TV and everything was perfect in HD - finally!

Looks like the issue might have stemmed from Apple/Google compatibility issues perhaps. And in future I will check for software updates manually rather than assuming Sony will supply them automatically.

having the same problem! I've watched Ted Lasso in what I wouldn't even describe as pixels, just coloured blurbs interspersed with video for 5 episodes now. Reminds me of streaming bad quality videos in the days of torrent

Thanks for that tip. Tried streaming Bad Sisters tonight. First time user of the Apple TV app. We have a Sony Bravia 4K. Picture was totally pixelated and unwatchable. Never had problems with Netflix, Stan or when streaming Foxtel or free streaming apps. Took your advice and adjusted Apple app to play SD and able to watch entire episode with only one very small blip for a few seconds. Ok for this show but won’t be happy to watch HD or UHD movies on Apple if this is the only fix!

Installed the app today having discovered it was now available in the Google store. Couldn’t find it a few months ago when I first looked.

After trying a few times to update the system software through the internal menu on the TV (Home>Settings>Device Preferences>About>System Software Updates>Software Update), I found the most recent version of the software on the Sony website using my model and “current version of software”. I downloaded it to a USB on my laptop and followed the instructions on the Sony website and uploaded the software via the USB on the TV. Now my TV is up to date and the pixelation is gone. If you want to use the USB method make sure that you follow the instruction to make sure you don’t corrupt the software on the TV. The update took between 15 and 20 minutes.

I was wrong. The firmware update WILL solve all problems. However, you do have to FORCE an update because just following the prompts and going through the process does not always result in a complete update. You have to get to the point where the message comes on the screen announcing a successful update and indicating it will be applied once the set is turned off. Otherwise you didn’t get an update.

Hi All,

Many thanks to behickey for pointing out that Update Automatically doesn't always do what is implied and that a manual update to the latest appropriate firmware for your Sony Bravia may fix the Apple TV pixel problem - it fixed mine. Here is my story. My Sony TV is a KD-75x780f (2018 model from Costco). Step 1 - Hit HELP button on Sony remote. The existing software version appears on the upper right of the screen underneath the model number. Mine was PKG6.6555xxxx. Write that down. Step 2 - Using the internet, navigate to Sony.com. Step 3 - Choose Business & Products. Step 4 - Choose Electronics. Step 5 - Choose Consumer Electronics. Step 6 - Choose TV & Home Theater. Step 7 - Choose Smart TVs. Step 8 - Choose Product Technical Support. Step 9 - Search for KD-75x750f (obviously you would search for your model). After Step 9 I was at the KD-75x780f Model Support Page. Step 10 - navigate to the Downloads tab. Appearing on my laptop, once I hit the download tab, was a Firmware Update v6.7220. There was an option to view all applicable models for this Update and mine was among them. Step 11 - download the update file. Step 12 - follow the instructions on the download page for methods to manually install the update.

Remember the number you wrote down in Step 1? PKG6.6555xxxx (for me). The new downloaded software for my TV was PKG6.7220xxxx. Because my current software was clearly out of date I used the USB method to update my software (it is described on the download page). It was pretty simple. I copied the downloaded update from my laptop to a USB thumb drive. I plugged the USB thumb drive into the back of my TV. The TV recognized the drive and did the rest. The software update took about 20 minutes. Afterwards when I hit the HELP button on the remote the software version displayed as PKG6.7220xxxx.

Most importantly - Apple TV now works perfectly! Total time (once I knew what to do) was about an hour.

This is happening to me too on a Sony TV. Even with the SD workaround, the pixellation makes stuff unwatchable. I have several other streaming services working without a problem so there is nothing wrong with my set-up. This is indeed a major and embarrassing problem with Apple TV. I am surprised there isn't more about this on the Internet.

Actually. thinking about this again -pixellated is probably the wrong word because that just implies a drop in picture quality but a discernable picture still remains. This problem is more like parts of the picture turning to random noise. It looks almost like a screen refresh/stream compression problem because the messed up part (which could be say the bottom half of the screen) will stay messed up until a movie scene changes and an entire picture refresh is forced. Not a very technical description but I am trying to say that this problem makes AppleTV unwatchable. I am currently on a free trial, so I won't be paying for AppleTV at the end of the trial period.

Thank you, awesome Internet person. This was making me nutty and now it’s fixed!

I witnessed something similar. The video is sharp for a moment, then gets more and more glitchy over a few seconds, then gets sharp again. It looks like a compression issue, which gets reset anytime a new keyframe comes in.

So here is what worked for me. Go to Settings, About. Uncheck automatic software updates. Click check for software updates. Download and install update. AppleTV Worked fine after this procedure. For some reason when automatic is checked there are still uninstalled updates. Hope this works for you.

Yeah same problem.

Trailers and previews work fine, but the shows are a ghosty pixelated mess. Updating the TV software doesn't work. Nothing works. Dropping the resolution to SD makes it work but it looks rubbish and I don't want to watch SD content. Absolute shambles. Can't believe Apple put this app out.