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User profile for user: Catalyst137
Catalyst137 Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

iTunes bitrates on Apple TV app(firestick/roku) vs Apple TV 4k

I was under the impression that apple TV+ and iTunes had one of the best quality streaming at 4k. I recently bought Lord of the Rings and Hobbit extended trilogies. As I started watching on the apple TV app on roku, the quality really wasn't that great; can tell it's 4k at times, but is quite blurry and smeary looking, black level not great, without seeing any grain. I setup my firestick 4k with ability to show bitrate, and to my dismay, the bitrate was only capping out at 15mps, 12mpbs more often. I loaded lord of the rings on amazon, and it was staying around 10-12 in stills and peaking at 25 mbps.


I don't have an apple TV 4k to compare, but I have done enough research online that shows iTunes films regularly peak at around 30mbps on the apple TV 4k. Does anyone have any experience, opinion or evidence that the Apple Tv app on third-party devices have significantly lower 4k quality compared to other services like amazon, Netflix, or Disney+.


I feel like it is almost false advertising or manipulative to lower the quality on third party devices. Couldn't they serve the same quality stream to all devices, and let the Apple TV stand on it's own feet, without having to artificially lower quality on other devices. Either way, isn't the company shooting it's self in the foot, by showing inferior quality when using these other devices.


Photo below Is from Amazon on firestick 4k using hdr10+


Photo Below is Apple TV on firestick 4k using dolby vision


FireTVStick4K(2018)/Soundbar(2019),

Posted on Apr 23, 2024 3:41 PM

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User profile for user: Catalyst137
Catalyst137 Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Apr 24, 2024 6:38 PM in response to Urquhart1244


I did get a glimpse of 17 mbps on Apple TV app(firestick), but it is extremely rare and amazon was still at 22 mbps. The more noticeable one is the boat on the water; 13079 for apple and 22127 for amazon. Also what's going on with the colors!? Amazon seems to have a much more rich and realistic color with added detail.


I asked copilot a question and this is what it gave me.


You:

does the apple tv app on third party devices have a different bitrate compared to an appletv 4k


Copilot Using the web:

Certainly! Let’s explore the differences in bitrate between the Apple TV app on third-party devices and the Apple TV 4K:

Bitrate on Third-Party Devices (e.g., LG TVs):The Apple TV app on third-party devices, such as LG TVs, typically streams 4K content at an average bitrate of approximately 10-17 Mbps[1].

This bitrate ensures a good quality viewing experience, but it may not match the higher bitrates available on the Apple TV 4K.

Apple TV 4K Bitrate:The Apple TV 4K (the standalone hardware device) offers a higher bitrate for streaming 4K content.

On the Apple TV 4K, the bitrate ranges from 15-31 Mbps for the same 4K content[1].

This higher bitrate contributes to better image quality, especially for scenes with fast motion or intricate details.


Seems to match with my examples. I find it too bad that the 4k is limited this much, they could have given a bit more, atleast till 22mbps with a higher average; and still keep the peak 30 for the appletv 4k.

I have to admit though, the dolby atmos at ~780 is nice, compared to amazon's 192 DD+


Personally for me, I wish that it would be advertised more that third party devices don't get anywhere near the full 4k picture quality. I was so confused and dumfounded when everyone was saying itunes and appletv+ had the best quality and highest bitrates!? People should mention... only on the apple TV 4k box. Let me know what you think.

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iTunes bitrates on Apple TV app(firestick/roku) vs Apple TV 4k

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