Apple TV 4K - Screen Goes Black for a few seconds every few minutes

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Level 1

68 points

Apple TV 4K - Screen Goes Black for a few seconds every few minutes

Model A2169

tvOS 17.5.1

Settings - Video and Audio: Format 1080p SDR. HDMI Format YCbCr, Match Content (Match Dynamic Range OFF, Match Frame Rate OFF - Note: have also tried both ON with same result)

Internet - Hard-Wired

TV - Older Panasonic TC-P50G10

Everything was working as expected, then after a power outage, the TV screen started going dark for a few seconds after a few minutes. Sometimes part of the screen flashes snow and some colors for a split second. I have observed this even when viewing the Apple TV "Settings" screen (which seems to rule out an app setting). First noticed it watching Prime and Peacock. Checked cable connections, swapped cables, cables are high quality/high speed, reset settings, checked video settings on TV and AppleTV. Tried ON and OFF for the Match Dynamic Range and Match Frame Rate settings. Something appears to be searching for a setting. Today, it did not recover from its 'once every few minutes blackout' and I had to cycle power to get the picture back.

I borrowed a Firestick, everything else the same except it uses WiFi, and it does not exhibit this behavior. I like the Apple interface better, and want it to work, but for now the work-around seems to be a Firestick. Any other settings I should be trying?

Apple TV 4K (2nd generation)

Posted on Jun 29, 2024 11:35 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

6x6

Level 6

19,341 points

Jun 29, 2024 11:57 AM in response to sjsherratt

I had a similar experience recently.

I have a slightly different setup than yours: Apple TV 4K, Yamaha receiver, Panasonic TV. But I also experienced the flashing of "color static", albeit every few seconds or so. All Apple TV apps would do the same, including the Settings app. I had also the same issue using the Xbox instead of the Apple TV.

My solution was to unplug the receiver for 30 seconds and plug it back in. Have you tried to unplug the TV to reset it?

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Answer 2

sjsherratt Author

Level 1

68 points

Jun 29, 2024 1:12 PM in response to 6x6

@6x6 Thank you. I neglected to mention that I also have a Yamaha receiver inline, RX-V677. I did as you suggested and cycled power to everything. When I turned everything back on, the black screen events were more frequent, and there was more glitching as you described. Then as I was noticing the audio channel/speaker indicator icons going off and on, in sync with the glitches, I noticed the Cinema/DSP icon was on. I switched the receiver to Straight Decode mode (pressed the "Straight" button on the unit). That seems to have improved things, though not 100%.

My guess is the recent power outage reset the Yahama receiver, and turned things back on by default that I had disabled. I will keep looking for other fancy options I don't need that might be contributing to the poor performance with the Apple TV.

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Answer 3

sjsherratt Author

Level 1

68 points

Jun 30, 2024 3:20 PM in response to 6x6

Nothing is easy to get to. Performance was much better watching Peacock this morning. Turning off whatever sound processing turned itself back on by default in the Yamaha receiver after the power outage seems to be the best fix so far ...

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Answer 4

6x6

Level 6

19,341 points

Jun 29, 2024 4:12 PM in response to sjsherratt

At this point, I'd try to isolate the component that may be responsible. Do you have the issue if you bypass the receiver and plug the Apple TV directly to the TV?

If the receiver is the culprit, reinstalling the firmware might help.

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Apple TV 4K - Screen Goes Black for a few seconds every few minutes

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