Apple TV 4K Random HDMI Signal Loss

switched from audioquest pearl to the apple store belkin hdmi. no dropout issues now.

Some support articles

https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT208074

https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT200197

POTENTIAL SOLUTION. OK I think I fixed the issue, at least for the time being. I did a factory "reset and update" and set-up my ATV again. Although my TVOS was already up-to-date prior to doing this, it did download an update prior to restarting, which was a bit strange. Realize that it is not ideal to set up and install your apps all over again, but this is typically what Apple will ask you to do as the first step. Suspect there might be some software issue/bug that has not yet been identified or that may have been introduced in the recent software update. We shall see...

I don't think it's the cable length was the issue because before I purchased the Echogear HDMI 2.1 (as mentioned in an earlier post), I tried using two different 6ft Amazon basics HDMI 2.0b cables and still had the problems. I have an LG 55" 7700 60hz 4k TV with Dolby Vision (DV) running an Apple TV 4k with no problems using a 6ft Amazon basics cable. My 65" 120hz 8500 4k with DV didn't work until I bought the Echogear HDMI 2.1. I still believe the problem was the 2.0 cables can't handle the bandwidth of DV, color bit depth, and 120hz; the specs say it can't so it makes sense.

I seem to have fixed the problem by plugging my AppleTV into a non-ARC HDMI port on my LG OLED65b7. Though it’s only been a day so maybe it will start again. But so far so good! No black screens yet.

I tried the non-Arc and that didn't work. I did try 2 different cables and one worked better than the other. First cable it was every few seconds and the other cables was maybe every 10min.

I just order some Monoprice HDMI cables that someone recommended in another forum. I paid $10 shipped for a 3ft and 6ft Certified Premium cable. I provided a link to the reddit page were users had good results.

https://www.reddit.com/r/appletv/comments/78w0je/anyone_tried_monoprice_hdmi_cab les_which_does_4k/#bottom-comments

I just wanted to add that with the MonoPrice premium cable I tried switching to 4k HDR 60HZ and was able to watch 4k Netflix show the "Fastest Car" for 3 hours without any signal loss.

I can check the other settings if anyone is interested. So hopefully the cable resolved the issue.

I actually believe that this is an LG issue, and that the latest LG software update made the issue worse. Note that LG is the one common denominator of pretty much all posts in this thread. I have an LG 55” B7A, which had this issue in December (not just with AppleTV but with my xfinity box outputting good ol’ 1080p as well). It suddenly went away with software version 4.70.36 which was rolled out in late Dec.. Everything was fine for 6 months until the beginning of July when they rolled out 4.71.0. Now it’s worse than ever. Can’t watch anything for more than 10 minutes before signal loss. And LG “tech support” is worthless. I‘ve switched sources, cables, ive taken my AVR out of the equation - so far all troubleshoposting points to the LG.

Hi - in our case we have a late-model Sony Projector - the picture was dropping out for a second or two in the same spots - in this case on "Fallout." That movie is DV - and ATV has to change it to HDR since our projector is not DV capable. Tried various settings on the ATV - no luck. HDMI cable is a long run - 10 meters: FiBBR Ultra Pro HDMI v2.0b Active Fiber Optical Cables. I was going to lay blame on it until I saw your note.

In the projector the menu allows access to "Expert settings." In it there is a setting for HDR. Ours was set to Auto. Changed it to HDR10 and the video dropouts no longer occur. We will have to watch some more material but so far it looks good.

Reply To robnbill,

Thanks for the link. I did indeed sign up for the Apple Beta Testing Program, and downloaded the latest beta of tv OS about an hour ago. While it's early yet, I can say that I was easily able to open Netflix and watch content with no difficulty. The same went for Prime Video and Showtime apps. I have my AppleTV connected to my SONY soundbar, and set the audio/video settings to the most demanding, e.g., Dolby Vision etc. Hopefully, this will continue, but as of now, it seems to have resolved my problems. Too bad I had the store take back my Samsung soundbar (I liked it better than the SONY one I have now). Oh well.

FWIW, I have been having this problem for months now. Seems to me it was introduced when there was a tvOS update. I have read accounts here that the timing is related to the introduction of atmos. That sounds about right but not sure it has anything to do with atmos.

Anyway, my analysis is this problem has absolutely nothing to do with cables. (Probably the cable guys lurking here trying to drum up business).

What I have found that what works for me temporarily is to reboot the ATV from the settings That seems to clear up the problem for a few hours. Long enough to watch a movie or evening of tv. It is likely a memory leak that is the cause which is definitely a firmware issue that Apple needs to fix. I wish Apple would put the option in the settings somewhere to allow one to schedule a timed reboot. That would not fix the problem but at least it would allow me to avoid having to experience it. Reminds me of the days i had to reboot my router every day ... i expect better from Apple.

On the phone with Apple right now.... 12.1.2 reintroduces the issue again. I had a stable 12.1.1 beta for 3+ weeks with zero drops. I had the auto updates turned off but when I sat down this evening to watch a movie and 5 minutes in, the picture and sound dropped, my heart sank. Somehow it updated and Im now, once again the owner of a $150 paper weight. Please, if using the beta fixed your problem, avoid upgrading at all costs.

My Apple TV 4K decided to do a random hdmi signal loss two times in a row on 12.1.2 four days ago. Decided to update to the beta tvOS 12.2 (16L5191D) and haven't had any problems. I am convinced the betas are better then the regular releases at this point.

Sorry - again, I would first make sure the OS is up to date and then get that Belkin cable and try using the non ARC HDMI port but make sure you use the correct HDMI port on your TV that is 4k functional (its usually HDMI 2 and 3).

What exact TV are you using - ie model #.

Bought the Belkin Ultra HD High Speed HDMI Cable, and changed the setting to Chroma 4:2:2, because the regular HDMI cable on 4:2:0 was not working. I haven't had any problems and the picture looks sharper.