Apple TV 4K Random HDMI Signal Loss

Hi,

I'm having the exact same issues a lot of others are having on this forum. I have an LG65C7P. I'm using standard HDMI 2.0 cables and after reading that a lot of folks that have replaced their cables with Belkin 2.1 have helped or even resolved the video dropouts. What throws me off is the 65C7P HDMI ports are only rated at 2.0a, which means installing a 48Gbps cable should make no difference. Is there anyone out there who might have more knowledge than i do on the HDMI spec that can elaborate how a 48Gbps cable can help when connecting to a port that only supports 18Gbps?

I’m currently having the issue as well for about 5 months. I just stumbled upon this discussion. It’s maddening. I usually have to reboot the Apple TV. Sometimes it flickers for a while before the signal finally goes out, and I’m worried it’s damaging my television. I decided to swap out the amazon basics hdmi (which was working fine for months) for a Rocketfish today. The image is slightly better, and no issues so far, but it’s only been hours.

Same issue with Samsung TV, shudders, goes blank then returns after about 15 seconds, does this 1 to 5 times during a movie. My setup does require a 20’ cable. I will try passing it through my AV unit which only needs a 2 ft cable.

I have an LG 55” SK8000PUA and have the same problems described throughout this thread. I just update my tv to 4.10.6. I’m Not sure if this will fix the problem but I’m hopeful. I plan to call Apple tomorrow to diagnose more. I’ve tried new cables. Checked different frame rates and hrz. The problem lies with the actual tv and the Apple TV fighting for the proper video format. When working in tandem I think them confuse each other. My two cents.

You're in good company here. If you manage to get that perfect combination of TV to go with your ATV it just won't work. The only success I was able to achieve was using SDR and dropping the resolution. Even then I still had to reboot the ATV every time I wanted to use it. What good is that I ask you? I've temporarily gone back to my old ATV and am using 1080p until I can find time to contact Apple. I will update this thread once this happens. Faulty product if you ask me.

I have the same issue with my Apple TV 4K and LG C7.

I had the issue with a cheapo HDMI cable from the start, so I bought a new, 3 foot "4K" rated cable, and the issue was solved.

I decided to run my cables in-wall and mount the TV. So I bought the 10 foot version of the same 4K cable.

Now, I'm back to intermittent issues.

Turning off Dolby Vision, lowering the refresh rate, etc aren't really viable fixes, otherwise I might as well go back to my 1080p plasma.

I'm on tvOS 12 now, but was on 11. No change.

I never had this problem until the lastest TVos update (September 2018) - now it has blackouts every so often!

I believe it can only mean one thing:

1. it's software related
2. It's most likely cost by ATV-software
3. it could be a combination of factors - so the TV, ATV, cable and video/audio-content could all be partners in crime...

Thanks. The cable switch doesn’t fix it for everybody. I have the Belkin in my large collection of cables, but it doesn’t make those faulty DolbyVision titles play without glitches on my Sony projector. Apple would have to fix the metadata.

I ended up replacing all my Apple TV related HDMI cables with Audioquest branded HDMI cables (Forest standard). The issue still persists. I have a Fetch TV, PS4, Switch and XBox One X connected with no such issues.

I am 100% convinced this is an Apple TV issue. Apple, please fix ASAP!

I’ve been watching these threads for months and have given up hope until apple fixes the firm ware. It is disappointing that I have bailed on atoms until the software is fixed but using the optical cable for now allows for blink free viewing.

Good news - hopefully it sticks. If I recall tvOS is Beta 4 -- I'd think there may be one more Beta before they release final. I think when Apple released the version that brought in ATMOS - things became dicey. That's my only complaint with Apple - they tend not to let users know of issues with existing versions - so you go out and change cables - sound bars, etc.

The issues seem to be more related to certain products - e.g., Sony Projectors, LG OLED. The problems hit a smaller, narrower, group of users - making issue detection and reporting more complex - and less likely to be found quickly. Not an excuse - just facts - the way I see it. Still hoping Sony will put out a FW update for our projector -- they are difficult to deal with - we see no issue is what they told me! Anyhow, hope your ATV continues to work well with the Beta.

I recently signed up as a beta tester, and had downloaded the latest beta version of tvOS. I also turned off automatic software updates. I just checked my AppleTV, and it shows that I'm running tvOS 12.1.2 (16K5534a). I assume this is no longer the beta version, but I can't recall how the beta version was displayed, though presumably it said beta somewhere. If I've been automatically updated to 12.1.2, I don't know when that happened. I did, though watch Netflix last night with no issues. I have an LG C9 OLED TV, with my AppleTV connected to a SONY soundbar model HT-ST5000.

I have updated to the latest stable OS (not beta yet) 12.1.2 and tried both ports that are non Arc with the same results. The TV is an LG UH668V, it's an 4k and HDR TV. In the specs of the HDMI ports of the TV, all 3 are listed as being 2.0a ports. The problem with Netflix is still present ( pressing the menu button to stop the movie and go back gives the black screen for 1-2 seconds). I have to test further, maybe try the betas or wait on the 12.2 final release. The new cable gives a better image quality though, i could tell from the first view of the home screen, the sharpness and detail are better, and i think the contrast too. First time noticing that from an HDMI cable.

I had no luck with the belkin cable, latest stable and beta release , non arc or arc ports, tried everything. I was still getting the black image for 1 2 seconds in netflix . I sold it and got something else, this was too stressfull for such a basic thing that should just work. Maybe with the new releases they will fix it. But this product came out in 2017, so it’s a shame, it’s 2019 and the problems are still there.

I think you are correct, the problem is either with the Apple TV 4K hardware or software. I was going to the Apple TV 4K unit and physically unplugging the power cord then reinserting it. I'll try to put it to sleep and wake with the Menu button. I may bring the unit back to Apple since I have not had the problem on other Apple TV 4K units I purchased at the same time.