Apple TV 4k (2021) HDR color banding

Plex Players Streaming Devices
103

I’m noticing this same issue now on Prime with the Wheel of Time TV show. I haven’t noticed it with other Prime shows. This feels like some combined issue with Apple TV and the app designers…

Edit: never mind, it must be an issue with the show itself. I tried different players including the one on my TV itself and they all show the same issue.

104

Chiming in, I have the same issue. I copied the BluRay with MakeMKV again just in case but it still happens with Apple TV 4K and LG C1. Only with Plex, it works with Infuse Pro as other people said. It also works on Plex with MacBook Pro 2021 14", but the same banding issue is present on iPhone 13 Pro. Latest versions of the Plex app on all devices.

File info:

  • Codec HEVC
  • Bitrate 72299 kbps
  • Language English
  • Language Tag en
  • Bit Depth 10
  • Chroma Location topleft
  • Chroma Subsampling 4:2:0
  • Coded Height 2160
  • Coded Width 3840
  • Color Primaries bt2020
  • Color Range tv
  • Color Space bt2020nc
  • Color Trc smpte2084
  • Frame Rate 23.976 fps
  • Height 2160
  • Level 5.1
  • Profile main 10
  • Ref Frames 1
  • Width 3840
  • Display Title 4K (HEVC Main 10 HDR)
  • Extended Display Title 4K (HEVC Main 10 HDR)
105

I actually just found this thread and I started a different thread but I’ll also cross post my thread here. I’m also running the 2021 4K Apple TV. During 4K HDR 10 playback for some reason it seems like highlights but especially in backgrounds seems to really band/moirè. Plus Dolby TrueHD is transcoding to Flac. I also tried playing the same file back in Infuse and there was no issue with banding and direct played the audio.

Plex TV OS app:

Plex
Plex512×306 72.3 KB

Plex
Plex816×612 95 KB

Infuse:

Infuse
Infuse516×308 67.2 KB

Infuse
Infuse816×612 94.2 KB

Server Version#: 1.24.5.5173
Player Version#: 7.25 (1615)

106

Irrelevant to the topic of color banding, but since you brought it up: This is expected behavior. The Apple TV does not support TrueHD or DTS-HD MA which is why you see it transcode to Flac. Infuse does software decoding of those audio formats to PCM, that the ATV then passes to your receiver, which it why it reports Direct Play. Also, any Atmos or DTS-X metadata is lost in the decoding.

107

Thanks for the info Scott. I am just getting into UHD and just noticed all these issues so I thought I’d put them into one post. I always thought the ATV couldn’t do Dolby TrueHD.

108

Bump, still an issue…

1 Like
109

I have experienced exactly the same problem as in your pictures, with Apple TV 4k (2021). Film was 1917 (Same film watched with Nvidia Shield tube looks amazing as it should - that said the shield is also plagued with many other issues)

Do you or anyone else have a problem with Judder / staccato playback / missing frames / jerky playback with ATV 4K (2021) both old and new video players with 4K content - both mentioned problems make watching 4K films very unpleasant!

110

Nope, for me everything plays smooth in general. But the banding and atmos issues forces me to use Infuse anyway…

2 Likes
111

I have the same problem. Doesn’t seem to be 4k specific for me, but I see it almost exclusively with x265 content even on 1080p shows. Definitely not a network problem, but something in Plex. Everything plays fine in infuse.

1 Like
112

I agree the common variable seems to be HEVC, not 4k and/or HDR. I also see banding in 1080p SDR HEVC videos.

2 Likes
113

This is what stops me from buying the new apple tv, seems pretty vital to get 4k to display properly on a device meant for 4k

114

“ME TOO” - how has an issue like this not been fixed? I can watch these videos on my Vizio TV Plex App, but not on a super expensive device designed to play 4K and by a company that implements HEVC on it’s own devices.

1 Like
115

I’m getting the feeling that they simply don’t know how to fix it… but anyway, I was always holding on to Plex instead of Infuse because of the better UI but the Infuse player is so vastly superior that this issue and the lack of proper spatial audio support made me switch a couple of months back.

116

Same problem here on a ATV 4K 2021 with LG C8. I can clearly see the banding in the sky of the movie 1917 (at 23 minutes for example). No banding in Infuse.

117

I’m having the same Problem:

Apple TV4k 2021 + LG C1 OLED

  • ATV: 4k SDR / Match Range
  • Plex App: Auto HDR

Example: Blade Runner 2049

  • Plex on ATV: Color Banding and SDRish Picture
  • Infuse on same ATV: Everything Perfect

I noticed that the Plex App does not trigger the HDR Mode of the TV.

Playing the movie in Infuse triggers the modechange, the TV displays the HDR Logo und shows the Colorspace BT.2020 in the Information menu:
image

Playing the movie with the Plex app does not trigger the HDR Mode. I have tried numerous combinations of ATV and Plex HDR-Settings with no effect.
image

– Edit

Tested Dune (2021)

With Dune (2021) Plex triggered the Dolby Vision mode while Infuse triggered HDR10 Mode :confused:

image
image

3 Likes
118

Is plex acknowledging this issue? Or is it being swept under the rug like nothing is happening wth? I’m losing faith in this 2 man developing team.

119

they acknowledged it back in September.

120

We are approaching February 2022 and still not a single update for this issue. The issue is not present on Infuse app and Native LG Plex app.

4 Likes
121

I am also seeing this same issue with a new AppleTV 4K (no issues on my old one)

1 Like
122

ha! have the same issue exactly for months now but never knew the proper name for it (color branding) so couldn’t understand whats wrong (im a neewb in HT :))

actually posted on this a few days ago

so glad i found his post as i was loosing my mind and thought its only on my machine!

following to see if this can be resolved…its especially bad for me in bright dessert areas (dune, mandalorian, boba fett etc…good thing im a huge star wars fan… :slight_smile: :slight_smile: )

2022-01-30_09-23-51
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4 Likes