HDR content playback is dark on AppleTV 4k 2022 (3rd gen)

Plex Players Streaming Devices
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Server Version#: 1.32.4.7195
Player Version#: 8.22

Plex app on AppleTV plays back all HDR content very dark, muted colours, compared to SDR content or forcing the HDR content into SDR mode.

This appears to be the same issue as the (now locked) thread here, so I’ve tried to include any and all info suggested for inclusion in the previous thread to assist in debugging.

TV: Samsung Frame 2020 (supports HDR10)
AVR: JBL Bar 9.1 (passes through 4k 60Hz HDR)
Connection: atv4k --hdmi-in–> soundbar --earc-hdmi3–> samsung frame
Sample video & logs linked at the bottom

I’m not sure exactly how/why, nor if I fully understand how the codecs tell the TV what to do, but would describe it as if it’s using the lowest 8 bits of brightness (i.e. no tone mapping, if I have understood that correctly), or the ATV/content has told the TV a very low average/max brightness (again, limited understanding, but I gather HDR content includes some parameters that control the brightness range). The same content plays back dim with similarly muted colours on VLC on my PC, which has an SDR monitor, since VLC seems to have no tone mapping by default.

I tried with a bunch of HDR content, for which MediaInfo.exe variously describes the HDR format as:

  • SMPTE ST 2086, HDR 10 compatible (several differnet videos)
  • Dolby Vision, Version 1.0, dvhe.08.03, BL+RPU, HDR10 compatible / SMPTE ST 2086, HDR10 compatible

This same HDR content plays at a normal brightness level on the Plex app on iPhone, and in the Plex app (on Tizen) on the Samsung Frame TV. And I’ve confirmed other HDR content plays back fine on the AppleTV (e.g. HDR videos on the YouTube app are blindingly bright in HDR, and those HDR videos saturate in the highlights if I force SDR), so the AppleTV + AVR + TV combo is definitely capable of HDR. Furthermore, the Samsung Frame’s information overlay shows the TV enters HDR mode, as expected, when playing HDR content.

Samsung Frame TV Settings:

  • Input Signal Plus enabled (though it doesn’t appear to be required for 4k, HDR10, 4:2:0)
  • picture settings freshly reset (and have tried setting brightness to max, disabling intelligent settings, using various picture modes, including Dynamic, which is a little brighter but the whole image is still very muted)

AppleTV 4k settings:

  • interface 4k SDR 60Hz (though I have tried many combinations of HDR, SDR, and frequencies, with no effect on playback brightness)
  • match content: both dynamic range + frame-rate are enabled

If I disable matching dynamic range:

  • with the UI set to 4k SDR, the content plays in SDR at a normal brightness level
  • with the UI set to 4k HDR, the content plays in HDR and is dark

While playing back the content, bringing up the playback settings (pressing down on the remote) will increase brightness while the settings are on-screen, closer to the level I’d expect, though not quite the SDR level I think (but this is hard to quantify).

Plex Settings:
If I set the screen dynamic range manually within the Plex settings (under Advanced), with the AppleTV in an HDR mode:

  • HDR = no change (same as Auto), dark playback
  • SDR = brighter but very washed out, white/grey-ish

Connection Configurations:
I did try connecting the AppleTV directly to the Samsung Frame via HDMI4, in case the AVR was doing something silly, but saw the same dim/muted HDR playback. The AppleTV did start showing HDR10+ rather than just HDR in its resolution/range settings, so I thought that was going to be the answer… but in the end the playback was still dim. I believe the AVR doesn’t support Dolby Vision, and perhaps not HDR10+ either, but does support HDR10 at least.

I wouldn’t be surprised if this is Samsung specific. I’ve seen a lot of complaints on reddit about ATV + Samsung TV’s showing dark HDR content with Plex, for example:

Sample & Logs:

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