Apple TV 4K has a video output problem. It’s pretty serious when your main purpose is to output video. But after listening to user complaints, Apple has fixed the issue in tvOS 11.2, its next major software update.
As it stands, Apple TV 4K outputs everything at the video format you have specified in its video output menu. That means that if you’ve chosen 4K Dolby Vision HDR to make the most of its capabilities, everything you watch will be in 4K Dolby Vision HDR.
That’s fine if the content you’re watching was designed for this. But if you’re watching content that wasn’t shot in HDR, or is in standard resolution, it just looks kind of… weird. Fortunately, Apple agrees.
Video output is fixed in tvOS 11.2
A new tvOS 11.2 beta rolled out to developers on Tuesday, and it includes a fix for this problem. Apple has made it so that video output is automatically switched to match the native video format of the content you’re watching.
Frame rate and dynamic range can also be adjusted automatically. Apple TV 4K will no longer force 60 frames-per-second just because a TV supports it. You’ll have the option to “Match Content” in the Audio and Video settings.
Apple hasn’t confirmed when tvOS 11.2 will be available to all. The new beta release is the first for this update, so we likely have at least a few weeks to wait.
