2021 new gen Apple tv 4k Dolby Atmos Problems

[user 49813]

In my case it doesn't appear to be a hdmi cable or other hardware besides the actual Apppletv 4k box. I'm using the same everything, including the same wire world sapphire hdmi cable I was using when I had the problem earlier this year. It's working well now. The only thing I changed out was the Apple box. Prior I did try a new ethernet switch, but the problem was still there. It wasn't till I got the new box from Apple that my problem went away.

Just watched the new The Matrix movie on HBO and it sounded great. No bugs.

That's a good point. I think I'm putting too much faith in the Christmas Miracle that is a fix to the problem with a new cable. I doubt a cable would explain my volume problem, either, assuming it is related to the popping.

 

[Robert D]

That's a good point. I think I'm putting too much faith in the Christmas Miracle that is a fix to the problem with a new cable. I doubt a cable would explain my volume problem, either, assuming it is related to the popping.

The situation we face with this issue is perplexing. I feel like I just got lucky with that new Appple tv box. Changing it to a new one is the only thing that fixed my problem. Prior to that I figured it was a OS problem, or maybe an app problem.

I knew it probably wasn't an app problem when the sound issues happened on multiple platforms. It had started out only on Netflix, but that's probably just because it's the channel I watched most of the Atmos on. They had the most content back in March. Then it happened on Apple tv+ app. I don't remember it happening ever on HBO though. I've not tried Atmos on Amazon because I don't have a membership to the service. So for me the sound problem has happened on 2 of the 3 apps I use that have Atmos.

As far as the Apple OS, my old box was screwed up and then I got a new box. The new box worked great with no problem while it was on the very same OS. All of the other hardware was the same too. Even the firmware on my Marantz receiver and LG tv was the same.

One Apple tech suggested that it might be an issue with the ARC hdmi connection between the tv and receiver. In my case it was not. It doesn't make sense to me either since I dont even use the ARC for sound.

 

[IraG]

I agree that the Atmos problem is in the ATV4k box. I have switched to a different input/cable to my Denon receiver, and the problem followed the box. I have switched the box with the previous generation ATV4k using the same connections and the problem never occurs. Turning off the MultEQ XT32 on my Denon had no effect. An HDMI cable issue affecting only audio is highly unlikely as my understanding is that HDMI audio has more error correction than the video.

I have also observed the problem within minutes of plugging in the ATV4k box, which suggests to me that the issue isn’t a software issue, such as a memory leak, or a hardware thermal issue. The problem occurs with the latest tvOS 15.2.

I had an appointment with an Apple “Genius” yesterday, and he decided to replace the box. That is the only reasonable decision, in my opinion. He said that if the problem goes away, then the problem is hardware, and if it repeats, software. I would say that is mostly true, but I didn’t mention the possibility of a hardware design issue, which is different from a hardware defect. I am hoping that any hardware design issues present in the initial production run (my unit was a preorder) have been addressed by now.

For reference, my Atmos symptoms are anywhere between a scratchy or crackly sound, to complete audio dropout requiring stopping and restarting the stream. I have the problem on both Netfix and ATV+ on programs with DV and Atmos. I'm not certain if I saw the problem on HBOmax, as I don't watch it nearly as much.

 

[Bonscott]

Well, the Belkin cable seemed to have solved it for me, paired with the Marantz AVR. Also, two weekends ago I swapped in a different processor - non-Marantz - and it too works without any dropouts.

I *do* notice a very slight, short click when the AppleTV changes sound encoding, but it's quite quiet and since that didn't happen on the Marantz AVR, I'm crediting it to the new processor rather than the ATV.

I am also using the Belkin Cable. When I switch inputs on my Marantz to APTV4K I get about a 1 second signal loss. After that everything comes up and works no problem.

 

[IraG]

I picked up my replacement ATV4k on Friday, only 2 days after my Apple Genius appointment, so that was quick. There have been no issues so far on DV + Atmos programming. I haven't updated from tvOS 14.7 yet as I want to test it thoroughly before updating to 15.2, just in case the latest version introduces issues. It would seem I either had a defective unit, or the initial batch of ATV4k units had a hardware issue that has since been corrected. I would lean toward the latter based on Robert D's similar experience.

 

[JLasher22443]

Issues came up last night on Netflix. Was watching the new season of the Witcher and it was horrible. Sound was actually traveling around me in surround now. Before it was just in the front speakers. Guess I'll need to open up a case with them and get a replacement sent out to me.

 

[user 49813]

Issues came up last night on Netflix. Was watching the new season of the Witcher and it was horrible. Sound was actually traveling around me in surround now. Before it was just in the front speakers. Guess I'll need to open up a case with them and get a replacement sent out to me.

That's a bummer; I also recently noticed it in surround channels. I did, however, watch a couple hours of AppleTV+ streaming content in Atmos the other night, and no pops. But, as soon as I went to watch Netflix, it was awful and had to turn off Atmos on the ATV again. I'm going to need to watch some more ATV+ to see if I can get to happen. I could have sworn I had it happen there in the past, unless maybe Apple fixed something within their own service/app(?).

 

[Robert D]

Issues came up last night on Netflix. Was watching the new season of the Witcher and it was horrible. Sound was actually traveling around me in surround now. Before it was just in the front speakers. Guess I'll need to open up a case with them and get a replacement sent out to me.

You're running the new OS that came out a few weeks ago? 15 something. I'm running the one before that.

 

[Robert D]

That's a bummer; I also recently noticed it in surround channels. I did, however, watch a couple hours of AppleTV+ streaming content in Atmos the other night, and no pops. But, as soon as I went to watch Netflix, it was awful and had to turn off Atmos on the ATV again. I'm going to need to watch some more ATV+ to see if I can get to happen. I could have sworn I had it happen there in the past, unless maybe Apple fixed something within their own service/app(?).

Weird how my problems went away when I got my replacement device, and others have done the same but their problems continued even with the new one. It's as if there are a large number of defective units.

If my problem comes back, I'll probably throw mine in the trash and go back to Amazon Firestick because it actually works.

 

[JLasher22443]

You're running the new OS that came out a few weeks ago? 15 something. I'm running the one before that.

Yes and I've been on 15.2 for awhile with Beta Access. The issue is only in Netflix. I've watched tons of other shows and it only happens within Netflix Dolby Atmos content. And like I said it has gotten worse. To be honest you should update yours to the latest version to see if it happens to your new system. Because I believe it is software not hardware causing the issues. If it were a Hardware issue and a replacement device fixed it then all Dolby Atmos content should have had issues. But that is not the case for me at all; it's only been on Netflix.

So for reference I've watched tons of Atmos movies I own on ATV4K, all seasons of For All Mankind, Hawkeye, Yellowstone, Invasion, Foundation, and other stuff I'm not thinking of. And with all of that the only place I have heard the issue is with Netflix Atmos Movies and Atmos Series like The Witcher and Kevin Hart's True tory as of late.

 

[user 49813]

Yes and I've been on 15.2 for awhile with Beta Access. The issue is only in Netflix. I've watched tons of other shows and it only happens within Netflix Dolby Atmos content. And like I said it has gotten worse. To be honest you should update yours to the latest version to see if it happens to your new system. Because I believe it is software not hardware causing the issues. If it were a Hardware issue and a replacement device fixed it then all Dolby Atmos content should have had issues. But that is not the case for me at all; it's only been on Netflix.

So for reference I've watched tons of Atmos movies I own on ATV4K, all seasons of For All Mankind, Hawkeye, Yellowstone, Invasion, Foundation, and other stuff I'm not thinking of. And with all of that the only place I have heard the issue is with Netflix Atmos Movies and Atmos Series like The Witcher and Kevin Hart's True tory as of late.

So I just googled "netflix atmos popping" and the first two results were about people having the same issue using Netflix app on Xbox. Could it be that Netlflix is the culprit? I could have sworn I had this issue on other streams, but now starting to doubt my memory. The fact other devices are having this same issue is having me challenge all my assumptions. But, then, why not everyone using Netflix? Maybe I'll open a ticket with Netflix just to see what happens, although I don't have high hopes for a good experience with their support.

 

[user 49813]

So I just googled "netflix atmos popping" and the first two results were about people having the same issue using Netflix app on Xbox. Could it be that Netlflix is the culprit? I could have sworn I had this issue on other streams, but now starting to doubt my memory. The fact other devices are having this same issue is having me challenge all my assumptions. But, then, why not everyone using Netflix? Maybe I'll open a ticket with Netflix just to see what happens, although I don't have high hopes for a good experience with their support.

I'm going to tinker with some of the ATV video settings again. When I disabled Dolby Vision, everything worked as expected (except, well, DV). That said, I have my ATV set to 4k/60Hz/Dolby Vision. I might try setting it down to 4k/60/SDR and enabling the match framerate/dynamic range and see if any differences, as I know this is an often recommended setting.

But, all these different combinations of hardware where essentially everything gets ruled out gets me wondering if there is something even wrong with some spec, or some faulty component or chip shared among all these devices, e.g., ATV, Xbox, etc. Haha...maybe they used the same HDMI chips that Denon/Marantz put in all their HDMI 2.1/8k AVRs that necessitated that add-on box for a workaround (man, would I have been PO'ed if I had to put that ugly box in my chain). But, could you imagine if it was a bad chip in ALL those devices? Yikes.

 

[Robert D]

Yes and I've been on 15.2 for awhile with Beta Access. The issue is only in Netflix. I've watched tons of other shows and it only happens within Netflix Dolby Atmos content. And like I said it has gotten worse. To be honest you should update yours to the latest version to see if it happens to your new system. Because I believe it is software not hardware causing the issues. If it were a Hardware issue and a replacement device fixed it then all Dolby Atmos content should have had issues. But that is not the case for me at all; it's only been on Netflix.

So for reference I've watched tons of Atmos movies I own on ATV4K, all seasons of For All Mankind, Hawkeye, Yellowstone, Invasion, Foundation, and other stuff I'm not thinking of. And with all of that the only place I have heard the issue is with Netflix Atmos Movies and Atmos Series like The Witcher and Kevin Hart's True tory as of late.

It could very well be a combination of hardware issues and software. Whatever situation I have now, its working, and so I dont want to mess with that! No way im installing that new OS now. If its an OS problem then they will hopefully put out some fixes later. I will watch this thread and see what happens to your problems.

 

[Robert D]

So I just googled "netflix atmos popping" and the first two results were about people having the same issue using Netflix app on Xbox. Could it be that Netlflix is the culprit? I could have sworn I had this issue on other streams, but now starting to doubt my memory. The fact other devices are having this same issue is having me challenge all my assumptions. But, then, why not everyone using Netflix? Maybe I'll open a ticket with Netflix just to see what happens, although I don't have high hopes for a good experience with their support.

I had the problem on Netflix and Apple TV +. I dont recall having it on HBO max, but I didnt watch much on it in Atmos. So in my case it was in at least 2 apps.

Now Netflix and Apple are both playing well with zero problems for me.

 

[JLasher22443]

It could very well be a combination of hardware issues and software. Whatever situation I have now, its working, and so I dont want to mess with that! No way im installing that new OS now. If its an OS problem then they will hopefully put out some fixes later. I will watch this thread and see what happens to your problems.

What version of tvOS are you on? Also have you tried Netflix?

 

[Robert D]

Its starting to seem like going back to Amazon Firestick 4k is the easiest way to remedy this. Does anyone know if it added Atmos support yet for Netflix? When I stopped using it back earlier this year it had Atmos for Amazon movies and on HBO Max. It did not have Atmos on Netflix.

 

[Robert D]

What version of tvOS are you on? Also have you tried Netflix?

Im on the OS that was right before the new one you guys seem to be running. I turned off updates before it could install. I have played some Netflix shows in Atmos with no problems, but its been awhile. I tested it after I got the new box back in the summer, I know for sure. Been watching mostly Apple tv + shows in atmos and HBO Max recently.

 

[JLasher22443]

Give the New Season of The Witcher series a go or the Kevin Hart True Story. Those were the two latest things I watched and experienced issues while watching.

 

[Robert D]

Give the New Season of The Witcher series a go or the Kevin Hart True Story. Those were the two latest things I watched and experienced issues while watching.

I'm going to try The Unforgivable tonight. It's Atmos and Vision. Has anyone found a show that's just 4k and atmos, not Vision too?

 

[Robert D]

Ok. Just watched The Unforgivable on Netflix. About 33 minutes into the movie the sound dropped out for about 15 seconds then came back on. Then about 3 minutes later it dropped again. It was ok the remainder of the movie, 1 hour 54 minutes long total.

I paused and rewound the movie, then played again. It didn't happen the 2nd play through, so it's not bad code.

This is the very same thing I had happening in the spring and summer. Looks like I got my new replacement box sometime in September. This is the 1st incident since then.

I checked, my IOS is 15.1.1

I turned off updates, but it appears that the apps can update themselves. Maybe it's possible that a recent Netflix update messed it up again? I've still got update apps turned on. Guess I'll leave it on.

Possible there's a compatibility problem between 15.1.1 OS and a new Netflix app. Can't tell if the Netflix App updated when the new IOS came out. Anyone know?

Apple tv + and HBO Max continue to stream fine for me.

Not sure if I'll call back Apple again. Calling in seems not to help, I'm losing hope. I still have my old case #s, I may call in and reference them.

Anyone have an idea how we could all call in and connect our cases together? I will tell them about this thread I started on this site. Pretty sure they probably won't let me send them the link in an email.