topic Re: EE TV On Apple TV in TV

EE TV On Apple TV

JP087 — Sun, 22 Sep 2024 14:42:45 GMT

Hi,

I recently took out EE TV and now have the Apple TV box to view in the main living room.

When I first set the Apple TV up, I set it to 4k Dolby Vision (in the Apple settings) I then realised this was somehow pushing everything in the EE TV app through as Dolby Vision (although it clearly wasn't that format my TV was displaying it in that way resulting in poor contrast/colour etc.)

I did some research and it seems the best way to have the Apple TV Settings are on 4k SDR, then enabling the 'match content' setting, this works with most apps, Prime/Netflix/Disney and when browsing the Apple TV menu it's SDR, when launching HDR in one of those apps its in HDR/Dolby Vision.

The issue I have is when I view TNT Ultimate in the EE TV app it does not seem to activate the HDR mode on my TV or push through that picture, I can only do this when using the Discovery+ app, EE TV seems to be UHD only without HDR.

Can anyone assist here with this? Is there any way to receive HDR channels through the EE TV app, or do you have to use the native provider app?

Hope that all makes sense! Thanks

Re: EE TV On Apple TV

DarrenDev — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 10:11:21 GMT

I've asked our Apple TV specialist to take a look at this @JP087

He has some ideas, but is waiting to get confirmation from a colleague - we hope to have an answer for you later today, or tomorrow.

Re: EE TV On Apple TV

JP087 — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 10:13:08 GMT

Thanks Darren! Please let me know if you need any more information.

Re: EE TV On Apple TV

JP087 — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 18:23:51 GMT

Hi @DarrenDev did you get any update on this one?

Re: EE TV On Apple TV

Matadaw651 — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 19:26:21 GMT

Picture settings.

Match content and frame rate

Re: EE TV On Apple TV

JP087 — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 19:42:39 GMT

I already have these settings applied. The EE TV app still doesn’t push through HDR

Re: EE TV On Apple TV

DarrenDev — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 10:20:37 GMT

Sorry for the slow response on this one.

For our HDR channels, we broadcast both SDR and HDR in the same file - the Apple TV then chooses for itself which stream to display to you. When the display setting is configured as SDR, it chooses to just display the SDR stream - this isn't something we can override.

I've been asked whether you'd be able to provide any examples/photos of what you mean when you say the contrast/colour is poor, when set to display Dolby Vision? This isn't something we've had any other reports of, and not something anyone on the project has seen. Does it just affect the EE TV app, or other apps too? If just EE TV, is it specific channels/programmes that look bad?

Re: EE TV On Apple TV

Midnight_Voice — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 16:47:11 GMT

@DarrenDev

My Apple TV box, Generation 2 and not an EE TV one, takes on a yellow cast when it switches to Dolby Vision, marking everything look like an episode of White Lotus (or Yellow Lotus, as we called it, as both series seemed to have this cast on Now, as a directorial decision).

This seems to be an Apple TV problem, not an EE TV one.

Re: EE TV On Apple TV

JP087 — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 17:08:19 GMT

Hi Darren thanks for coming back to me.

The issue is when I set to Dolby vision in the Apple TV settings it makes everything in the EE TV app show in Dolby vision or think it’s in Dolby vision, even though it’s not. Such as bbc 1, itv etc. even with tnt ultimate that’s HDR10 and the tv settings show Dolby vision so it creates an unnatural picture on channels that should be SDR.

it seems as though the EE tv app is not pushing through the dynamic range type for the Apple TV to adjust accordingly. You’re either all in or all out.

its not a major issue at the moment as I can watch HDR through the discovery plus app, but could be an issue if more HDR channels are added into the EE TV app in the future. Hopefully there is a solution.

Re: EE TV On Apple TV

Profile closed — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 18:10:21 GMT

As has already been mentioned by yourself at the start @JP087, the recommended default setting of the Apple TV 4K is 4K SDR with Match Content and Frame Rate turned on. Changing it to anything else is just wasting time TBH, as proven by feedback from thousands of users.

When the box receives the meta data from the app, it will switch to the correct picture output. You have already seen this in action in other apps. If you are not seeing it in the EE TV app but are in the others, the fault can only lie with the app in my view.

The only other problems I have seen in this area are when apps don’t switch back as they should (looking at you Disney+) and when something is delivered live in HLG HDR (like NOW Sports with Ultraboost), where the box converts to HDR10.

Re: EE TV On Apple TV

Midnight_Voice — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 08:31:47 GMT

@Profile closed

@DarrenDev said:-

So the correct default setting, as proved by thousands of users, won’t switch to HDR when HDR is proffered, as a stream that exactly matches what the box is set to, SDR, is detected, and will be used in preference.

I have no idea how you square this circle, but the problem seems to be that the Apple TV box needs to be set to HDR for EE TV here, and so falls into the other errors that it makes with formatting when a stream isn’t HDR,

Re: EE TV On Apple TV

Profile closed — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 09:25:09 GMT

Nope @Midnight_Voice, this is most likely a fault with the EE TV app, just like it was in the original BT Sport app in which you had to go into the settings and change the output manually to 1080p HDR to get HDR content.

Meanwhile, Apple TV+, discovery+, Disney+, Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, MAX and Peacock (🤐), all switch between multiple types of output automatically as they should.

The Apple TV 4K cannot be the culprit otherwise problems would exist across other apps.

The only other possible causes (however unlikely), is the HDMI lead or a setting on the TV itself.

Re: EE TV On Apple TV

JP087 — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 09:44:16 GMT

Thanks for the additional insight @Profile closed that’s really helpful, it’s definitely not an issue with HDMI cables as I’m having no issues with other HDR sources and have tried switching cables.

Hopefully this is something EE can work on and improve in the near future.

Re: EE TV On Apple TV

Midnight_Voice — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 09:58:25 GMT

@Profile closed

Hmm, I wonder if other providers pack the format you want, and the format your box is set for, in the same container, and expect the format you want to override the Settings option?

Re: EE TV On Apple TV

DarrenDev — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 10:43:12 GMT

I've discussed this further with the dev team, and they've provided the following update:

Apple TV require us to publish both SDR and HDR in the same manifest - this is standard behaviour. In this scenario, Apple TV will automatically play the HDR stream if the device is detected as HDR capable. We've confirmed that this is working for us, and we've had no other customer reports of this issue. Does the TV have any settings to enable HDR on the HDMI port in use? Maybe this is preventing the auto-detection of HDR capability?

What model TV do you have?

Re: EE TV On Apple TV

Midnight_Voice — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 13:16:39 GMT

Any Apple TV experts out there know what the hell this is, and how to stop it?

(And no, it’s not the TV):-

Re: EE TV On Apple TV

Profile closed — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 15:21:44 GMT

Not sure what you are asking @Midnight_Voice ?

Do you mean what you see in the background when you have an app on the Top Shelf?

The settings app doesn’t support Top Shelf (the 6 apps on the darker lozenge), so all you get is the logo. For apps that do support Top Shelf, you can change what is displayed for some of them.

There is some discussion here on what apps best suit Top Shelf: https://www.reddit.com/r/appletv/s/bYI4OAzweT

Detail on what Top Shelf is designed for is here: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/top-shelf

If it’s something else, you will need to be more specific! 🤣

Re: EE TV On Apple TV

Midnight_Voice — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 18:09:38 GMT

@Profile closed

I mean on the first screen it looks like somebody has wee’d on it.

The second screen is just to demonstrate that this isn’t a screen, or even a universal Apple TV app, issue.

Re: EE TV On Apple TV

Profile closed — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 18:35:37 GMT

Perfectly normal, mine does that and currently has similar colours top and bottom with a gradient.

I think I read somewhere it does change based on stuff you have been watching, but don’t hold me to that.

Re: EE TV On Apple TV

Midnight_Voice — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 21:03:26 GMT

@Profile closed

I need to watch something in a nicer colour, then 🤮