2021 new gen Apple tv 4k Dolby Atmos Problems

[user 49813]

Hi,
I'm the guy from the Apple forum and I'm using the setup with the HDFury VRROOM. The HDFury is more than just only extract video and audio. This device is for many usages. You can use it as a switch, a matrix, an EDID customization manager,...

So I'm using it because I use my PC monitor when my wife is blocking the TV

My devices:
- OUTPUT: Asus PG32UQX PC Monitor HDR10 with 1400 nits, (Stereo only) and VRR (variable refresh rate, used by my Xbox)
- OUTPUT: JVC XP-EXT1 sound system with Dolby Atmos, DTS:X,...
- INPUT: Apple TV 4K Gen.2
- INPUT: PS5
- INPUT: Xbox Series X

I connected everything with my sound system,
- the first thing I have some problems with sound and video dropouts. Maybe the sound system is too slow, has a bad error correction, and has some handshake problems.
- second thing is that the sound system is not supporting VRR and some other color formats. So I can't use it with my Xbox.

After that, I bought a simple HDMI Splitter (HDMI 2.0) which copied the HDMI signal to two HDMI outputs. And had no video dropouts anymore but still had problems with sound dropouts with Dolby Atmos.

So I now I bought the HDFury Vrroom which is using HDMI 2.1 eArc/Arc and can extract the sound information from the HDMI input and output it to my sound system and my video to my monitor. After just connecting everything the XBox and Apple TV said my setup is only supporting stereo sound. Ok for that reason you can customize you Vrroom via webinterface. You can add to you setting for example Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, Dolby Vision, HDR10+,... and so on. So Apple TV and the XBox detects that your setup is supporting these settings. So in other words you can manipulate the EDID information that a connected device is returning to a Xbox or Apple TV.
Vrroom is very complex what you can setup. I just read that you're able to convert a Dolby Vision into HDR10 and customize every little thing. Color, nits,... So this is the next thing what I will try as next. My monitor have such a good color range and brightness.

I never had any issues anymore. No video or sound dropout. I think it can handle the Dolby Atmos data better then all other devices.

In addition the Vrroom is automatically switching the inputs where an incoming signal is coming. So you don't need a remote control to switch the source.

If you're interested in it you can take a look at their website and read the manual a bit. For my usage it was not as complicated to setup.

So I hope I could clarify the usage of the Vrroom a bit.

Thank you for sharing your experience.

I've looked at similar devices in the past, but one question I always had, was that since you are splitting the HDMI into separate audio and video outputs, do you lose the on-screen display for your AVR? I would be bummed to not be able to use the AVR as a video switching device (and I shouldn't really have to for my setup if Apple would resolve this!) unless I had some additional, obscure requirements. And losing the OSD from my AVR is kind of a non-starter as a solution to my ATV problem. I could see these (and similar devices, like the shArc) being very handy for certain scenarios, but a bit of an overkill for my particular setup. But, thanks for sharing this info to the group.

 

[user 49813]

Another quick update: my "restart" method has been failing me; I still am getting the pops/muting, even after invoking a full restart, so scratch that from the list. And 15.3 seems just as bad as other releases. For a short time, I thought perhaps it was improved, but after 2 hours of content, the problem was rampant.

 

[Robert D]

Hi,
I'm the guy from the Apple forum and I'm using the setup with the HDFury VRROOM. The HDFury is more than just only extract video and audio. This device is for many usages. You can use it as a switch, a matrix, an EDID customization manager,...

So I'm using it because I use my PC monitor when my wife is blocking the TV

My devices:
- OUTPUT: Asus PG32UQX PC Monitor HDR10 with 1400 nits, (Stereo only) and VRR (variable refresh rate, used by my Xbox)
- OUTPUT: JVC XP-EXT1 sound system with Dolby Atmos, DTS:X,...
- INPUT: Apple TV 4K Gen.2
- INPUT: PS5
- INPUT: Xbox Series X

I connected everything with my sound system,
- the first thing I have some problems with sound and video dropouts. Maybe the sound system is too slow, has a bad error correction, and has some handshake problems.
- second thing is that the sound system is not supporting VRR and some other color formats. So I can't use it with my Xbox.

After that, I bought a simple HDMI Splitter (HDMI 2.0) which copied the HDMI signal to two HDMI outputs. And had no video dropouts anymore but still had problems with sound dropouts with Dolby Atmos.

So I now I bought the HDFury Vrroom which is using HDMI 2.1 eArc/Arc and can extract the sound information from the HDMI input and output it to my sound system and my video to my monitor. After just connecting everything the XBox and Apple TV said my setup is only supporting stereo sound. Ok for that reason you can customize you Vrroom via webinterface. You can add to you setting for example Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, Dolby Vision, HDR10+,... and so on. So Apple TV and the XBox detects that your setup is supporting these settings. So in other words you can manipulate the EDID information that a connected device is returning to a Xbox or Apple TV.
Vrroom is very complex what you can setup. I just read that you're able to convert a Dolby Vision into HDR10 and customize every little thing. Color, nits,... So this is the next thing what I will try as next. My monitor have such a good color range and brightness.

I never had any issues anymore. No video or sound dropout. I think it can handle the Dolby Atmos data better then all other devices.

In addition the Vrroom is automatically switching the inputs where an incoming signal is coming. So you don't need a remote control to switch the source.

If you're interested in it you can take a look at their website and read the manual a bit. For my usage it was not as complicated to setup.

So I hope I could clarify the usage of the Vrroom a bit.

Have you communicated with Apple about the sound problem?

 

[user 49813]

Hey, does anyone else have problems with this forum, like when the "reply" textbox loses focus while you are typing? Seems to happen frequently in here (on Chrome/Win10, but not really on iOS Safari). I sort of suspect the ads causing it upon their refresh. Anyway, just curious if it happens to anyone else.

 

[jmbgator]

I own an HDFury VRRoom with my ATV4K Gen 2 connected to it and I still experience the popping issues when playing Netflix Atmos content. I’m on 15.3

 

[JonFo]

Since there has been a TVOS rev (15.3), I'll chime in again with my latest experience.
I've heard zero audio anomalies on the following chain:
ATV4K (2021) 15.3 --> Denon X3600H AVR (5.4.2) --> EZcoo HDMI Splitter --> LG C9

I've played Netflix DV/Atmos, Disney+ DV/Atmos, AppleTV+ DV/Atmos

I occasionally pause, then restart playback, no problems.

Cables are nothing special (Cable Matters or Amazon Basics) but all are HDMI 2.0 spec (or claim to be).

The switcher is there to provide an audio feed to my Smyth A16 Atmos headphone processor, so the splitter 'lies' about the EDID to downstream (AVR/ATV) devices that it is DV and 4K capable at all times, even when the TV (which is 4K/DV) is powered off. This is so that services on the ATV detect that combo and will surface the highest spec audio stream at all times.

One possibility is that because the splitter is simply lying, it responds very quickly to EDID queries/handshakes, and this cuts down the time necessary for the ATV/AVR chain to all agree on capabilities if a handshake is required. That lower time-to-respond might fit within the acceptable window and does not cause drop-outs or more significant re-synchs.
But that just (educated) speculation on my part.

The Gen1 ATV4K in the HT has never really had a problem, but it too goes through the same model of spliter, as in the HT there is no true 4K display (just a Faux-K PJ), so we need the 'lie' on EDID to get Atmos.

 

[user 49813]

Since there has been a TVOS rev (15.3), I'll chime in again with my latest experience.
I've heard zero audio anomalies on the following chain:
ATV4K (2021) 15.3 --> Denon X3600H AVR (5.4.2) --> EZcoo HDMI Splitter --> LG C9

I've played Netflix DV/Atmos, Disney+ DV/Atmos, AppleTV+ DV/Atmos

I occasionally pause, then restart playback, no problems.

Cables are nothing special (Cable Matters or Amazon Basics) but all are HDMI 2.0 spec (or claim to be).

The switcher is there to provide an audio feed to my Smyth A16 Atmos headphone processor, so the splitter 'lies' about the EDID to downstream (AVR/ATV) devices that it is DV and 4K capable at all times, even when the TV (which is 4K/DV) is powered off. This is so that services on the ATV detect that combo and will surface the highest spec audio stream at all times.

One possibility is that because the splitter is simply lying, it responds very quickly to EDID queries/handshakes, and this cuts down the time necessary for the ATV/AVR chain to all agree on capabilities if a handshake is required. That lower time-to-respond might fit within the acceptable window and does not cause drop-outs or more significant re-synchs.
But that just (educated) speculation on my part.

The Gen1 ATV4K in the HT has never really had a problem, but it too goes through the same model of spliter, as in the HT there is no true 4K display (just a Faux-K PJ), so we need the 'lie' on EDID to get Atmos.

Did you experience the "problem" prior to putting the EZcoo in?

 

[JonFo]

Did you experience the "problem" prior to putting the EZcoo in?

Since new (I ordered during the keynote announcing it), the 2021 ATV4K has been pretty solid. Back then it had audio glitches when playing See from AppleTV+, but most titles on Netflix were fine.
The splitter was there from the beginning (with the prior ATV4K) which might explain why my glitch rate is lower than others are reporting. Or it could be my AVR firmware is 'better'.

 

[Robert D]

I own an HDFury VRRoom with my ATV4K Gen 2 connected to it and I still experience the popping issues when playing Netflix Atmos content. I’m on 15.3

Thank you for letting us know! Thats great that we know now. I really appreciate that.

 

[Dragon79]

Thank you for letting us know! Thats great that we know now. I really appreciate that.

So I had time to watch a full movie last weekend. I watched Shang Chi on Disney+ and the movie is about 132 minutes long and watched the Imax version in Dolby Vision + Dolby Atmos in 4K. I had with my Vrroom one video and sound dropout in the whole movie. After that, I watched a "The Witcher" episode and also had a dropout with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.
Maybe it is depending on that I'm now using Dolby Vision which is converting to HDR10 or it is the Apple bug.

But the first couple of days after hardware setup I had no problems so far. (without Dolby Vision) Or a power cycle did that trick. I have to test it again without Dolby Vision. Tests take time. I also want to test a full movie with my Xbox Series X. But during work week time it is difficult to find time to test it.

I share that post so that nobody buys a Vrroom to fix an Apple problem. But for a Dolby Vision in HDR10 conversion, is it also amazing.

All in all the problems have become significantly fewer than before with the Vrroom. Before I had about every 15-20 minutes a dropout.

 

[Robert D]

So I had time to watch a full movie last weekend. I watched Shang Chi on Disney+ and the movie is about 132 minutes long and watched the Imax version in Dolby Vision + Dolby Atmos in 4K. I had with my Vrroom one video and sound dropout in the whole movie. After that, I watched a "The Witcher" episode and also had a dropout with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.
Maybe it is depending on that I'm now using Dolby Vision which is converting to HDR10 or it is the Apple bug.

But the first couple of days after hardware setup I had no problems so far. (without Dolby Vision) Or a power cycle did that trick. I have to test it again without Dolby Vision. Tests take time. I also want to test a full movie with my Xbox Series X. But during work week time it is difficult to find time to test it.

I share that post so that nobody buys a Vrroom to fix an Apple problem. But for a Dolby Vision in HDR10 conversion, is it also amazing.

All in all the problems have become significantly fewer than before with the Vrroom. Before I had about every 15-20 minutes a dropout.

You have a Sansung tv? When shopping for a new one I discovered that they don't have Dolby Vision. So I stayed with LG. I think Sansung is the only major manufacturer that hasn't paid the Dolby vision fee. I'm pretty sure that's why they haven't done it yet.

Thanks for the great feedback on that device. I was actually considering ordering one.

 

[IraG]

You have a Sansung tv? When shopping for a new one I discovered that they don't have Dolby Vision. So I stayed with LG. I think Sansung is the only major manufacturer that hasn't paid the Dolby vision fee. I'm pretty sure that's why they haven't done it yet.

Thanks for the great feedback on that device. I was actually considering ordering one.

Samsung has their own version of Dolby Vision called HDR10+. Both use dynamic metadata, making them superior to basic HDR10, but HDR10+ isn't supported on as many streaming services.

 

[Robert D]

Watching the movie Finch now and about 30 minutes into it, the audio is crackling. No dropouts yet. So that's Apple Tv+ service. Same thing that happened on For All Mankind. Still running the older OS.

 

[Dragon79]

I thought Apple TV is decoding the atmos and sending it with MAT 2.0. But why is my vrroom saying it is HBR bitstream 192KHz? That is undecoded.

 

[IraG]

I thought Apple TV is decoding the atmos and sending it with MAT 2.0. But why is my vrroom saying it is HBR bitstream 192KHz? That is undecoded.

I believe that is because the ATV decodes the incoming audio stream and outputs 5.1 LPCM + Dolby MAT 2.0 for the Atmos metadata. Your VRROOM is seeing the 5.1 LPCM (and hopefully not discarding the MAT 2.0 Atmos metadata that should be passed on to the receiver along with the 5.1 LPCM).

 

[Dragon79]

I believe that is because the ATV decodes the incoming audio stream and outputs 5.1 LPCM + Dolby MAT 2.0 for the Atmos metadata. Your VRROOM is seeing the 5.1 LPCM (and hopefully not discarding the MAT 2.0 Atmos metadata that should be passed on the receiver along with the 5.1 LPCM).

I don't know if it is gonna lost. But my sound receiver says it is Dolby Atmos. So something is going over the cable

 

[Robert D]

I had the sound popping during a scene in the movie Finch on Apple tv+ last night.

My daughter watched a fairly new movie on Disney + today that was in Atmos and Dolby vision. The audio never had a problem during the entire movie. I never watch Disney, but she says she has watched several shows on there in Atmos and never a single issue.

Has anyone had audio problems while watching a show of Disney +?

 

[JLasher22443]

I had the sound popping during a scene in the movie Finch on Apple tv+ last night.

My daughter watched a fairly new movie on Disney + today that was in Atmos and Dolby vision. The audio never had a problem during the entire movie. I never watch Disney, but she says she has watched several shows on there in Atmos and never a single issue.

Has anyone had audio problems while watching a show of Disney +?

I haven't had issues on Disney+ yet and I've watched a few series and tons of movies.

Update on my setup; last night started a new series on Netflix named "Locke & Key" and it was going well until I got about a few episodes in and had the issues with 3 episodes in a row. Really Bad. First time I've experienced an issue on the ATV4K in quite some time now but I hadn't been watching Netflix which seems to be the only application that messes up for me. If it is happening on other Apps I'm not noticing it.

 

[Robert D]

I haven't had issues on Disney+ yet and I've watched a few series and tons of movies.

Update on my setup; last night started a new series on Netflix named "Locke & Key" and it was going well until I got about a few episodes in and had the issues with 3 episodes in a row. Really Bad. First time I've experienced an issue on the ATV4K in quite some time now but I hadn't been watching Netflix which seems to be the only application that messes up for me. If it is happening on other Apps I'm not noticing it.

It seems to be App dependent somewhat, at least for me. Netflix does it the worst, with big dropouts of sound. Then there is Apple tv+ which has mostly just crackling/popping sounds. HBO Max and Disney + has yet to do it.

I watch Paramount + now but I haven't watched any Atmos content on there yet. I've only watched 1883 series, and it's 5.1

 

[user 49813]

It seems to be App dependent somewhat, at least for me. Netflix does it the worst, with big dropouts of sound. Then there is Apple tv+ which has mostly just crackling/popping sounds. HBO Max and Disney + has yet to do it.

I watch Paramount + now but I haven't watched any Atmos content on there yet. I've only watched 1883 series, and it's 5.1

I've only noticed on Netflix (bad) and AppleTV+ (infrequently).

Sometimes on Netflix (and maybe others?) I get this other weird issue where I lose the closed-captioning menu. Usually starts with me going in to enable it, realizing it didn't turn on, and I go back in only to find the middle CC tab gone. Might recall this on Prime Video, too, and it's probably across the board, so something with the Apple video player. If I don't correct it (stopping/resuming playback) and just let it play, I get weird issues with "skip intro" on subsequent episodes where it jumps me into the incorrect portion of a show. Last night, another weird thing...I had paused a show and set the remote down on the table (well enough away that something would not have touched it) while I was looking up something on my phone. After a few seconds/minutes paused, I noticed the preview thumbnail displayed by itself, as if I was going to scroll through content, or I touched the trackpad. Not really a big deal, but now I'm on the lookout for any anomalies and thought it odd the ATV thought I was interacting with it.