When we reviewed the new Apple TV 4K last month, we raved about its incredible user interface, its lightning-quick processor, its improved search function, and its impressive performance when watching content in Ultra HD or high dynamic range (HDR).
Unfortunately, there was one nagging issue we just couldn’t move past (in addition to the streamer’s lofty price point). The Apple TV 4K automatically forces HDR-capable televisions into HDR mode, which is awesome if you’re watching HDR-optimized content, but not so awesome when you’re watching pretty much anything else. Since the vast majority of movies and TV shows on most popular streaming platforms aren’t currently available in HDR, this led to some noticeable detail clipping and dimming issues. The Apple TV also automatically converted content to 60 frames per second (fps), which produced some annoying judder effects at times.
Today, Apple announced that the next Apple TV update — tvOS 11.2 — will fix this problem by adding a new “match content” menu in the Settings app, which does exactly what you’d expect, matching frame rate and dynamic range (SDR vs. HDR10 vs. Dolby Vision) when streaming video from any compatible app. Users can actually set frame rate matching and dynamic range matching individually within the options. We don’t yet know which apps will be compatible.
The system will still default to 60 fps and Dolby Vision HDR with content matching activated (head here for the nitty-gritty details), but you can go a step further and select specific combinations (i.e., 60 fps SDR or 30 fps HDR) if you have something particular in mind. It’s entirely possible that the “forced HDR effect” is negligible on your television, in which case the update may not make much difference.
We don’t yet know when tvOS 11.2 will arrive, so we can’t draw any real conclusions yet. Right now, if you’re on the fence about which 4K streamer to buy, we’d suggest the Roku Ultra or the Roku Streaming Stick+. That said, the Apple TV 4K has a lot of potential, and for those with iPhones and Mac computers, it can certainly be a valuable addition to your home ecosystem. We’ll make sure to update all our coverage once the patch goes live.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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