After watching one of these things you expect to change the TV mode, please submit diagnostics.
I just submitted diags from the app after switching to a few different channels. They report 30fps in the Stats overlay, but the tv still is in 60fps mode. Odd thing though, sometimes, i do see a moment of black screen when changing channels, but it is much shorter than when Infuse triggers fps change and the tv still says it is in 60fps when this happends in Channels.
TvOS 17.3 app beta 1.29.1832
here are some quick pics i took of the screen yesterday with stats up and the info bar of the tv. are tve or .m3u channels
a 4k channel
just now
There's no value in ever changing the refresh rate if the current refresh rate is divisible by the content frame rate. It would cause disruption for no visible difference in the presentation.
You'll see if your TV is at 60hz and you play 24fps or 25fps content, it will mode switch.
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I don't think there is any content in OTA, TVE or m3u custom that is at those rates though. All stations i have checked are 30fps or 60. (or 29.xxx or 59.xxx).
And it is doing something, like i mention, it is causing a black screen when i tune a channel now. 30fps channel has a black screen before it plays. Like it lost the input for a sec. Also when you stop playback . Turn off that Match settings, no black screen. tv stays in 60 reguardless. So, seem the setting is useless (to me) since no content i can find that is not a user library import file (like a movie rip).
Infuse changes regardless. It does it at 30 fps even.
According to Apple the ATV will match change the out put signal to match at 60, 50, 30, 25 and 24fps
The tv itself is native 120hz. But the Apple TV only supports 60hz output. The Nvidia Shield supports 120hz output though.
I managed to capture video with my phone of the flicking i am having... it is a bit over exaggerated in the video, and it looks much greyer and noise in the picture, to the camera, the image does not look that bad in person, but this is the flickering that happens in Channels with this tv. Turn on Linear deinterlacer, and the flickering is gone.
here is more clips, notice the background flickering
link2
So far, the settings Match Content either in Channels or the ATV settings does not affect this. The channel in the vid is 30fps stream.
Only changing the Deinterlacer affects this.
Here is another test sample. Again, more extreme case...
The ONLY setting i am changing in Channels DVR is the Deinterlacer.
Hardware Deinterlacer (Default)
Linear (60fps)
This is the same clip played back in Infuse Pro app. (which has not settings to change deinterlacer)
Infuse does have options to change Deinterlacer, in its drop down top bar while playing content... does not show up when playing CDVR recordings, but does for some movie rips, but, the files are progressive, so, i don't know what triggers it showing the option to change it.
Anyways, Infuse Pro supports these:
Auto
Efficient (Linear)
High Quality (Yadif)
Film (IVTC)
Off
I guess Yadif is considered higher quality than Linear, i also see comments elsewhere of a Yadif (2x) version as well.
I am not certain as to what Film IVTC is for, may be that is specific for 24fps films?
So, if Channels is using actual Hardware deinterlacer, an option not seemingly present with Infuse, i can only assume that Infuse is using when on Auto, Linear or Yadif, since i am not seeing the flicking with Infuse, and the picture looks the same in Channels as it does in Infuse, when i change Deinterlacer to Linear in Channels.
Try changing chroma 4:2:2 in appletv. I had issues with it on mine and it cleared up a bunch of issues.
I only ever use 4:4:4. There is no option for 4:2:2... only 4:2:0.
Only other option is 4:2:0. and i just tried that. No change with the flickering in Channels.
My tv supports hdmi 2.1 and so do my cables.
It can do 4K 144hz no issues as well.
To rule it out have you tried turning off all of the pic enhancements, motion interpolation etc ?
yup. Even set tv to "Filmmaker" picture mode that disables all processing.
But, even with all the things on... again, no flickering in other apps.
For now, i am just going to set Channels DVR app Deinterlacer to Linear and not Hardware. That resolves the flickering.
Unless Channels devs want to further investigate this issue with me, make testflight builds with different deinterlacers or something... but, seems to be a edge case as it only with Samsung QLED Mini-LED type tv that seems to have this issue...
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Recent trying out of Channels for use with local media Library has me re-visiting this topic.
Here is a more recent example. Notice the background flickering with the Hardware example.
(worst flickering is about at 30secs)
File is progressive. But this happens with interlaced files as well, as well as with live tv and dvr recordings.
(note! SPOILER . This is a short clip, no audio, from the Series Finale of Start Trek Discovery. )
Hardware
Linear
Weirdly, flicker does not happen with my Mythbusters episodes files, or is extremely rare or minimal, i do not notice it.
Please submit diagnostics from the app after playing with the Hardware setting.
Any chance your Apple TV has HDR “on” all the time? Only ask as Samsung doesn’t support Dolby vision, so it meshes with why this would be isolated
No. Is SDR. I rarely use HDR, and when i do, it auto switches to HDR output mode.
The example files being played are SDR source files too.
Also, seems this flickering issue when using Hardware does not happen when playing HDR content.
Submitted.
I do have the DVR recording of Stargate Atlantis episode that i used as an example several posts back, somewhere.... That clip in the dark cave thing with them walking in frame, where it flashes Rainbow like, is the worst i have ever seen it do it. That is a lower quality source though, Pluto tv channels recording.
Any insight into this?
Started to watch episodes of The Acolyte and on Hardware, the flicking is present.
Changed to Linear and it is gone 99% of the time.
I just submitted diags from the app, once when playing 1 min with Hardware, and then 1 min of Linear.
And just to add, i downloaded the same episode in HDR and seems that there is not flicking with Hardware setting, when playing HDR content. (I also confirmed this by playing SDR and HDR 2160p episodes of the new Season of Criminal Minds Evolution. With SDR, flicker alot, especially in dark scenes with grey shading etc. HDR, no flickering.)
I suspect that some of this is caused by my Samsung TV... however its firmware or algorithms etc is displaying the picture. Despite the fact that i almost never have seen this flicking issue when using Infuse, or when using Linear setting in Channels.
Recently, i have been noticing less flicker in content i been watching.
I could not even watch Live tv channels, like the Star Trek Pluto tv channels, while using Hardware, due to the flickering being so bad.
I even copied back the recording clip of that episode of Stargate Atlantis, that had a crap ton of flickering when using Hardware. Playing back now, in Channels, there was no flicker at all.
I then forced a reboot of my Samsung TV (via hold down Power button on the remote).
After reboot, there was some minor flicker in the same clip, and on the Live TV channels, but still nowhere near as bad as it was in the past.
So.. not sure what changed in Channels beta apps in the last 27 days or so, but something in it has greatly reduced flickering issues in my environment. (my Tv's firmware or picture settings have not changed)
This "issue" appears to be resolved, for the time being.