NEW: Experimental GPU deinterlacing on Apple TV 4K

Channels Apple TV
#1

In the latest TestFlight beta (v7.8.2204) v4.0.0 release we've added a new setting:

Settings > Playback > Deinterlacing > Experimental

Turning this on will enable a new deinterlacer we've been working on which uses Apple's Metal.framework. It implements an advanced motion-compensating algorithm directly in the GPU, and works with both the Default and Experimental video drivers.

We've tested on the Apple TV 4K and it works quite well, producing a very high quality image at 60fps.

The Apple TV HD (with A8 GPU) unfortunately is not fast enough for this feature, so the Experimental option is not available on that device.

Try it out on your interlaced channels and let us know how it works for you below!

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Auto framrate + yadif x2 deinterlacing
Channels 4.0 is released
#2

Enabled it on my 4K AppleTV and it looks good so far.
Thanks for your work making Channels even better and better. Very much appreciated.

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#3

So far so good with having this turned on.

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#4

Although this is moot for me because Comcast now transcodes everything except The Weather Channel to 720p... this is still great! And it will certainly help a lot while watching SD channels.

(If for whatever reason you're looking for more video processing feature requests... judder reduction for 24fps content on 30fps TVE channels would be really cool)

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#5

I had been using an Nvidia Shield TV Pro since before this new deinterlacing method came to be, with my Apple TV 4K packed away in storage now while my new house is being built. Would you say this new method is comparable to the outstanding deinterlacing that we see on the Shield TV?

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#6

Also, not for nothing, but the newer ATV4K actually has worse metal benchmarks than the outgoing one (which seems insane). Might be worth spec'ing out.

#7

Hey all. I'm checking in on this. For anyone who has used Channels on the Shield TV and the Apple TV 4K (preferably the 2021 version), how does this experimental deinterlacing compare to that of the Shield TV for 1080i channels? I had experienced some shimmering/flickering of on screen graphics when using the original deinterlacing on my Apple TV 4k way back. It wasn't terrible, but I could never find anyone commenting on if this new experimental deinterlacing method eliminated that.

#8

I have an older Apple TV 4K and can’t compare directly to a Shield, but in my experience the Experimental deinterlacing is significantly better than the old “Linear” deinterlacing option and buttery smooth.

I also used to experience some flickering, particularly on NBC’s Sunday Night Football score bug. Experimental deinterlacing eliminated that for me.

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#9

Excellent. Thanks for the feedback!

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#10

This is fantastic. Looks great!

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#11

In the latest TestFlight beta we have made this GPU deinterlacer the default.

#12

What content would the improvements be noticeable in, Interlaced DVB content via the hdhomerun ?

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#13

Yes

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#14

FYI, stats show the setting as experimental while it’s set to hardware. Diagnostics submitted. Thanks.

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#15

Looks :ok_hand: was the reason we went with channels and paid the subscription!

#16

Just tried the hardware deinterlacing mode with my Apple TV HD, and it drops tons of frames with the audio lagging behind the video. Now that I read the post, I notice that it says “5th generation Apple TV HD”. Mine is the original Apple TV HD, and I didn’t know there was ever any updates to that model (besides the remote) - is this in fact the case? In any case, it doesn’t seem like the hardware deinterlacing should be enabled on Apple TV HD, at least the original model…

#17

Okay thanks for trying it out. We'll leave Linear as the default on Apple TV HD then, but add the Hardware option.

Does Hardware work any better if you also switch to Video Driver: Experimental?

#18

No - using the Experimental drivers makes no difference. Video is still jerky and lags behind the audio. It may work on lower-res interlaced content, though not anything 1080i. Also, I should note that I have a similar experience watching 1080 ATSC3 content on the Apple TV HD - it just can’t keep up. 4K model works fine on both, so it seems like a matter of having not enough GPU or CPU power.

Is this working on newer Apple TV HD models (I.e. ones with the new remote included)? If so, I’m guessing they must have a better GPU - ideally you’d just restrict Hardware model to those, but if not possible what you suggest makes sense.

#19

Any likeleyhood in adjusting the terminology used with the video drivers menu for us European users? 30fps/60fps > 25fps/50fps

#20

It does adjust already if a UK model HDHomeRun is detected.

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