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Every setting you need for perfect playback. Walk through once, never think about it again.
Open the Settings app on your Apple TV and go to Video and Audio. Here are the settings to change and why.
This keeps your Apple TV home screen in SDR so it doesn't force your TV into HDR mode all the time. When you play HDR or Dolby Vision content, the ATV4K will switch automatically. You'll see a brief black screen, which means it's working correctly. If you have an older 1080p TV, choose 1080p instead. The 60Hz part keeps menus and navigation feeling smooth.
This only shows up if you chose YCbCr above (3rd Gen). It controls how much color information gets sent to your TV. 4:4:4 means full color detail with no compression and the most accurate picture.
When enabled, your ATV4K automatically switches between SDR, HDR, and Dolby Vision depending on what you're watching. Without this, your TV might display SDR content in HDR mode (which looks washed out) or the other way around.
This makes the ATV4K output the actual frame rate of your content (24fps for movies, 50/60fps for sports, etc.). Without it, movies can look stuttery or "juddery" because the TV is trying to convert frame rates on its own.
Still in Settings › Video and Audio. One important thing to know: the Apple TV 4K doesn't pass audio straight through. It converts everything to uncompressed LPCM internally. Keep that in mind for the settings below.
Make sure "Change Format" is turned off. This keeps your audio as uncompressed LPCM, which is the highest quality the ATV4K can output. If you have an Atmos-capable soundbar or receiver, also set "Atmos Available" to on. If you don't have Atmos gear, go to Immersive Audio and turn it off.
Lets the Apple TV handle audio routing on its own. No need to touch this.
This is a personal preference, but turning it off preserves the original dynamic range of your movies and shows. Quiet parts stay quiet, loud parts hit properly.
Now leave the Apple TV settings and open your TV's own settings menu. Every device between the ATV4K and your display needs to be configured correctly, or HDR, Dolby Vision, and audio can silently break.
Many TVs have this set to "Auto" by default, but Auto frequently gets it wrong. You'll end up with crushed blacks (dark scenes become a black blob) or a washed-out, grayish picture. The "Full" option is only meant for when you're using your TV as a PC monitor. All streaming content and Blu-rays use the limited color range, so set your TV to match.
Your TV might call this "Enhanced Plus", "HDMI Deep Color", "Input Signal Plus", or something else entirely. This tells your TV to accept the full HDR and Dolby Vision signal from the ATV4K. Without it, you can lose black detail, get washed-out images, or HDR might not work at all. Important: if you have a soundbar or AV receiver in between, check if those devices have their own HDMI signal settings and set them to Enhanced too.
Since you turned on "Match Frame Rate" on the ATV4K, the Apple TV is already sending the correct frame rate to your TV. If your TV also tries to do its own frame rate conversion, the two will conflict and you'll get stuttering or dropped frames. Turn off your TV's version. Every brand calls it something different: Sony calls it CineMotion, LG calls it Real Cinema. Check your TV's motion or picture settings.
You don't need to change any settings here. This is just helpful background. The ATV4K supports several HDR formats, but Dolby Vision comes in different "profiles" that behave very differently.
Used by every major service. No HDR10 fallback, so unsupported devices show green/pink. ATV4K plays P5 with excellent color accuracy.
Best on ATV4KSupports both HDR10 and DV. Converted from P7/P5 for compatibility. Most third-party players handle it. Worse color accuracy than P5 on ATV4K, but few will notice.
Most compatibleDual-layer format for physical media. Requires dedicated UHD player hardware. Not on ATV4K, won't ever be. Fusion can't work around this.
Not supportedEverything above applies to any app on your ATV4K. This section is specifically for the Fusion player and its limitations.
This tells the Fusion player to buffer the stream ahead of time. Instead of loading each chunk right when you need it, the ATV4K downloads content in advance, which prevents stuttering and buffering interruptions during playback.
Licensing. Premium codecs need a third-party player to decode first. Apple doesn't hold the licenses.
Everything in one table. Set it and forget it.
| Setting | Value | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Format | 4K SDR, 60Hz | Settings › Video and Audio › Format |
| HDMI Output | RGB High / YCbCr | Settings › Video and Audio › HDMI Output |
| Chroma | 4:4:4 | Settings › Video and Audio › Chroma |
| Match Dynamic Range | On | Settings › Video and Audio › Match Content |
| Match Frame Rate | On | Settings › Video and Audio › Match Content |
| Audio Format | Auto (LPCM) | Settings › Video and Audio › Audio Format |
| Atmos | Available | Settings › Video and Audio › Audio Format |
| Audio Mode | Auto | Settings › Video and Audio › Audio Mode |
| Reduce Loud Sounds | Off | Settings › Video and Audio › Reduce Loud Sounds |
| TV Black Level | Limited | Your TV › Picture Settings |
| TV HDMI Signal | Enhanced | Your TV › External Input Settings |
| TV Pulldown | Off | Your TV › Picture › Motion Settings |
| Cache to Disk | On | Fusion App › Settings › Player Settings |