galaxy Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 OK all you quality video TV tech aficionados...need some help/tips...I have a Vizio M60-C3 circa 2016 model (bought late in '16) https://www.vizio.com/m60c3.htmlLast night I picked up a new 4K Apple TV in hopes of getting the best out of everything. The Apple TV settings let you select from a vast array of picture qualities, 4K HDR, 4K SDR, 180 HDR, 1080 SDR, and so on, and so on down the line; you get the picture (no pun intended, LOL). It also offers all these settings in various Hz starting at 60 and working down.My TV has multiple HDMI connections labeled "4K @ 30 Hz" and one connection labeled "4K @ 60 Hz (1080P and Higher)".First question would be which should I be using?? but read on...I've been playing for two days now and here are some results...- The Apple TV will not let me select 4K HDR @ 60Hz (even when plugged into the lone 60 Hz port)- It will run the 4K SDR @ 60 Hz, but the picture is not as good as 1080 HDR @ 60Hz (when plugged into the lone 60Hz port) or some of the other settings. Confused by this!- So far, the best picture to my eyes is the setting 4K HDR @ 30Hz (when plugged into one of the 30Hz ports)- I haven't done a side by side comparison between this and the old Apple TV (4th Gen [the one right before 4K], thus 1080 capable), but I'm wondering if my TV itself is the choke point and I'm not gaining too much from the 4K box, even though it's a 4K TV.- My biggest hurdle at this point is not having a clue about the HDMI ports on the TV. What's the difference between the 30 vs 60Hz and how does that effect things? Could use some info there maybe.Anywho...thanks for any help guys and let me know if you need more info to try to build a better idea for me to get the most out of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 I'm lost. I grew up watching a 15" black and white tv with rabbit ears. Captain Slow 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8675309'SS Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Make sure you have a certified high speed HDMI cable. The 4K @ 60 Hz port is the one to use, I believe that is HDMI 5. Make sure you set that port to “Full HDMI color” in the input settings menu. The Apple TV should work with the 4K @ 60 Hz setting then. Also update the firmware of your tv if you haven’t done so. Hopefully this helps! DaleH 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayS Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 I'm all Apple and @8675309'SS noted, the HDMI Cable and Firmware are the first two items to go after. Next is the video coming in. If you are streaming data, not all the sites are equal and the performance of your home router can cause a bottleneck. If you have your home router receiving 4k data from the cable modem wireless and then are sending it to the apple tv wireless, you may have a excessive switching ongoing, reduced bandwidth and few other issues. The reduced bandwidth on your internet connection will have some services start sending a lower a level of data. 4k data uses a lot of bandwidth and I know people that watch 4k movies on a 20 meg or lower connection, but I have found that for the best results have at least 50 megs. Don't believe what your service provider says you are supposed to be getting, run two tests from two different packages, such as speedtest.net and speakeasy.net and compare the numbers. Different times of the day will result in different numbers. Once you have the Apple TV connected with good cables, high speed internet and a up to date tv, you'll be amazed a how good the 4k movies look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galaxy Posted January 31, 2019 Author Share Posted January 31, 2019 Thanks a million guys. So a few answers for you guys... Yes, my @60Hz is HDMI 5. Manual says it’s UHD Video @60Hz, HDCP 2.2 support. I still cannot get the video (inside the Apple TV settings) to select 4K UHD. Every time I try to select that, it says unavaible Andy it revert some back to the previous setting. There is a setting 4K SHD and that one works. So, I don’t know what’s up with that. I don’t think I have a certified high speed cable, so I’ll follow up on that. I’ll check my speed, but only one WiFi connection. Internet comes in the house via cable to the cable company provided box. It’s not the WiFi router. That box is connected to the WiFi router via Ethernet cable. One WiFi connection; WiFi box to the Apple TV. I cant find any settings on the tv to either run an update or set that port for full hdmi color. Will have to keep digging for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelilton23 Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 This might be a silly question, but I couldn't see it on the specs of the TV - does the TV support HDR (High Dynamic Range?) If not, that might be the reason why it is reverting back to 4K SDR. I'm not a tech nerd, so I could be way off.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayS Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 @galaxy Since I don't have your exact model of TV at my house, I had to resort to the Apple Support to get an idea of what it might be. I think this may clarify what you are seeing: Apple TV 4K is built to take full advantage of 4K HDR so you can enjoy TV in the highest quality ever. Apple TV 4K supports the following 4K display formats: 4K Standard Dynamic Range (SDR): Used for 4K televisions that don’t support HDR10 or Dolby Vision. 4K High Dynamic Range (HDR): Used for 4K televisions that support HDR to display video with a broader range of colors and luminance. 4K Dolby Vision: Used for 4K televisions that support Dolby Vision HDR to display video with a broader range of colors and luminance optimized for your television. When you first connect your Apple TV 4K to a 4K television capable of HDR10 or Dolby Vision, you may be prompted to run a short display test for these formats. Follow the onscreen instructions to run the test, and confirm that you have a clear picture. If Apple TV 4K is unable to confirm that your television can display Dolby Vision or HDR10, it will automatically revert back to the mode it was previously using. To confirm which video mode your Apple TV 4K is using, go to Settings > Video and Audio. From here, you can manually select a display format. Link: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208074 Based on the age and model of your TV, it appears that is does not support HDR10 or Dolby Vision and that is why it is going into SDR instead of HDR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galaxy Posted February 2, 2019 Author Share Posted February 2, 2019 OK...sorry guys, I am a total dork. I don't have a HDR TV🤦♀️. That's my bad. It's a ~2016 model TV, so it's 4K UHD. And now I know UHD and HDR are not the same thing. Thanks for the help guys! So yes, it will run the 4K SDR @ Hz setting and it would appear this is going to give me the best picture I can get on this TV from the box, correct? I assume 4K SDR @ 60 will be better than 4K HDR @30 (it will run that one)?? And I just went and bought a great cable to make sure that wasn't it...guess I can take that sucker back 😕 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8675309'SS Posted February 2, 2019 Share Posted February 2, 2019 Yes, 4K SDR @ 60 Hz is better 😊 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galaxy Posted February 2, 2019 Author Share Posted February 2, 2019 Welp...time for a new HDR TV and move this old jalopy to the garage!! hahahahha. In all honesty, I am remodeling the garage this spring which does include a TV, so this works out perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galaxy Posted February 3, 2019 Author Share Posted February 3, 2019 Let me ask this since we’re here...do you guys believe the uber expensive silver lines cables and all are worth the money? I’m thinking maybe, maybe if my tv was HDR, but for now I can’t tell the difference. Any recommendations if so? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlbullet Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 Im def not a tv expert but i do enjoy crisp picture and sound..i would not recommend an expensive hdmi. For the past 10 years or so ive been using a site called Monoprice.com. Dirt cheap cables...tv mounts...have not noiticed any degradation of picture. Maybe another tv expert here can say otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8675309'SS Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 21 minutes ago, galaxy said: Let me ask this since we’re here...do you guys believe the uber expensive silver lines cables and all are worth the money? I’m thinking maybe, maybe if my tv was HDR, but for now I can’t tell the difference. Any recommendations if so? They are absolutely *not* worth the money! You can get perfectly good Premium Certified high speed HDMI cables for cheap. Monoprice.com and Amazon (AmazonBasics) brand are good no-frills cables to get. They are built well and are inexpensive—we use both brands in our home theater system. HDMI cables pass a digital signal, they work or they don’t. As long as the cable is rated for passing the necessary bandwidth (the reason for choosing a Premium Certified high speed HDMI cable), you’re good to go. There is no good reason to spend more than $10 for a 6 ft HDMI cable. More good info here: https://www.cnet.com/news/best-hdmi-cables-for-your-new-4k-and-hdr-tv/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falcaineer Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 +2 for monoprice.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanbarry Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 On 1/31/2019 at 12:31 AM, RayS said: I'm all Apple and @8675309'SS noted, the HDMI Cable and Firmware are the first two items to go after. Next is the video coming in. If you are streaming data, not all the sites are equal and the performance of your home router can cause a bottleneck. If you have your home router receiving 4k data from the cable modem wireless and then are sending it to the apple tv wireless, you may have a excessive switching ongoing, reduced bandwidth and few other issues. The reduced bandwidth on your internet connection will have some services start sending a lower a level of data. 4k data uses a lot of bandwidth and I know people that watch 4k movies on a 20 meg or lower connection, but I have found that for the best results have at least 50 megs. Don't believe what your service provider says you are supposed to be getting, run two tests from two different packages, such as speedtest.net and speakeasy.net and compare the numbers. Different times of the day will result in different numbers. Once you have the Apple TV connected with good cables, high speed internet and a up to date tv, you'll be amazed a how good the 4k movies look. Almost all the issues with the router could be solved either by restarting or through the setting on the web interface. Here's a perfect example http://www.router-reset.com/router-login-web-interface/Arris. Hope it helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galaxy Posted April 26, 2019 Author Share Posted April 26, 2019 So I got a new tv (for other reasons not related to this thread). Samsung Q80. It doesn’t rate the HDMI connections like my other tv did; @30hz, @60hz? Guess it doesn’t matter?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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