YouTube 4K for Apple TV is rolling out, minus HDR or 60 fps

AppleInsider

Support for 4K YouTube playback is rolling out to Apple TV 4K users running assorted versions of tvOS 14 as of Friday, but there are some caveats, and not everybody is seeing it.

Credit: Andrew O'Hara, AppleInsider

Although the 4K playback support was one of the more anticipated features of tvOS 14, it was missing when the software updated debuted in September.

As of Oct. 2, it appears that the feature is now launching as a server-side update from YouTube for some users. The rollout was reported by users on Reddit, as well as by TV site FlatPanels HD.

Reportedly, Apple TV owners are seeing the support on set-top boxes running tvOS 14, tvOS 14.0.1, or a tvOS 14.2 beta version. However, it does not appear to be available to everyone just yet.

There are some limitations to the 4K playback, too. On an Apple TV 4K, YouTube 4K only supports videos up to 30 frames-per-second. Clips in 50fps or 60fps will drop to 1440p resolution. Additionally, High Dynamic Range (HDR) is also not supported. It isn't clear if this compatibility will be introduced later.

FlatPanels HD does note that Apple TV 4K is using Google's proprietary VP9 video codec for YouTube 4K playback, instead of the new AV1 codec that was developed as a partnership between Apple, Google, Netflix, and others.

rob53

“Apple TV 4K is using Google's proprietary VP9 video codec for YouTube 4K playback”

Of course they’re still using their proprietary codec. Why use a standard when you can force people to use your own codec. 

flydog

rob53 said:

“Apple TV 4K is using Google's proprietary VP9 video codec for YouTube 4K playback”

Of course they’re still using their proprietary codec. Why use a standard when you can force people to use your own codec. 

What’s the difference?  You can watch 4K YouTube videos on an AppleTV.  End of story. 

cloudguy

rob53 said:

“Apple TV 4K is using Google's proprietary VP9 video codec for YouTube 4K playback”

Of course they’re still using their proprietary codec. Why use a standard when you can force people to use your own codec. 

Of all people to complain about companies preferring their own proprietary products to open or industry standards, Apple fans should be among the last. Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco, AT&T, Comcast and even IBM are now less likely to ditch open or industry standards than Apple.

Also, as I mentioned on the PIP post, it is amazing to expect Google to make supporting FREE SERVICES on platforms hosted by a frequently hostile competitor their top priority. It isn't and nor should it be. Even more so with Apple TV which has like 2% market share. Even most MacBook, iPhone and Apple Watch owners use Roku and Fire TV boxes.

edited October 2020

itguyinsd

cloudguy said:

rob53 said:

“Apple TV 4K is using Google's proprietary VP9 video codec for YouTube 4K playback”

Of course they’re still using their proprietary codec. Why use a standard when you can force people to use your own codec. 

Of all people to complain about companies preferring their own proprietary products to open or industry standards, Apple fans should be among the last. Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco, AT&T, Comcast and even IBM are now less likely to ditch open or industry standards than Apple.

Also, as I mentioned on the PIP post, it is amazing to expect Google to make supporting FREE SERVICES on platforms hosted by a frequently hostile competitor their top priority. It isn't and nor should it be. Even more so with Apple TV which has like 2% market share. Even most MacBook, iPhone and Apple Watch owners use Roku and Fire TV boxes.

That's me, and I ditched all my Amazon FireTV 4K boxes and replaced them with Apple TV 4K boxes.  The main reason?  The ATV4K boxes just work better.  The FTV boxes were buggy, didn't always stream well (especially from my local Plex server), and Amazon really doesn't have a decent FTV box any longer.  They seem to be concentrating on their sticks and not their boxes.

macgui

4K is great but it sucks that it's not 60fps. 50fps or 60fps looks really terrific. Of course streaming 4K/60fps would be a challenge for some users.

tmay

ITGUYINSD said:

cloudguy said:

rob53 said:

“Apple TV 4K is using Google's proprietary VP9 video codec for YouTube 4K playback”

Of course they’re still using their proprietary codec. Why use a standard when you can force people to use your own codec. 

Of all people to complain about companies preferring their own proprietary products to open or industry standards, Apple fans should be among the last. Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco, AT&T, Comcast and even IBM are now less likely to ditch open or industry standards than Apple.

Also, as I mentioned on the PIP post, it is amazing to expect Google to make supporting FREE SERVICES on platforms hosted by a frequently hostile competitor their top priority. It isn't and nor should it be. Even more so with Apple TV which has like 2% market share. Even most MacBook, iPhone and Apple Watch owners use Roku and Fire TV boxes.

That's me, and I ditched all my Amazon FireTV 4K boxes and replaced them with Apple TV 4K boxes.  The main reason?  The ATV4K boxes just work better.  The FTV boxes were buggy, didn't always stream well (especially from my local Plex server), and Amazon really doesn't have a decent FTV box any longer.  They seem to be concentrating on their sticks and not their boxes.

Apple will be supporting both H.266 and AV1, and will likely have silicon support of both in the future. H.266 will follow H.265 in leading efficiency over rivals.

marzetta7

I sure hope Apple begins to play YouTube videos with the AV1 codec. It is an open standard with major backing, and better yet, no royalty fees. Just hoping with Apple getting on board earlier it will allow for quicker adoption, and for selfish reasons can encode some home videos into an efficient, long-term format.

Either way, I’m happy the 4K playback is finally here.

realmattbradley

Currently running tvOS 14.0.1 on an Apple TV 4K hardwired to ethernet with automatic updates on. Nothing in 4K or 1440p yet, everything still at a top of 1080p. 😩

jcs2305

RealMattBradley said:

Currently running tvOS 14.0.1 on an Apple TV 4K hardwired to ethernet with automatic updates on. Nothing in 4K or 1440p yet, everything still at a top of 1080p. 😩

I have my 4K Apple TV running tvOS 14.0 with YouTube app version 2.05.01 is showing 4K content. Video quality is showing Auto (2160p*4K). With 2160p*4K as the first quality selection then 1440p followed by 1080p. I had to search 4K in the app search but it found content and definitely works for me. 

gatorguy

rob53 said:

“Apple TV 4K is using Google's proprietary VP9 video codec for YouTube 4K playback”

Of course they’re still using their proprietary codec. Why use a standard when you can force people to use your own codec. 

Proprietary? I thought it was open-sourced and anyone could use it. I do know that's it's one of the backbones of AV1 which Apple supports as a web video standard so logically it couldn't be proprietary could it?