Apple TV's New iPhone-Based Color Balance Feature Coming to 2015 and Newer Models

Tuesday April 20, 2021 1:49 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol

Apple today announced that the Apple TV is getting a new iPhone-based color balance feature to improve a TV's picture quality.

apple tv color balance
Starting with tvOS 14.5 and iOS 14.5, users will be able to hold an iPhone with Face ID near their TV and, after tapping a notification, the iPhone's front-facing camera and ambient light sensor will begin color measurements and automatically tailor the Apple TV's video output to deliver more accurate colors and improved contrast. Apple says this process will result in improved picture quality without adjusting the TV's settings.

While this feature was advertised alongside a new Apple TV 4K, Apple's press release confirms that the color balance process will also be available for the previous-generation Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD running tvOS 14.5, which will be released next week.

The new Apple TV 4K features a faster A12 Bionic chip, support for high frame rate HDR and Dolby Vision video, and a redesigned Siri Remote with a physical clickpad that is also touch-enabled for swipe gestures that Apple TV users are familiar with. The outer ring of the clickpad supports a circular gesture for finding a scene in a movie or show.

Here's a first look at the new Color Balance feature coming to the Apple TV, courtesy of GeekWebGuides contributor @SteveMoser More details here: https://t.co/2a99K2jkMZ pic.twitter.com/DpE56eA864 — GeekWebGuides.com (@MacRumors) April 20, 2021

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Top Rated Comments

ShawnyRHarvey

72 months ago

Looks like it’s a smart feature. My LG TV doesn’t need color balance

Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)

ProfessionalFan

72 months ago

Yeah it works on the current 4K box fine, I am running 14.5 RC and just did it. It did make a change to the color balance and seems better.

Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Crzyrio

72 months ago

If it's anything like the way TCL does there so called "calibration" using the iPhone and calibration app, it will be a joke. If anyone truly thinks they will get an accurate picture using an iPhone to calibrate the ATV, I got some swamp land to sell you. You really need a good meter, calman software and a pattern generator to calibrate the tv, not this to adjust the colors on the ATV.

No one is claiming it to compete with a good meter. 90% of people never calibrate their tv even, this is for them.

And from initial impression it is not using just the camera. If that was the case, they would use the rear camera.

it’s seems to be using the full array of what’s in the notch for Face ID.

Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Kylo83

72 months ago

my LG OLED CX won't need this

Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

AndersM

72 months ago

This could be useful on Macs with third party monitors as well. Is it viable that it could come to the Mac as well? After all there is a TV app for macOS...

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

tubedogg

72 months ago

Umm...how did you get access to this feature that didn’t exist till this morning?? Untill I see proof or other people saying the same thing I call...

Gee, it's almost like RC versions of 14.5 were released earlier today, and do you imagine that an RC might contain everything that is slated to ship in the update?

(This is, of course, setting aside your assertion that the feature "didn't exist" until this morning, as if features appear out of nowhere completely developed and ready to ship as soon as they appear in an Apple presentation.)

Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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Apple TV's New iPhone-Based Color Balance Feature Coming to 2015 and Newer Models

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