Aside from new betas of iOS 11.2 and watchOS 4.2, Apple today also issued the first beta of the upcoming tvOS 11.2 software update for the fourth-generation Apple TV and newer.
According to release notes accompanying the download, tvOS 11.2 now restores the Unwatched category in the Home Sharing feature for Movies, TV Shows and Home Videos.
The new beta also comes with a pair of improvements for owners of the new Apple TV 4K.
The first lets the device auto-switch to the video’s native frame rate and dynamic range and the other allows it to switch display output to SDR (standard dynamic range) for apps that are GPU-bound when running in HDR (high dynamic range) mode.
“AVKit uses automatic frame rate and dynamic range switching for fullscreen video playback on Apple TV 4K under most circumstances. tvOS 11.2 adds APIs for these features for apps that don’t use AVKit for video playback,” notes Apple.
In the Audio and Video section of the Settings app of tvOS 11.2, users can now set the matching frame rate and dynamic range behavior independently to enable viewing of content in its original frame rate and dynamic range (without forcing HDR at 60FPS)
By default, these options are disabled.
When enabled, and video content is played back in a compatible app, tvOS 11.2 will automatically switch the video display settings to match that of the content.
As an example, if the content is in 24 frames per second and standard dynamic range, the device will switch from its system mode to 24FPS SDR mode. Once the media playback session is over, the device will then switch back to its system mode.
Keep in mind that these new switches have no bearing on non-AVKit apps that don’t take advantage of the new APIs to make sure their content supports this new functionality.
The aforementioned enhancements boost the experience for Apple TV 4K owners when using GPU-accelerated apps like games or enjoying media on an HDR-capable TV set.
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