Apple Seeds tvOS 15.5 Release Candidate to Developers

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Apple today seeded the release candidate version of an upcoming tvOS 15.5 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming one week after the release of the fourth beta.

Apple TV tvOS 15 Feature
Developers can download the new tvOS 15.5 update by downloading a profile onto the ‌Apple TV‌ using Xcode.

tvOS updates are typically minor in scale, focusing primarily on under-the-hood bug fixes and improvements rather than major outward-facing changes.

Though we don't often know what's new in tvOS during the beta testing process, we let MacRumors readers know when new updates are available so those who are developers can download it upon release.

As of now, we have not found new features in tvOS 15.5 and there's no word on what might be in the update beyond bug fixes and under-the-hood performance improvements.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)
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Top Rated Comments

Realityck Avatar
Realityck
47 months ago

YouTube HDR playback support please. Please. Please. If it's something Google needs to do, then do it. Please.
Support of reading metadata from Amazon for auto mode switch too. FILMMAKER MODE. :)
Thats only on ATV4K 2nd gen. The ATV 4K 1st gen A10X Fusion SoC doesn't support hardware decoding of VP9 videos.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
Realityck
47 months ago

2nd gen Apple TV 4K supports YouTube HDR, but with a caveat. YouTube doesn't support tvOS's Match Dynamic Range feature. So to watch, you need to change Apple TV's Video Format setting to HDR (HDR10), then flip it back to SDR when you want to watch non-HDR contents.

I've reported this bug to Google earlier, as I am sure others have, but it remains unfixed.

To be fair, some of Apple's own features and apps don't support Match Dynamic Range either -- Photos and screensavers.
I have it connected to a LG OLED. If I set the 2nd gen 4K to its default 4K@60Hz HDR with last few betas. It correctly switches to Dolby Vision automatically and doesn't have any issues with YouTube working SDR to HDR10 automatically. Just don't set the ATV4K 2nd gen to have a GUI using 4K Dolby Vision at all. I have both match dynamic range and frame rate set to auto.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
B/D Avatar
B/D
47 months ago

Which is why Apple needs to add bitstream passthrough, so our soundbars & AVRs can decode the audio. Period.
Very true. I agree. I think it wont happen though, because of Siri and other system sounds that Apple want to have mixed unto the audio stream.

I hope I´m wrong.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
B/D Avatar
B/D
47 months ago
Is EARC still in beta?.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
Realityck
47 months ago

Exactly my point. NO. That method is an archaic delivery schema for data. Leave "normally" in the past where it belongs.

We don't want to do that anymore a la HDMI 2.1 & its features: QMS, QFT, VRR via FRM (24.95Hz or 30/60Hz for YouTube), etc.

The way forward isn't the "normally" way.

Cease with the pre-HDMI 2.1 way of thinking, that's not the direction the industry is headed. Apple needs to catch up because it's clearly not pushing the envelope.
Why is it a archaic delivery schema for the bitstream? The AVR is nothing more the a HDMI repeater, it does nothing to the video data, and is a far superior decoder for the audio going to amp driving your speakers. They have AVRs that are now 8K capable pass through. You trust the audio quality more from the source to TV and back to AVR?

Is this coming from the gaming perspective because you mentioned QFT? Lets also remember Apple is notorious slow on supporting HDMI standards, so everyone talks about HDMI 2.1 on a ATV 4K so we need to wait for the next ATV4K to see if its added.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
InauguralHobbit Avatar
InauguralHobbit
47 months ago

Why is it a archaic delivery schema for the bitstream? The AVR is nothing more the a HDMI repeater, it does nothing to the video data, and is a far superior decoder for the audio going to amp driving your speakers. They have AVRs that are now 8K capable pass through. You trust the audio quality more from the source to TV and back to AVR?

Is this coming from the gaming perspective because you mentioned QFT? Lets also remember Apple is notorious slow on supporting HDMI standards, so everyone talks about HDMI 2.1 on a ATV 4K so we need to wait for the next ATV4K to see if its added.
Not at all from the gaming perspective. QMS because because I don't wish to wait 3 full-count seconds when playing media in Dolby Vision / HDR10--switching from SDR. QFT for the same reason, but in regard to switching from 59.95Hz to 24.95Hz for films & 30/60Hz for YouTube content.

And an HDMI 2.1 port ('https://www.apple.com/apple-tv-4k/specs/') is already on the 2021 2nd-Gen ATV 4K. These features can be & should be implemented via firmware within tvOS. This is no longer a hardware issue.

I prefer perma-MAT > PCM for 5.1 & MAT for Atmos. It's an annoyance dealing with pops & crackles when changing from 5.1 to Atmos content & vice versa, and it can't be good for the channel drivers in sound systems over time.

But I believe we're at an impasse. We simply believe one method is superior to the other. Connecting directly to a soundbar/AVR may have had the upper-leg pre eARC & HDMI 2.1, but now with bigger bandwidth pipelines for faster & larger data transfer that is no longer the case--or shouldn't be.

The software needs to be perfected & implemented. That will take time, I presume.

HDMI 2.1 bandwidth limits support QMS & QFT without the need for any of the gaming (120Hz) aspects. That aside, Apple really pushed this ATV in its marketing throes for Apple Arcade, so it's honestly a matter of Apple holding to their word of updating their software capabilities.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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