Apple TV 4K loses Prime Video Dolby Vision support just days after receiving it

News
By
published

Will they or won't they?

The hardware and interface for Apple TV 4K in 2022.
(Image credit: Gerald Lynch / Future)

Days after adding Dolby Vision support to the Prime Video app on tvOS for Apple TV 4K, Amazon has quietly removed the offering.

Earlier this week, Apple TV 4K owners rejoiced as the Prime Video app added Dolby Vision for select titles. Initially, the first four episodes of the hit tv show, The Rings of Power, appeared with the HDR technology which led users to believe that other Select shows were imminent — now it looks like the support rollout could be a mistake.

Just a day after adding the limited support, the episodes of The Rings of Power have returned to HDR10, Dolby Vision’s competitor created by Samsung. 

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Apple TV 4K with Dolby Vision

(Image credit: Reddit u/CelebrationOptimal25)

Will we get Apple TV Prime Video Dolby Vision support soon?

In September 2022, Amazon began to offer select Prime Video titles in Dolby Vision HDR following years of exclusively offering Samsung’s HDR10+ equivalent. The update has been compatible with FireTV devices and Smart TVs ever since — Apple TV 4K hasn’t been as lucky. 

The update to tvOS on Apple TV 4K was initially spotted on Reddit when a user started to watch The Rings of Power on their OLED. Following a report from FlatpanelsHD, the episodes were indeed streaming a 4k Dolby Vision image with an average video bitrate of approximately 20 Mbps. This discovery was found on the Prime Video app version 1.2.34 with Apple TV 4K (2021) and Apple TV 4K (2022).

It is yet to be seen if this was an early reveal of an upcoming announcement or a mistake on Amazon’s part to enable the Dolby Vision format. Amazon hadn't responded to iMore’s request for comment at the time of publication. 

The Apple TV 4K gained Dolby Vision support in 2017 and added HDR10+ last year to the best Apple TV, the new 2022 model. The addition of HDR10+ to the latest devices was met with huge excitement due to Samsung’s dominance as a TV manufacturer and the format being favored across most top streaming services. 

The addition of Dolby Vision in the Amazon Prime Video app would be a great benefit for Apple TV 4K, we’ll have to hope it will return soon.

John-Anthony Disotto
John-Anthony Disotto
How To Editor

John-Anthony Disotto is the How To Editor of iMore, ensuring you can get the most from your Apple products and helping fix things when your technology isn’t behaving itself. Living in Scotland, where he worked for Apple as a technician focused on iOS and iPhone repairs at the Genius Bar, John-Anthony has used the Apple ecosystem for over a decade and prides himself in his ability to complete his Apple Watch activity rings. John-Anthony has previously worked in editorial for collectable TCG websites and graduated from The University of Strathclyde where he won the Scottish Student Journalism Award for Website of the Year as Editor-in-Chief of his university paper. He is also an avid film geek, having previously written film reviews and received the Edinburgh International Film Festival Student Critics award in 2019.  John-Anthony also loves to tinker with other non-Apple technology and enjoys playing around with game emulation and Linux on his Steam Deck.

In his spare time, John-Anthony can be found watching any sport under the sun from football to darts, taking the term “Lego house” far too literally as he runs out of space to display any more plastic bricks, or chilling on the couch with his French Bulldog, Kermit.