Apple TV Colors All Messed Up

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Level 1

7 points

Apple TV Colors All Messed Up

I have an older Apple TV 4th gen (A1625) and I've had a strange issue happen yesterday night. We used it just fine earlier in the day and now suddenly the colors are completely off; almost everything is black, with some reds and blues coming through.

We tried restarts, hard restarts (unplug both wires for a few minutes), changed the HDMI cable, played with all Video/Audio settings (tried all possible options), nothing works. It's worth noting the TV itself is fine.

But here's the strange part: when I'm on my TV's main screen (Philips Roku), I can see a thumbnail of my HDMI 1 where the Apple TV is connected, and that preview shows the colors just fine! It's once I click on it to bring it full screen that colors get messed up.

What can I do?

Apple TV HD

Posted on Jul 6, 2023 10:14 AM

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Answer 1

Bryan_K1

Community Specialist

Jul 7, 2023 12:59 PM in response to Nefertiti42

Hello Nefertiti42,

Thanks for using the Apple Support Communities!

Based on what you've already tried, could you also try connecting the Apple TV to another TV or monitor and post back if the same thing happens on there?

If so, you'll want to reach out to Apple Support to look into some options for this. You can reach out to them here: Apple Support

Cheers!

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Answer 2

Kiasta

Level 1

9 points

Jul 11, 2023 4:19 PM in response to Nefertiti42

This surprisingly was the only thing that worked for me. I tried it on different hdmi inputs. Used 2 other hdmi cables. Even factory reset the thing and the picture was still messed up. Unplugged the hdmi cord and power cable before going to work plugged them back in and voila. I have an Apple TV 4K. Thanks for following up you’re a life saver I was just about to throw this thing in the trash!

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Answer 3

Nefertiti42 Author

Level 1

7 points

Jul 10, 2023 7:38 AM in response to Bryan_K1

Yes unfortunately it is the only TV we have in the house. After leaving it unplugged for over a day I tried plugging it back in and it was back to normal (although the background is lighter than before but everything else is ok). Hopefully it doesn't happen again but I really wish I had a proper explanation for this bug.

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Answer 4

Nefertiti42 Author

Level 1

7 points

Jul 12, 2023 7:29 AM in response to Kiasta

Yes I have no idea why unplugging for 2-3 minutes didn't work, when I have internet issues with it (nothing loads) I unplug for 15 seconds and then it works (worst case I need to do the same with my router). Normally that should be enough to "reset" the AppleTV. But looks like it needs a good couple hours to get back to normal...

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Apple TV Colors All Messed Up

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