Apple TV works primarily by streaming TV shows and movies on your TV set. However, those poor unfortunate souls who suffer from dropped frames and stuttering due to slow internet connection speed may find it difficult to watch their favorite shows and movies on the Apple device.
However, worry not you poor sobs! We are here to give you a tutorial about how to counter such issues. In this tutorial, we will help you choose the quality of the video streaming on your Apple TV device which will help make your streaming experience smoother and swifter.
The iTunes video rental purchases are by default shown in high definition, i.e 1080p. However, this is a problem if your internet connection is not fast and you will meet constant stuttering and buffering.
So those people who have a slower connection are advised that they should compromise on the quality of the video and select a lower video resolution for the iTunes purchases and rentals according to the following steps. We will also tell you about the recommended speeds for better streaming on your device.
How to select video streaming on 4th generation Apple TV
Step 1: Go to ‘Settings’. Then go to ‘Apps’ and in the next menu select ‘iTunes Movies and TV Shows’. Here you will see an option named ‘Video Resolution’.
Step 2: Under ‘Video Resolution’ select either High Definition/HD or Standard Definition/SD. (You can also change iTunes previews from the default HD setting to SD setting.)
How to select video streaming resolution on 2nd and 3rd generation Apple TV
Step 1: Got to ‘Settings’ and then select ‘iTunes Store’.
Step 2: Now select either HD or SD.
Note: If you change the streaming resolution on the Apple TV or iTunes Store, not will not affect third party applications like Netflix, Hulu, HBO NOW and YouTube. In order to toggle between the settings in these apps, you must check the settings which will be within the app, however, beware that not all third-party applications help toggle this setting.
According to Apple, the following internet speeds are favorable for the following kinds of streaming content:
- 8 Mbit per second or faster for 1080p high-definition content
- 6 Mbit per second or faster for 720p content
- 2.5 Mbit per second or faster for standard-definition content.
You should also connect to a 5GHz Wi-Fi network for the latest Apple TV model and you must always check the HDMI Output settings to ensure that the Apple TV’s output resolution matches your television’s native resolution. You can do this by going to ‘Settings’ and then ‘Audio and Video’.