Apple just upgraded its well-liked streaming box with a much-anticipated home theater feature.
For a variety of reasons, including greater processing power, faster streaming bitrates, lack of advertisements, and the availability of a dedicated Ethernet connector, the Apple TV 4K has become the preferred streaming device for home theater fans.
Those same individuals, especially those who own home projectors, now have an additional incentive to purchase Apple’s flagship TV streamer. With the release of tvOS 18.2 in early December, owners of Apple TVs may now officially change the aspect ratio.
A fresh scene for a photo
Although it wasn’t available at launch, Apple said it was bringing this capability to the Apple TV when it unveiled tvOS 18 at WWDC in June 2024. Since then, the most recent software upgrade has altered that.
Those who have their Apple TV 4K linked to a home theater projector (or an ultra-wide or curved monitor) will find this significant because they may adjust the settings to make the image fill their screen more.
Owners of Apple TVs can choose from a variety of aspect ratios with tvOS 18.2, including 16:9, 21:9, 2.37:1, 2.39:1, 2.40:1, DCI 4K, and 32:9, several of which are optimized for expensive movie projectors.
As of right now, Apple TVs send an HDMI video signal for 16:9 screens, which works well with the majority of contemporary TVs but isn’t the best option for people who have home theater projectors and want a more immersive image.
How can the aspect ratio of your Apple TV be altered?
Beginning in early December, tvOS 18.2 became widely available as a free software upgrade for all supported models, including Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD (1st generation and later).
You can enter the Settings app, choose “Video and Audio,” and then choose “Enable Wide Aspect Ratios” to change the aspect ratio of your Apple TV. In order to adjust the aspect ratio (including the new 21:9 setting for home theater projectors), you should then see that top button change to “Aspect Ratio.”