The Apple TV app on Xbox is getting an upgrade. From this week, Dolby Vision HDR will be enabled, meaning you'll be able to watch supported content with a wider range of colours and deeper black levels on your Xbox Series X or S.
We've checked, and the update is already live on our Series X console, with Dolby Vision now triggering on the content that carries it.
But that's not the only Xbox entertainment app getting an update – the Spotify app can also now show video podcasts.
Microsoft detailed the updates in a blog post.
Dolby Vision constantly optimises the way your TV delivers HDR pictures by using dynamic metadata. This carries scene-by-scene instructions that a Dolby Vision-capable display can use to make sure it portrays the content as accurately as possible. Dolby Vision-capable TVs combine the scene-by-scene information received from the source with an awareness of their own capabilities in terms of brightness, contrast and colour performance.
This gives it the edge over the industry standard HDR10, which only involves static metadata – more general info that applies to the whole show or film you're watching.
Microsoft claims that Dolby Vision produces highlights that are up to 40 times brighter than a standard picture and blacks that are 10 times darker.
To enjoy Dolby Vision you'll need to have "Allow Dolby Vision" enabled on your compatible TV and on your console (on your Xbox, it's under Settings > General > TV & display options > Video Modes). Compatible content will bear a Dolby Vision logo at the bottom of the show/film's description page in the Apple TV app. Or you can check it during playback by pressing the B button on your Xbox controller.
Spotify's video podcasts can play in full screen, or you can have them on in the background while you play a game on your Xbox, just like you were listening to music on Spotify. To start watching, just press play on a video podcast within the Spotify app.
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