Title: tvOS update changes audio upmixing on Marantz Cinema 60 — Fixed by disabling Continuous Audio Connection on Apple TV 4K 3rd Gen
Body:
Logging a technical audio layout conflict introduced in a recent tvOS update that specifically affects the Apple TV 4K (3rd Gen, 128GB) connected to a Marantz Cinema 60 AVR, and providing the solution to restore rear speaker functionality.
The Issue:
Following a recent software update, the rear speakers on the Marantz Cinema 60 stop outputting audio when attempting to use Dolby Surround or DTS Neural:X upmixing on standard 2-channel stereo content (such as YouTube videos or streaming music tracks) initiated from the Apple TV 4K (3rd Gen, 128GB).
The issue stems from a tvOS feature titled Continuous Audio Connection. When active, the Apple TV 4K maintains a permanent multi-channel LPCM pipeline over HDMI to prevent audio switching delays. However, when playing native 2-channel stereo media, the Apple TV maintains this multi-channel layout container while populating the surrounding discrete channels with silent data.
Because the Marantz Cinema 60 detects an incoming multi-channel stream, the receiver assumes it is a full native surround mix. As a result, the internal upmixers (Dolby Surround / DTS Neural:X) do not engage, leaving the physical rear speakers completely silent.
The Solution:
To resolve this conflict and allow the Marantz Cinema 60 to process 2-channel content normally, disable the continuous pipeline feature on the Apple TV 4K (3rd Gen, 128GB):
- On the Apple TV 4K, navigate to Settings > Video and Audio.
- Select Audio Format.
- Locate Continuous Audio Connection and switch it to OFF.
- Ensure the primary Audio Format remains set to Auto.
Disabling this feature stops the Apple TV 4K (3rd Gen, 128GB) from sending empty multi-channel containers during stereo playback. The Apple TV will dynamically output an accurate 2-channel signal for stereo media, allowing the Marantz Cinema 60 upmixers to engage properly. True multi-channel content (such as Netflix 5.1 or Dolby Atmos tracks) continues to stream automatically without requiring manual adjustment.