cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
Anonymous User
Not applicable

Judder when watching on Now Tv Stick

Hi, Don’t know why but my TV prefers 60hz as it is really smooth but the default 50hz for Now Tv produces slight judder in the picture no matter if I watch Now Tv or Netflix on the stick. 

 

Is is there anyway of me changing 50hz to 60hz on Now tv?

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION
schnapps
Legend 5
Legend 5

Hi @Anonymous User 

 

No solution if you keep using the NowTV stick which outputs video at 50hz.

 

You will need to look at another nowTV supported device such has a Roku which offers 60hz forced playback.

 

From my various testing on 50hz and 60hz playback on all my Panasonic Televisions when watching UK broadcasted content such has NowTV, BBC iPlayer etc 50hz is smoother for me on all my TV's where 60hz on UK video content introduces micro judder on panning camera shots or news ticker bars.

 

Sounds like to me that your Television screen can handle 60hz better than 50hz.

 

Out of interest what is the make and model number of your television and if you are playing 50hz native content and if your television remote controller offers on screen information on the incoming signal is it displaying 50hz or converting the signal to 60hz on your TV screen ?

 

Back in the early days, when NowTV brought out their old white and black boxes these devices originally outputted all video at 60hz (inline with the full blown Roku Players in the USA) and a lot of NowTV customers complained about 60hz playback on UK content where micro judder was introduced on their TV screens.

 

Since NowTV rectified this by forcing 50hz on their boxes and stick, the 60hz micro judder discussion seems to have disappeared on the forum, where the majority of customers find 50hz more watchable over 60hz here in the UK.

 

So unless NowTV can offer a functionality in the future, like the option of selecting 50hz or 60hz in the menu settings which i don't know if it is possible with their hardware or software then you are stuck with 50hz using their NowTV stick.

 

View solution in original post

19 REPLIES 19
schnapps
Legend 5
Legend 5

Hi @Anonymous User 

 

The NowTV stick is locked at 50hz and there is no option in the previous or latest software to select or force 60hz.

 

Perhaps consider a Roku Express which outputs all video at 60hz fixed, but again you won't be able to revert to 50hz on the Roku Express.

 

Also the Roku Express is a mini streaming box and technically not a stick where using the Roku Express remote you need line of sight where the remote works over infra red.

 

Also the Roku Express remote doesn't have the TV standby and volume adjust together with a voice search button, but does incorporate more Apps than the NowTV stick.

Anonymous User
Not applicable

So no solution at all to fix this. More noticeable when watching Sky Sports News and the bottom ticker bar moving across the screen it’s not smooth it’s glitchy and frustrating.

schnapps
Legend 5
Legend 5

Hi @Anonymous User 

 

No solution if you keep using the NowTV stick which outputs video at 50hz.

 

You will need to look at another nowTV supported device such has a Roku which offers 60hz forced playback.

 

From my various testing on 50hz and 60hz playback on all my Panasonic Televisions when watching UK broadcasted content such has NowTV, BBC iPlayer etc 50hz is smoother for me on all my TV's where 60hz on UK video content introduces micro judder on panning camera shots or news ticker bars.

 

Sounds like to me that your Television screen can handle 60hz better than 50hz.

 

Out of interest what is the make and model number of your television and if you are playing 50hz native content and if your television remote controller offers on screen information on the incoming signal is it displaying 50hz or converting the signal to 60hz on your TV screen ?

 

Back in the early days, when NowTV brought out their old white and black boxes these devices originally outputted all video at 60hz (inline with the full blown Roku Players in the USA) and a lot of NowTV customers complained about 60hz playback on UK content where micro judder was introduced on their TV screens.

 

Since NowTV rectified this by forcing 50hz on their boxes and stick, the 60hz micro judder discussion seems to have disappeared on the forum, where the majority of customers find 50hz more watchable over 60hz here in the UK.

 

So unless NowTV can offer a functionality in the future, like the option of selecting 50hz or 60hz in the menu settings which i don't know if it is possible with their hardware or software then you are stuck with 50hz using their NowTV stick.

 

chai
Scholar 3

@Anonymous User The Now TV 4k Smart Box has an "Auto-adjust display refresh rate" option, which switches the outputted frame rate to whatever frequency is needed to match the video's native frame rate (e.g. 60Hz for US TV/50Hz for UK TV/24Hz for Movies).

 

Using this option should ensure that you get the best quality video playback, although a side effect is that your TV may go blank for a second or so while switching frequency when video playback starts and stops.

schnapps
Legend 5
Legend 5

Hi @chai 

 

I don't think that will work with regards to enabling the Auto Refresh Frame Rate on the NowTV 4K Smart Box which will playback the native frame rate of the broadcast.

 

So for example NowTV native playback is 50hz so @Anonymous User will be getting a 50hz signal using the Auto Refresh Frame Rate feature when switched on,

 

Where reading @Anonymous User post, 60hz forced output is what is needed all the time which suits @Anonymous User  television screen better when it comes to reducing micro judder.

 

Though i haven't got a US television to check what happens if you use the Auto Refresh Rate with UK 50hz content on a US TV if it will up convert the signal from 50 to 60hz to match a US 60hz TV display.

 

I can only report what's happening on my UK sourced Panasonic TV's using the Auto Refresh Frame Rate feature.

 

My NowTV 4K Smart Box recently received a new Software update OS9.0.3 and for some reason the Auto Refresh Rate is now not working or broken on the latest update 😠.

 

I have raised the loss of this Auto Adjust Refresh Rate functionality on my NowTV 4K box to the NowTV Forum Team to investigate.

 

Saying that my NowTV 4K Smart box is always now forcing 60hz output on everything thing that i throw at it such has the NowTV App, BBC iPlayer App, Netflix App etc.

 

Because i always used the Auto Refresh Frame Rate Functionality, i can't remember for the life of me where my mind has gone totally blank, where if you left the box in it's default mode (Auto adjust display refresh rate left disabled) what was the default video output setting.

 

On OS9.0.3 it showing for me 60hz fixed where i can't remember if it was 50hz or 60hz going from the previous software version OS8 ?

 

Where my older NowTV Freeview Smart Box running on the newer OS 9.0.3 is fixed at 50hz which i was expecting to output.

chai
Scholar 3

@schnapps My Now TV 4k Smart Box has upgraded itself to 9.0.3 and auto-adjust display refresh rate is still working fine (maybe a factory reset might help your box)? And when auto-adjust display refresh rate is disabled the smart box defaults to 50Hz.

 

Reading @Anonymous User's question again, I wonder what is the "smooth" content they are watching at 60Hz compared to Now TV/Netflix at 50Hz?

schnapps
Legend 5
Legend 5

Hi @chai 

 

Firstly that's good news that you have Auto Refresh Frame Rate working on OS 9.0.3 on your NowTV 4K Smart box.

 

I did try a forced software update on the box by going into the secret menu where i was still getting the same results.

 

I would try a full factory reset but for reasons i can't talk about on here i won't be able to factory reset my box for a few weeks.

 

Hopefully like you said a full factory reset will resolve it.

 

I can still use my Roku Stick Plus in the meantime when watching NowTV, BBC iPlayer etc, but unfortunately Netflix on the Roku now doesn't output 24hz anymore and is locked at 60hz where i was reading a few weeks back different conflicting reports on the Roku Forum if this was Netflix or Roku's who have locked this down at 60hz.

 

Might have to jump over to the Roku Forum to find out the latest on what's happening about this.

 

One quick question, because i can't check on my NowTV 4K Smart Box since OS 9.0.3 has been updated on my box, assuming you have a Netflix Account can you confirm when playing back Netflix on your NowTV 4K smart box is it displaying at 24hz or 50hz when the Auto Frame Rate in enabled.

 

When i was using OS 8 it was still running Netflix at 24hz which is my preference.

 

Anyway at least i know now OS 9.0.3 Auto Adjust Frame Rate is working fine for somebody else and the good news also the default video output signal is 50hz when disabling the Auto Refresh Frame Rate functionality 😁.

 

Was getting a little worried that Auto Refresh Rate functionality was possibly being removed from the NowTV 4K boxes, which in my opinion is one of the best engineering features on the box.

chai
Scholar 3

@schnapps Yes, on the 4k box Netflix's own content is 24Hz, while UK sourced content on Netflix like Bodyguard (BBC), Unforgotten (ITV), Toast of London (CH4) is 50Hz.

schnapps
Legend 5
Legend 5

Hi @chai 

 

That's the answer i was looking for thanks 😁 👍.