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Apple TV 4K has gained an important new feature for home cinema enthusiasts. The Native Player 2.0 app enables playback of lossless Dolby Atmos in TrueHD format and DTS, while also retaining height channels. It's a feature that was previously missing from popular players like Infuse and Plex.
Dolby Atmos from Blu-ray without loss of quality
Native Player 2.0 lets you play files from Blu-ray and UHD Blu-ray discs while preserving full audio quality. The app decodes Dolby TrueHD Atmos and DTS tracks directly on Apple TV, then sends them to an AV receiver or soundbar over HDMI as multichannel PCM using Dolby MAT.
Supported configurations up to 9.1.6 for Dolby Atmos and 7.1.4 for DTS. A compatible audio system is required to use height channels.
Dolby Vision and NAS file support
The app also supports Dolby Vision, including AV1-encoded content, as well as HDR10 and HDR10+. Movies can be played from a NAS or a computer over SMB and WebDAV.
It’s worth noting, however, that Dolby Vision Profile 7 FEL does not play back at full quality, because the app skips the additional image layer.
How much does Native Player 2.0 cost?
The app can be downloaded for free, but premium features require the Pro version. In the US it costs $4.99 per year or $24.99 for a lifetime licence.
Native Player requires tvOS 26 or later. According to FlatpanelsHD, the app delivers on promises of lossless audio, although its interface still needs work.
Sources: FlatpanelsHD, Native IT, PRAD
