I have a Sony AF8 TV, a Sonos Arc soundbar, and I use an Apple TV as my only source.
The issue is not the soundbar, but the audio handling of the Sony AF8.
When I start or switch apps on the Apple TV (Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, etc.), the TV often loses the HDMI ARC audio connection.
This leads to problems like:
- no sound when an app starts
- sound randomly disappearing
- sound coming only from the TV speakers
- audio sometimes coming back after returning to the Apple TV home screen
- frequent audio / format info pop-ups on the TV
Video is always fine, but the audio connection over ARC is unstable.
The Sony AF8 seems to struggle with modern Apple TV audio formats (LPCM, multichannel PCM, Dolby Atmos over DD+/MAT) when passing them through ARC to the Sonos Arc.
In short:
The ARC implementation on the Sony AF8 is unreliable with Apple TV → Sony AF8 → Sonos Arc.
The TV works as a display, but fails as a stable audio hub.
What I already tried to mitigate the issue:
- Forcing Dolby Digital 5.1 instead of automatic audio formats
- Switching between Auto 1 / Auto 2 / PCM in Sony audio settings
- Enabling and disabling Bravia Sync (CEC)
- Power resets of TV, Apple TV, and Sonos Arc
- Different HDMI cables and HDMI ports
- Avoiding format changes as much as possible
None of these fully solved the problem.
The audio over ARC remains unstable, especially when apps or audio formats change.