Sonos Arc and Dolby Digital

I will do a full TV reboot (system reboot, not just the restart) and rebooting the ARC by unplugging it.

I just got my couch today, as we were responding to one another - so about the mount my one’s on the wall and re-tune.  So will do this later and likely let you know tomorrow.

TY so far for input - if you think of anything else let me know! I’ll post tomorrow if any change.

The inability to stream 4K from Netflix could be the culprit. I believe DD+/Atmos is only streamed with 4K content.

Also, if you want to get lossless Dolby TrueHD/Dolby Atmos audio from UHD and Blu-ray discs, you should consider getting the HDFury Arcana. It allows the UHD player to bypass your TV’s limitations and send audio directly to the Arc. I have one and it works great.

https://www.hdfury.com/product/4k-arcana-18gbps/

Oh I have my eye on the HD-Fury, I just bought a house though - So most of my money has gone to appliances, and tools for the yard.  The arc was my one gift to myself.

In time I’ll get the arcana device, or a new TV.  We’ll see :)

It would explain the Netflix / Prime issue I see.

It doesn’t explain the downmix to DD+ from TrueHD though, then to no DD+ to the speakers.  Realistically I may be sniveling over DD+.

DD+ would be better heard in 7+ systems due to channel expansion, with likely minimal impact to sound over my 5.1 setup.  That is when comparing DD to DD+, the compression difference is probably so slight that I’d have to really listen for it - which would detract from what I’m watching anyways.

Just got my answer on a separate forum about the UHD Player, and it’s sad.

So apparently my TV does downmix the TrueHD to DD+ (atmos lossy).  However, due to limitations on processing in my TV, it DOES NOT passthrough DD+ that it down converted - It only passes on native DD+.  This again due to the amount of power it takes to down mix, then send through ARC is not sufficient without serious sound sync issues - only hope here is for a patch that optimizes this some how.

So for my UHD setup, I would need the HD Furry or a whole different sound system with an Amp that support TrueHD and then speakers that are compatible with the amp. 

As I love Sonos, I don’t intend to buy a whole new system - have a number of these speakers throughout my home.  When I do upgrade my surround, it’ll be after I build a mini theater into my spare room attached to the garage - and it will be a money soak on a very serious system.

So, tldr - TV isn’t powerful enough to downmix + passthrough ARC and you are likely correct about the DD+ from Netflix requiring a certain bandwidth.  As Netflix / Prime send a DD+ (Atmos Lossy) - as you know, streaming and compression.  So it technically is native from Netflix, which is how other people with my TV in the forums are getting a compressed form of Atmos from a streaming service.

Maybe my UHD player will release a patch to downmix before the TV, so it technically is DD+ native source - one day.

I wouldn’t be too concerned about the difference between DD and DD+. Like you said, the difference is minimal. But if I were you, I would definitely boost your internet speed so you can take full advantage of your Netflix premium subscription. And I would start saving some money and get the HDFury Arcana so you can experience Dolby TrueHD/Atmos from UHD and Blu-ray discs. Lossless audio really does sound phenomenal on the Arc. And with Sonos’ latest firmware update that allows you to adjust the height channel levels, lossless Dolby Atmos from the Arc sounds even more amazing. I would imagine LOTR in HDR or Dolby Vision with lossless Dolby Atmos would be a pretty awesome experience.

@GuitarSuperstar 

Confirmed Atmos was working in HBO, DD+ working in Peacock, looks like DD+/Atmos not working in Netflix… likely due to bandwidth.  This all started working after I completed a hard reboot of my TV - I saw in my Sync settings that it still believed the Sonos Beam was plugged in.

Right now the arcana is just not an option for me.  Be some time before I drop more ‘fun’ money on my entertainment system.  By the time I can, I’ll either be in the market for a new TV or there will be a wider array of eARC intermediary devices with better pricing options.