Arc/Atmos - TV support for passthrough from Apple 4k?



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Userlevel 2
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So does anyone have pcm input selected rather  thank bitstream  I have output set to auto and I get atmos from appletv 

Hello all,

After waiting quite a while, I finally got my Arc.  I keep seeing that Apple TV won’t play Atmos through the ARC port.  I have my Apple TV 4k connected to my LG C7 which is connected to my Arc via the HDMI2 ARC.  I didn’t change any settings on any devices, and I tested out a few iTunes movies that had Dolby Atmos and the Sonos app was saying it was playing in Dolby Atmos.  This is my first exposure to Dolby Atmos, and I gotta say I was underwhelmed.  I was anxiously awaiting the 3D sound aspect (I have two One SL’s connected too) but I really didn’t get any 3D sound.  It’s located in a pretty small room, mind you, and I did the true tuning or whatever it’s called.

Is it possible that even though my app says it’s playing Atmos, that it actually isn’t?  Am I expecting too much from 3D sound?  I tried Baby Driver’s opening scene and Spiderman Homecoming as these were listed as some of the better sounding ones on a quick Google search but I didn’t really hear anything special. 

Thanks in advance for any input!

Userlevel 5
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Hi folks. Thanks for your responses and updates here. 

@babyjor10, about your case, can you please check if your Apple TV is using LPCM? As it is not yet supported by Sonos. Below are the thread links for reference.

https://en.community.sonos.com/troubleshooting-228999/no-dialog-through-arc-from-apple-tv-4k-6847888

https://en.community.sonos.com/home-theater-228993/did-ios14-tvos14-quietly-bring-atmos-audio-to-airplay-2-6848270

You can try a different source like the built-in apps on your TV and see if it will make any difference. If it shows playing Dolby Atmos, meaning it does playing it. 

Try to submit a diagnostic to further check on our end. Reply to us with the confirmation number. 

Just let us know. We and the community are always here to help.

Userlevel 2
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Honestly, some folks are kidding yourselves if they think the Arc is going to give them any real Atmos effect. I know, because I just bought one and have it all setup with a set of Play 1s for the rears. I don’t really know what people are expecting from a “play bar” on its own in regards to Atmos. For Atmos to work it needs speakers - and lots of them placed around your room, preferably with ceiling mounted ones too. To expect a sound bar on its own to get anywhere near this is just not going to happen, and regardless of top firing speakers designed to bounce off your ceiling is just ridiculous (the Arc is not even a very loud unit, and to actually achieve that, it’s a big call for those little speakers to fire sound at least 2m up to to hit the ceiling and then have it loud enough so that sound could then bounce back down to listener is just not going to happen with any real effect).
 

All this fuss about not passing Atmos, I can almost guarantee you that a blind test between Atmos and Dolby Digital passed through the Arc, you would be hard pressed to pick any difference. Atmos enabled sound bars are just a marketing gimmick, unless you are genuinely looking for one that will be an integral part of a much greater Atmos setup. 
 

I bought the Arc because it is the best sounding sound bar under $3000Aus for my TV, it integrates seamlessly with the rest of my Sonos architecture and because it is a high quality product that I can rely on. And does an excellent job of surround sound with the addition of rear speakers (regardless of whether I am watching a movie with Atmos or DD).