Contributor I

Answered

Arc TV sound cuts in and out.

758 replies
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Just got the Arc and have it paired with 2 Play:1’s and a gen 3 sub.
Samsung Q80R tv.

The sound from the tv will play for around 5 seconds and then cut out for around 1 second, play for 5, out for 1, on and on.

I’ve swapped out the hdmi cable twice, tried unplugging the tv, switched between PCM and DD+ and switched between different apps on the tv.

The sonos app shows that I am getting an atmos signal

Was running a beam with the Play:1’s (but no sub) before just fine.

Not sure what I should try next.

Thank you,

mike

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Corry PAnswer

Sonos Staff

Thank you all for all your efforts and testing. A system update has now been released which also include a fix to this issue (it disables the Sonos “screensaver” on an Arc if connected to a Samsung TV). Please update your Sonos systems. If you’re still experiencing problems after updating, please let us know.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein

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ledzep1

Headliner II

Found the cable info in this thread where a Sonos person refers to it as 1.4+

While confirming that the cable is electrically compatible via HEAC support, bandwidth was not stated.

The specification for HDMI v1.4 (including a and b revisions) retained the same bandwidth as v1.3 i.e. 10.2 Gbit/s while v2.0 increased it to 18 Gbit/s. For me, the Sonos supplied HDMI cable has a big question mark over it.

The Arc only requires a HDMI 1.4 cable (or better). eARC repurposes the ethernet wire (HDMI devices tend not to use this feature) for the increased bandwidth that Atmos requires. The increased bandwidth of HDMI 2.0 is only for video - as in, your source device needs it for 4K/8K. As the Arc only receives sound, it can make do with the standard ARC channel plus the repurposed ethernet channel, so a 1.4 cable is sufficient.

I agree with this, but thats not to say Sonos need to cheap out on the hdmi cable, by supplying the lowest spec to meet just the needs of the Sonos Arc.

Lots of people change cables around and most would presume the hdmi cable that comes with the ARC at least can deal with most demands.

G

Gary P

Lyricist III

The maximum data rate for Dolby Digital Plus is 6.144 Gbit/s, so agree there.

For Dolby TrueHD, the audio stream including metadata can be up to 18 Mbit/s (instantaneous). If the cable tops out at 10.2 Gbit/s and the audio stream exceeds 10.2 Gbit/s the cable could introduce signal attenuation, crosstalk, data, clock or phase errors. Which could cause audio drop outs.

My main interest would be streaming Atmos TrueHD from a NAS.

G

Gary P

Lyricist III

BTW - some eARC fun facts:

eARC supports uncompressed multichannel and immersive audio, including up to eight channels at 192 kHz/24 bits. In addition, lip-sync compensation is mandatory, and eARC can discover connected audio devices and ascertain their capabilities using its own data channel.

eARC uses the twisted pair of wires within an HDMI cable normally used for Ethernet over HDMI. Here is an example of an eARC connection:

Corry P

Sonos Staff

The maximum data rate for Dolby Digital Plus is 6.144 Gbit/s, so agree there.

For Dolby TrueHD, the audio stream including metadata can be up to 18 Mbit/s (instantaneous). If the cable tops out at 10.2 Gbit/s and the audio stream exceeds 10.2 Gbit/s the cable could introduce signal attenuation, crosstalk, data, clock or phase errors. Which could cause audio drop outs.

My main interest would be streaming Atmos TrueHD from a NAS.

For the sake of clarity, I feel I should point out that you are 3 orders-of-magnitude out - Dolby Digital+ peaks at 6Mbit/s. Uncompressed Atmos True-HD, with variable bitrate, averages at 6Mbit/s, and peaks at 18Mbit/s. With eARC’s maximum bandwidth of 38Mbit/s, there’s plenty of headroom.

The bandwidth needed for 8K video (or 4K at higher frame/refresh rates) is the reason for HDMI 2.0/2.1. The audio data requirements come nowhere close - around 1/1000th of the data.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein

R

riverinjonathan

Contributor I

I just got the last patch from Sonos on my Arc. And the last update from Sony on my tv (x950h). Do you think I should unplug my set up, or do something before trying to watch and see if the sound still skips? Rebooting?

I mean its been so long waiting for these updates i want it to work...

Corry P

Sonos Staff

Hi @riverinjonathan

The Arc will have rebooted during the update process, so you should be good to go. If there are any problems, however, a reboot of both TV and Arc would be the first thing I’d try (power off TV, not standby).

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein

K

khaz22

Avid Contributor III

I am at a complete loss right now...Just got off the phone with Customer support and was told this is a Samsung issue and I needed to contact them.

The issue I am having is that at my mom’s house, her Arc cuts in and out, and I drive over...unplug...plug back in...check HDMI...works for a week...repeat. I am shocked that customer service is not aware of this, and is still claiming this is a Samsung issue.

K

khaz22

Avid Contributor III

Next step, I have contacted Samsung, and they state that our TV is updated to the latest firmware, and Sonos is aware of the issue and has an updated firmware to work with Samsung TV’s. Does anyone know the keys to getting Sonos support to push the correct firmware to the Arc?

J

jmay99

Lyricist II

The maximum data rate for Dolby Digital Plus is 6.144 Gbit/s, so agree there.

For Dolby TrueHD, the audio stream including metadata can be up to 18 Mbit/s (instantaneous). If the cable tops out at 10.2 Gbit/s and the audio stream exceeds 10.2 Gbit/s the cable could introduce signal attenuation, crosstalk, data, clock or phase errors. Which could cause audio drop outs.

My main interest would be streaming Atmos TrueHD from a NAS.

For the sake of clarity, I feel I should point out that you are 3 orders-of-magnitude out - Dolby Digital+ peaks at 6Mbit/s. Uncompressed Atmos True-HD, with variable bitrate, averages at 6Mbit/s, and peaks at 18Mbit/s. With eARC’s maximum bandwidth of 38Mbit/s, there’s plenty of headroom.

The bandwidth needed for 8K video (or 4K at higher frame/refresh rates) is the reason for HDMI 2.0/2.1. The audio data requirements come nowhere close - around 1/1000th of the data.

Hi @Corry P , It sounds like you’ve ruled out the HDMI cable that Sonos provides with the Arc as the cause of the problem we are all here trying to solve. Thank you for that. Are there any updates from Sonos on solving the problem? We see reports of firmware updates being pushed out to select individuals. What is the status of that update for broader release? How does an individual get that firmware update? We’re all dissatisfied with response from Sonos so far, so I hope you can surprise us with some good news. Thanks.

R

riverinjonathan

Contributor I

Been having the sound cuts problem for months now… AND i asked the SONOS manager to apply the new patch, the new update for sonos ARC. And it WORKSSSSssss!! No more problem with Disney, Apple plus, Fibe, Crave, Etc... it was def a problemwith SONOS…

btw my tv is Sony x950h.

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