Not sure where to post but I need to chime in. I love this forum, but a question for all the complainers of DTS not being supported. Did you actually research before you purchased this very expensive equipment? I have read so many people whining “I’m going to return my Sonos” or I’m selling my gear” or “wahhhhhh I’m not buying Sonos unless they give me DTS”. I spent hours researching before I even went to the store to give it a listen. It very clear and in no way hidden that this equipment is geared towards streaming media and music. It clearly states that DTS is not supported. To be honest, I didn’t even know people still watch DVDs! Wait....are VCRs still around too?? People think that Sonos is not listening. I believe they are listening and their answer is NO. They have a very specific brand with one goal in mind. Add music easily throughout your whole home. I think the 5.1 is a bonus but it’s not their claim to fame. I have the 5.1 set up and a couple Play 5s and could not be happier with them. Movies AND Music sound great.
Please stop complaining. If the equipment is not exactly what you want, don’t buy it and please don’t whine that you would buy it “if”. Should I call Apple and tell them I’ll buy thousands of dollars of their brand if they “would simply integrate windows 10” to their interface? Ok, enough venting for 1 day. Phew, that felt good! Bring on the hateful comments, I can handle it.
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Is this a hint?
What makes you think "Sonos Technical" made this decision, and thus deserving of a "rant"?
Oh dear, pedantry taken to a whole new level. This is why I hate these forums, please refer my original post.
I don’t think my quote from Sonos is insignificant, uninteresting to the users as regards this subject nor is it rude to anyone. It may be a generalisation to say Sonos Technical instead of Sonos Design or the Sonos Cat. I will now go off and thrash myself with sticks as punishment. Great detracting from the point though...
I think that is just sonos trying to get a beam sale from you.
Oh and I just remembered that Netflix is coming to SkyQ soon, so that might help you if everything is downloaded to the box.
Oh and I just remembered that Netflix is coming to SkyQ soon, so that might help you if everything is downloaded to the box.
I see Apple have announced that they are moving towards Dolby Atmos with their Apple TV this autumn/fall ... is it possible that Sonos will head in that direction too and simply skip DTS, DTS:X?
djsgrant,
I would love to see Sonos produce a new centre front speaker to replace the PlayBar with the ability to add a Sub and four 'separate' surrounds.
To get 'virtual' Dolby Atmos, it would be nice if the surrounds were also all capable of 'upward firing' a separate channel and the whole room sound calibrated via trueplay tuning.
I’m not talking more devices than what you maybe want to see in a room, just that the surround speakers can be separated out from the centre and be able to fire separate audio channels upwards, aswell as outwards.
That’s what I would prefer to see and maybe bypass DTS altogether.
I would love to see Sonos produce a new centre front speaker to replace the PlayBar with the ability to add a Sub and four 'separate' surrounds.
To get 'virtual' Dolby Atmos, it would be nice if the surrounds were also all capable of 'upward firing' a separate channel and the whole room sound calibrated via trueplay tuning.
I’m not talking more devices than what you maybe want to see in a room, just that the surround speakers can be separated out from the centre and be able to fire separate audio channels upwards, aswell as outwards.
That’s what I would prefer to see and maybe bypass DTS altogether.
I think the issue is around those that know how the tech works and those that don't. It's not unreasonable to think that a system that can be built and is sold as 5.1 will work with a blurry player and reproduce 5.1. I was happy enough to buy a new player that could convert dts to dd but it shouldn't be necessary. I'm not worried about any differences in sound quality or effects but Sonos sells itself as a simple to use system that means owners can plug and play as far as possible. They should pay the extra licensees fee which I understand is the issue with not supporting dts? and support their customers better.
To the starter of this thread, I could not disagree with you more.
I would buy SONOS (I nearly did because their UI is good) if it had at least basic DTS support, as almost all of my Blurays are DTS! These DTS Licenses in bulk purchases to OEMs are not expensive and I've seen this daft argument from manufacturers like AUDIOLAB that did the 8000AP and 8200AP before...
...guess what, because they refuse to implement the basics of decoding high-def formats natively (instead rely on your Player to convert to LPCM for them so they don't have to pay the puny License fee) they have discontinued their line of AVP due to nobody buying their corner-cutting barebones hardware to maximise profits.
I would buy SONOS (I nearly did because their UI is good) if it had at least basic DTS support, as almost all of my Blurays are DTS! These DTS Licenses in bulk purchases to OEMs are not expensive and I've seen this daft argument from manufacturers like AUDIOLAB that did the 8000AP and 8200AP before...
...guess what, because they refuse to implement the basics of decoding high-def formats natively (instead rely on your Player to convert to LPCM for them so they don't have to pay the puny License fee) they have discontinued their line of AVP due to nobody buying their corner-cutting barebones hardware to maximise profits.
How true!
It would be great if DTS was a supported format!
This is a ridiclous argument to be having in 2018 when even $100 Visio soundbars play DTS. SONOS claims the Playbar is for home theater, BUT according to the Costco website (who is now selling the playbar) it will play all formats connected to it - including Blu-ray players. I called Costco and guess where they got that information? The manufacture - SONOS. What a pack of lies. So even doing research beforehand is misleading.
My 100 disc Blu-ray collection has about 60% DTS discs. Guess what - I get no sound unless its PCM. I have the sub, and 4 play 1's which are all great but the playbar is a total letdown. I would love to return it but SONOS is not willing to tack back a 8 week old product.
SONOS tells me there is no demand for DTS support - bull. I'm pissed off because rather than showing off my OLED TV with awesome sound I end up playing most movies thru the TV speakers and not my $2000 sound system.
I'm the sucker - and my wife reminds me of that every time I have to change audio output for DTS.
My 100 disc Blu-ray collection has about 60% DTS discs. Guess what - I get no sound unless its PCM. I have the sub, and 4 play 1's which are all great but the playbar is a total letdown. I would love to return it but SONOS is not willing to tack back a 8 week old product.
SONOS tells me there is no demand for DTS support - bull. I'm pissed off because rather than showing off my OLED TV with awesome sound I end up playing most movies thru the TV speakers and not my $2000 sound system.
I'm the sucker - and my wife reminds me of that every time I have to change audio output for DTS.
I am another user that would like to see DTS. They missed the boat with the Playbase, which was just a reshaped Playbar and again have failed to deliver with the Beam; although this has HDMI finally.
I suspect there may be a technical reason why they cannot deliver DTS, rather than licensing.
Just jumping at straws, but the increased bandwidth of DTS doesn't play nicely with the current code Sonos uses.
I suspect there may be a technical reason why they cannot deliver DTS, rather than licensing.
Just jumping at straws, but the increased bandwidth of DTS doesn't play nicely with the current code Sonos uses.
I whinge about the shortcomings of Sonos with DTS, No Airplay 2 on the Playbar and the lip sync issues with LG Oled TV's and often think I should have gone with Bose. I always thought the Soundtouch ST300 looked nicer than the Playbar.
However, I then look at Bose and the failed promises of Airplay 2 on any of their soundtouch line, no mesh network, no apple music and now the pathetic situation of the soundtouch line essentially being discontinued and the new wifi speakers being completely incompatible with any soundtouch product and am reminded how much better the Sonos eco system really is.
Think about it, you can have a Zone Player from a decade or more ago in perfect sync with a Sonos One Alexa speaker. Bose can't even manage to allow you to sync a bose soundtouch product bought new today with one of their new home speaker branded products which is what all their new wireless speakers are going to be branded as. Imagine how annoyed you'd be having spent thousands and already being forced into obsolescence?
I used Bose as an example as they are the most obvious competitor to Sonos, however you can use many brands in their place.
However, I then look at Bose and the failed promises of Airplay 2 on any of their soundtouch line, no mesh network, no apple music and now the pathetic situation of the soundtouch line essentially being discontinued and the new wifi speakers being completely incompatible with any soundtouch product and am reminded how much better the Sonos eco system really is.
Think about it, you can have a Zone Player from a decade or more ago in perfect sync with a Sonos One Alexa speaker. Bose can't even manage to allow you to sync a bose soundtouch product bought new today with one of their new home speaker branded products which is what all their new wireless speakers are going to be branded as. Imagine how annoyed you'd be having spent thousands and already being forced into obsolescence?
I used Bose as an example as they are the most obvious competitor to Sonos, however you can use many brands in their place.
I'm not sure why making their reasoning public, beyond what they've already stated regarding streaming media, would be of benefit. Like I said, they did say that they're research suggested that most customers stream media, and therefore felt DTS was less important...and that reasoning has mostly been rejected. Why would a new reason now be acceptable to customers? I'm not saying I don't personally want to know all the details about the decision, I just don't see how telling us makes me or anyone else feel better about it.
As for pretending...have they? They responded from time to time, particularly regarding DTS on the new products Beam and Sonos Amp. I have little doubt that they are well aware of what customers are asking for.
To Be clear, I'm in favor of adding DTS if at all possible. I don't need it for myself personally, but in my opinion, it make their home theatre products less user friendly and deters sales. I don't have all the facts around that, just my opinion.
I love the beam but I think not providing the ability for DTS is limiting. I am currently looking to purchase a UHD player and only Samsung have the option to transcode DTS soundtracks to 5.1DD on the fly. I am now being forced down a route where I have to purchase the Samsung to get some surround sound otherwise I will be stuck with 2 channel PCM. Hopefully this will be addressed in the future with new product releases.
Might be worth mentioning, but TVs that passthough DTS are still fairly scarce. Even if Sonos implement support (and I do still believe they should), many Sonos users, including myself, would still be unable to chain the signal from source to speaker.
It's probably unpopular advice, but the best way for Sonos users to get surround sound from their DTS content is to buy an xbox one or some other device that can transcode on the fly.
It's probably unpopular advice, but the best way for Sonos users to get surround sound from their DTS content is to buy an xbox one or some other device that can transcode on the fly.
May I ask if you found a good model Samsung UHF that allowed you to hear DTS on your Sonos system and if so, what model? I searched the older Sonos articles and apparently this has been a big issue for a long time. The recommended players from earlier articles are no longer made and I can’t afford to take any more Mis-steps after this “Sonos blunder”.
The sound from Sonos is great.
But overall I’m highly disappointed that I can’t listen to my favorite Blu-ray’s thru my expensive new Sonos system. From the articles, the makers appear to be tone deaf on the subject.
jannabana69, I will say that anyone with the ability to enjoy terrific new 4k discs or Streams that now use DTS, Dolby Atmos, and more that provide an enormously better experience while watching the film. Yes I did my research an about the best available at the time. Nowadays, the other manufacturers are stepping over Sonos with HDMI 2.2 inputs/passthrough with DTS, DTSHD, Dolby Atmos and more decoding capabilities. The main place where Sonos is trying to keep pace is the WiFi connectivity vs Bluetooth for many others. Sonos is now a public corporation and will have toe answer to shareholders, like me, that are concerned that Sonos will nbe unable to keep pace with all the other items/ brands now available.
Yes, I have 5.1 with Play 5's in one room and Play 1's in the other and they sound great. The worst issue is that I cannot decode the DTS, Dolby Atmos or anything less compressed and better that Dolby Digital 5.1! Yes, those codes sound better and were invented for just that. It is true if one wants true 'home theater' in a room, one needs to spend a much larger amount of money and buy all separates with enough power to drive them, NOT a soundbar with wireless speakers. I do know because I have done it about 15 years ago when 'home theater' was pretty much a new thing. Soundbars and Sonos didn't exist then. I do have the experience with Microsoft operating system and went to Apple when I learned how much better the MAC is. Windows was basically a copy of so much of Apple's MAC system so why would Apple need Windows? Back to DTS now...DTS, Dolby Atmos, DTSHD and more do sound much better basically because they are much less COMPRESSED audio and do sound better in films. Sonos become a publicly owned company and raised enough cash to invest in new products to expand on services. Many streaming services are now offering much more that Dolby Digital in their services. Apple iTunes does, Amazon Prime, Netflix and more are there and more items arrive every month. If Sonos at a bare minimum had HDMI ARC in all the new items they would sell more. If they had HDMI 2.2 recognition and or passthrough with DTS, Dolby Atmos an all audio decoding then they would double the sale and then the stock price. I am a shareholder so I will mention it when I attend the shareholders meeting. This is not a wah,wah, or boo, hoo. It more like a step up and catch uo with what all the other manufacturers of Soundbars/Subs/Suooround are already doing and selling. This is about the bucks, and the sound. Both are better.
I'm kinda in a similar boat: while I'm currently happy with my dedicated Pioneer Elite + Energy Encores 5.1 setup that provides way more power than I'll ever need, I'd get in line to cut the cords and migrate to a Sonos system. At one point earlier in my life I was very particular about having proper 5.1 for my home cinema, but now that I'm older with kids I don't mind trading all that for a close approximation if it means a less cluttered living space and more convenience.
I just dug up this older article:
https://www.whathifi.com/amp/features/sonos-talks-dolby-atmos-dts-sound-quality-and-beam-soundbar
Pertinent quotation:
__Sonos works with a host of music and movie industry professionals on the performance of its products and clearly takes a lot of their feedback on board. One such person is Academy Award-winning sound mixer, Chris Jenkins (Mad Max: Fury Road, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Love & Mercy). And he wasn't taken with Atmos sound from existing soundbars.... "We found in a product this size… when we listened to some products which were way more expensive that did Atmos…" Martin tails off, making a somewhat unimpressed face. "Chris said to me, 'that’s got good height, but I didn’t put that stuff up there'. And we have to get it right. It would be a good thing to stick on the side of product but it has to work."__
It tells me Sonos will only release an Atmos soundbar only after they have perfected the implementation of Atmos in a soundbar form factor. It has to pass the Chris Jenkins test; if Chris is not impressed with even $2000 Atmos soundbars, then we have a long ways to go. This reminds me of the way Apple approaches things: they wait for others to come out with a new feature, then take their time to release the same feature but exquisitely executed and "just works".
It's possible we'll never see a Sonos Atmos soundbar if they are never happy with the end result. In that case I hope they release individual speakers with the addition of height drivers.
https://www.whathifi.com/amp/features/sonos-talks-dolby-atmos-dts-sound-quality-and-beam-soundbar
Pertinent quotation:
__Sonos works with a host of music and movie industry professionals on the performance of its products and clearly takes a lot of their feedback on board. One such person is Academy Award-winning sound mixer, Chris Jenkins (Mad Max: Fury Road, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Love & Mercy). And he wasn't taken with Atmos sound from existing soundbars.... "We found in a product this size… when we listened to some products which were way more expensive that did Atmos…" Martin tails off, making a somewhat unimpressed face. "Chris said to me, 'that’s got good height, but I didn’t put that stuff up there'. And we have to get it right. It would be a good thing to stick on the side of product but it has to work."__
It tells me Sonos will only release an Atmos soundbar only after they have perfected the implementation of Atmos in a soundbar form factor. It has to pass the Chris Jenkins test; if Chris is not impressed with even $2000 Atmos soundbars, then we have a long ways to go. This reminds me of the way Apple approaches things: they wait for others to come out with a new feature, then take their time to release the same feature but exquisitely executed and "just works".
It's possible we'll never see a Sonos Atmos soundbar if they are never happy with the end result. In that case I hope they release individual speakers with the addition of height drivers.
june 2019. I just bought Denon professional DN-500BD MKII (at B&H Photo in NYC) and, out of the box, plays dvd dts 5.1 over my bravia/sonos sound bar with surround speakers listening now. easy! (couldnt really tell from the online research i did, so i just went for it and it works. about $400
I gave my sonos 5.1 to my father-in-law and switched to a Denon AV receiver + 5.1 passive speaker set up. Better sound and support for all codecs for less money.
No more compromises. No more need for optical switches. No more transcoding. I still have 3 Sonos products for music listening but I will never be back for home theater applications. I mean whats the appeal of Sonos for home theater? Besides not having to install speaker cable, but use power cables instead, there is none. Every AV receiver now supports streaming music Spotify connect, airplay etc. It comes with serious drawbacks and like everyone here, I had to find out the hard way.
Forget about Atmos. Its TrueHD and DTS Master that you are truely missing. The lossless sound just blows you away and the detail creates such immersion.
No more compromises. No more need for optical switches. No more transcoding. I still have 3 Sonos products for music listening but I will never be back for home theater applications. I mean whats the appeal of Sonos for home theater? Besides not having to install speaker cable, but use power cables instead, there is none. Every AV receiver now supports streaming music Spotify connect, airplay etc. It comes with serious drawbacks and like everyone here, I had to find out the hard way.
Forget about Atmos. Its TrueHD and DTS Master that you are truely missing. The lossless sound just blows you away and the detail creates such immersion.
I think it’s really easy to understand WHY people complain about this. People who buy Sonos products aren’t audophiles or interested in home cinema at that level that they even know what the difference is between Dolby Digital or DTS. Yes they probably mostly watch streamed movies from Netflix, but sometimes they just want’s to play a bluray from their Playstation 4 and then they don’t understand why there is no sound. There is still a lot of movies that’s only released on bluray or even DVD.
I really don’t think that there is such a big difference between Dolby Digital or DTS (and I also know how to set up my Playstation 4 and what cable I need), but just for making it as easy as possible for people to use their technology, Sonos should just support as many formats as possible.
You're correct. We do in fact see that same argument when it comes to the price point on existing Sonos components. I'm pretty sure its human nature. I'd still like very much to see the market response to such a device though.
...
A £50 Samsung Blu-ray player solved it for me (on the fly DTS to DD conversion), but I knew I'd need to buy that before buying the Playbar.
For what it is and what we use it for the Playbar in 5.1 works perfectly well.
For what it is and what we use it for the Playbar in 5.1 works perfectly well.
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