DD+ on the Beam

I reckon Sonos could maybe add DD+ codec (non atmos) to the Beam, but the demand for it is probably relatively small and likely not going to add a great deal in terms of the actual audio-out. It appears that a majority of devices out there all support Dolby Digital 5.1 aswell as DD+ and if not, perhaps it’s those device manufacturers that should be asked to also support the DD5.1 codec, as it is/was clearly far more popular than DD+ (without atmos).

My older LG TV in the Dining Room supports DD+ (Non-Atmos) but none of the in-built Apps do. I’m lucky it also supports DD5.1, but it suggests to me that the App developers were perhaps waiting for DD+ with Atmos and HDMI-eARC ports ...and looks like the DD+ (non-atmos) was a little bit of a non starter (perhaps?).
 

The majority of streaming movie and music services all seem to be aimed towards DD+ (with atmos) or LPCM/Dolby TrueHD ...so I’m guessing that’s where Sonos will want to head towards too.

Hi there,

I completely agree with the above statements and would like to share my feedback too as I think this missing feature is a big thing. I bought a Sonos Beam 2 months ago and realized it’s not DD+ as I found the quality of the sound was really poor (I have two Sonos One on top of that, but PCM is lame anyway) and finally noticed my TV could not convert DD+ into DD 5. I was shocked that this format was not handled by the Sonos beam as most of streaming services now use DD+ to provide DD 5 - so no DD+ no DD5 unless you convert with your TV. That was a huge disappointment for me as a 2020 sound bar should do this anyway. Even if my TV could convert DD+ to DD5, I feel uncomfortable to buy an already outdated product that could be even more outdated in a medium term future if streaming app or smart TV do not convert anymore after a firmware update. You know how fast it’s easy to outdate equipment with unfortunate updates…

Long story short: I keep my two Sonos One - they are great - and returned the Sonos beam. I am still contemplating possibilities. I could definitely buy it back if one day it supports DD+ (but will it come ? or a new version of the Sonos Beam, even a bit more expensive would be okay - not a question a money), otherwise I am thinking of the Sono Arc but the price is dissuasive (and a bit too massive for my place) - maybe I will wait a discounted offer on Arc in the coming months. We will see but anyway I could not recommend this Beam soundbar as it is. I am sure many people get PCM sound without knowing that’s a limitation from their equipment. 

Let’s hope we will have some guidance from Sonos on this in 2021.

Antoine 

Please ask your development team to prioritise this. DD plus is now the bog standard on streaming services, and it seems kind of backwards to only support older codecs on a device that can do surround with additional speakers. It would solve many compatibility issues.

The Beam is a remarkably competent speaker for it's size, especially in a 5.1 configuration. Would be lovely if the software capability was up to date.

Seems odd to me. I have the premium Netflix account but get standard DD5.1 for my Playbase. Seems to be a case where format support is not being passed on the way HDMI is supposed to work.

My brother has a beam after seeing my Sonos gear and never mentioned any issues and he streams a lot I think.

I think DD+ would be good in cases where TV do not translate DD+ into DD, for instance when you rely on a Chromecast on an older TV for apps like Netflix. But I do wonder what jump in quality people expect from built in apps or cable TV when the Beam would get DD+. Would this really be noticeable if comparable bitrates are used?

Technology Dolby Audio Dolby Digital Plus | Dolby Developer 

+1 please add DD+ to Beam for streaming. 5.1 with a center channel for voices sounds considerably better than 2.0. 

By when can we expect DD Plus support on beam? I purchased beam yesterday and was planning build 5.1 setup with beam incrementally by month end.

i didnt chose arc as it will not give good experience as we have fan on ceiling which will interfere with ceiling firing speaker... since beam is playing dd 2.0 with netflix,  disney plus and hotstar there is no point now going with remaining components and am also stuck with beam which is not adding much value just working alone... though i know with sub and surrounds it would have been killer…

@sonos: any timelines? technically you are loosing on money by not giving dd plus option in beam plus customers like us where arc/atmos is not best to go with are stuck with sub par experience. 

Am okay to be part of beta testing of dd plus beam but cant move forward in building 5.1 setup unless this issue is resolved.

My guess is the chip built in to the Beam does not have the capability to decode DD+, if it was merely a software issue, they would have likely released it when they released the new software for the Arc. The Beam was spec’d many years before the Arc was, it’s unlikely to share chipsets with the much newer Arc. 

@Shobhit Are you sure that the fact your stand alone Beam does is playing DD 2.0 is caused by the lack of DD+ support? From what I’ve seen on both my 2011 Samsung and my 2019 Samsung is that both TV’s do decode DD+ from apps on the TV to DD, so on both TV’s I get 5.1 surround On the Beam (plus One plus Sub). The only case where I did not get succeed in getting 5.1 was from a Chromecast on the 2011 TV, probably caused by the Chromecast not being able to provide DD and the TV not being able to decode DD+ fro external sources.

@106rallye: Its working with Prime Video in DD 5.1, but with Netflix and Hotstar am getting DD 2.0.

I tested with Beam in my setup (I still have to get Sub and Surround):

When I play on Netflix (eg: Man of Steel, Wanted etc), DD+ is disabled under “Expert Settings” in Samsung tv sound settings, and I choose DD option on tV which streams DD 2.0 to Beam. Screenshots below:

Samsung tv:

Beam:

When I play on Prime Video (eg: Manifest, Harry Potter 6 etc), DD+ is enabled (unlike in netflix) under “Expert Settings” in Samsung tv sound settings, but i dont get any sound on Beam if I chose DD+, so I choose DD option on tv which streams DD 5.1 to Beam. Screenshots below:

Samsung tv Sound settings with prime video:

Beam with prime video:

Let me know what you think.

Thanks,

Shobhit