Hi Sonos.
S2 has been a let down so far for me. Please tell me you are going to add DD+ functionality to the beam?
Answered
DD+ on the Beam
Best answer by Krishma M
Hi folks. As of the moment, the Sonos ARC is the only device that is capable to play any Dolby Atmos content as long as we’re using HDMI ARC or HDMI eARC. The hardware capabilities of the Sonos Beam is different from the Sonos ARC. They were designed accordingly but appreciate your feedback. We’ll surely forward this to our development team. Thanks!
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+18I’m curious about this too - I can understand that Sonos would not want to change everything at once with S2, but DD+ on my Beam, SMB v2 or v3 support and an end to the 64k limit (the last above all) would be the first things that I would want to be added.
+24Also: how much would you pay for DD+? If somehow it suddenly was added, Sonos would need to charge you the codec license fee that obviously has not been paid to date for their hardware.
Does DD+ improve the audio quality for a setup with a Beam by itself, or in a 5.1 setup? I could be off on this, but I thought ‘+’ enabled 7.1 audio and/or atmos content, which could not be utilized with the Beam’s current capabilities.
+13Hi folks. As of the moment, the Sonos ARC is the only device that is capable to play any Dolby Atmos content as long as we’re using HDMI ARC or HDMI eARC. The hardware capabilities of the Sonos Beam is different from the Sonos ARC. They were designed accordingly but appreciate your feedback. We’ll surely forward this to our development team. Thanks!
I would happily pay $20 for the priviledge. Beam is $700 here in New Zealand. Arc is $1600
Sonos constantly add new features and do not charge current customers for the privilege. If they add DD+ this shouldn't change that. DD+ is included on every cheap sound bar, $700 beam and amp should have had it from Day 1 imo.
Hi folks. As of the moment, the Sonos ARC is the only device that is capable to play any Dolby Atmos content as long as we’re using HDMI ARC or HDMI eARC. The hardware capabilities of the Sonos Beam is different from the Sonos ARC. They were designed accordingly but appreciate your feedback. We’ll surely forward this to our development team. Thanks!
Thanks for your reply. However I didnt mention Atmos I am talking about 5.1 over DD+.
The beam is perfectly capable of playing DD+ just how it is it.
I would happily pay $20 for the priviledge. Beam is $700 here in New Zealand. Arc is $1600
Sonos constantly add new features and do not charge current customers for the privilege. If they add DD+ this shouldn't change that. DD+ is included on every cheap sound bar, $700 beam and amp should have had it from Day 1 imo.
Totally agree however I was just replying to a question I was asked
+13Hi folks. As of the moment, the Sonos ARC is the only device that is capable to play any Dolby Atmos content as long as we’re using HDMI ARC or HDMI eARC. The hardware capabilities of the Sonos Beam is different from the Sonos ARC. They were designed accordingly but appreciate your feedback. We’ll surely forward this to our development team. Thanks!
Thanks for your reply. However I didnt mention Atmos I am talking about 5.1 over DD+.
The beam is perfectly capable of playing DD+ just how it is it.
Hi
The beam is perfectly capable of Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 it just needs codec support.
Don’t try and fob me off with ATMOS because im not talking about ATMOS im talking about DD+ 5.1.
Does DD+ improve the audio quality for a setup with a Beam by itself, or in a 5.1 setup? I could be off on this, but I thought ‘+’ enabled 7.1 audio and/or atmos content, which could not be utilized with the Beam’s current capabilities.
It does have a higher data rate so I guess the 5.1 might sound a little better but I doubt most people would notice a difference?
+13Hi folks, this would be the perfect representation.
More here https://support.sonos.com/s/article/4844?language=en_US.
The Sonos Beam is only capable up to 5.1 Surround sound (Dolby Digital). Let us know if you need anything.
Krishma- Dolby Digital+ is important for 5.1 (non-Atmos) surround setups because Netflix exclusively uses Dolby Digital+ for 5.1 surround sound (there are other apps too--like Xfinity Streaming). Meaning, even non-Atmos Netflix sources stream in DD+, not DD. Some devices (e.g., Roku and some TVs) can’t convert Dolby Digital 5.1+ down to regular DD 5.1 so you lose the ability to have surround sound -- it outputs as stereo (or DD 2.0). We all know only Arc can do Dolby Atmos (there are no up-firing drivers on the Beam so there is a hardware limitation), but it would be great if the Beam could process DD 5.1+ signals to eliminate the need to down convert them to regular DD 5.1 at the source. It’s just a future feature request.
All- I don’t think Sonos can do codec packs. Their updates need to be pushed to all users/speakers. They’d have to significantly change their update model to do that. That being said, if there were a way, I’d pay for it too.
Hi folks, this would be the perfect representation.
More here https://support.sonos.com/s/article/4844?language=en_US.
The Sonos Beam is only capable up to 5.1 Surround sound (Dolby Digital). Let us know if you need anything.
Your lack of knowledge on this matter astounds me.
For the third time - I am not talking about ATMOS over HDMI ARC. I am talking about DD+ 5.1 over HDMI ARC. It's a thing.... look it up!
Please do some homework before you come back with the same generic response.
+13Hi. I understand and already tagged that as a future request. Just trying to explain the capabilities of the Sonos Beam and Sonos Arc. Beam supports Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0, and PCM stereo. These are the most popular audio formats for watching TV, movies and streaming video services. Anyways, we'd be happy to share your interest with the team. Thanks!
Hi folks, this would be the perfect representation.
More here https://support.sonos.com/s/article/4844?language=en_US.
The Sonos Beam is only capable up to 5.1 Surround sound (Dolby Digital). Let us know if you need anything.
Your lack of knowledge on this matter astounds me.
For the third time - I am not talking about ATMOS over HDMI ARC. I am talking about DD+ 5.1 over HDMI ARC. It's a thing.... look it up!
Please do some homework before you come back with the same generic response.
They aren't going to tell you about the timing for an unannounced feature in a support forum. Just the reality of the situation. Is there a reason you need DD+? Maybe there is a workaround to get DD 5.1? You aren't going to hear any difference on a Beam between DD+ and DD 5.1, but I get the frustration if you are using a Roku. That was a major PITA for me with the Playbar.
Hi Sonos any update on DD+ 5.1 for Beam please? I am very disappointed that I have spend that much money for outdated product already. And please keep it for your self that DD is most used standard on the market because it is not sorry. And Yes we are talking about DD+ 5.1 for beam NOT ATMOS and if you guys in sonos do not have a clue please read this article https://developer.dolby.com/technology/dolby-audio/dolby-digital-plus/
where you can clearly see what we mean and what we need for Beam DD+ 5.1
Dolby Digital Plus is widely used by streaming and broadcast services to deliver surround sound audio at lower bitrates.
Sorry charging £400 for soundbar which is outdated already really? Cheaper brands can do much more for much less. Common Sonos time to wake up and find quick solutions how to fix this. We need DD+ on BEAM.
Thank you.
Hi. It does what it does. The price is the price. You buy it or you buy something else. That’s how competitive markets work. There is no moral obligation to include any particular function or feature.
+18Though I do agree (as stated) it would be nice to have to have older TV's give 5.1 from Chromecast devices.
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.
+18I 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?
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