Feature Request - MPEG-2 AAC

Hello ​@Maribog, welcome back!

I’ve marked this thread as a feature request and forward it to the appropriate teams for consideration.

Thank you for the post.

Its been a long time ask for Japanese TV audio support. Weird that it hasn’t happened yet as technically it’s not difficult. Maybe Sonos don’t sell much in Japan? (Maybe this is why??).

"Hey Maribog, I totally understand how frustrating that must be! Constantly switching between PCM and AUTO for different broadcasts sounds like a hassle, especially when you just want a seamless experience. It makes sense that adding support for MPEG-2 AAC would improve things for users in Japan and make Sonos more competitive with local options. Hopefully, someone from Sonos sees this and considers adding that support in a future update. It would definitely make the experience a lot smoother for Japanese users. Fingers crossed they listen to this feedback!"

Im not sure if they are not doing that well here in Japan, I think their smaller speakers sell ok, but this issue with the soundbars is definitely not helping them. Too bad because other strong competitors in the soundbar home theater space like Samsung, Nakamichi, Vizio are not sold here, so they really have a good chance to corner this market in Japan

Thank you very much. I really hope this feature gets added soon, It will help all the Sonos soundbar users in Japan!

As a Sonos user residing in Japan, I completely agree with this request.

I purchased the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) a few days ago, and the audio quality is extremely clear and excellent, enhancing my TV viewing experience.

However, I am also facing the same issue with MPEG-2 AAC. For terrestrial digital broadcasts, only linear PCM can be used, and every time I watch Netflix, I have to manually switch the setting to DTS. Since my TV does not support automatic audio output switching, it feels very cumbersome.

I have already sent a request to the TV manufacturer, but if Sonos devices could natively support MPEG-2 AAC, it would allow for much simpler operation, which would be ideal.

I truly resonate with Sonos' concepts and philosophy and plan to continue using and expanding my system as my main sound setup. To help expand the user base in Japan, I kindly request that you consider adding this functionality.

just wondering if there was any progress here?

I also am hesitant to buy Sonos soundbar just because of that.
Since TV manufactures tend not to disclose the specification about sound output clealy, it's hard to confirm that TV can handle audio signal automatically and properly with the soundbar which does not support MPEG-2 AAC before buying. If soundbar supports the codec, it's easy because just passthrough the signal. Quite a few Japanese may be in the same boat.
Although it may be niche a little, I think supporting MPEG-2 AAC may help to make Sonos one of the major options in the soundbar market in Japan.

Absolutely!
I'm also holding back on buying it for that reason. If this problem is cleared up, I'm sure it will sell well.
The speaker's sound is very well-received in Japan. 
The Sonos Beam's compact size is well-suited to the Japanese user environment, which will be a major competitive advantage.
I'm excited about the product update.
Thank you.

not sure if this will ever happen given they are focusing on getting the app back 100% (although tbh I havent had the issues that were being reported last year since the new app rollout).

 I still think you should go ahead and buy it if you really like the sound quality.

I bought it since there are not much options in the wireless threater space yet in Japan, and Sonos is still the best I feel from thats available out there. Them not supporting codec is a minor inconvience yes, but still very annoying...