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I am based in Japan and using a lot of Sonos products (ARC, Sub, ERA, etc).

I would would like to request Sonos ARC to support MPEG-2 AAC.

The reason is TV broadcast in Japan is using this encoding.

Normally you set your TV HDMI output to the Sonos ARC to “AUTO” - which you would do if you want to receive various formats like Dolby atmos, etc - and leave it like that. The problem is when I switch to Japanese regular TV broadcast, no sound comes out of the Sonos ARC. I have to then switch my TV audio output to PCM to be able to hear the TV program sound..

Hence throughout the day, I have to switch my TV output to PCM or AUTO back and forth which is an inconvenient thing to do, and I believe most if not all Japanese users also find it inconvenient.

This makes the Sonos experience in “Japan” a lot less desirable compared to other Japan based manufacturers like Sony, etc.

 

Hopefully this message reaches someone in Sonos to drive this change.

 

 

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

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.

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.

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