Answered

How to get 5.1 sound

  • 15 April 2017
  • 9 replies
  • 3435 views

Userlevel 2
Badge +3
  • Avid Contributor III
  • 18 replies
Please can someone help with this problem. My Sonos setup includes playbar, sub and play1 x w.
I have a Samsung UE65K8000 TV and Samsung UBD-K850, along with a SkyQ box. Everything is connected directly into the Samsung Connect box - TV into HDMI 1, Bluray into HDMI 2 and Playbar into the optical out.
When I play my TV I can check on the app and it is outputting 5.1. However, when playing a DVD I can only get Stereo 2.
I have tried numerous permutations of settings, and also tried introducing an optical switch, but wondered if there was a something I was missing somewhere.
Thanks in anticipation.
Alison
icon

Best answer by Richmorr 16 April 2017, 08:51

View original

This topic has been closed for further comments. You can use the search bar to find a similar topic, or create a new one by clicking Create Topic at the top of the page.

9 replies

Badge +1
If I remember correctly go in to the tv sound setting and select bitstream audio then Dolby digital. That should then allow to pass 5.1 from a hdmi source
Userlevel 2
Badge +3
Thank you. Between settings on the TV and settings on the DVD there were just too many permutations - should have asked sooner !!:D
Userlevel 3
Badge +4
I have a similar issue but the TV is Samsung F8000. TV settings are already set to Dolby Digital and work OK for Sky Q and Apple TV, but only stereo from Samsung DVD player Samsung BD-J4500. Anyone have any ideas what might be wrong?
Userlevel 7
Badge +19
Hello there, neilanjan.

How are these peripherals connected to the TV? Do you have a hub or are they all directly connected to the TV?
Userlevel 3
Badge +4
Hi Keith,
All peripherals are connected directly to the TV's HDMI connectors. This is what is so confusing. The DVD player only has 1 HDMI output (no optical output) and is sold as a Blu Ray player that provides DD5:1 sound.
Userlevel 7
Badge +19
The DVD player only has 1 HDMI output (no optical output) and is sold as a Blu Ray player that provides DD5:1 sound.
Does this happen regardless of the media being played? For instance, what are we playing in the DVD player? Always good to double check the media/DVD and make sure it's giving the player a 5.1 signal to relay.
Userlevel 3
Badge +4
I am playing DVD's which say they have 5:1 soundtracks. I am able to select from the DVD which output to use. PCM, 5:1 etc. I have 5:1 selected.
I am having this exact same problem that has presented itself with a brand new Blu-ray player. Here is my set-up:

1. Samsung UN37EH5000F Television (have to keep as space only allows a 37" TV, which they no longer make!)
2. Playbase, a pair of One's, and a SUB
3. Monoprice 5557 4X1 HDMI Switcher (my old Samsung TV needs the switcher to pass thru 5.1)
4. Samsung BD-J6300 Blu-ray Player

I bought the BD-J6300 as I read it could covert DTS to Dolby Digital 5.1 on the fly, should I ever need that (hope that's true). The Monoprice HDMI switcher has worked great, and passes Dolby Digital 5.1 sound to the Playbase from the cable box as well as certain streaming services through my Roku (I check the Sonos app to see that Dolby 5.1 is actually working).

I only use regular DVDs (not Blu-ray discs) and many of mine are old, but some are relatively new. Anyway, the audio from the Samsung BD-J6300 Blu-ray player is only showing up as "Stereo" on the Sonos App when I play a DVD (both old ones and new ones). I ensure that Dolby 5.1 is selected on the audio menu on the DVD (I even tried DTS, but that also converted to 2-channel stereo on the Playbase). The Monoprice switcher has an Audio Out button that you can toggle between 2-channel stereo and 5.1. If I have it on 5.1 (which is what it usually stays on for other HDMI sources), all you hear when a DVD plays are some backing audio, not voices. When you switch to 2-channel stereo on the Monoprice swticher, you hear full stereo sound from the DVD, but no Dolby Digital 5.1 (and the Sonos App says it's just stereo).

All of which to say is that this kinda sucks. I'd like to be able to get the full use of my DVDs (as archaic as the format is), which means being able to hear the Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound like I'm able to do for my other sources. Does anyone think it could be my DVD player? Is there another model that is known to work with the Monoprice and old TV's like mine?

Or maybe it's that I'm using just regular DVDs? Maybe those don't send a correct signal to the Monoprice switcher and on to the Sonos? I only have the Blu-ray player connected to the Monoprice switch via an HDMI cable. It also shows that I can use an optical cable for the audio, but I'm not sure how that would work with the switcher since my other devices just connect to the switcher with an HDMI cable.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Issue resolved! So I feel kinda stupid. Related to the "Best answer" above, all I had to do was go into my DVD/Blu-ray player's audio settings and select "Dolby Digital 5.1" as the default audio mode. Now Dolby Digital 5.1 plays fine through the Monoprice HDMI switcher and the Playbase. I have no idea if this Blu-ray player actually converts DTS on the fly to Dolby Digital since I don't have any Blu-ray discs. Hopefully my experience helps someone.