Skip to main content
Ok so I took the plunge into the sonas world and bought playbar and 2 play 1



....then I discovered this forum and all the dts issues



I have a 4k 55 inch which I suspect doesn't allow pass through... I use a nvidia shield for my Amazon, netflix, kodi streaming, also have an Xbox but only got all my sonos set up yesterday so haven't watched any blue rays



I am hoping to upgrade to the LG B7 oled which I think allows pass through



Would anyone be so kind as to explain in lay man terms, how do I check if I'm getting 5.1 through my setup or merely stero



If my tv has pass through do I hook up my nvidia shield and xbox one directly to tv with hdmi and optical out to my sonos



I have read countless threads on this but my brain cannot understand as this is all so new to me



Hdmi switches??



Many many thanks for any input
First, you can check rtings.com and see if your TV is on there. They usually describe if your TV allows passthrough via optical.



The other issue is that your media source needs to be Dolby Digital 5.1 and not DTS. Your Xbox One can convert a DTS audio track to output to Dolby so that the Sonos will recognize it.



If your TV doesn't allow passthrough, you can get an HDMI switch with an optical audio extractor like the one here. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005E2XLI2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



The Sonos app should show you if the speakers are putting out 5.1. I forget where in the app it's supposed to show you. I'm going off memory from other threads here, so take this with a grain of salt for now. My Playbase will be setup tonight so I can confirm more later.
Within SONOS app, go to Settings -> About My System. Find your Playbar and it will show you the signal 5.1, 2.0, Stereo etc.

I originally went down the HDMI switch route with my Playbase but had issues (including degradation of picture quality) so sent it back. Went for Toslink switch in the end which is working perfectly.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01A89OEUY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



Not sure how Xbox works, but my PS3 transcodes DTS to 5.1, but will only output via optical, so the optical switch was a winner.
That's an interesting point about degradation of video quality. I haven't noticed any with mine but I haven't been paying close enough attention. I've only had it connected for a day.



I also have a Toslink switch which I haven't hooked up yet. Since my TV doesn't pass through, all my HDMI devices will go to the Toslink extractor/HDMI switch to extract the audio to go direct to my Playbase. However I like to watch some OTA TV which my TV will passthrough if it's being broadcast. So I need a Toslink switch to feed the TV optical to the Playbase as well.



Luckily both the HDMI switch and the Toslink switch have IR receivers so they should work with my Harmony remote. So far the HDMI switch does but I haven't hooked up the Toslink switch yet. That will happen this evening.
Guys thank you so much for the replies



I checked on my Sonos app and I am getting only stereo so this tv doesn't allow pass through but I'm getting the LG B7 OLED which I believe does allow play through



Does this mean all I will need to do is use optical line in
Guys just read this



"LG's latest firmware finally allows Dolby Atmos to be passed through the sets HDMI ARC port, meaning B7 owners will now be able to enjoy Dolby's newest audio technology using an external sound system."



How do I do this? I get the toslink and add all my devises to it and then optical into my playbar?
Well I went and bought the switcher so thanks Mshepps for the recommendation 🙂
Just as a warning, the PLAYBAR/PLAYBASE does not decode an Atmos signal. It has to be Dolby Digital or stereo.
I have read that Bruce but as a complete lost noob how to manoeuvre around that is beyond me.. Do I just buy dolby digital blue rays... Does netflix stream in DD.. I'm way in over my head here and starting to worry should I have stayed with my yamaha 105 lolol too late for that now
There's a ton of threads about that issue, I don't have any particular advice myself. There's some blu-ray devices that will transcode from DTS to DD, but I don't pay particular attention to that thread. Some blurays have a Dolby Digital soundtrack, many don't, so without some sort of transcoding device, life becomes difficult. I'm not a Netflix subscriber myself, so you'd need to check in the app for what options for sound they offer.
Yeah I believe the Netflix question would depend on how you're watching it. For example, my Apple TV4 outputs in Dolby Digital so there's no issue. I think if I used the Netflix app directly on my Samsung TV I have the option of how its output in the TV settings.



As far as the Blu Rays are concerned, as previously mentioned you would need a device that converts the audio. The Xbox One is one of those devices, as is the PS4 I believe.
Terms & ConditionsCookie settings