LG C9 + Arc + UB820 / Multichannel PCM for DTS Blu-Ray discs

https://en.community.sonos.com/home-theater-228993/lpcm-and-4k-blu-ray-players-6850675?postid=16488025#post16488025

Contributor I

Some are getting it to work. Maybe set the Bluray player to bitstream and let all the devices sort it out.

I have tried setting everything to Bitstream, no dice.

Same for me. I have a LG C9 and Sonos Arc with 2 one sls. I can get multi channel from my PC, PS4 and PS5; I set the the Sonos Arc to Passthrough, the devices to LPCM and the app shows that I amn receivng 5.1 channels. However. my Panasonic UB820 shows as PCM stereo when I set the DTS to PCM. I’ve tried leaving everything unplugged overnight and tried other settings but no joy.

No joy, indeed.

I also have the same setup. Instead of losing more hair, I finally gave up and purchased the Sony UBPX700, which also has Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision. It’s very inexpensive and it works. I am now getting LPCM 5.1/7.1 when playing DTS discs. Until the issue is fixed, I will use the Panasonic for Dolby encoded discs and the Sony for DTS encoded discs.

This is news to me… can anyone else confirm that the UBP-X700 passes LPCM 5.1 from DTS sources?

I think I found the solution. The player and the Sonos app are showing 2 channel, but I’m getting surround. Try it and let me know your thoughts.

My set up:

TV: LG C9

Player: Panasonic UB820

Sonos: Arc, Gen 3 Sub, One SL x 2

Audio settings on the UB820

Digital Audio Output - DTS: PCM

Downmix: Surround Encoded

Audio Settings on LGC9

HDMI ARC

Digital Sound: Passthrough

eARC: On

I can definitely hear sound occasionally from the rears depending on which settings I select on the C9 and UB820, but it’s just not… right. Way too much coming from the center only, it’s definitely not 5.1 surround.

I’ve got the same setup. Can’t get it to work either for DTS blurays. Have run out of settings to try on 820 and C9. Nintendo switch and PS4 gaming is fine and outputs LPCM 5.1/7.1.

Similarly, I can confirm that the Apple TV 4k (5th gen) passes multichannel 5.1 PCM for me no problem, in fact it defaults to 5.1 PCM for non-Atmos sources now.

One thing to check is what type of DTS track you are trying to play. I was checking the 420 specs and it can't decode DTS:X only bitstream it. It can decode DTS-HD tracks. The 820 will be same I'd expect.

This is a great point, thank you for this. After doing some research, indeed the UB820 supports decoding for everything up to and including DTS-HD MA, but DTS:X (and Atmos) is bitstream only. I checked and all of the DTS discs that I’ve tried so far have been DTS:X, so I tried a DTS-HD disc hoping that it might pass 5.1 PCM properly and… nope. Still PCM 2.0.

I’m beginning to think that this is more of a UB820 problem than an Arc problem, because with any DTS/DTS-HD/DTS-HD MA/DTS:X source I’m seeing PCM 2.0 output listed under Playback Information. Is the UB820 unable to pass multichannel PCM? Or is there some sort of EDID/CEC mismatch that is leading it to think that multichannel PCM is not supported on the C9 and/or Arc? At present, in my testing, it isn’t even sending 5.1 PCM... so the blame doesn’t seem to lie with the Arc (yet).

Lead Maestro

I have a Sonos Arc and UB820, and I get multi-channel LPCM audio playing through my Arc from ALL of my DTS-HD Master Audio Blu-ray discs. More than likely, the problem is your TV, HDMI cable, or TV settings.

"Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you." - Rashi

Contributor I

One thing to check is what type of DTS track you are trying to play. I was checking the 420 specs and it can't decode DTS:X only bitstream it. It can decode DTS-HD tracks. The 820 will be same I'd expect.

This is a great point, thank you for this. After doing some research, indeed the UB820 supports decoding for everything up to and including DTS-HD MA, but DTS:X (and Atmos) is bitstream only. I checked and all of the DTS discs that I’ve tried so far have been DTS:X, so I tried a DTS-HD disc hoping that it might pass 5.1 PCM properly and… nope. Still PCM 2.0.

I’m beginning to think that this is more of a UB820 problem than an Arc problem, because with any DTS/DTS-HD/DTS-HD MA/DTS:X source I’m seeing PCM 2.0 output listed under Playback Information. Is the UB820 unable to pass multichannel PCM? Or is there some sort of EDID/CEC mismatch that is leading it to think that multichannel PCM is not supported on the C9 and/or Arc? At present, in my testing, it isn’t even sending 5.1 PCM... so the blame doesn’t seem to lie with the Arc (yet).

To be clear, I mean the Playback Information menu on the UB820, not the Sonos app. I can see the DTS-HD soundtrack (or DTS:X or whatever it may be..) and the output is always showing PCM 2.0, so the issue appears to be on the UB820 side rather than the Arc. Since multichannel PCM is working well with other devices mentioned upthread (PS4, PS5, PC, ATV 4k), this does seem to isolate the UB820 rather than the Arc.

Lead Maestro

One thing to check is what type of DTS track you are trying to play. I was checking the 420 specs and it can't decode DTS:X only bitstream it. It can decode DTS-HD tracks. The 820 will be same I'd expect.

This is a great point, thank you for this. After doing some research, indeed the UB820 supports decoding for everything up to and including DTS-HD MA, but DTS:X (and Atmos) is bitstream only. I checked and all of the DTS discs that I’ve tried so far have been DTS:X, so I tried a DTS-HD disc hoping that it might pass 5.1 PCM properly and… nope. Still PCM 2.0.

I’m beginning to think that this is more of a UB820 problem than an Arc problem, because with any DTS/DTS-HD/DTS-HD MA/DTS:X source I’m seeing PCM 2.0 output listed under Playback Information. Is the UB820 unable to pass multichannel PCM? Or is there some sort of EDID/CEC mismatch that is leading it to think that multichannel PCM is not supported on the C9 and/or Arc? At present, in my testing, it isn’t even sending 5.1 PCM... so the blame doesn’t seem to lie with the Arc (yet).

To be clear, I mean the Playback Information menu on the UB820, not the Sonos app. I can see the DTS-HD soundtrack (or DTS:X or whatever it may be..) and the output is always showing PCM 2.0, so the issue appears to be on the UB820 side rather than the Arc. Since multichannel PCM is working well with other devices mentioned upthread (PS4, PS5, PC, ATV 4k), this does seem to isolate the UB820 rather than the Arc.

It is not a UB820 problem. See my post above.

"Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you." - Rashi

Contributor I

I have a Sonos Arc and UB820, and I get multi-channel LPCM audio playing through my Arc from ALL of my DTS-HD Master Audio Blu-ray discs. More than likely, the problem is your TV, HDMI cable, or TV settings.

So far you are the only person who seems to have this working properly. Which TV make/model are you running? Would you mind sharing your exact settings on the UB820 and your TV?

Lead Maestro

I have a Sonos Arc and UB820, and I get multi-channel LPCM audio playing through my Arc from ALL of my DTS-HD Master Audio Blu-ray discs. More than likely, the problem is your TV, HDMI cable, or TV settings.

So far you are the only person who seems to have this working properly. Which TV make/model are you running? Would you mind sharing your exact settings on the UB820 and your TV?

I have a seven-year-old Panasonic ST60 plasma with HDMI ARC only. So I added the HD Fury Arcana device between my TV and the Arc that acts as an eARC connection.

Digital Audio Output settings on the UB820:

Dolby Audio: Bitstream
DTS/DTS-HD: PCM
Secondary Audio: Off

"Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you." - Rashi

Contributor I

I have a Sonos Arc and UB820, and I get multi-channel LPCM audio playing through my Arc from ALL of my DTS-HD Master Audio Blu-ray discs. More than likely, the problem is your TV, HDMI cable, or TV settings.

So far you are the only person who seems to have this working properly. Which TV make/model are you running? Would you mind sharing your exact settings on the UB820 and your TV?

I have a seven-year-old Panasonic ST60 plasma with HDMI ARC only. So I added the HD Fury Arcana device between my TV and the Arc that acts as an eARC connection.

Digital Audio Output settings on the UB820:

Dolby Audio: Bitstream
DTS/DTS-HD: PCM
Secondary Audio: Off

Yep, we’ve all got DTS/DTS-HD set to “PCM” and Secondary Audio set to “Off”. Still PCM 2.0. Sounds to me like the HD Fury Arcana is doing a better job with the handshakes, because the same settings on the UB820 are not working properly with the C9 via eARC. Have you been able to get multichannel PCM for any discs encoded DTS:X?

Lead Maestro

I have a Sonos Arc and UB820, and I get multi-channel LPCM audio playing through my Arc from ALL of my DTS-HD Master Audio Blu-ray discs. More than likely, the problem is your TV, HDMI cable, or TV settings.

So far you are the only person who seems to have this working properly. Which TV make/model are you running? Would you mind sharing your exact settings on the UB820 and your TV?

I have a seven-year-old Panasonic ST60 plasma with HDMI ARC only. So I added the HD Fury Arcana device between my TV and the Arc that acts as an eARC connection.

Digital Audio Output settings on the UB820:

Dolby Audio: Bitstream
DTS/DTS-HD: PCM
Secondary Audio: Off

Yep, we’ve all got DTS/DTS-HD set to “PCM” and Secondary Audio set to “Off”. Still PCM 2.0. Sounds to me like the HD Fury Arcana is doing a better job with the handshakes, because the same settings on the UB820 are not working properly with the C9 via eARC. Have you been able to get multichannel PCM for any discs encoded DTS:X?

I just tested my Ex Machina Blu-ray and set the audio to DTS:X. The Sonos app says Multichannel PCM 7.1 and the UB820 says PCM 7.1.

"Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you." - Rashi

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-shak-

Lyricist II

I have the same issue.

I have the LG C9

Got the Arc last week

and got the UB820 today.

Have tried everything but can only get PCM 2.0 output.

UB20 set to output DTS as PCM

TV HDMI is set to Bitstream (tried PCM too); Sound output is set to eArc and pass through.

I’m not an expert at this but reading elsewhere I understand, the Arc needs to be able to receive a LPCM signal for multi channel surround, as opposed to PCM (which is 2.0 channel only?)

Can the UB820 definitely do multi channel LPCM?