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



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I have a LG E9 (basically a C9) and a Sonos Arc. Set up is working correctly and normal settings, eARC on and pass through on, Dolby Atmos working correctly.

I have a USB with a couple of films that have DTS and am using the internal LG video player. I can’t get it to output in surround sound, I will get silence in Pass Through (as expected) and Auto. Changing to Digital Sound Out to PCM will give sound but only Stereo PCM 2.0.

Any ideas how to get surround sound or is it just wait for the DTS Sonos update? I have a Apple TV 4K, Chromecast Ultra, MacBook Pro and PS5 at my disposal if that helps. Need to get a Blu-ray player?

Edit: Used MacBook Pro via HDMI with Infuse app with eArc on and Pass Through and it seems to be giving PCM 7.1 (definitely sounds a lot better at least). PCM and Auto give Stereo PCM 2.0

Glad you found a solution. Once you hear the good stuff, Stereo PCM 2.0 can be painful for movie watching. 

DTS: I didn't know what I didn’t know!

Thankfully there is an army of frustrated consumers buying up all these new 4K TVs on many forums across the internet many suffering the same and presenting discovered work/arounds that will work for some of us but not all. 

Worse many of these new 2021 4K UHD remastered Blu-ray movies are only DTS or some form of DTS. 

Problem solved if we all just stream 4K UHD digital movies instead of buying physical discs. At least we get some form of room filling Surround Sound if Dolby Atmos is not available. And these new 4K TVs make streaming digital 4K UHD look very, very good with HDR and/or Dolby Vision applied. Not physical disk level of data, but so very good I can see many skipping physical altogether going forward.

I have a LG E9 (basically a C9) and a Sonos Arc. Set up is working correctly and normal settings, eARC on and pass through on, Dolby Atmos working correctly.

I have a USB with a couple of films that have DTS and am using the internal LG video player. I can’t get it to output in surround sound, I will get silence in Pass Through (as expected) and Auto. Changing to Digital Sound Out to PCM will give sound but only Stereo PCM 2.0.

Any ideas how to get surround sound or is it just wait for the DTS Sonos update? I have a Apple TV 4K, Chromecast Ultra, MacBook Pro and PS5 at my disposal if that helps. Need to get a Blu-ray player?

Edit: Used MacBook Pro via HDMI with Infuse app with eArc on and Pass Through and it seems to be giving PCM 7.1 (definitely sounds a lot better at least). PCM and Auto give Stereo PCM 2.0

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OK, I have confirmed that multichannel PCM is coming through the Arc after unplugging the power cord for a few seconds.

My Sonos system is Arc + 2 x One SLs + Sub (Gen 3).

I have a Sony ubp-x800m2 UltraHD player → LG 65 inch CX OLED TV (2020 model). The LG is connected to the Arc via HDMI 2 (the eArc port).

For testing, I’m using the Saving Private Ryan (Sapphire Series) blu-ray which has English 5.1 DTS-HD MA.

Settings

Sony

     Digital Audio Out: PCM (rather than bitstream)

LG

     eArc: ON

     HDMI Audio Input: Bitstream

     Digital Audio Output: Pass Through

 

The Sony display says “LPCM 5.1”, while the Sonos app says the sound is Multichannel PCM 7.1. I’m guessing it’s not actually 7.1, but I’m also just glad that I can get multichannel PCM without having to wait for a firmware fix or Arcana. All those DTS 5.1 tracks can now be utilised!

Hope this helps. And hopefully this solves the issue permanently.

Such a relief! Woot Woot! Been fiddling too long to figure this out with the LG OELD CX + Sonos Arc/One SLs/Gen 3 Sub + Panasonic DP-UB820EB Bluray player and I didn't want to ship the HDFury Arcana from Asia just to see if I could get multichannel PCM with the LG CX eARC on my Sonos systems for my brand newly released 4K HDR Blurays that seem to come with DTSxx only ( no Atmos). 

I saw your post and decided to buy the less expensive Sony UBP- X700M 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player as experiment. Amazon offered same day shipping and VIOLA. Multichannel PCM 7.1 for these brand new 4K HDR Blurays that keep coming in DTS xx only. Multichannel PCM 7.1 is SO MUCH better than Stereo PCM through the Sonos Arc. 

So many threads, and reading so many comments and I just happened to bump into yours here. I don't know why but seems the Panasonic DP-UB820EB Bluray player does not want to play Multichannel PCM 7.1 with the Sonos Arc system only miserable Stereo PCM for DTS xx. Clearly its not the LG OLED CX, but the Panasonic DP-UB820EB. 

Merci! 

Panasonic just pushed out a firmware update to their 4K Blu-ray players, including the UB820. I don’t think this will have any effect on the UB820 multichannel LPCM via eARC issue with LG OLEDs, but I’m curious if anyone is able to test. Thanks

I can confirm it hasn’t changed anything.

Darn. Thanks for checking.

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Panasonic just pushed out a firmware update to their 4K Blu-ray players, including the UB820. I don’t think this will have any effect on the UB820 multichannel LPCM via eARC issue with LG OLEDs, but I’m curious if anyone is able to test. Thanks

I can confirm it hasn’t changed anything.

Panasonic just pushed out a firmware update to their 4K Blu-ray players, including the UB820. I don’t think this will have any effect on the UB820 multichannel LPCM via eARC issue with LG OLEDs, but I’m curious if anyone is able to test. Thanks

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I think someone else said they had a C9 in this thread and that it does still support DTS passthrough, so it might work for you. Unsure what DTS formats the Sonos Arc/Beam will support though…they may not support DTS-HD Master or DTS:X.

correct, LG took off DTS support from CX and newer TV’s so C9 should be fine. 

 

AC and Beam will only support regular DTS, No DTS-HD or DTS-X right now.

Sweet, does that extend to the B9 too? I’d take any DTS support for now, tired of PCM 2.0 for my Blu Rays

The B9 supports DTS passthrough so you should be able to get the core DTS 5.1 track to play from Blu-ray discs.

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I think someone else said they had a C9 in this thread and that it does still support DTS passthrough, so it might work for you. Unsure what DTS formats the Sonos Arc/Beam will support though…they may not support DTS-HD Master or DTS:X.

correct, LG took off DTS support from CX and newer TV’s so C9 should be fine. 

 

AC and Beam will only support regular DTS, No DTS-HD or DTS-X right now.

Sweet, does that extend to the B9 too? I’d take any DTS support for now, tired of PCM 2.0 for my Blu Rays

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I think someone else said they had a C9 in this thread and that it does still support DTS passthrough, so it might work for you. Unsure what DTS formats the Sonos Arc/Beam will support though…they may not support DTS-HD Master or DTS:X.

correct, LG took off DTS support from CX and newer TV’s so C9 should be fine. 

 

AC and Beam will only support regular DTS, No DTS-HD or DTS-X right now.

I think i read it will just be standard DTS not the top end formats. At this point I would just be happy to have basic DTS for surround sound

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I think someone else said they had a C9 in this thread and that it does still support DTS passthrough, so it might work for you. Unsure what DTS formats the Sonos Arc/Beam will support though…they may not support DTS-HD Master or DTS:X.

So good news, we’re getting DTS support? But my CX doesn’t support DTS passthrough!

I hear you there. I got excited for a moment when I read the Beam announcement and then remembered LG won’t pass the format through. Have to keep hoping for Sonos to implement the proper Multichannel PCM 7.1 to 5.1 downmix. Or we could sell the LG, of course…

 

While I do love the LG G1 for its features, I’m slightly pained that I have supported a company that has dropped significant support for physical media. I have already warned people of LG dropping support for DTS, as I know it was an easy go to for some friends in the past. Now that Sonos will support it…LG not supporting it is really is eating at me a little. If the G1 wasn’t so great for gaming, I would walk away from it.

 

 

I have the LGC9 and arc  Will this new update make my Panasonic UB820 pass through DTS same setup as in the subject?

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So good news, we’re getting DTS support? But my CX doesn’t support DTS passthrough!

I hear you there. I got excited for a moment when I read the Beam announcement and then remembered LG won’t pass the format through. Have to keep hoping for Sonos to implement the proper Multichannel PCM 7.1 to 5.1 downmix. Or we could sell the LG, of course…

 

While I do love the LG G1 for its features, I’m slightly pained that I have supported a company that has dropped significant support for physical media. I have already warned people of LG dropping support for DTS, as I know it was an easy go to for some friends in the past. Now that Sonos will support it…LG not supporting it is really is eating at me a little. If the G1 wasn’t so great for gaming, I would walk away from it.

 

 

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So good news, we’re getting DTS support? But my CX doesn’t support DTS passthrough!

Interestingly some guy on Reddit owns a CX and said that

“If you set the TV earc to passthrough and then unplug the TV from power for a few seconds. It will start miraculously playing whatever the number of channels you expect.”

 

I haven’t got round to testing it yet


Oh my God, I could kiss you.

I have a C1, Sonos Arc and Sony UBP-X800M2. Up until now I’d been watching films and documentaries with Dolby Atmos with obviously no issues at all.

I went to play a DTS film earlier today and couldn’t understand why I had sound in the menus, but not during the actual film. Never had that issue before.

It was really, really bugging me how I was only receiving PCM 2.0, and then I stumbled across this post. I turned my C1 off at the wall, I think for the first time since I’ve owned it, switched it back on and voila… multi PCM 7.1. Such a bizarre fix, but I don’t care about the 7.1/5.1 thing for now. Just glad I’ve got an easy fix. Thank you, thank you, thank you. 


Wait…

Do I have to turn the TV off every single time prior to watching a film with DTS? Just gone to watch another DTS film and got no sound again. Turned TV off and back on, working again. This is ridiculous. 

Interestingly some guy on Reddit owns a CX and said that

“If you set the TV earc to passthrough and then unplug the TV from power for a few seconds. It will start miraculously playing whatever the number of channels you expect.”

 

I haven’t got round to testing it yet


Oh my God, I could kiss you.

I have a C1, Sonos Arc and Sony UBP-X800M2. Up until now I’d been watching films and documentaries with Dolby Atmos with obviously no issues at all.

I went to play a DTS film earlier today and couldn’t understand why I had sound in the menus, but not during the actual film. Never had that issue before.

It was really, really bugging me how I was only receiving PCM 2.0, and then I stumbled across this post. I turned my C1 off at the wall, I think for the first time since I’ve owned it, switched it back on and voila… multi PCM 7.1. Such a bizarre fix, but I don’t care about the 7.1/5.1 thing for now. Just glad I’ve got an easy fix. Thank you, thank you, thank you. 

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Hi @maxwood , for the setup you have, it seems the best we can do at this point in time is to use external hardware to allow for pass-through of Multichannel PCM from DTS type formatted audio output discs through the player. Even with that, it comes through the system as Multichannel PCM 7.1 even when it should be coming through as Multichannel PCM 5.1. This may be better than the alternative without those devices, which is Stereo PCM output.

 

Some have mentioned that it’s working properly even in 7.1 format. I have yet to acquire a disc like @GuitarSuperstar has mentioned above and thus have still not been able to verify that it is working properly for me.

 

The Sonos team has mentioned that they’re working on a proper downmixing from Multichannel PCM 5.1 from Multichannel PCM 7.1 format, but not sure when that will occur.

 

The tool I used, following @Laird M Malamed ‘s info in this thread, helped to get to Multichannel PCM 7.1 instead of Stereo PCM output, is the DR HDMI 4K device. I used it on Windows 10 with the USB connector that comes with the device. This device sits between the Panasonic and the LG TV. This requires a bit of work to save a proper setup to the device by sinking data from your TV and then modifying it on your computer. You can follow the posts in this thread for guidance. Others have mentioned that the HDFury Arcana works automatically, but I have not tried that route.

 

I can say that playing Zelda: Breath of the Wild with Multichannel PCM 7.1 is a lot better than Stereo PCM output, even if I am losing some sounds due to not being downmixed to 5.1 properly, but that may not be the case for other media. For now, I’m mostly watching Dolby audio movie discs...I don’t know if we’ll ever get a proper DTS conversion through the LG TV, but I am hopeful. Good luck, and if you learn anything new, that would also be great to hear!


Thank you @Hebassaurus for the in depth reply, I appreciate that.
 

@Laird M Malamed’s excellent solutions might be a little over my head but I might have a go when I get my hands on the Arc and I’ve tried out a few discs with the supposed correct settings on the UB450 and then I’ll make a call then how far I’m going to go with tinkering.

 

Thanks again.

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Hi @maxwood , for the setup you have, it seems the best we can do at this point in time is to use external hardware to allow for pass-through of Multichannel PCM from DTS type formatted audio output discs through the player. Even with that, it comes through the system as Multichannel PCM 7.1 even when it should be coming through as Multichannel PCM 5.1. This may be better than the alternative without those devices, which is Stereo PCM output.

 

Some have mentioned that it’s working properly even in 7.1 format. I have yet to acquire a disc like @GuitarSuperstar has mentioned above and thus have still not been able to verify that it is working properly for me.

 

The Sonos team has mentioned that they’re working on a proper downmixing from Multichannel PCM 5.1 from Multichannel PCM 7.1 format, but not sure when that will occur.

 

The tool I used, following @Laird M Malamed ‘s info in this thread, helped to get to Multichannel PCM 7.1 instead of Stereo PCM output, is the DR HDMI 4K device. I used it on Windows 10 with the USB connector that comes with the device. This device sits between the Panasonic and the LG TV. This requires a bit of work to save a proper setup to the device by sinking data from your TV and then modifying it on your computer. You can follow the posts in this thread for guidance. Others have mentioned that the HDFury Arcana works automatically, but I have not tried that route.

 

I can say that playing Zelda: Breath of the Wild with Multichannel PCM 7.1 is a lot better than Stereo PCM output, even if I am losing some sounds due to not being downmixed to 5.1 properly, but that may not be the case for other media. For now, I’m mostly watching Dolby audio movie discs...I don’t know if we’ll ever get a proper DTS conversion through the LG TV, but I am hopeful. Good luck, and if you learn anything new, that would also be great to hear!

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Finally pulled the trigger on the Arc but this thread still has me concerned :grimacing: .. I don’t suppose there are any more concrete solutions yet for getting DTS via the Arc with a Panasonic UB450/LG CX?

What are my options?

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Understood @ledzep1, I’ll look into submitting a bug report to LG with my setup.

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And thanks for the tips @Laird M Malamed . Good to hear that it all works great on your Oppo! Wish I could find one of those...maybe I’ll look into acquiring one used, but we’ll see...kind of expensive..and used haha. So does the Oppo convert it to Multichannel PCM 5.1 correctly from DTS-HD Master 5.1, or is that still incorrectly coming through as Multichannel PCM 7.1?

 

Still producing 7.1 for DTS discs but correctly sending out Dolby channels (including Atmos all the way to the Arc with True HD). I have not done a lot of sampling to be accurate - just a few discs so far. Will test more next weekend.

 

Anything passed through as LPCM will output in 7.1, its an issue on the LG, Im surprised it’s still an issue on the C1, clearly LG have not had enough reports of this problem.

Not helped by the clueless LG first line of support who just dismiss the issue.

I have tried many times reporting it for my CX without success. 

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And thanks for the tips @Laird M Malamed . Good to hear that it all works great on your Oppo! Wish I could find one of those...maybe I’ll look into acquiring one used, but we’ll see...kind of expensive..and used haha. So does the Oppo convert it to Multichannel PCM 5.1 correctly from DTS-HD Master 5.1, or is that still incorrectly coming through as Multichannel PCM 7.1?

 

Still producing 7.1 for DTS discs but correctly sending out Dolby channels (including Atmos all the way to the Arc with True HD). I have not done a lot of sampling to be accurate - just a few discs so far. Will test more next weekend.

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@Hebassaurus I am using the 2015 DTS Demo Disc Blu-ray:

 

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That’s good news @GuitarSuperstar , I did see that they were working on it, but that they haven’t technically marked it resolved just yet. I haven’t had a chance to do a proper test when receiving 7.1 at this point. Do you know what DTS demo disc you’re using? I found one for 2020, but it only seemed to have movie clips...not a sound check that you mentioned.

 

And thanks for the tips @Laird M Malamed . Good to hear that it all works great on your Oppo! Wish I could find one of those...maybe I’ll look into acquiring one used, but we’ll see...kind of expensive..and used haha. So does the Oppo convert it to Multichannel PCM 5.1 correctly from DTS-HD Master 5.1, or is that still incorrectly coming through as Multichannel PCM 7.1?

 

As for the cables, I have not switched them out, but I have tried them all (they’re capable for 48Gbps) with the Xbox Series X and PS5 and can confirm that I get HDR no problem @120Hz in games, so it shouldn’t be a transfer rate issue as the Panasonic can’t output more than 60Hz. I use these same cables from the Panasonic → HDMI 4K → LG G1 → Sonos Arc (not needed for this last step, but still am using it).

 

For the Dolby Vision issue, I’ll play around with ordering, but I have been able to consistently get Dolby Vision in my few runs so far since that first post. Just gets a little finicky at times...so I can’t complain too much. But I really would like the Multichannel downmixing thing to be resolved on the Arc. That will make me super happy!

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Sonos has made progress with the 7.1 to 5.1 down mixing issue. All four of the surround channels of a 7.1 mix from a DTS-encoded disc now plays audio. The two rear surround channels from a 7.1 mix used to not play at all, only the two side surround channels. I tested this using DTS 7.1 Sound Check on a DTS demo disc.

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