LG OLED65B7A TV with Playbar 5.1 Sound problem

Is your DVD player set to bitstream Dolby Digital or bitstream PCM? Because pcm will turn all sound to stereo I believe.

Also does your DVD player convert dolby digital on the fly? because that's another reason why some movies would play as stereo sound.

This is because of the updates sonos does. I have a similar setup and it’ll work until sonos does an update (I try to hold off as long as possible until they won’t let you use the app) and then after the update that messes it up they usually release an update to fix it within a few weeks.

I am planning to buy this same model this weekend. We have a 5.1 set up (playbase, playbar, 2 play 1s). Most of time, we stream content online (Netflix, HBO, Hulu etc.) and occasionally play DVDs. My current DVD player (Samsung) is able to pass Dolby Digital signal to Sonos (I also have a Samsung TV). Should we reconsider buying LG or you think we should be ok with this set up?

VishaIJ, I couldn't be happier with my Sonos 5.1 setup with my 2017 LG 65B7A OLED! ( Playbar, Sub, 2 Play 1s). Setup was a breeze and nothing to crazy. I had to change the audio settings on the Xbox One s, & DVD 4K player, and the LG magic remote was a little tricky to setup but there are threads that explain all of that. The remote is well worth it and makes navigating through the TV effortless. Also Make sure you disable the TV internal speakers and plug your playbar/playbase directly into the TV. the TV can convert all signals to Dolby Digital once that's changed in the settings, but I also changed the settings on all external devices to Dolby Digital as well, just to be sure and because I hate not getting anything other then the best sound which is 5.1 Dolby Digital for the Sonos. Other then that it was a piece of cake. Good luck and enjoy! you wont be disappointed 🙂 I have a few suggestions and tips to help you out, thx for your comment and I hope some of this helps.

1. Make sure your TV has the Latest Firmware installed. Mine was not up to date out of the box which lead to certain apps not working right (Dolby App, youtube App). I had to download it on LG's website and installed it via USB drive.

2. Use the built in TV Apps (Netflix, Dolby, Youtube, etc.) the TV has a very smooth interface and works great.

Netflix App - Supports a lot of high end content that you will enjoy through the speakers and TV. (Dolby Vision, Ultra 4K, HDR) and all sound via Netflix is at least Dolby Digital even Dolby Atmos I believe. Your Sonos will be 5.1 & Not stereo sound or 2.1.

Hulu App - Not as many options for high end visuals such as 4k, Dolby vision, etc. And I've had issues with the sound converting to 2.1 and stereo. That sucks! but luckily I don't use this app anymore. Maybe it has been fixed with latest update but I don't know.

YouTube App - Works great now since the last update, LG listens to there customer's and is always fixing stuff. At first all sound was 2.1 via the TV app, but since the update now I can watch 4k and listen to the videos in 5.1 sound.

There isn't a HBO built in TV App..... But I have HBO with my Cable so that's not a problem for me.

I Hope this helps and if you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask. I've done my research on this TV and Speakers! So I hope I can help.

JKey, thanks a ton for this awesome response! I really appreciate the time you put in to respond. We bought the LG65B7A yesterday. Looking forward to receiving it in a couple of days and setting it up. Thanks again!

VishalJ, No Problem. I Hope setup goes well and if you got any questions on the TV setting don't hesitate to ask, Enjoy!

Double check the firmware with the one on LG's own site. Their automatic update tends to lag quite a way behind the latest published. There has been a persistent problem with the LG TV's where you would loose sound in Dolby when changing between sources. The latest firmware has fixed this issue.

VishaIJ, I couldn't be happier with my Sonos 5.1 setup with my 2017 LG 65B7A OLED! ( Playbar, Sub, 2 Play 1s). Setup was a breeze and nothing to crazy. I had to change the audio settings on the Xbox One s, & DVD 4K player, and the LG magic remote was a little tricky to setup but there are threads that explain all of that. The remote is well worth it and makes navigating through the TV effortless. Also Make sure you disable the TV internal speakers and plug your playbar/playbase directly into the TV. the TV can convert all signals to Dolby Digital once that's changed in the settings, but I also changed the settings on all external devices to Dolby Digital as well, just to be sure and because I hate not getting anything other then the best sound which is 5.1 Dolby Digital for the Sonos. Other then that it was a piece of cake. Good luck and enjoy! you wont be disappointed 🙂 I have a few suggestions and tips to help you out, thx for your comment and I hope some of this helps.

1. Make sure your TV has the Latest Firmware installed. Mine was not up to date out of the box which lead to certain apps not working right (Dolby App, youtube App). I had to download it on LG's website and installed it via USB drive.

2. Use the built in TV Apps (Netflix, Dolby, Youtube, etc.) the TV has a very smooth interface and works great.

Netflix App - Supports a lot of high end content that you will enjoy through the speakers and TV. (Dolby Vision, Ultra 4K, HDR) and all sound via Netflix is at least Dolby Digital even Dolby Atmos I believe. Your Sonos will be 5.1 & Not stereo sound or 2.1.

Hulu App - Not as many options for high end visuals such as 4k, Dolby vision, etc. And I've had issues with the sound converting to 2.1 and stereo. That sucks! but luckily I don't use this app anymore. Maybe it has been fixed with latest update but I don't know.

YouTube App - Works great now since the last update, LG listens to there customer's and is always fixing stuff. At first all sound was 2.1 via the TV app, but since the update now I can watch 4k and listen to the videos in 5.1 sound.

There isn't a HBO built in TV App..... But I have HBO with my Cable so that's not a problem for me.

I Hope this helps and if you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask. I've done my research on this TV and Speakers! So I hope I can help.


Unfortunately what you fail to mention is the awful lip sync issues with this setup if you use any content/apps not through the TV like Xbox and Apple TV.

I have the exact same setup.

There is a thread here which states how lg are not addressing the lip sync issues.

I am investing in a HDMI splitter with optical audio out to fix this problem.

The lg apps on the tab are pretty awful when compared to a Roku, Apple TV and Xbox

https://en.community.sonos.com/home-theater-228993/if-you-re-experiencing-audio-delay-issues-read-this-6793458/index2.html#post16212349

https://en.community.sonos.com/home-theater-228993/if-you-re-experiencing-audio-delay-issues-read-this-6793458/index2.html#post16212349

@rubberduck and @Jkey
I am looking at the exact set up!

I just sold all my stuff- 11 yr old plasma and home theatre and looking to buy the
- LG OLED65B7A
-Sonos Playbar, sub, 2xPlay3 for the rear
But literally every thread talks about issues using Sonos and LG OLED together. I have a Roku, FireTV and cable box I want to be able to connect and use instead of the apps that come with LG.

Are we really sure there won't be any issues?

I've never had any issues with the same set up. Normally when the Playbar is getting Stereo only, the "Auto" setting for the Audio output has been de-selected.

@the7hil- Thanks. That feels better. My concerns are also around jut having the optical port. So would I miss on true HDMI? Like this? - https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R8FE8DADMKJYW/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B01KU6YQTY