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LPCM ETA for Arc?

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S
Userlevel 1

@ledzep1 Unsure re: the oppo, I’m having to learn a lot of this stuff afresh because it’s been a long time since I got my Playbar and things have changed a lot since then. The issue you describe is accurate (not just netflix, it also affects other Apple TV apps, eg HBO Max) but you should note it only seems to affect people who use the Apple TV 4K as a source. I’ve heard it doesn’t affect those who stream from the LG TV’s own WebOS apps (I’ve yet to verify this myself).

Regarding whether or not Sonos will update the Arc, they’ve said that they will within another thread here. But I wouldn’t call that official confirmation and (as many people here will remind you) they’re not in the habit of providing timelines. Personally I wouldn’t consider the feature confirmed until they’ve shipped the update, so as things stand I’d advise you to make your purchasing decision assuming that the Arc will never get multi PCM support.

B
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

@ledzep1 Unsure re: the oppo, I’m having to learn a lot of this stuff afresh because it’s been a long time since I got my Playbar and things have changed a lot since then. The issue you describe is accurate (not just netflix, it also affects other Apple TV apps, eg HBO Max) but you should note it only seems to affect people who use the Apple TV 4K as a source. I’ve heard it doesn’t affect those who stream from the LG TV’s own WebOS apps (I’ve yet to verify this myself).

Regarding whether or not Sonos will update the Arc, they’ve said that they will within another thread here. But I wouldn’t call that official confirmation and (as many people here will remind you) they’re not in the habit of providing timelines. Personally I wouldn’t consider the feature confirmed until they’ve shipped the update, so as things stand I’d advise you to make your purchasing decision assuming that the Arc will never get multi PCM support.

The amazon prime and Netflix apps on my lg work fine with the arc, however their appletv app does not support atmos at this time but they state it will in a future update. So the only problem with atmos is when using the ATV to send the signal (MAT) and all of their apps only work up to 5.1 but not atmos as Sonos Arc doesn't accept LPCM 

 

jgatie

@jgatie It makes it a description of my planned course of action. But since you seem to want your point made, consider it done. I cede to your mighty point! Now there must be another thread somewhere that’s ripe for your conquest. Surely.

 

Let me explain.  You are here trying to garner support for a fix to a bug and/or a new feature (depending on which definition you employ).  You pepper your posts with idle threats and silly demands. That tells those of us who have been here a while that you aren’t here to be serious, you are only here to rant.  If you were to stop with the threats, attempt to understand the realities of a software development cycle, and make your demands more reasonable, the support you garner just may tip things in your favor amongst more posters.  The more posters on your side, the more your demands are taken seriously.  

J

Will this LPCM software update assist in getting DTS from a 4K UHD blu ray player? I just ordered the Arc and my tv will have an eArc port. I don’t have a 4K UHD blu ray player yet.  If this update helps with DTS, is there something specific I should be looking for in the blu ray player before I buy it? Anything specific on the tv end?

Sonos still doesn’t support DTS and probably never will. So if you can find a BRP that transcodes DTS to DD5.1 that would be a useful feature.

E
Userlevel 4
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SoCal - I don’t think that’s correct.

As for the rest of this thread, I can report that I am running the latest firmware on an LG E9 and do not have this issue.  My Apple TV is playing Atmos without having to do anything in the audio settings.  Just make sure your audio setting is set to “Auto” rather than “Pass Through” or PCM.

 

But what about when you’re trying to play DD5.1 content? On my system (Apple TV, LG C9, Sonos Arc, it plays Atmos content perfectly but the Sonos Arc sees DD5.1 content as Stereo 2.0.

You are right.  That is an issue for me too. 

P
Userlevel 2
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LG 75NANO90UNA which I love but not loving all the complications with something that should be easy. Maybe I still. need to play around with it more. It obviously has the latest software on everything, the. LG ATC and Sonos 

 

You arent the only one. I have the 65Nano90 and i have the same issue. Whenever atmos plays on the Apple TV 4K i get no sound. If its not atmos content, then it works fine. Currently i just have atmos shut off on the Apple TV, until we get the LPCM update. Also, i tried tech support for Sonos, Apple, and LG. Basically was a waste of an entire day

B
Userlevel 2
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@batsabode Netflix is the major one causing me issues because of the mix of 5.1 and Atmos content - most of my Apple itunes / AppleTV+ content is in 4K Atmos so I don’t need to switch audio settings to get it to work. Will try the TV’s own Netflix app this evening. Do you know if there are any other quality differences (picture, etc) between the LG webOS apps and the Apple TV 4K apps?

When I did mine it changed to dolby vision using the app on the tv. It is not easy to find the content under amazon prime as they have two versions of the same program one regular and one in $K UHD and even then you need to check if the movie tv show has atmos. I watched a little of the Jack Ryan series. But make sure you choose the correct version https://www.amazon.com/Pilot/dp/B07GGGRWNX/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=jack+ryan&qid=1592842477&s=instant-video&sr=1-3

As for Netflix it was also great under Space Force and Our Planet for both sound and video. 

 

I just cant get anything to play from atv in atmos because of the MAT signal and the Sonos Arc not accepting LPCM, Will have to wait for weather an update from apple, lg or Sonos. LG app for apple only works in 5.1 not Atmos but update coming, Sonos also update coming and apple I don’t think will be changing their format anytime soon as they along with other set top boxes use MAT. So we will see who. updates first and hope that other updates dont screw each. other up

B
Userlevel 2
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@batsabode Netflix is the major one causing me issues because of the mix of 5.1 and Atmos content - most of my Apple itunes / AppleTV+ content is in 4K Atmos so I don’t need to switch audio settings to get it to work. Will try the TV’s own Netflix app this evening. Do you know if there are any other quality differences (picture, etc) between the LG webOS apps and the Apple TV 4K apps?

When I did mine it changed to dolby vision using the app on the tv. It is not easy to find the content under amazon prime as they have two versions of the same program one regular and one in $K UHD and even then you need to check if the movie tv show has atmos. I watched a little of the Jack Ryan series. But make sure you choose the correct version https://www.amazon.com/Pilot/dp/B07GGGRWNX/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=jack+ryan&qid=1592842477&s=instant-video&sr=1-3

As for Netflix it was also great under Space Force and Our Planet for both sound and video. 

 

I just cant get anything to play from atv in atmos because of the MAT signal and the Sonos Arc not accepting LPCM, Will have to wait for weather an update from apple, lg or Sonos. LG app for apple only works in 5.1 not Atmos but update coming, Sonos also update coming and apple I don’t think will be changing their format anytime soon as they along with other set top boxes use MAT. So we will see who. updates first and hope that other updates dont screw each. other up


hi

so you have an eARC tv and Apple TV 4K box and you can’t get Atmos?

or are talking about internal Apple TV app on the tv.

I have the Sonos Arc connect ted to the EARC on my LG tv. The AppleTV is connected to the tv and I cannot get Atmos when using atv or any of the apps on it. When using the apps on the LG tv is can get Atmos on Netflix and Amazon Prime, (the only two. I have tried) but not of the appltv+ app as LG doesn't support it YET!! They will update the app on the lg tv to support it but who knows when probably late this. year but you never know. Its all because the Apple TV sends out an MAT signal and the arc doesn't accept LPCM.. I have the tv on passthru. So for now I leave my ATV in 5.1 mode and not Atmos, heres ohoping that the update to Sonos Arc comes soon and that it will work. 

 

L
Userlevel 5
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Ledzep1,

 

Apple TV 4K is able to output DD 5.1

In Audio Format, click on Change Format, and the new format will become DD 5.1.  The issue with this will be you will not receive full Atmos, and will need to change it back if you are watching a show or movie which you need it to be enabled.

Hi

Thanks, but I was aware of this and getting dolby digital 5.1 and atmos before the LPCM update fine from all content on my apple 4k tv box without having to change any settings.

With this update I still get atmos, but all dolby is not down mixing correctly to multichannel PCM 5.1 instead it's outputting 7.1.

That may be a temporary solution I agree.

B
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

LG 75NANO90UNA which I love but not loving all the complications with something that should be easy. Maybe I still. need to play around with it more. It obviously has the latest software on everything, the. LG ATC and Sonos 

 

B
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

LG 75NANO90UNA which I love but not loving all the complications with something that should be easy. Maybe I still. need to play around with it more. It obviously has the latest software on everything, the. LG ATC and Sonos 

 

Ok so it may be a setting or bug on your TV stopping you getting atmos on the apple tv 4k box, hope you get it sorted, as according to all the other posts I have read atmos works with apple tv 4k box and sonos ARC.

Again just tried it by setting the input to pcm instead of bitstream and when I play Atmos there is zero sound,  apart from at the top menu with extras etc. I  can leave the setting to Atmos on the ATV and still get 5.1 on arc when watching anything else that isn't Atmos. so if I choose to watch an Atmosmovie I have to turn off the Atmos on ATV to get sound. on the arc .

ARGHHHHHHHH!!! Its so annoying

 

L
Userlevel 5
Badge +11

LG 75NANO90UNA which I love but not loving all the complications with something that should be easy. Maybe I still. need to play around with it more. It obviously has the latest software on everything, the. LG ATC and Sonos 

 

Ok so it may be a setting or bug on your TV stopping you getting atmos on the apple tv 4k box, hope you get it sorted, as according to all the other posts I have read atmos works with apple tv 4k box and sonos ARC.

Again just tried it by setting the input to pcm instead of bitstream and when I play Atmos there is zero sound,  apart from at the top menu with extras etc. I  can leave the setting to Atmos on the ATV and still get 5.1 on arc when watching anything else that isn't Atmos. so if I choose to watch an Atmosmovie I have to turn off the Atmos on ATV to get sound. on the arc .

ARGHHHHHHHH!!! Its so annoying

 

 

It's like we are all beta testers at this stage.

N
Userlevel 5
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We are actively testing multi-channel LPCM on Sonos and we'll be releasing it as part of a software update by the end of this year. We will update this thread again once it's available.  

 

Well you’ve got yourself another customer if that update is released :) I’ve been looking forward to replacing the Playbar.

SONOS ARC | SONOS Sub | SONOS Play 1 x 2 | LG C9 OLED | PS5 | RTX3090 Gaming PC | Sennheiser GSP600 Headset | Audio Pro T8L Desktop Monitors
L
Userlevel 5
Badge +11

Ledzep1,

 

Apple TV 4K is able to output DD 5.1

In Audio Format, click on Change Format, and the new format will become DD 5.1.  The issue with this will be you will not receive full Atmos, and will need to change it back if you are watching a show or movie which you need it to be enabled.

Hi

Thanks, but I was aware of this and getting dolby digital 5.1 and atmos before the LPCM update fine from all content on my apple 4k tv box without having to change any settings.

With this update I still get atmos, but all dolby is not down mixing correctly to multichannel PCM 5.1 instead it's outputting 7.1.

That may be a temporary solution I agree.

Thanks for the reply khaz22 and ledzep1. I have been doing this ever since I bought the Sonos Arc but I was under the impression that this latest update would fix this and I wouldn’t need to keeping switching Is that not the case? 

Well for me I have never needed to change settings, I have always got atmos and dolby 5.1 perfectly fine on the auto settings via apple tv 4k.

But since the LPCM update, it works as intended in outputting LPCM for dolby 5.1 content but it is outputting as multichannel PCM 7.1, it should be 5.1.

If you go into the apple 4k tv settings you will see that on auto settings the apple TV states it sends audio as uncompressed LPCM which I believe is better quality to dolby 5.1.

Its just not doing it correctly and outputting as 7.1, not sure where the issue lies.

 

I think I should create a separate thread for this as Sonos might not be aware of an issue.

W
Userlevel 4
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My setup is Sonos Arc, sub and 2 play:1’s + LG CX + Apple TV 4K. I have the LG set to HDMI bitstream and Passthrough. Apple TV is set to best available. The new Multichannel PCM seems to be working by looking at the About page in the Sonos App, but it shows Multichannel PCM 7.1, while this setup is still 5.1. Should it not show Multichannel PCM 5.1? The results is the channels are not being output from the correct speaker. Using a Surround Channel Test app on the Apple TV shows the channels all wrong, while before it was all good.

 

G
Userlevel 7

Will this LPCM software update assist in getting DTS from a 4K UHD blu ray player? I just ordered the Arc and my tv will have an eArc port. I don’t have a 4K UHD blu ray player yet.  If this update helps with DTS, is there something specific I should be looking for in the blu ray player before I buy it? Anything specific on the tv end?

Most Blu-ray players can convert DTS to PCM. I have a Sonos Arc and I have set my Panasonic 4K UHD player to convert DTS to PCM and am now getting multi-channel LPCM audio from all of my DTS-HD Master Audio-encoded Blu-ray discs. And lossless LPCM sounds just as good as lossless DTS.

"Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you." - Rashi
G
Userlevel 7

Will this LPCM software update assist in getting DTS from a 4K UHD blu ray player? I just ordered the Arc and my tv will have an eArc port. I don’t have a 4K UHD blu ray player yet.  If this update helps with DTS, is there something specific I should be looking for in the blu ray player before I buy it? Anything specific on the tv end?

Most Blu-ray players can convert DTS to PCM. I have a Sonos Arc and I have set my Panasonic 4K UHD player to convert DTS to PCM and am now getting multi-channel LPCM audio from all of my DTS-HD Master Audio-encoded Blu-ray discs. And lossless LPCM is just as good as lossless DTS.

Thanks for the reply. Which Panasonic model do you have? Do you still hook it up via the hdmi cable?

I have the Panasonic DP-UB820. I have it connected via HDMI to an HD Fury Arcana and then to the Sonos Arc because I have an older TV with just HDMI ARC.

"Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you." - Rashi
S
Userlevel 4
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Hi everyone - for what it’s worth, my brother (who is in the same situation) emailed Patrick Spence (Sonos CEO) and got a reply stating that LPCM will be supported and the update will be coming “this year”. So far the only other source stating this has been a post on this forum (I believe) so this might give people more confidence that the functionality is indeed lined up for the near future. I don’t think it’s a totally safe bet until they’ve shipped the update but it’s looking more positive.

This year could mean tomorrow or in six months. That’s not really promising and will be outside most people’s return period. 

P

I’m so happy that I can finally use my HTPC and Switch in surround sound with my Sonos setup. Thank you guys very much for making this happen.

Airgetlam

Even more disappointing that Apple doesn’t support Dolby Digital Plus from their apps. 

Bruce
J
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I own the LG C9 and the Arc in the 5.0.2 surround package. I am on the last firmware for the LG, 4.71.xx. I am getting multiple, daily notifications to update the TV to the new 4.80.xx firmware. 

The devices I own are a 4k bluray player, Ps4 pro, and Nintendo Switch.  I DO NOT own the Apple TV or Nvidia Shield. I also DO NOT use Plex or anything to play ripped movies over the network or through Hdmi.  I watch movies in two ways these days, either through the Bluray player and through LG’s built in WebOs apps.  

Questions are:  Can I update the TV while retaining Atmos and proper surround from the bluray player? Will I lose surround from the Ps4? I have all my settings correct as is for all three devices. I get Atmos and 5.1 with not issues. The Nintendo Switch is set to stereo mode since it uses Multi channel pcm for the surround mode.

I hope I can get a clear yes or no’s. And why’s to would be great! Thanks!

 

I have LG C9 with latest 4.80 firmware, Arc in 5.1.2, PS4 Pro, Apple TV 4K, Samsung 4K Blu ray.

PS4Pro using bitstream (Dolby digital) works fine with surround. I haven’t noticed a lag, but it sounds like others may have. PCM does not work for surround.

Atmos works fine with Blu Ray, Apple TV and TV’s apps.

The main thing that doesn’t work is DD5.1 from Apple TV unless I change audio output to force Dolby digital, but if I do that then I don’t get Atmos.

Personally, if I could downgrade the LG firmware and wait for Sonos’ support for LPCM I would.

L

Best practices: Because you can not down grade these updates...

  1. Never allow automatic software download on a SmartTV.
  2. Before doing an update, research to see if there are any serious problems with the update.
A

Super helpful. Thanks, ewolkoff.

 

Also, power move with the fireplace in the bedroom!

G

Thanks - that’s interesting. 

 

This could not get more complicated if they tried.

 

When you say you’re getting atmos - is that through an external Apple TV 4K console, or the LG Apple app?

Apple TV 4K.  You can’t get Atmos through the LG Apple app (or any Apple app).  Apple only allows Atmos through their own hardware (not their Apple TV apps).  That’s true on all brands of TVs that have Apple apps.  And they only allow Atmos through their own hardware with an eARC connection (no ARC).  Why?  Because they are Apple and Apple does stuff like that.

This is not correct.  The internal Apple TV app on my LG CX has recently been updated. It now plays Atmos tracks. I believe LG tv’s are the first devices to be able to play atmos tracks via the Apple TV app.

C

Not only can I see it in the app, but I can hear it!! Wow, what a difference it makes when playing my Switch! Playing the demo of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, I can hear the Moblins actually surrounding me! Way to go Sonos! 

 

*Moderator Note: Please censor personal information when posting pictures.*

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