Please add support for DTS for the Sonos Playbar.



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Please add DTS support to the Playbar. So many Blu-Rays are encoded using DTS and to not support this is costing you customers.
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I'm holding out on buying a playbar until there is DTS support. I've got loads of painstakingly encodes films sitting on my NAS all of which carry a DTS soundtrack. I understand Sonos's argument that the future is streaming TV and video and that maybe so but until I find a crazy bloke called doc with a flux-capacitor touting delorean I'm stuck in 2013 with a ton of films I can only watch in stereo should I add a playbar to my sonos setup! Unfortunately I'm guessing Sonos will be unwilling to absorb the cost of the DTS licence for those who have already purchased it, which is a shame because it should have really had DTS support from the start. So how about this... Add DTS in the next firmware update and add an 'in-app' purchase on the iOS and Android controllers for those of us who want DTS decoding. Of course I'd rather sonos just add it anyway (it will certainly go down better with customers) but if the licence cost is the stumbling block then it isn't going away so perhaps this is the only option? Come on Sonos, my wife is no tech-head but if I explained that I'd just purchased something which makes films sound worse than our current 5.1 setup (i.e. downmixed stereo) I'd never hear the end of it! And she loves the Sonos system we have!!
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Also, the DTS omission is even more alarming from a company like Sonos when you consider we have all spent a long time encoding our CD collections to FLAC (or whatever) so we have music at our fingertips. Why then shouldn't we want the same flexibility with our films (as is the case with me at least - coupled with a WDTV Live to decode the films) and yet the Sonos Playbar (without the DTS codec) suddenly becomes the weak link in such a set up - forcing you to downmix to stereo. It looks like they've had their blinkers on when considering how people store and watch films (i.e. too focused on streaming services like netflix etc rather than appreciating that there are a lot of people who consume films in a similar fashion to how they listen to music on the Sonos, by that I mean video files located on a NAS drive - which invariably will carry a DTS soundtrack) ...
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Exactly. Most films I watch have DTS audio. Yesterday I watched one and had to downmix the output to 2 channel PCM stereo to get the Playbar to make any sound. With DD5.1 audio it is fine. But whats the value in that when most films I watch have DTS soundtrack only. Yes I have already purchased a playbar in the hope DTS will be added at some point. But please note, combined with the sub its great for everything else like music.
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DTS please!
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We've marked this topic Under Consideration. As with all topics Under Consideration, this status indicates that Sonos is aware of the idea but has not yet made a decision on whether or not to pursue development. Ideas marked as Under Consideration are regularly reviewed and evaluated by Sonos. We encourage continued discussion and voting for these ideas.
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Thanks! Remind, not only count people complaining here, but also potential new customers as well as people thinking about upgrading the playbar to 5.1...
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Please re-think the decision to add DTS support to the Playbar. I recently bought one, along with the Sub and two Play:3's to replace my HT system. I love the system, and the sound when playing true 5.1 is amazing. But I am disappointed with the need to cobble together a solution when playing a DTS encoded Blu-Ray.
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I am happy to see that the idea is under consideration. I am hopeful that the decision will be made to add DTS support, and that it will be able to be implemented via a firmware update. I won't be happy if I have to buy a new Playbar.
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Egon da Buuni makes a very good point. This is a new product and may not receive the weight of support that some of the other ideas have on this board. Personally I stumbled across this thread and I guess a lot of people will just accept the DTS omission and stick with their existing setup or go with a competitor. Therefore I really hope Sonos don't put too much value on the sheer number of comments as there have been many improvements that we've all benefited from over the years, but not necessarily actively sought out and supported on this forum. Fingers crossed we can move to a 5.1 Sonos setup that supports DTS in the (very) near future!!
Sonos, another vote here for DTS. It really is deal breaker for me. I'm in the market for a HT solution and had planned to extend the Sonos framework to my living room for movies, but a large percentage of my movies are DTS, so please add this feature so I have no concerns about buying the Playbar, 2 x play3s and a SUB. If it's just a case of prioritisation, I'm surprised that Sonos is only 'considering' this at the moment. From all the reviews I've read, this seems to be one of the main drawbacks of what seems to be a great solution, so if there are no technical limitations, I'd consider prioritising this for the reputation of the brand.
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Well, 'Under Consideration' is at least a good start! As mentioned before my movies are stored on my NAS, streaming via Plex App on my Samsung TV and would extemley benefit from DTS. As probably 90% or more of my movies have DTS audio this is a must-have for a Playbar buy decision. But in this case it's not only a must-have for a Playbar buy decision but also for a Sonos Sub buy decision. Without Playbar no 5.1 sound and without 5.1 sound there will absolutely no need to be to buy a Sub for me. Well as I read the feedbacks here in the forum there are lot more people in the same position... But in my humble opinion there are also a few more points which would benefit from DTS support: - top reviews as a mayor drawback is gone - satisified customers (as it seems there are quite a lot of people waiting - consciously or unconsciously - for DTS out there) - increased sales (as a must-have criteria is fulfilled) - increased cross-selling for Sub and Play:3 (as everyone wants 5.1 sound in their homecinema) Anything missing? So I would say that my personal Playbar buy decision is marked as 'Under Consideration' 😉
Another vote for DTS here.
Another vote for DTS here too. It's a deal breaker for me. No playbar and no sub for me before DTS.
We're already a Sonos S5 household and absolutely love the system. I'm now in the process of reducing the footprint of my HT system (B&W603's / Rotel separates / ML sub) due to space / remodeling considerations. My point for Sonos is that I'm seriously considering moving from a very nice HT separates for the full-up Playbar 5.1 system, but, and it's a big but, NOT without DTS. I'm willing to forego the HD blu ray audio, but 2 channel down-mix just doesn't cut it for me. If DTS doesn't happen the back-up plan is a new satellite set-up (Paradigm MilleniaOne 5.1 or similar) with my current AVR. Not the implementation I truly want as it carries a variety of family complexities with it, but, I'll at least be able to decode both Dolby and DTS in full 5.1 as they were intended.
Crap! I have to return my Playbar now since I can't play my DTS movies through my LG TV Apps. Otherwise satisfied so I will probably purchase one if/when DTS is enabled.
Add me to the list of wanting DTS for the playbar
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I really want to try out a Playbar but without DTS support, I already know it doesn't meet all my needs. If the Playbar sounds as I expect it to, and had basic HT features like DTS, there is a good chance I would purchase 3X Playbars,1-3X subs and 2X Play3s over time. If the sound is decent, I would start with a Playbar in the spare bedroom where the kids watch movies and in the living room. If the sound is more than decent, the current HT setup might get replaced with a full 5.1 system from Sonos and the other rooms would get upgraded with subs over time. With all of this said, there is no way I am heading down this path with a $700 component that doesn't even have what should be considered a standard feature on even solutions that cost far less. As an fyi, I already have 2X Play5s and 1X Play3 so I am already invested in the Sonos system. One good start, and maybe I missed it, would be an official statement from Sonos on DTS. I have seen speculation that DTS support technically "could" be added in a future firmware update. I also have read the speculation that not adding DTS is related to cost. Both of those items make sense and seem correct but until something official comes out, I don't know if they are true. What if there is a technical reason for not adding DTS support and in reality it can never happen on the current platform? This would end up being a long term point of frustration for all of the people that purchase the platform on the premise that "Sonos will have to step up someday and add DTS so I will buy early and just wait it out". IMO, Sonos does have to add DTS support or this platform will never be taken seriously but that doesn't mean they can or will.
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Totally agree, the sound on TVs nowadays is pretty poor. Sonos isn't just losing 1 sale per customer because of the lack of DTS it's losing the potential purchase for other TVs in the household. It would also be good to hear an official announcement from Sonos, 'under consideration' is encouraging but in reality means nothing to a potential buyer.
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Has anyone tried the Octava HD11-ARC HDMI Audio Converter? https://octavainc.com/HDMI-Audio-Converter-EDID-Manager.html I'm curious how well it works. From Octava's description: ------------------------------------ The HD11-ARC HDMI Audio Converter will extract HDMI audio to its Optical digital audio output for easy integration with your existing Surround Sound System. The HD11-ARC can extract audio from any HDMI source including an ARC enabled HDTV. The HD11-ARC can be configured as an EDID Emulator allowing you to ‘force’ your Source to output your preferred Video and Audio signal format – ideal where you want to force your Source to Output the native resolution of your Display device or Output 5.1 audio when your connected Display device only supports Stereo audio. EDID can be loaded into the HD11-ARC via the usb port.
I use the Octava HD41 ARC in my current system due to my AVR not having HDMI switching and my old TV only had 1 HDMI input. It works great, automatically switches between sources and is a straight pass through - I have experienced no audio or visual degradation. With the 4 inputs on the 41 it also allows you to watch and listen to two different sources. I haven't tried it with a Playbar as I'm waiting for DTS, but if that happens I plan to use it so I can have multiple optical inputs into the system. I have an XBox, Blu Ray and DirecTV box all connected at this time with room for one more component if needed. I haven't done the EDID firmware update to my 41 so can only speak to the fact the unit does what it says it's supposed to do. My experience with the company has been very good as well, I purchased directly from Octava, I contacted support once on a technical question and they responded with the answer within hours. Would suggest reaching out to their support team with any implementation/limitation questions. It looks like your TV needs ARC and this doesn't appear to solve the DTS decoding issue.
Having a Samsung UE46D6200 tv and almost always have DTS audio on movies that i play. The playbar right now stays silent until i switch to PCM audio downmixing. I'm very suprised that the Playbar didnt support DTS, so please add it!
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I can only agree with the rest! Please add DTS please! I think quite a few of your customers are interested in good sound quality, and that would include while watching movies too. And yes, if it means I would have to pay extra for any licenses that would probably not be the end of the world after spending the sums I have so far on SONOS components...
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I've just glanced down the list of 'popular ideas' and whilst all are desirable this is the only topic which stops a potential purchase. Surely it makes commercial sense to fast track the implementation of DTS in the PlayBar - especially when it's a relatively simple codec issue...
Please add DTS. I am long time sonos fans.... really want to pull the trigger on the playbar and the SUB but not until it support DTS. and or I can just keep my Rotel AV amp and do a output to the playbar.