Please add support for DTS for the Sonos Playbar.



Show first post
This topic has been closed for further comments. You can use the search bar to find a similar topic, or create a new one by clicking Create Topic at the top of the page.

1190 replies

Yes it is Time!
I have the possibility to change the audiosettings of my Blu Ray Player manually to PCM, then it works. But it is a pain in the ass......
+1 for DTS support. But I really doubt Sonos will announce anything in the near future. So would this idea be a workaround? Getting an AV receiver to decode the DTS of any source and supply DD 5.1 to my TV that is optically connected to the Playbar. Would this work?
+1 for DTS support. But I really doubt Sonos will announce anything in the near future. So would the following idea be a workaround? Getting an AV receiver to decode the DTS of any source and supply DD 5.1 to my TV that is optically connected to the Playbar. Would this work?
Aubrey: that would not work as the TV probably downgrades both DTS and DD5.1 to stereo before giving it to the Playbar.  So having the AV receiver in there would make no difference.

You could output from the receiver directly to the Playbar.  But I don't know of any receivers that will do this.  As far as I can tell, the only equipment that will do the conversion is a few select Blu-ray players.

I'm hoping for a definitive answer to this issue before Christmas, as it would be nice to enjoy some 5.1 from my Blu-rays over the holidays: shall I buy a PS3 now to do the conversion, or should I wait for DTS support?!
Userlevel 2
@Al:
I would go with the PS3. It's very affordable now and overall a great device for gaming and of course movies. The DTS2DD conversion works just fine. The sound is awesome.

@topic:
Perhaps the negotiations with the DTS company are really just taking "a little" longer. The license fee thing could be more complicated, because of the streaming features: If you not only have the Playbar but also two Play3/1 as rears there could be a fee for every one of this stand alone devices. And whats with other Sonos devices in other rooms/zones. You can stream the DTS signal to every Sonos product in your house. Would that mean to pay fees for this speakers too??? Perhaps thats the deal... But if it is...no...WHATEVER it is, this politic of non comnunication / ignoring the customers in this threat and on facebook is absolutely unacceptable from Sonos. I really dont understand this. Every other question gets answers, but for this one they are dead.
Userlevel 2
Badge +1
Some type of update would at least settle everyone posting and posting... Come on guys. 
Mostprobably this has to do with licensing costs for DTS. Especially for already sold playbars the cost has not been included in the price, hence this is a major financial loss for Sonos if they choose to implement as they cannot charge the customers again. Poor product design and market research on Sonos side.
Userlevel 2
Badge +2
Whatever it is, it is unfair to the customers who have invested so much into their products to get the surround sound experience. They have to come up with a workaround (charge few etc bucks one time who want DTS and already have a playbar), or something else..But this kind of support is not warranted
A few hours ago I was on the way to order a playbar with sub and rear speakers, but now knowing DTS it's not there, knowing the playbar or I should netter say the Sonos system, isn't able to work as every 5.1 system I stopped thinking about my order. Sorry Sonos, great system but really bad decision. Furthermore without statement I can't buy, because I never know if there is an upgrade possible or I have to buy another one in a few months....
Userlevel 2
I already own a couple of Sonos components and love them all. I would also love to buy a Soundbar, a Sub and two Play 1 units for my living room. But, as long as DTS is not supported, this is not gonna happen. If i pay a premium price for hi-fi equipment, I except it to work flawless with all kind of audio tracks.
Please add dts support for the Sonos Playbar. This is an amazing product and even better when teamed up with the Sub and Play:1/Play:2 combo. But having to find workarounds for a product this expensive should not be necessary. As many people have pointed out - there are cheaper options that support both dts and Dolby digital. Please at least have the consideration to provide us with an update on this. It has been 3 months with no word. Please Sonos. Make it a Christmas gift for your customers!
i agree. this is advertised as a home entertainment device.  TrueHD and DTS are home entertainment requirements.  no exception.  i just picked up a playbar and sub today and got it home to realize that TrueHD/DTS are not able to be delivered over an optical cable.  

big miss.
Badge
Why is this decision taking so long? Please provide an update. We have supported Sonos by paying a premium for your product. Please support us by adding DTS.
https://www.facebook.com/sonos/posts/10152075829359699

like my posting!
Where is the DTS Christmas present?
Userlevel 1
C'mon Sonos - try harder!
DTS support for me too please.
@Al: Thanks for the reply and pointing out that the TV will most likely downgrade any DD5.1 input to stereo.

@Fabian: I got a PS3 and my PS4 arrived recently, too. So I'll check on this. Your idea sounds fantastic as this would save me an AV receiver and I would get a fake DTS support that will output 5.1

@topic: Sonos is a company that wants to make profits. They simply can't upgrade the current Playbar to support DTS. Also why should they announce a new Playbar to decrease the current Playbar sales? So not communicating is the best Sonos can do to keep theirs sales up and earning money. Sad but true.
Userlevel 1
Badge
Aubrey, yes, yes they can. It is a firmware issue, not a hardware issue. They can just simply upgrade the current playbar to support DTS. With a flick of a switch. 
@Jon G Sure its a simple fix: add the DTS codec in the firmware. BUT: This is a licensing issue: if Sonos decides to roll out DTS they will have to pay DTS Inc. for each sold playbar unit with no possibility of getting the money from the customer for this feature. Currently the pain is not big enough. Only 1500 customers are complaining, not enough to justify the cost of licensing and compliance testing with DTS. I still can't believe the information policy of Sonos. They claim to be premium, charge premium, but the information policy is far worse than products from china/taiwan.
Userlevel 1
I would love to see DTS in the future to be able to connect a Xbox One! Imagine Fifa without audio!
DTS support is a not just important but urgent too...we all need it to be added to PlayBar like yesterday. Please rush this up.
Has anyone had any luck with DDL (Dolby Digital Live) as a workaround for this problem? A bit of background information: I am using HTPC to drive a Playbar and am considering buying a sound card that supports DDL. From what I have read the card will encode any signal it receives into Dolby Digital (this should include DTS) and output it via the SPDIF, which from what I understand will be perfect as it means I can be watching a movie in DTS however the soundcard will reencode the DTS to DD 5.1 and send this signal to the Playbar to decode it.
Userlevel 2
Badge
@Marcus, then they could at least give the option for existing customers to "buy" new firmware with DTS included. Not that thats the preferred option but to keep things under consideration for 10 months is scaring people to buy your products. Can not believe that ANY company who moves their product from TV speaker to 5.1 system is not willing to invest in DTS to increase sales. And seeing number of complaints on the net it defenitely will.