Please add support for DTS for the Sonos Playbar.



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I can't believe the playbar doesn't support DTS, I returned mine and won't consider it again until it does. How many calls and angry emails does Sonos get a day from people who get this thing home, plug it in, put on a Blu-ray that has DTS (which is now almost all of them) and get silence? It's supposed to be a plug and play so to speak and easy for the consumer right? What "regular" consumer is going to think to research such a thing first and know if they're playing a Blu-ray with a DTS track to disable it on their player and set the audio output to bitstream in order to get it to work? That is crazy. Sure, I could figure it out but I'm tech savvy, isn't this product also supposed to cater and appeal to the non-tech savvy? I'm flabbergasted as to why DTS support wasn't included. I didn't even bother to check, I just figured it was as what product at this price point doesn't and hasn't for years? Under consideration for three months? Yikes. Sonos: add it and I will reconsider your product, otherwise forget it.
just about to buy a playbar when I spotted the lack of DTS support 😞
+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?
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Following a careful evaluation, we have decided not to implement support for the DTS audio format in PLAYBAR at this time.
 
PLAYBAR uses a single optical connection directly from your television and was designed this way to make it as easy as possible to set-up and enjoy great HiFi sound.  Most PLAYBAR owners connect PLAYBAR to their TV in this simple way. This is the intended setup for playing the sound from your TV.
 
Today, very few TVs pass a DTS-encoded audio stream through their optical output.  Instead, the TV or source device converts the audio signal automatically to PCM, which PLAYBAR supports.  This is how PLAYBAR plays DTS-encoded Blu-rays.
 
We are committed to supporting the existing and future ecosystem of streaming video services. Currently, popular streaming services do not use DTS and most use Dolby Digital encoding, which PLAYBAR supports.
 
We are aware that PLAYBAR is being connected by customers to devices other than the television. In this configuration, when PLAYBAR receives a DTS signal, it will not process the signal.  If you are not able to connect your PLAYBAR directly to your TV and would like to explore solutions, please click here
 
If DTS support is crucial for your current set-up, PLAYBAR may not be the right solution for you and we apologize for this inconvenience.  If you are currently a PLAYBAR owner and would like to discuss options, please contact Sonos Customer Care.
 
We’ll be actively monitoring TV and streaming services capabilities and trends. If our development stance around DTS decoding in PLAYBAR changes, this community will be among the first to know. 

@Rich: That's the point.

As written somewhere below '... SONOS encourages you to form your own opinion ...' at home without the opportunity to recognize the weakness of the SONOS virtual surround sound reproduction in direct comparison to a real 5.1 system.

It's easy to believe it's 'great sound (IMHO better noise) played by SONOS' in case you compare to internal TV speakers or at best a stereo set connected to your TV at home.

Get rid of the PLAYBAR as long as they refund older devices, too !
Userlevel 2
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Please add DTS support. I have just bought a Playbar and this is a big disappoint for me.
Userlevel 1
Maybe while this topic is under consideration Sonos should consider changing their marketing blurb. From: "Plays all sources plugged in to your HD TV: satellite boxes, Blu-Ray players, and video game consoles. If it’s connected to your HD TV, PLAYBAR will play it." To: "Plays some sources plugged in to your HD TV: satellite boxes, Blu-Ray players, and video game consoles. If it’s connected to your HD TV and is configured to output sound in a compatible format, PLAYBAR will play it. Otherwise you will get silence."
I just created an account because I wanted to voice my disappointment with the lack of DTS on the Sonos Playbar. I was going to purchase the Playbar, a pair of Play 5 and pair of Play 3 units, plus the Sub. However, I cannot seriously consider a solution that in late 2013 does not offer a DTS support. That is very unfortunate, as otherwise I thought that Sonos system would have been perfect. If I don't see any indication of progress from Sonos in the very near future, I will simply have to look for another solution that is more up to date from the A/V standard support perspective. Why are you, Sonos, doing this to us, your potential customers??? I was pretty certain your system would be the one I would get, until I found about the lack of DTS support....
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?!
Everyone, a note on comments.  

We are actively moderating discussion in this thread and removing posts that contain inappropriate language.  If your post contains language which is not suitable for a wide audience, it will be removed.

Thank you for your understanding.

I bought my Playbar this summer after I was inside a hifi shop and got a demonstration. I was informed that it lacked support for DTS but the seller calmed me and said it most likely would be added in the future updates. He described sonos as a company at the forefront of solutions with smart update features. I was convinced and bought the product.

When my Playbar arrived I was very pleased. The design is very appealing and the sound was better than expected . However, the absence of a relevant detail , DTS ...


I have been visiting this thread regularly in the hope that it changes status to ' Planned ' . My idea was to go ahead with the Sonos system with 5.1 and build zones in my house with play products and so on. Luckily I waited with this . As much as I want, I can not move forward with a system that does not feel safe for the future. And it doesn't get better when i get the feeling that you could solve it but you do not think it 's worth it. This is another reason why I get scared . If you do not listen to your customers , it becomes difficult to survive in the long run. It would have been better to get the answer that it is not possible with existing technology in Playbar.

I still want to find a solution for this. Is there no third party product that can solve this? I imagine a sound decoder that receives DTS and transcode to Dolby Digital on the fly. I know you can do this with the help of Plex but imagine a small box that you connect the optical cable in and then on to Playbar . Is this even possible? 
I have the 47LB5D. I am OK with the one input, I don't need another device that wants to be the focus of all devices. Ideally the TV would be the control center, but it fails as HDCP blocks outputting anything but 2.0 from HDMI sources that pass-through the TV.
Well, from a dumb consumers position that statement would be true. Almost no tv passes the original signal to the optical output, it will be most likely be downmixed to stereo. That way the playbar can handle every device you connect to your tv. They only forget to mention you don't get the real deal, no true 5.1 home theather experience.
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Disappointed that there is no update regarding DTS in view of the latest software update 4.2
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.
Everyone, a note on comments.  

We are actively moderating discussion in this thread and removing posts that contain inappropriate language.  If your post contains language which is not suitable for a wide audience, it will be removed.

Thank you for your understanding.

@ Mathias Get a Samsung Bluray Player if you are determined to keep it. Sonos sure isn't trying to solve the issue and do the right thing...
Userlevel 1
FYI: I purchased the Octava HD11-ARC HDMI Audio Converter from Amazon and hooked it up to my TV. Result: my Sonos Playbar is now sent both Dolby Digital and DTS. All that is needed now is for the Playbar to actually be able to *decode* DTS! Please add DTS support via a firmware update, Sonos!
Userlevel 1
That statement is not true. If you hook up your Blu-ray player to your TV, the TV to the playbar and play a Blu-ray with a DTS audio track it just will not work. I guess I'm lucky in that my TV passes Dolby Digital 5.1, too bad just about every Blu-ray now only has a DTS English track. Unless I want to watch every movie in Spanish.
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I was hoping that DTS support would be added with the release of the new Play:1. As with the addition of a pair of these to the Playbar and Sub, it makes a more sensible option to obtain 5.1 surround sound. But alas it seems I am disappointed again.
Userlevel 2
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Some type of update would at least settle everyone posting and posting... Come on guys. 

Following a careful evaluation, we have decided not to implement support for the DTS audio format in PLAYBAR at this time.
 
PLAYBAR uses a single optical connection directly from your television and was designed this way to make it as easy as possible to set-up and enjoy great HiFi sound.  Most PLAYBAR owners connect PLAYBAR to their TV in this simple way. This is the intended setup for playing the sound from your TV.
 
Today, very few TVs pass a DTS-encoded audio stream through their optical output.  Instead, the TV or source device converts the audio signal automatically to PCM, which PLAYBAR supports.  This is how PLAYBAR plays DTS-encoded Blu-rays.
 
We are committed to supporting the existing and future ecosystem of streaming video services. Currently, popular streaming services do not use DTS and most use Dolby Digital encoding, which PLAYBAR supports.
 
We are aware that PLAYBAR is being connected by customers to devices other than the television. In this configuration, when PLAYBAR receives a DTS signal, it will not process the signal.  If you are not able to connect your PLAYBAR directly to your TV and would like to explore solutions, please click here
 
If DTS support is crucial for your current set-up, PLAYBAR may not be the right solution for you and we apologize for this inconvenience.  If you are currently a PLAYBAR owner and would like to discuss options, please contact Sonos Customer Care.
 
We’ll be actively monitoring TV and streaming services capabilities and trends. If our development stance around DTS decoding in PLAYBAR changes, this community will be among the first to know. 


This is not a matter of the TV set parsing DTS. I would like to replace all my HIFI gear and I want the best sound from my Blue Ray player. I am not able to replace it all because of the missing DTS. So please wake up and give support for 5.1 or even 7.1 DTS. If so I do think your sales will grow even more. But maybe it is not necessary. In Denmark we have a delivery time for Play1 up to month right now
Userlevel 1
Also worthwhile to note that Dolby Digital audio definitely makes the Playbar sound better! 🙂
Just bought a playbar unaware of the Lack of DTS support. No sound on all of my movies played via the plex client on my LG tv unless I use the tv speakers rendering my playbar an expensive wall ornament. Please sonos DTS is a must have that needs to be added ASAP.
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I just considered to buy a Playbar with either 2 Play3 or 2 of the new Play1 but found out it doesn't support DTS. This would be a deal breaker for me as my current System does support it and I got plenty of BluRays with DTS sound. I got already 3 Play5, 1 Play3 and a ZP90 and believed that the Playbar would be a great enhancement of my current system. Well - might not be true... Would be great if this could be solved.
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.

Following a careful evaluation, we have decided not to implement support for the DTS audio format in PLAYBAR at this time.
 
PLAYBAR uses a single optical connection directly from your television and was designed this way to make it as easy as possible to set-up and enjoy great HiFi sound.  Most PLAYBAR owners connect PLAYBAR to their TV in this simple way. This is the intended setup for playing the sound from your TV.
 
Today, very few TVs pass a DTS-encoded audio stream through their optical output.  Instead, the TV or source device converts the audio signal automatically to PCM, which PLAYBAR supports.  This is how PLAYBAR plays DTS-encoded Blu-rays.
 
We are committed to supporting the existing and future ecosystem of streaming video services. Currently, popular streaming services do not use DTS and most use Dolby Digital encoding, which PLAYBAR supports.
 
We are aware that PLAYBAR is being connected by customers to devices other than the television. In this configuration, when PLAYBAR receives a DTS signal, it will not process the signal.  If you are not able to connect your PLAYBAR directly to your TV and would like to explore solutions, please click here
 
If DTS support is crucial for your current set-up, PLAYBAR may not be the right solution for you and we apologize for this inconvenience.  If you are currently a PLAYBAR owner and would like to discuss options, please contact Sonos Customer Care.
 
We’ll be actively monitoring TV and streaming services capabilities and trends. If our development stance around DTS decoding in PLAYBAR changes, this community will be among the first to know. 

Unbelievable…. a true disappointment….The wrong decision SONOS….whats the chances of a re-consideration ?
Userlevel 1
Apples to oranges. You can't compaire a wired low end POS like that to something like the Playbar with its sub + sat speakers. You can't make the assumption that this is licensing. Right now my personal speculation is bandwidth to the satellite speakers from the Playbar. Or possibly Sonos miscalculated, as a newbie in the home theatre audio market, how much demand there would be for this. But again: speculation. We don't know jack right now. I'd bet money they are in their labs trying to figure out how this might be done if at all.