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PS5 + Sonos Arc no surround

  • 15 October 2023
  • 5 replies
  • 786 views
N

Hello,

I've reviewed a lot of other threads but can't find a similar problem. My setup:

 

Old Sony TV (no e-arc)

PS5 (primary media device)

Sonos Arc + 2x Play 1 as surrounds

 

I recently introduced an HDMI switch with a Toslink extractor to resolve audio syncing. Toslink out to toslink/HDMI adapter to Sonos Arc and HDMI out to TV to bypass TV audio processing entirely. 

 

First oddity: it all works well and I can get Dolby Digital 5.1 and full surround audio on the PS5 interface and any gaming, but when streaming Disney+ or Netflix, there's no sound coming from the rear speakers at all, despite the app showing 5.1 while this content is playing. 

 

Second oddity: a second input device is a GoogleTV and in this configuration it's outputting everything in full Dolby Atmos, which is great! Definitely not complaining, but out of curiosity, how is this happening over toslink?

 

Any help is appreciated!

 

 

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Best answer by Jamie A 19 October 2023, 14:01

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5 replies

Jamie A
Userlevel 7
Badge +16

Hi @namdoogz,

From your post, I would assume the issues occurring are the fault of the Toslink Extractor. If your TV doesn’t have HDMI eARC, you can still get Dolby Atmos with HMDI ARC, as you’ll be using the Dolby Digital Plus codec instead of the Dolby TrueHD codec.

As a test, I would recommend removing the Toslink Extractor from the setup and connecting the Sonos Arc directly to the TV. These ports are generally labelled as ARC or eARC, but if not, I would consult your TV manual or look up your TV model number online. 

As optical can’t pass positional sound, it’s likely that the Toslink Extractor is passing information that is saying the signal is Dolby Atmos, but not actually playing Dolby Atmos. That would be the only reason I can think of, as it shouldn’t be possible for optical to pass anything higher than 5.1. I’d recommend the same test as above, with the Sonos Arc connected directly to the TV, as that will give you Dolby Atmos and is a good way to check if your Google TV is correctly passing this. 

For some additional reading, our article on Listening to Dolby Atmos on Sonos shows what connections are used by what audio codecs. Also, when playing TV audio, you can check in the Sonos app on the Now Playing screen to see what audio format you’re receiving.

I hope this information helps!

N

Hi @Jamie A 

 

Thanks for your help. To test, I reverted back to the original setup, Sonos Arc to HDMI ARC port and PS5 and Google TV back into the other HDMI ports, bypassing the switch and extractor entirely. 

Google TV continues to show Atmos in the app when it's playing, so I guess it's just strange (ahem optical illusion?) that it does the same over the Toslink to HDMI adapter and perhaps it's not real Atmos.

The PS5 works the same. The menu screens and gaming show 5.1 in the app and surrounds are active, but switching to Disney+ has no surround sound, despite showing 5.1 in the app and playing supported content. 

If you have any ideas, please let me know. I guess the workaround would be to just consume all media on the Google TV rather than PS5 but it would be great getting to get both as options. 

Jamie A
Userlevel 7
Badge +16

Hi @namdoogz,

I’m not sure if there are any settings on Disney+ you’d need to change, but it’s definitely strange you’re not getting anything from the surrounds. We have a support article for low audio from surrounds, but not for no audio, though I would still recommend checking the article and reading through.

In your case, I would suggest you reach out to our support team for further troubleshooting. They can take a diagnostics of your system while it’s playing Disney+ and Google TV to see what the difference is and can help resolve this issue with you.

N

@Jamie A updating here that I did submit diagnostics and speak with support over chat and phone. No real resolution other than talk to Disney about why the app isn't working as expected, which is fair. But as far as Atmos, I have to conclude that either the app is misreporting or Atmos can be transmitted over optical cable, since that's my configuration in both tests below:

 

Diagnostic 175819403

Google TV Chromecast playing IronMan2 on Disney Plus shows Dolby Atmos and full surround is heard. 

 

Diagnostic 1760697367

PS5 playing IronMan2 on Disney Plus shows Dolby Digital 5.1 but no surrounds are heard. Surrounds work in gaming and the PS5 interface but not in Disney Plus.

 

Jamie A
Userlevel 7
Badge +16

Hi @namdoogz, 

I’ve looked into your diagnostics and, in the first one, it does show Dolby Atmos as the codec, which our support article regarding Atmos say that you can’t get this with the optical adaptor. Strange, but it does look like it’s possible. 

I would suggest looking into your PS5 and seeing if there are settings you can adjust. From what I can find online, you can enable Dolby Atmos on the PS5 by going to “[Settings] > [Sound] > [Audio Output] > [Audio Format (Priority)], and then select [Dolby Atmos]”. I’m not sure if these are the exact steps, but there should be many videos and articles online explaining how to enable it. 

I would recommend Playstation support instead of Disney if you have Atmos enabled or you enable it and it doesn’t resolve the issue, as the Chromecast/Disney/Beam setup works fine, but the Playstation/Disney/Beam doesn’t. 

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