Solving the 5.1, DTS issues with the Playbar



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Userlevel 3
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I got a Sony UBP X800 BD player and can't get 5.1 from DTS tracks. I can get stereo when going through my TV which a Philips 55PUK7150/12. I tried a couple of those HDMI audio extractors without luck so far.
Very frustrating and such a waste of time, I wish we could get Sonos to eventually implement DTS support. It's obviously not a technical issue but a cost saving one as they spare themselves the DTS license. I would be happy to buy that license myself as an in-app purchase for instance.

https://en.community.sonos.com/home-theater-228993/have-sonos-add-dts-support-6826460
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Hi Guys,

My new setup banishes all the woes and frustration with the lack of DTS on the Soundbar:-

TV - Sony KD-55xd9305 4K TV - all inputs via HDMI, all Audio output via Optical to Soundbar
(Yes the Sony does pass DD 5.1 bitstream via optical)

Blu Ray Player - Samsung BD-J7500 (current cost around £100) Video & Audio output via HMDI, Audio settings - Convert ALL formats to DD 5.1 Bitstream.

Audio - Sonos Soundbar & Sub (Soon to be joined by a pair of Play 1's)

Outcome - Fan-bloody-tastic 5.1 sound to go along with a truly stunning picture !!

I know it's not a cheap solution but after reading all the threads on here regarding this issue it just made sense to make sure i brought compatible devices to make the most of the Sonos system which i already had and i was able to ditch my optical switch box and all the extra cables?

Obviously i would ideally prefer a DTS update for the Soundbar but until that time (if ever) then i'm one happy little chappy .

BTW - I also now play all MKV media files through the Samsung via 2TB USB 2.0 drive and 99.9% of them are upscaled to 3840 x 2160 and the audio output is DD 5.1 so same result as Blu Ray!

While i appreciate that there are more expansive Audio soundtracks available now (DTS-HD, DTS-TrueHD, DD Plus, ATMOS etc) I am more than happy with the sound i'm currently getting as is my whole family!!

I have a similar setup, but with the Samsung UBD-k8500 player. It doesn't downmix the more recent audio formats, such as DTS-HD when playing from an external HDD. Does anyone have an alternate player, that does downmxi these formats ?  The Apple TV does downmixing really well, but I cant stream 4K MKVs across my network, only 1080p so am looking for a solution that works via an external HDD

Userlevel 7
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The Xbox can down-convert everything to DD 5.1. I have no idea how well it can play MKVs from external media though.

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I have not been feeling that the sound was right when watching TV and thanks to this thread I confirmed in the Sonos App that I am only getting Stereo from 2 for my three rooms.  I literally have Sonos in every room of my house and I am starting to feel by wanting to stay consistent and simple is holding me back.  The only room where I see DD 5.1 is the small room where I have a Beam (with a sub and 2 PlayOnes).  My other two Playbars, one connected to an LG and one to a Samsung are showing stereo now matter if from local apps or from Roku Apps.  Unless Sonos comes out with a ‘BeamBar’ soon that supports HDMI all the way up to ATMOS I may have to start thinking about going somewhere else.

-John 

I have not been feeling that the sound was right when watching TV and thanks to this thread I confirmed in the Sonos App that I am only getting Stereo from 2 for my three rooms.  I literally have Sonos in every room of my house and I am starting to feel by wanting to stay consistent and simple is holding me back.  The only room where I see DD 5.1 is the small room where I have a Beam (with a sub and 2 PlayOnes).  My other two Playbars, one connected to an LG and one to a Samsung are showing stereo now matter if from local apps or from Roku Apps.  Unless Sonos comes out with a ‘BeamBar’ soon that supports HDMI all the way up to ATMOS I may have to start thinking about going somewhere else.

-John 

If your TV won’t pass-through Dolby, you can always bypass the TV to get a Dolby 5.1 signal from your TV connected peripherals by using an audio splitter/extractor ..there are plenty such devices available online and widely discussed here in the community threads.

I’m quite surprised your LG TV doesn’t support Dolby over Optical/HDMI  … but I know some older Samsung TV’s are not always good in this area for allowing such signals to pass-through their ports. The audio splitter/extractor is likely to solve the matter for you,