Sonos 12.0.5 Update: Delivers Dolby Atmos to Arc with AppleTV

  • 26 August 2020
  • 44 replies
  • 7114 views

Userlevel 7

Just updated to 12.0.5.  Tested Dolby Atmos setting in Apple TV. Arc shows Dolby Atmos.

Way to go Sonos!!! 

Hope this works for Xbox...maybe someone can test/report back

Cheers!


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44 replies

Userlevel 2
Badge +4

I really got excited when I saw your post, but unfortunately I am not receiving any sound from ATV when Atmos is enabled.  I am not sure this will be the fix everyone has been waiting for.

No, it’s not working for me either.☹️

Userlevel 4
Badge +6

Nope.

Not enough information here to know exactly what is being talked about. What’s the method of connection, HDMI ARC or eARC? What application on the Apple TV are you using? Are we talking Dolby Digital Plus or MAT?

More details before people are wildly disappointed would be helpful.

Userlevel 2
Badge +4

LG Nano91

eARC setting to Passthrough

Apple TV 4K trying through Netflix

Also have tried Apple TV+

Userlevel 7

Here’s the info:

Movie: The King of Staten Island

TV: 2019 LG OLED C9 65 Inch

Connection to Arc: HDMI ARC 

Audio: eARC turned On

Digital: Passthrough 

See screen shots below for other information:

 

 

What are you playing the movie on? 

I’d be terribly surprised if Sonos were to make such a substantial change in a dot release, much less with the standard update line (bug fixes), and not trumpet the change. 

What I’m suspecting is that you’ve just figured out how to get Dolby Digital Plus through the system, and not MAT, since your connection is only HDMI ARC and not eARC. Doesn’t matter what the setting is, if the connection itself isn’t eARC, you won’t get MAT. 

Badge

I’m on gen4 HD Apple TV, not the 4K model so apols if I’m not seeing another problem here but wouldn’t leaving the setting on the ATV to auto give ATMOS out of it when it’s an ATMOS encoded source? I have had scenarios where I’ve had to force 5.1 (non-ARC TV with an HDMI splitter and a BEAM) but under normal circumstances, I’d leave it on auto. 
 

apols if I’ve missed your point. 

Userlevel 7

@jimbo_hippo 

I’m using ATV 4K

The ATV screen shot you see is the next screen after Audio Format: Auto, Atmos Available >

You still haven’t answered my question. I’m trying to determine if you’re just getting Dolby Digital Plus, or MAT. 

I am getting Dolby Atmos through the LG TV AppleTV app as well as the Apple TV 4K. Random Atmos-enabled shows. My LG TV is connected to the Sonos Arc via eARC.

Userlevel 2
Badge +4

I am getting Dolby Atmos through the LG TV AppleTV app as well as the Apple TV 4K. Random Atmos-enabled shows. My LG TV is connected to the Sonos Arc via eARC.

Which LG do you have?

I have the LG 65GX OLED.

Userlevel 7

You still haven’t answered my question. I’m trying to determine if you’re just getting Dolby Digital Plus, or MAT. 

I can’t answer your question to the extent you are asking.

Below are audio formats the The King of Staten Island is recorded in:

 

If you view the ATV screen shot in my previous post you’ll see that when the ATV audio format is set to Dolby Atmos the audio is decoded and sent as uncompressed multi-channel LPCM. My research suggests that AppleTV may be using Dolby Digital Plus to carry LPCM as metadata. 

All that changes nothing as B4 12.0.5 my Arc would not recognize Dolby Atmos audio sent by ATV and would force me to set ATV audio to Dolby Digital 5.1.  Now since 12.0.5 my Arc recognizes ATV Dolby Atmos. I’ve made no adjustments to my TV audio settings or connections.

Bottom-line how Dolby Atmos gets to the Arc (speaking for myself) is inconsequential just as long as my $800 Arc will allow me to enjoy ATV or any of the popular streaming services that offer Dolby Atmos. BTW my NetFlix Premium has no issues with the Arc to enjoy Dolby Atmos.

Userlevel 4
Badge +6

@AjTrek1 , your TV has an eARC connection. All that’s happened is that you’ve now passed Atmos as multichannel LPCM (*not* Dolby Digital Plus) over eARC to Sonos Arc. This was possible on day one. 

 

Userlevel 6
Badge +14

I did the upgrade and my sound has not dropped at all on anything played. I had issues with the Arc dropping the audio.  Yes I get Dolby atmos. 

 

Perhaps I wasn’t as clear in my wording as I should have been.

What application are you using to play this movie, that has been encoded in all these formats? Is it an Apple Movie, or a movie being played by a streaming applications such as Netflix, Amazon Video, or other non-Apple streaming application?

Userlevel 7

@oriboaz 

You need to re-read my comment. I know what I’ve done. 

Userlevel 7

Perhaps I wasn’t as clear in my wording as I should have been.

What application are you using to play this movie, that has been encoded in all these formats? Is it an Apple Movie, or a movie being played by a streaming applications such as Netflix, Amazon Video, or other non-Apple streaming application?


I’m using my ATV 4K box via its native app iTunes Movies. I’m don’t use it to steam via other apps like NetFlix etc.

Userlevel 4
Badge +6

@oriboaz

You need to re-read my comment. I know what I’ve done. 

All I am saying that nothing in 12.0.5 has changed Atmos support. 

@AjTrek1 , your TV has an eARC connection. All that’s happened is that you’ve now passed Atmos as multichannel LPCM (*not* Dolby Digital Plus) over eARC to Sonos Arc. This was possible on day one. 

Shouldn’t that be the other way around DD+ Atmos works on all devices built-in and attached to say an LG C9 TV which has eARC pass-through and support that codec along with the ARC? It’s the multichannel LPCM codec that has not worked from the beginning, which is the default format of ATV. 
 

I have always understood (believed) that the compressed DD+ Atmos to always have worked on ATV 4K with ARC, or if anyone is using ATV 4HD they should always have been getting DD 5.1 - providing these codecs were set in the ATV device audio settings. It was just the multichannel LPCM (uncompressed) Atmos that was not working using Dolby MAT (which actually is sent compressed but is uncompressed by the Receiver)… at least that’s always been my understanding.

 

Anyhow the ‘Audio-In display in the Sonos S2 App ‘About my Sonos’ is not too helpful as it just mentions Dolby Atmos - there is no hint at whether that Atmos format is Dolby (MAT) (uncompressed) or DD+ Atmos (compressed). I suspect it’s the latter and the reason I say that, is if anyone has Apple TV4 HD (not the 4K device) and they set the ‘Change Audio’ setting to off they will likely find that Atmos movies on Netflix (example 6 Underground) is missing audio channels - you may find the dialogue spoken is not coming through. Whereas if you change the audio to ON and select either Dolby Digital 5.1 or PCM codec, then the movie audio will work with either of those codecs.. inferring that LPCM is still not supported (perhaps?). That’s the only way I can think to test it, but if anyone has any further suggestions…

 

Anyhow I hope that may assist to find the answer here.

Userlevel 4
Badge +6

@Ken_Griffiths , if your TV communicates to Apple TV 4K that it accepts multichannel LPCM, then that’s what it will output. Since LG TVs do this, Apple TV 4k outputs atmos as LPCM mat, and not DDP. 
Nothing in 12.0.5 has changed any behavior in this regard. 

Userlevel 5
Badge +11

Is there any release notes for 12.0.5?

It would be nice to know what they have fixed or added.

@Ken_Griffiths , if your TV communicates to Apple TV 4K that it accepts multichannel LPCM, then that’s what it will output. Since LG TVs do this, Apple TV 4k outputs atmos as LPCM mat, and not DDP. 
Nothing in 12.0.5 has changed any behavior in this regard. 

It’s not currently working here for me.👍

I think sonos staff would have stepped in and said something about this (perhaps?) - earlier comments from staff in another thread in the community, did seem to suggest it might take a while, with any testing etc. 

Userlevel 6
Badge +11

I’m curiously confused with all of the above.

@AjTrek1 Now you have the Atmos Logo in the Sonos App from ATV, I think what is a more important question is how much of a difference the Atmos logo adds the sound experience vs previous DD 5.1 through the Arc? Personally, so far, I have been underwhelmed with Atmos content, the best content I have heard (seen?) has been the Dolby Atmos demos downloaded from Dolby site, but I think this tricks you with the visual effects.