I have had a Sonos Arc for around 2 weeks now & its not fully setup for surround sound (I'm still waiting for my One SL's to be shipped) I knew the issues with the Arc & its incompatibility with DTS, however I came across this article which states that if I turn DTS/DTS-HD to PCM on my Panasonic UB9000, my eARC TV will be able to convert DTS/DTS-HD audio to Dolby Digital 5.1. Am I reading this correctly & has anyone tried this?
DTS via PCM?
I honestly don’t know enough about HDMI cables and why some are recommended and others aren’t. But I do know that HDFury is very particular with their cable recommendations. They always recommend Cable Matters, KabelDirekt or Zeskit cables. I’m using KabelDirekt cables and they work great.
I would go ahead and get the cables they recommend and test them out. If they work, problem solved. If they don’t, you can always return them and ask HDFury what the next step is.
Thanks for your input….
I have asked them this very same question….
Its quite baffling that a cheaper cable will work better than a more expensive version?
I’m just concerned that I won’t get the full audio/visual experience I should be getting?
Don’t worry about the lower cost. A more expensive cable doesn’t always mean you are getting better quality. My cables aren’t very expensive but they work great. The audio playing from my Arc sounds incredible. And just the other day, someone was very surprised that my TV was not 4K because the picture quality looked so good.
I think either one of these might work:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Awakelion-Premium-Quality-Switcher-Support-Black/dp/B06WV5YJ6H/
https://www.amazon.co.uk/HDMI-Switch-4K-60hz-Projector/dp/B07VDJRQXW/
Thanks for the links….
Do you find switchers good quality or buggy?
The ROOFULL switch I have works great 98% of the time. I have it programmed to switch inputs using my Harmony remote/hub. Every now and then, I have to reboot the switch or manually switch inputs using the ROOFULL’s remote. But overall, I am pleased with how it works connected to my Roku Ultra, Apple TV 4K, and Panasonic UHD player.
Don’t worry about the lower cost. A more expensive cable doesn’t always mean you are getting better quality. My cables aren’t very expensive but they work great. The audio playing from my Arc sounds incredible. And just the other day, someone was very surprised that my TV was not 4K because the picture quality looked so good.
Have you ever experienced a sound drop/pop?
Just a side note, I have these also, Angled adaptor which I have always used, as my TV is at an awkward angle. Surely they will be fine to use with the Arcana?
The only issue I experience is it takes a little while for the audio to kick in on my Apple TV 4K.
Those angled adapters could be causing the problem. Can you test it without the adapters connected?
The only issue I experience is it takes a little while for the audio to kick in on my Apple TV 4K.
Those angles adapters could be causing the problem. Can you test it without the adapters connected?
I have had the issue with sound kicking in & I can live with that….
I will take out the adaptors when I get home & send the info to HD Fury….
Thanks & sorry for being a pest….
The ROOFULL switch I have works great 98% of the time. I have it programmed to switch inputs using my Harmony remote/hub. Every now and then, I have to reboot the switch or manually switch inputs using the ROOFULL’s remote. But overall, I am pleased with how it works connected to my Roku Ultra, Apple TV 4K, and Panasonic UHD player.
Thanks for the info.
Looks like I will have to get one imported from the US, as there are none available in the UK….
The Panasonic player will convert a DTS-HD Master Audio or DTS:X soundtrack to multichannel PCM not Dolby Digital 5.1. The Sonos Arc supports multichannel PCM audio although there is an issue where the Arc is not downmixing 7.1 PCM to 5.1 PCM properly. Sonos is working on fixing this issue.
So the Arc will still play the correct surround sound through all the speakers, just not in Dolby Digital?
At present I am only getting 2 channel Stereo from any DTS disc….
If your TV is equipped with HDMI eARC, the Sonos Arc should play multichannel PCM surround sound through all your speakers. On a 7.1 mix, only the side surround channels will play out of the rear surround speakers because of the downmixing issue, but a 5.1 mix will play all the channels correctly.
What TV are you using?
Thanks for confirming, much appreciated. At least I can achieve surround sound now with my many DTS blu-rays….
My TV is the Samsung Q80T QLED….
Even though you don’t currently have your surround speakers set up, the Sonos app should still already be showing “Multichannel PCM 5.1” or Multichannel PCM 7.1” not “Stereo PCM” from DTS-encoded discs.
What are your TV’s audio settings set to?
Not 100% sure, as I am at work as I type….
I will check when I get home, but I could swear that whenever I have played a DTS Blu-ray the S2 app has displayed Stereo 2.0…. What should my TV settings be for this to work?
My Panasonic Blu-ray Player is still set to Bitstream at the moment, as I had no idea that changing it to PCM would make this change….
Tried all the settings, but I couldn’t get it to output correctly.
All I get is Stereo PCM?
On the Panasonic, set BD-Video Secondary Audio to off.
Is Anynet+ enabled on your TV?
What other options do you have for the HDMI eARC and Digital Output Audio settings?
What specific disc/movie are you testing?
BD-Video Secondary was already off.
When I disable Anynet+ it loses the Sonos Arc & turns off the HDMI-eARC Mode?
HDMI eARC is either off or Auto.
Digital Output Audio Format is PCM, Auto or Passthrough.
I have tried this with standard Region A Blu-ray a of The Silence Of The Lambs & The Thing, which both have DTS tracks?
Keep Anynet+ enabled and HDMI eARC set to Auto.
Try setting Digital Output Audio Format to Auto or PCM.
Set MPEG Audio on the Panasonic to Bitstream.
What HDMI cable are you using to connect the Panasonic to your TV?
After some further research, it looks like it may just be your TV.
Take a look at this thread on Samsung’s community forums:
https://us.community.samsung.com/t5/Qled-and-Frame/Buyer-beware-2020-QLED-eARC-LPCM-issues/td-p/1598450
Keep Anynet+ enabled and HDMI eARC set to Auto.
Try setting Digital Output Audio Format to Auto or PCM.
Set MPEG Audio on the Panasonic to Bitstream.
What HDMI cable are you using to connect the Panasonic to your TV?
Done all those things & still stuck on Stereo PCM….
The HDMI cables I use are….
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B082SBMLYX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_5C5E3S9G4JNMY2ZPC6N8?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
No problem. Good luck!
Had a long chat with a Samsung rep last night & I didn’t really get anywhere…. Firstly he denied that my TV had LPCM, then realised that it did….
Then there was a back & fourth of what settings to try, which I told him I had already done all of these, thanks to your help.
In the end he filed a complaint for me & someone is due to be calling me back today….
From reading other forums it is a major issue with Samsung TV’s & what is more worrying is that Samsung don’t seem to want to admit that its an issue….
In the interim, make sure you have downmix set tosurround encoded. Might give you a little bit extra.
In the interim, make sure you have downmix set tosurround encoded. Might give you a little bit extra.
Will do buddy, thanks again….
Am I correct in saying that most other brands have this enabled on their TV’s?
Browsing forums, there seems to be a lot of angry Samsung customers, so I am surprised that Samsung still won’t acknowledge this issue….
Am I correct in saying that most other brands have this enabled on their TV’s?
Browsing forums, there seems to be a lot of angry Samsung customers, so I am surprised that Samsung still won’t acknowledge this issue….
The only other issue I have seen that is similar to yours is LG TVs with eARC cannot play multichannel LPCM audio from Panasonic UHD players.
One way to get around these issues is getting an HDFury Arcana. It will allow any external media device like a UHD player to bypass your TV’s limitations and send audio directly to the Arc. I have an Arcana and it works great with my old Panasonic plasma and Panasonic DP-UB820 UHD player. All of my DTS discs play as multichannel PCM out of the Arc.
Am I correct in saying that most other brands have this enabled on their TV’s?
Browsing forums, there seems to be a lot of angry Samsung customers, so I am surprised that Samsung still won’t acknowledge this issue….
The only other issue I have seen that is similar to yours is LG TVs with eARC cannot play multichannel LPCM audio from Panasonic UHD players.
One way to get around these issues is getting an HDFury Arcana. It will allow any external media device like a UHD player to bypass your TV’s limitations and send audio directly to the Arc. I have an Arcana and it works great with my old Panasonic plasma and Panasonic DP-UB820 UHD player. All of my DTS discs play as multichannel PCM out of the Arc.
I have heard of the Arcana before & that looks like it maybe the way forward for me, as Samsung just won’t admit there is an issue.
The Panasonic DP-UB820 is pretty much the same as the UB9000, so that should work for me?
So all you're DTS discs play in ,multi channel surround sound?
Yes, the UB9000 will work just fine with the Arcana.
Yes, all of my Blu-ray and UHD discs that are encoded with a DTS-HD Master Audio or DTS:X soundtrack play as multichannel PCM out of the Arc. Before the Arcana, all I could get was stereo PCM because my TV is only equipped with HDMI ARC.
Yes, the UB9000 will work just fine with the Arcana.
Yes, all of my Blu-ray and UHD discs that are encoded with a DTS-HD Master Audio or DTS:X soundtrack play as multichannel PCM out of the Arc. Before the Arcana, all I could get was stereo PCM because my TV is only equipped with HDMI ARC.
Would I need anything else apart from the Arcana, with my current setup to make this all work well?
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