As long as you have an ARC or eArc capable TV, Atmos will be passed.

Thanks, I hope that is the case. I have a Beam at the moment. My TV has arc but not earc. It is about 3 years old so is not Dolby Atmos itself. I was under the impression that this would not pass Dolby Atmos to the Sonos. I had read that a newer HDMI 2.1 earc standard was required.

Not even my 2019 Samsung QE90Q65 has eARC (though it is rumoured to get it). So be careful which TV you choose....

ARC will pass Atmos with DD+ encoding.  eARC is required for Atmos with TrueHD (lossless) encoding. 

A HDMI in would solve any worries, just plug my Apple TV in.

Why are you worried?  

I will be upgrading to this when I've saved up a bit, I do like my beam, but I'm concerned that my TV might not pass through the Atmos. It says DD+ in the instructions. It was bought before Amos became big on TV branding.

Here’s a list (you would need Dolby Digital 5.1 via ARC):

https://www.rtings.com/tv/tests/inputs/5-1-surround-audio-passthrough

Isn’t DD+ a compressed version of Atmos? True Atmos and TrueHD will need eARC. I don’t know why Sonos can’t do what other manufacturers do and just add some HDMI inputs. This would also solve some issues people have with lip sync issues on the beam via the TV ARC output. Also there is no word from Sonos if the Arc will play uncompressed LPCM (which is what something like the AppleTV, Xbox series x, etc will output). Was going to go for an upgrade from my Beam to the Arc but there seem to be too many compromises yet again. Think I’ll look at something like the Sony ST5000 instead. 

Thanks for that. I wonder if the beam will get a codec upgrade, maybe to DD+

Lots of great info on Dolby Atmos here:

https://www.dolby.com/us/en/brands/dolby-atmos.html

My TV is 2016 I think

No atmos on Arc through Sony X930E ARC connection from Apple TV. Only the prime video app passthrough Atmos. Everything from Apple TV is Dolby Digital. 

That’s correct, other company’s apps will usually send a Dolby Digital Plus signal with Atmos encoded. Apple has chosen to use MAT for their apps, which requires Dolby TrueHD, and can only be carried by eARC, due to bandwidth issues. 

Complain to Apple. I certainly have.  

this appears to be developing into a modern day Erie Gauge War.

While it would be nice for Apple to be able to send Atmos in more than one codec, and it certainly should, Sonos really should have thought about the issue more. The Arc really needed some HDMI inputs as we are not at the point where most people have the latest TV's and it seems silly to design something which is likely also going to mean you need to spend a large chunk of money on a new TV. Surely you would create a bigger customer base if you cover more options. Saying all that, I do love my Sonos buy will probably stick with the beam until it's time for a new TV, which could be a couple of years away. If they had included a spare hdmi hdmi they would have my money now.

I wish they would have included the HDMI IN. It would have solved so many issues for a lot of people. Its a premium soundbar and not a entry level bar. HDMI IN was required to use the ARC at its full potential.

Well then they would also have to provide HDMI OUT, in order to get the video to the TV. It would have made things a lot simpler for us all, mind you. Maybe Arc Gen 2??

https://www.hdfury.com/product/4k-arcana-18gbps/

While this product is currently only available for preorder, it solves the problem with not having HDMI in. It will basically let you send Dolby TrueHD from any external device into the sonos arc. A good alternative to buying a new tv, and still be able to use the ARC to its maximum potential.

Just came here to post this and help reach the preorder goal 

That is not correct. ARC won’t always pass Atmos, and it doesn’t for Apple TV. Because Apple TV only sends an uncompressed format Atmos signal which ARC can’t handle - there’s a second option some devices support, but not Apple TV.

Same goes for Xbox One. So far no devices I own that can support Atmos are able to send an Atmos signal over ARC to the Sonos Arc. I need an eARC TV for these to work.

It does have HDMI OUT. It connects to the TV with an HDMI cable. If I turn my TV to the Arc on HDMI 1 I see some patterns on the screen because the Arc sends a video signal but doesn’t leave it empty.

I have pre ordered the HD Fury Arcana because it looked brilliant, but I did not receive any receipt of payment and the email address tied to the PayPal charge is a dubious looking gmail address. It's just some bloke's name @gmail.com. Not very professional.

I am worried that I have fallen for an elaborate internet scam and I would advise against others investing in this until there is something more concrete.

I don't even see any refund option.

HDFury isn’t the largest company but they are a very well known manufacturer of specialized hdmi equipment. There’s a ton of online reviews and YouTube videos about them and they are carried at large online retailers such as B&H Photo.

Agree on the above.  I am not a fan of their pay mechanism, or that they charge immediately for preorders...but understand that a small company operating internationally is not going to have the same setup I’m used to with larger companies.  Still, they should get that cleaned up as it will make customers nervous.

HD Fury products can also be bought on Amazon.  Not the Arcana yet, as you can only preorder directly from them, but I imagine we’ll start seeing Arcana through distributors in the fall sometime.  If you’re not comfortable with buying direct, you can wait till then.