The Sony XBR X900E passes through beautiful DD 5.1

  • 18 February 2018
  • 16 replies
  • 13170 views

Userlevel 2
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The Sony works excellent passing through DD 5.1

I am able to get 5.1 through the the Apple TV 4K, ATT U-VERSE cable box, and the PS4 while video gaming.

All peripherals are connected to the TV via HDMI while the Playbar uses optical out

I haven’t tried blu-ray movies on the ps4 yet.

The Sony is an excellent tv btw. Many feel it has a better picture than any oled because it is a FALD with a native 120-mhz panel.

This setup makes SONOS worth it. Turn your surrounds to full volume in the app for music and tv, and you will have a killer surround sound system as part of your multi-room audio system.

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16 replies

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Did you have to do anything unique with your audio settings? I have been unable to get anything other than stereo output via the optical cable.

Does your Sonos - about my system - menu show 5.1 when you look at you really playbar?
Userlevel 2
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Yes it does, & when I press display on the tv remote it reads Dolby digital
Userlevel 1
Doubt you get 5.1 from Google Movies though right? Same problem I'm having.
Userlevel 2
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If you use the app on the TV it should work. I use an Apple TV and all the 4K movies are in 5.1
Just bought this tv and not having any luck for 5.1. Any settings you modified or anything else?

Frustrated this isn’t working!
Userlevel 2
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What source are you using for media?
On my tv I have it set to use audio system for speakers & when you go to sound adjustment then advanced settings, make sure it’s set to output Dolby Digital. Not Dolby Digital Plus.
Thanks for the reply!

Apple TV 4k as source media

I have the same settings setup:
- Audio system set
- Dolby Digital

I ended up changing my Apply TV 4k settings, setting it as Dolby Digital and seemed to have worked last night.
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I've never seen the words Dolby Digital, or any other 5.1 indication when I select 'display' on the remote. Additionally, when I look at the audio options with Netflix, 'English 5.1' is never an option - even on movies confirmed to be available in 5.1.

I loaded the latest software (Mar 20 - only available via USB) onto the X900E, but that hasn't changed anything.

I tend to think this is a Sony TV problem.
Userlevel 2
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My TV always shows ‘Dolby Digital’. Check your settings.
Have you had the audio delay issues noted in the other thread (https://en.community.sonos.com/home-theater-228993/if-you-re-experiencing-audio-delay-issues-read-this-6793458) while viewing DD5.1 content from Android TV apps (e.g. Netflix movie with DD5.1 soundtrack) or any DD5.1 content from the PS4? I assume you have already set the PS4 to transcode to DD5.1 and its HDMI input is set to Game Mode.
Userlevel 2
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Nothing noticeable....maybe I’ve gotten used to it. All my guests ever tell me is how good it sounds...never a comment about lip sync issues.
I'm having the same issue. Optical cable from the back of the tv to the soundbar. Audio out setting on the TV is set to PCM and is now greyed out. Sonos app is saying input is stereo. Called Sony and they are blaming Sonos. So frustrating.
Userlevel 7
Badge +21
Not sure how Sony can blame Sonos... optical connections are a one-way street... if you can't make a change to a setting in the TV, it's not the soundbar manufacturer's fault.

I will note that on my Samsung TV, I could only select Dolby Digital as the output when the TV was receiving a Dolby Digital signal. Not sure if that holds true with Sony as well, but it might. So you may need to check the audio settings of your other devices to make sure they're sending Dolby Digital audio (sometimes also referred to as AC3 in cable boxes) to the TV.
Userlevel 2
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And, yes, if I’m looking directly at the speakers lips I notice a slight audio delay...otherwise I never notice it during normal viewing.
I'm using the Netflix app on the TV straight to the soundbar. I wanted to get this working before I introduced the cable box and the ps4.
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The Sony X900E does support optical 5.1 pass through.
To enable audio passthrough, in the 'Action Menu' change the 'Speakers' to 'Audio System'.

These are the specs

Inputs Specifications
HDR10
: Yes
Dolby Vision
: No
HLG
: Yes
3D
: No
5.1 Passthrough ARC Dolby Digital
: Yes
5.1 Passthrough ARC DTS
: Yes
5.1 Passthrough Optical Dolby Digital
: Yes
5.1 Passthrough Optical DTS
: Yes
HDMI 2.0 Full Bandwith
: Yes (HDMI 2,3)
HDMI 2.1 Full Bandwidth
: No
ARC
: Yes (HDMI 3)
USB 3.0
: Yes (1)
HDCP 2.2 : Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)
CEC : Yes
MHL : No
Variable Analog Audio Out : Yes
Wi-Fi Support : Yes (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)

By the way Rtings have an article where they review about 80 different TV's for 5.1 pass through