UK TV for Virgin Media 360 Box and Beam 2

  • 12 November 2022
  • 6 replies
  • 796 views

Just hoping someone can help me sort out my sound issues.  I am new here and a bit of a beginner in this stuff so please bear with me.  My TV is a Samsung QR49Q7FAM.  I have recently bought a Beam 2 and two Sonos 1 as surrounds using the Sonos 2 App.  My TV doesn't have E-Arc (as far as I know) so I have a 3 way optical splitter and have connected my TV, Virgin Media 360 Box and a Samsung BluRay DVD player by optical cables as inputs with the output going by optical cable to the Beam 2, using the Sonos supplied adapter.  If I watch a movie or sport with 5.1 output from my Virgin Media 360 Box the surround sound is working as 5.1 and I can hear the rear speakers.  Its good!  Recently I watched some of the Rugby Internationals through the Amazon Prime App on my Virgin Media 360 Box and the sound was also 5.1.  I started watching The Rings of Power through the Amazon Prime App on my Virgin Media 360 Box and got no sound at all from the Virgin Media 360 Box output.  I switched to the TV input and got Stereo 2.0 pcm.  I noticed that Rings of Power's sound output is Dolby Atmos.  It seems my TV and connection by optical cables is incompatible with Dolby Atmos.

What I would like to fix is how I get Dolby Atmos from my Virgin Media 360 Box to the Beam 2.  I am thinking I need a new TV with Dolby Atmos and E-Arc capability but I would like to be sure before I go ahead and spend on a new TV. So I had two questions:

1. Can anyone recommend a currently available UK TV (about 48/50 inch) that would enable me to get Dolby Atmos from my Virgin Media 360 Box to the Beam 2?

2. Does anyone have a set up of Amazon Prime App on the Virgin Media 360 Box passing Dolby Atmos to the Beam 2 and surrounds with a compatible TV and if so which TV?

Thanks for reading

Rich Cooke


6 replies

Dolby Atmos, either compressed or uncompressed, is not available over an optical connection you would need to switch to using an HDMI-ARC/eARC connection - preferable eARC as that supports uncompressed Atmos audio from Blu-ray Discs too.. Have you considered using an HDMI-ARC/eARC audio extractor instead?.. see the links below:

HDFury Arcana (needs splitter too):

https://www.hdfury.uk/product/hdfury-arcana/

Feintech VAX04101A (built in splitter):

https://feintech.eu/en/collections/hdmi-topseller/products/feintech-vax04101-hdmi-earc-pass-switch-4x1-for-soundbar

 

There is also the new OREI HDA-935. Check your local retailers for availability, or Amazon. You can also order from those links from the companies directly, I think.

Hi Ken

Thanks for the quick reply.  No, I haven’t heard of an  HDMI-ARC/eARC audio extractor before so I am now in study mode on the links you posted.

Rich Cooke

Thanks Bruce - some more research for me.

Rich Cooke

@Ken-Griffiths I can’t find the Feintech product as available in the UK.  Amazon have the VSW04202 (not the VAX 4101).  Would that do the same job?

Thanks, Rich Cooke

 

Moderator Note:  Removed link. Modified in accordance with the Community Code of Conduct.

Just a quick update.  I bought the HDFury Arcana from The Media Factory in the UK.  (Great Service - next day delivery by 13:00)  I just wired it all up and Hey Presto.  I now have what I wanted -  Dolby Atmos from my Virgin Media 360 Box to the Beam 2.  Fantastic.

Thanks to everyone  for the suggestions  - and especially @Ken-Griffiths for the clear explanation.

Rich Cooke

Reply