Which TV will work FOR SURE with Sonos Arc or Beam (2nd)

  • 11 January 2022
  • 19 replies
  • 14009 views

Hi guys, I’m going to get a Sonos soundbar and I also have to change my old tv. The matter is that it looks like Sonos soundbars can’t work with any tv, as allo the models I’m considering (above all LG C1 and Samsung QN90A) have many compatibility issues with Sonos.

So I would like to understand.. which tv will work for sure with Sonos sonundbars? Any suggestions?


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19 replies

Userlevel 7

Avoid Samsung like the plague.

Would you suggest LG C1 instead?

I’ve found that Samsungs work well, but they definitely need either CEC toggled on/off, or a full power off (aka unplug for a few minutes) on the TV to reinitiate the HDMI handshake before the full capabilities of the Beam/Arc are recognized.  My two Samsungs worked great after that.

While my Samsung works great with Arc (other Samsung TVs work with amp and beam), I don’t trust that Samsung won’t release a firmware update that completely messes everything up.  The best ‘FOR SURE’ option is to get an HD Fury Arcana and take the TV out of the equation.

Userlevel 7

Would you suggest LG C1 instead?

I cannot guarantee that the LG won’t have any issues, but I’ve seen far less problems in this Sonos community with LG than I have seen with Samsung.

Userlevel 2
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Panasonic HZ1000E here.. works without issues.

Userlevel 1
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My LG OLED works perfectly, with atmos on Netflix, Amazon, Disney, HBO Max, etc. I have had zero problems.

 

All the best,

 

Brian

My LG OLED works perfectly, with atmos on Netflix, Amazon, Disney, HBO Max, etc. I have had zero problems.

Me too, I have the LG OLED C9 - works great with the Sonos Arc.

Userlevel 1
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I should have mentioned that I am using the Beam Gen 2 with Sonos One Surrounds. :)

 

All the best,

 

Brian

LG C1 works perfectly with the Arc (+sub+surrounds) for Dolby 5.1/Atmos using the internal apps. The on-screen volume display will only show a + - graphic with no numerical value.

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The LG OLED is a amazing tv, and the beam 2 is fine with all dolby formats but if DTS is important (like 4 me) then choose a different telly. But if it was me, and could only have one or the other, i would choose the tv.

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My Sony A80J has had zero problems. I get Atmos from internal apps as well as from my AT4K 

Userlevel 4
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More recent LG TVs don't support DTS passthrough, and there's a bug where it doesn't properly downmix LPCM 7.1 to the 5.1 Sonos setup. This is only really an issue with my PS5, which is easily worked around by changing the output codec when necessary. I still think the LG C series OLED TVs are outstanding products for the money.

If you don't mind spending a bit more, then Sony might fit the bill. My last TV was a 2014 Sony that was rock solid with Sonos 5.1 setup. I can't speak for more modern Sony TVs.

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If you are still looking around, I can share that I am in the same boat right now.  I was looking at the LGC1, but in the end I am in the final stages of deciding on the Sony A80J.

My criteria might not be the same as yours, but the deal-breaker for me was DTS support.  I am getting the TV upgrade so that I can enjoy Atmos and all of the latest “stuff” but I also have a decent-sized physical media collection - DVDs and Blu Rays - and the sad fact is that the LGC1 will not play DTS sound.  At all.  The only way around this is to buy a $300 box on top of buying the $1500ish TV and that seemed a bit ridiculous to me.  

I was about to give up on the TV upgrade idea, and then yesterday I discovered the Sony A80J and I *think* my problem has been solved.  I’m in the process of investigating everything as deeply as I can now, which is in fact what led me to this thread.  The Sony option apparently plays well with Sonos (like you, I have the Gen2 Beam + sub + two S:1s).  Apparently the Sony is happy to play DTS as well as all of the other formats, meaning that I can enjoy an old DVD or a new BluRay or anything being streamed with nothing blocking me.

A small difference for Sonos users began to grow bigger for me the more I thought about it.  The LG TV sits very low, just barely above the surface of one’s TV stand.  This means that the Beam or Arc, if placed in front of the screen, may well block part of the image on the lower part of the screen.  The Sony TV has legs that can be positioned in three different ways, and one of these options has been created for soundbar users.  The front part of the legs angle out so that there is room for a soundbar to sit comfortably between them, and the screen sits a few inches higher than the other options, meaning that the Sonos Beam will sit below - not in front of - the TV screen.  Of course, if you are mounting your TV to a wall this is not an issue, but it might be something to consider.

Another element of the A80J I’ve stumbled on, which wasn’t desired until I learned that it exists, is the Google interface in the Sony option.  Honestly, all of these home screens look pretty annoying to me, and that includes both the LG and the Sony.  But the Sony/Google combo allows you to sign in to ALL of your streaming services - Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, etc. etc. - and it treats them as one streaming service, essentially.  This means that you can search for a particular show or movie and the interface will locate it for you, regardless of which streaming service is delivering it.  I obviously have not done a personal test-drive on this just yet, but from the reading & videos I’ve watched so far, it does look quite promising.

IF you are still searching/deciding, I ran into some videos last night that you might have interest in.  Lots of bloggers have done side-by-side comparisons of these two TVs, and it was particularly helpful to me.  DTS desirability aside, these TVs are very similar.  But there is one key difference, and it can be a big one, depending on your needs and the specifics of your physical set up (ambient light, etc.).  The Sony seems to feature a much greater depth when it comes to blacks, shadows and darker areas of an image.  These comparative videos (which you will easily find on YouTube by searching up “LGC1 vs. Sony A80J” or some such thing) illustrate this point very, very well by placing the same TV/Film/Video Game image side-by-side, with the blogger pointing out the differences.  The LG blacks seem deeper or darker somehow, but it was astounding to see how much image detail was being obscured in the LG display, when compared to the Sony.   The differences were fairly dramatic.

Overall, from my research so far, the LG is a bit better for gaming (until Sony delivers a firmware update they say is coming later this year), and the Sony is better for film & TV.  I am making my decision with DTS in mind, but really it sounds like both of these TVs are solid options.  One last observation:  I tend to plug in the TVs I’ve been considering into the search bar here in these forums, just to try and get a heads up on how the unit might perform with my new Sonos stuff.  The LG had a lot of “hits” here - various little issues and questions that people have had.  The Sony?  Not so many at all.  I am not sure that relatively fewer “help” posts indicates fewer Sonos-related problems, but the correlation does seem fairly logical to me.

P.S.  Another key difference between the two TV options that wasn’t important to me until I discovered it is that LG has no real dedicated forum community like this one, where owners can post and trade information about issues and fixes.  Sony apparently has a robust and active community - again, like this one - with technicians involved.  With all of the settings and options these TVs provide, so much can need a tweak or a fix, and I find that the user community can be MUCH more helpful when these issues arise than trying to find exactly what you are looking for via Google.

I just purchased an LG 43UP81006LR - Remote controls the Beam Ok, but I am annoyed / disappointed that it will not display volume level of the Beam .  

Especially when the Beam worked perfectly with my 7yr old  Samsung UE40H6400. 
So it’s not an issue with the Beam - the ARC HDMI-CEC is fine. 

I would exchange the LG for the similar Samsung UE43AU9000, but from this and other Reddit forums, there’s not much assurance the new Samsung new model will work any better in this respect. 

I would love to know if it can be enabled in the software of either TV!

That’s a question for the manufacturer of the TV, since they write the code for handling CEC connections. Not something that Sonos has any control over. All Sonos does is match the specifications for the CEC implementation, how the TV handles that isn’t really in Sonos’ hands. 

I would exchange the LG for the similar Samsung UE43AU9000, but from this and other Reddit forums, there’s not much assurance the new Samsung new model will work any better in this respect. 
 

CEC does not require TV’s to support this feature. Obviously BEAM offers this information to the TV.

Even if a TV currently supports this feature I would not assume that it will continue to support the feature. And, of course, you could be pleasantly surprised in the future if your current TV starts supporting the feature after a TV update.

Thanks buzz, and Airgetlam. 

I get that it’s not a Sonos issue. It seemed worth asking on the Sonos forum whether any user has found a contemporary TV that supports the feature. 

It’s a bit too far down the feature list to find out from the manufacturer.