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George650
Trending Lyricist I
November 3, 2023
Answered

Arc + AppleTV 4k (new gen) + TCL Roku TV Trouble with ATMOS

Very frustrated - have the Arc, new sub and new Era 300 surrounds.

Going from the Arc to the TCL into its eARC hdmi and the appleTV 4K into another HDMI port on the TCL.

On the TV i have the following settings:

Audio > Audio Output > ARC (Sonos Arc)

Audio > preferred streaming format > Auto

Audio > Digital output format > passthrough 

 

(I see no other audio options digging around the menu; I’ve read in other forums that the output needs to be “bitstream”; however i either can’t find or don’t have that option. 

On the appletv 4k
Audio Output > TV Speakers

Audio Format (it reads “auto” on the menu bar) > Change format “Off” / If I turn it “on” I can set it to “Dolby Digital 5.1” - there is no Atmos Option.

Audio Mode: Auto (only other option is 16 bit)

When I play Atmos music through Apple Music (under its Spatial Audio, which claims to support Atmos) via this set up i get 5.1 listed on the Sonos app.

 

Similarly, when i play movies - either through the Apple app on Apple TV or the Netflix app via the Apple TV - even when they are advertised as being Atmos - the Sonos display shows 5.1.

 

—the issue is with the appletv —

With the same exact set up as per above, if - rather than playing the same movie thru the Netflix app on the appletv - i play it through the Netflix app on the Roku tv - i get the Atmos signal showing on my Sonos app.

 

However

If i stream music from the Apple Music app on the Roku tv (as opposed to the Apple Music app on the Apple TV) i get “stereo PCM” on the Sonos display. 

It’s absolutely maddening - the Apple TV is meant to enhance the UX and a/v as compared to something like roku’s UX (ie I’d rather not ditch the appletv)

 

one last aside

If i switch my audio output on the Apple TV from the tv (which is routed to the arc via the eARC) to my Sonos set up via: AppleTv Settings >Audio >Audio output > temporary audio output - the sound is notably better, but i can’t discern what the actual format is bc on the Sonos app it just shows as “airplay.”

In any case, would love ANY help.

thank you,

George 

 

 

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GuitarSuperstarAnswer
Lead Maestro
November 3, 2023

@George650 Based on my research, your TV model isn’t equipped with HDMI eARC. It only has HDMI ARC. The Apple TV 4K requires eARC to play Dolby Atmos audio on most TV models.

"Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you." - Rashi
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George650Author
Trending Lyricist I
November 11, 2023

@GuitarSuperstar and @Ken_Griffithsthank you both so much. 
 

I've done exactly what you both described and am getting somewhere:

 

TV switched to the Appletv as soon as I turned it on

Appletv now showing ‘auto, atmos available’ under audio format (never did that before)

 

But...alas no audio

I think it must be a setting w either the TV or atv??

George650Author
Trending Lyricist I
November 11, 2023

@GuitarSuperstar @Ken_Griffiths i removed the ROOFULL from the chain (ie atv right into Arcan) - same situation - great picture / no audio. 

 

Any thoughts would be wildly appreciated. 

 

Thank you 

 

George650Author
Trending Lyricist I
November 11, 2023

Potentially of interest @Ken_Griffiths @GuitarSuperstar - when I go to audio output the default audio is ‘receiver speakers??'

 

I can obviously airplay (temporary audio out) to my Sonos, but that's - again, obviously - not what I want. 

George650Author
Trending Lyricist I
November 11, 2023

@Ken_Griffiths @GuitarSuperstar got it!!! Reset the Appletv and voila - working 

 

Unreal 

 

Thank you. 

 

Do either/both of you have an Amazon wishlist? I'd like to express my gratitude. 

 

(I have a feeling it won't be the last time I call on you)

 

Thank you!!

    Ken_Griffiths
    Ken_Griffiths
    November 11, 2023

    No wish-list here, but thank-you. Have a great weekend just listening to your setup. GS and myself (and many others too) are almost always around & about the community here if you do need anything further - you seem to have mostly sorted things now in any case, so hopefully all will be fine, going forward.

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