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I never thought sound setting could be so complicated, the settings you need to change to make things work and no device gets it quite right. I am using a LG C1 with an Apple TV 4K and a PS5. My Sonos setup is an Arc with sub and a pair of Ones. There are numerous options to try and get the audio format that works for everything but all seem to be a compromise and fairly confusing, at least to me.

Firstly the Apple TV, when the LG tv is set to passthrough there is no Dolby Digital or Dolby Digital Plus, it passes the audio as LPCM 7.1, but Atmos works. You can change format in the Apple TV settings which makes it send DD 5.1 but for some reason turns off Atmos when this is done. I am unsure why there is no way to set it to play DD for non Atmos and keep Atmos on, or why you can’t select other formats like DD Plus. I have read that LPCM is better because it is lossless. But for me Dolby sounds better, as though it is not just about channels but how Dolby separates audio sent using Dolby out into those channels.

Now you can change the LG settings to auto and this makes it Dolby Multi Channel 5.1, I M not sure why. I am not sure what separates this format from DD or LPCM. It would be great if someone could explain. You can also leave the TV on passthrough and enable an option on LG called TV Sound Mode Share. This does make the Apple TV’s LPCM 7.1 show as DD 5.1. I am interested to know what is happening here, I have read that the TV is doing some kind of re encoding, but I can’t see why this would only be to DD5.1, why would it not decode to plus?. If you choose TV Sound Mode share and set TV to Auto you get something else again.

This post is getting long, but I have spent a lot of time playing with all the settings. The PS5 seems also to not be very good with sound formats, various combinations of the above give DD, LPCM etc. what annoys me is that you get different results depending on what is selected to the Apple TV. It seems to me that someone needs to invent a really good standard sound format that everyone can use.

What settings are people using for a similar setup? Can anyone explain what the LG Sound Mode Share is supposed to be doing or do, if it does just make LPCM into DD 5.1 why not just call it DD conversion or something less confusing?

I wouldn’t mind understanding LPCM a bit more, I have heard a lot of people saying it is better, especially for gaming, but I am not sure. I have been playing resident evil 7 as a test and DD makes the directional sound better, especially sounds from behind. Does LPCM separate cues out? Am I correct in thinking that the PS5 is just not very good for audio codecs, normal DD 5.1 appears to be the best it does for games, no Plus or Atmos and of the streaming apps, Disney is the only one that seems to send the Plus or Atmos.

I have asked a lot I know, my apologies. I am just trying to understand it all. To get to know my LPCM from my DD and my DD Plus from my Dolby Multi Channel 5.1.

Is it just that the Arc is not as versatile as some other options, I really like it and am considering the Era 300, but I could just take the opportunity to try something else. Hope I haven’t bored anyone too much.

For the highest quality audio, use these settings on the TV, Apple TV, and PS5:
 

TV settings

HDMI Input Audio Format: Bitstream
Digital Sound Output: Pass Through
eARC Support: On
 

Apple TV 4K settings

Change Format: OFF
Dolby Atmos: ON

NOTE: The Apple TV 4K uses a Dolby MAT encoder. As a result, all 5.1 audio will play as Multichannel PCM. Dolby Atmos audio will still play as Dolby Atmos. Also, Multichannel PCM audio tends to be quieter than Dolby Digital or Dolby Digital Plus so you will need to increase the volume. If you prefer Dolby Digital audio over Multichannel PCM, you can always set the Change Format setting to ON. But as you said, this setting also disables Dolby Atmos audio.


PS5 settings

Output Device: HDMI Device (AV amplifier)
HDMI Device Type: AV amplifier
Number of Channels: 5.1 ch
Audio Format (Priority): Linear PCM for gaming or when watching a DTS-encoded Blu-ray disc. When streaming content from the PS5 or watching a Dolby TrueHD/Dolby Atmos encoded Blu-ray disc, change this setting to Dolby.

When watching Blu-ray discs, there is another audio setting that must be adjusted when you start the disc. Tap the Options button on the controller, select the “…” and change the Audio Format setting to Bitstream for Dolby-encoded discs. Change this setting to Linear PCM for DTS-encoded discs.


Dolby Multichannel PCM audio

This audio format is not ideal because it means the TV is doing another audio conversion of the LPCM audio coming from the Apple TV or PS5. Because of this, do not set the Digital Sound Output on the TV to Auto. Keep it set to Pass Through.

 

One more note...

The settings above will give you highest quality audio from your setup. But if you don’t like the way these settings sound, feel free to adjust the settings to your liking. For some people, audio formats aren’t as important as the way the audio actually sounds. Everyone’s ears and audio preferences are different.

Thank you. I have settled on doing as you have said. It seems to me, both the Apple TV and the PS5 could do a better job of selectable codecs.

Do you know if the LPCM 7.1 gives a comparable channel separation experience to Dolby?

Thank you. I have settled on doing as you have said. It seems to me, both the Apple TV and the PS5 could do a better job of selectable codecs.

Do you know if the LPCM 7.1 gives a comparable channel separation experience to Dolby?

 

LPCM is just the raw decoded audio stream, so it should be no less (and no more) quality than the original.  

@GuitarSuperstar 

I’ve been playing with the settings on the PS5 and have similar setup with a LG CX and Arc.
It seems the Sonos App shows Multichannel PCM 7.1 if you set Device Type to either Soundbar or Av Amplifier with 7.1 channels selected.

Audio format Linear PCM in both cases.

So rather than just selecting AV Receiver with number of channels 5.1 and getting Multichannel PCM 5.1 would it be better to have Multichannel PCM 7.1?

is it better to have Multichannel PCM 7.1 for the Arc instead of Multichannel PCM 5.1?

Arc with sub and rears is 5.1.2 bettee stick with the audio channels you actually have

@RoninDevil like you i keep scratching my head with this ps5 issue. Dolby sounds better to my ears with more perceived details and soundstage even if lpcm is supposed to be better. Plus it's annoying to keep pushing sound up with the ps5 and going down with the rest. Dolby sets a similar volume to the rest of audio video content. So I don't really know what is better at the end of the day...

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