Please read before buying Sonos products for home theater use!

  • 1 January 2015
  • 19 replies
  • 1300 views

Userlevel 3
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Please be aware that the Sonos products, wonderfull sound as they have, only can be used as a stereo device when watching movies. In some rare instances a true and very compliant Dolby Digital 5.1 audio source will be played fine. Very often there will be frequent audio drop-outs. DTS movies will not work. DD+ will give audio drop-outs even though the bit rate is low enough for the optical interface. Xbox 360 slim DD5.1 seem to work for some reason. At least through a state of the art hex-core android TV.

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19 replies

Userlevel 2
I have playbar, woofer and 2 Play 3's for my home theater and have none of those problems.
Userlevel 2
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hi all, although dts isn't supported by playbar, a lot of bluray players (I have a relatively cheap sony 3d player about £80) will convert dts to dd5.1. other issues are some tvs don't pass 5.1 through optical, although I haven't tried this (I think my tv passes it through ok) you can get a hdmi to hdmi with optical audio extractor. as I said, I have no idea if this will work or if it does work weather or not the lip sink will be out because of it but, for £15 off ebay, might be worth a punt?
Userlevel 5
Badge +3
Hello,

As gizz169 mentioned, there are a few different options you can consider if your TV does not pass Dolby Digital 5.1. You can consider a switch or plug your device (gaming system, blu-ray etc) in directly to the PLAYBAR, you can also consider an alternate blu-ray player which is capable of converting DTS to Dolby Digital which Sonos is able to read. 

If you are experiencing audio drops, we'd be happy to take a look at your system. Let us know if we can be of assistance and we'll investigate further. Please submit a diagnostic after you experience the issue and I'll be happy to take a look. Please reply back with your number here. 
Hello,

As gizz169 mentioned, there are a few different options you can consider if your TV does not pass Dolby Digital 5.1. You can consider a switch or plug your device (gaming system, blu-ray etc) in directly to the PLAYBAR, you can also consider an alternate blu-ray player which is capable of converting DTS to Dolby Digital which Sonos is able to read. 

If you are experiencing audio drops, we'd be happy to take a look at your system. Let us know if we can be of assistance and we'll investigate further. Please submit a diagnostic after you experience the issue and I'll be happy to take a look. Please reply back with your number here. 

Hi Dominique, can you please tell me if the sonos playbar supports our home theatre - Samsung Wireless 3D Blu-ray Home Theater System (model HT-E5500W)?

I deeply appreciate your reply as I am considering getting a playbar but no one can tell me if its going to work with my home theater system.
 
Userlevel 5
Badge +3
Hello,

As gizz169 mentioned, there are a few different options you can consider if your TV does not pass Dolby Digital 5.1. You can consider a switch or plug your device (gaming system, blu-ray etc) in directly to the PLAYBAR, you can also consider an alternate blu-ray player which is capable of converting DTS to Dolby Digital which Sonos is able to read. 

If you are experiencing audio drops, we'd be happy to take a look at your system. Let us know if we can be of assistance and we'll investigate further. Please submit a diagnostic after you experience the issue and I'll be happy to take a look. Please reply back with your number here. 

Hello Pete,

Keep in mind that this system is it's own home theater component so connection to this unit is technically an 'unsupported setup'; however, I'm happy to look into with you.

After looking at the specifications of this system, it does not have an audio OUTput (optical out) that would be needed to connect to the PLAYBAR. Thus, there aren't any options to connect this device directly to the PLAYBAR.
Hello,

As gizz169 mentioned, there are a few different options you can consider if your TV does not pass Dolby Digital 5.1. You can consider a switch or plug your device (gaming system, blu-ray etc) in directly to the PLAYBAR, you can also consider an alternate blu-ray player which is capable of converting DTS to Dolby Digital which Sonos is able to read. 

If you are experiencing audio drops, we'd be happy to take a look at your system. Let us know if we can be of assistance and we'll investigate further. Please submit a diagnostic after you experience the issue and I'll be happy to take a look. Please reply back with your number here. 

hey Dominique thanks for getting back to me so fast!
So will the sonos bar work with this device? http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-BD-H6500-Smart-Blu-ray-Player/dp/B00ICDABYC/ref=cm_cd_ql_qh_dp_t

please let me know thanks!
Userlevel 5
Badge +3
Hello,

As gizz169 mentioned, there are a few different options you can consider if your TV does not pass Dolby Digital 5.1. You can consider a switch or plug your device (gaming system, blu-ray etc) in directly to the PLAYBAR, you can also consider an alternate blu-ray player which is capable of converting DTS to Dolby Digital which Sonos is able to read. 

If you are experiencing audio drops, we'd be happy to take a look at your system. Let us know if we can be of assistance and we'll investigate further. Please submit a diagnostic after you experience the issue and I'll be happy to take a look. Please reply back with your number here. 

Looks like the Samsung BD H6500 doesn't support the proper format which is "Dolby Digital", it supports "Dolby Digital PLUS" among others that are not supported. It also does not have an optical audio output. 
Userlevel 3
Hello,

As gizz169 mentioned, there are a few different options you can consider if your TV does not pass Dolby Digital 5.1. You can consider a switch or plug your device (gaming system, blu-ray etc) in directly to the PLAYBAR, you can also consider an alternate blu-ray player which is capable of converting DTS to Dolby Digital which Sonos is able to read. 

If you are experiencing audio drops, we'd be happy to take a look at your system. Let us know if we can be of assistance and we'll investigate further. Please submit a diagnostic after you experience the issue and I'll be happy to take a look. Please reply back with your number here. 

So this passes DD+ over HDMI? My TV down sample DD+ to DD. I've been looking at this BR player.
Userlevel 3
Badge +4
Hello,

As gizz169 mentioned, there are a few different options you can consider if your TV does not pass Dolby Digital 5.1. You can consider a switch or plug your device (gaming system, blu-ray etc) in directly to the PLAYBAR, you can also consider an alternate blu-ray player which is capable of converting DTS to Dolby Digital which Sonos is able to read. 

If you are experiencing audio drops, we'd be happy to take a look at your system. Let us know if we can be of assistance and we'll investigate further. Please submit a diagnostic after you experience the issue and I'll be happy to take a look. Please reply back with your number here. 

I wish my TV would do that! It passes DD, DD+ DTS on through the optical. Normally a good thing, but not for Sonos.
Userlevel 5
Badge +3
Hello,

As gizz169 mentioned, there are a few different options you can consider if your TV does not pass Dolby Digital 5.1. You can consider a switch or plug your device (gaming system, blu-ray etc) in directly to the PLAYBAR, you can also consider an alternate blu-ray player which is capable of converting DTS to Dolby Digital which Sonos is able to read. 

If you are experiencing audio drops, we'd be happy to take a look at your system. Let us know if we can be of assistance and we'll investigate further. Please submit a diagnostic after you experience the issue and I'll be happy to take a look. Please reply back with your number here. 

Hello Rich and Tomas,

@Rich:
If your TV has the ability to convert Dolby Digital + to Dolby Digital, Sonos is able to read Dolby Digital. 

@Tomas:
As Rich and I were discussing, the Sonos PLAYBAR has the ability to receive a Dolby Digital signal. If your TV is passing this signal, you should hear the audio from the PLAYBAR. Let us know if you have any questions regarding this. 
Userlevel 3
Badge +4
Hello,

As gizz169 mentioned, there are a few different options you can consider if your TV does not pass Dolby Digital 5.1. You can consider a switch or plug your device (gaming system, blu-ray etc) in directly to the PLAYBAR, you can also consider an alternate blu-ray player which is capable of converting DTS to Dolby Digital which Sonos is able to read. 

If you are experiencing audio drops, we'd be happy to take a look at your system. Let us know if we can be of assistance and we'll investigate further. Please submit a diagnostic after you experience the issue and I'll be happy to take a look. Please reply back with your number here. 

The reason I say it's not a good thing is that most material I receive from online services is not dd5.1 it's dd+ 5.1, witch is more broad band conservative at the same audio quality and that causes constant audio drop-out. Would my TV convert all audio to dd5.1 I would be happy. I can't use any audio splitter or blue ray players because I watch modern streaming services that my TV can handle very well and it passes all the audio signals in their original quality to my Playbar. So I have to set my TV to pass stereo instead to get an uninterrupted audio experience and that makes me a tad bit sad.
The Playbar can receive and handle any format you want. If no one uses it it's of little use.

But the music sounds great...
Userlevel 7
Badge +17
You would think that in 2015 and for a 'home theatre' item costing several hundred British pounds that the Playbar should be able to handle everything that can be thrown at at over an optical connection - no dropouts, no silence. The fact that it does not, yet still claims to be 'home theatre 5.1' is very misleading. You should either upgrade to product to match your claims or stop making those claims since they only apply in a minority of cases (compatible tv, appropriately encoded audio)
Userlevel 3
Hello,

As gizz169 mentioned, there are a few different options you can consider if your TV does not pass Dolby Digital 5.1. You can consider a switch or plug your device (gaming system, blu-ray etc) in directly to the PLAYBAR, you can also consider an alternate blu-ray player which is capable of converting DTS to Dolby Digital which Sonos is able to read. 

If you are experiencing audio drops, we'd be happy to take a look at your system. Let us know if we can be of assistance and we'll investigate further. Please submit a diagnostic after you experience the issue and I'll be happy to take a look. Please reply back with your number here. 

Netflix uses DD+ and my tv (samsung hu9000) passes it through as DD 5.1. Infact whether the source is from hdmi or smart TV, every external device I use is set up to pass DD 5.1 or 2.0 so I get the best audio quality Sonos can offer. I did for the longest time have drop outs but this has been fix with updates.
Userlevel 3
Badge +4
Hello,

As gizz169 mentioned, there are a few different options you can consider if your TV does not pass Dolby Digital 5.1. You can consider a switch or plug your device (gaming system, blu-ray etc) in directly to the PLAYBAR, you can also consider an alternate blu-ray player which is capable of converting DTS to Dolby Digital which Sonos is able to read. 

If you are experiencing audio drops, we'd be happy to take a look at your system. Let us know if we can be of assistance and we'll investigate further. Please submit a diagnostic after you experience the issue and I'll be happy to take a look. Please reply back with your number here. 

Lucky you. My TV (Philips 55PUS8809) passes dd5.1 dd+ and DTS to the optical as it comes in. So I get audio drops, silence or stereo.
Userlevel 3
Badge +4
You would think that in 2015 and for a 'home theatre' item costing several hundred British pounds that the Playbar should be able to handle everything that can be thrown at at over an optical connection - no dropouts, no silence. The fact that it does not, yet still claims to be 'home theatre 5.1' is very misleading. You should either upgrade to product to match your claims or stop making those claims since they only apply in a minority of cases (compatible tv, appropriately encoded audio)
You sure would think that. I did. My (€1700) bad.
Userlevel 5
Badge +4
Niltomek if I could give you 100 thumbs up I would you are so correct. Misleading is the understatement of the century, Sonos was designed for music nothing about it was designed for video, I have read literally hundreds of comments on their forums never once their fault even hundreds more in other locations just google or bing this problem and you will see hundreds more.They should cease to claim anything works with the sounder because most is false accusations. Shame on the company.
Userlevel 5
Badge +11
It connects to your TV. So it plays what your TV gives it. You TV doesn't provide the correct output. TV problem or peripheral item problem?
They should cease to claim anything works with the sounder because most is false accusations. Shame on the company.

They've never claimed that "anything" works with the Playbar.
Hello,

As gizz169 mentioned, there are a few different options you can consider if your TV does not pass Dolby Digital 5.1. You can consider a switch or plug your device (gaming system, blu-ray etc) in directly to the PLAYBAR, you can also consider an alternate blu-ray player which is capable of converting DTS to Dolby Digital which Sonos is able to read. 

If you are experiencing audio drops, we'd be happy to take a look at your system. Let us know if we can be of assistance and we'll investigate further. Please submit a diagnostic after you experience the issue and I'll be happy to take a look. Please reply back with your number here. 

Hi Dominique, can you please tell me if the sonos playbar supports our home theatre - Samsung Wireless 3D Blu-ray Home Theater System (model HT-E5500W)?

I deeply appreciate your reply as I am considering getting a playbar but no one can tell me if its going to work with my home theater system.
 

Hey...
You can absolutely connect these wireless sound bar system with samsung ht. But for this you have to perform a proper setup. For this you may use Samsung HT-E5500W Manual for help.