KD-55A1 - Dolby Atmos with Netflix?

[jonnyaikido]

I have a KD-55A1 connected via a 2.1 HDMI (ARC) cable to STR 1080DN amp with connected 5.1.2 atmos speakers.  How can I get the Netflix app on my TV to stream Dolby Atmos audio to the AV amp?

Thanks!

[Pascale_F]

Hi Jonny, 

Welcome to the community. 

I'm not too sure, but I will try to find out and update the thread when I do. 

Thanks,

Pascale_F

[pedromalo]

Hi Pascale, any news on this matter - KD-55A1 & Dolby Atmos & Netflix ?

I'm in the process of looking to buy a soundbar and want to decide if it makes sense to have it Dolby Atmos or not (if the SmartTV does not support not value to spend the extra money).

[ajoysarkar]

Hi 

Netflix tv app on Sony does not currently support atmos, it is currently only on xbox and LG

https://help.netflix.com/en/node/64066

[pedromalo]

Hi, 

That is correct - it supports LG OLED TVs (2017 models or newer) - but the question is if support is not avaliable because Netflix is not (yet) supporting or also because it will never support because the TV does not support Atmos.

What happens is that LG OLED TVs (2017 models or newer) do have Dolby Atmos embedded and so it makes sense that Netflix supports these for now. 

My problem is not for KD-55A1 to perform Dobly Atmos (it does not have the speakers to do it) but if I connect a Dolby Atmos soundbar (e.g. Sony HT-ST5000) will Netflix be able to acknowledge its existence (as Dolby Atmos) connected via the KD-55A1 HDMI-ARC port. 

Actually, there is no reason for Netflix not to see that there is an Dolby Atmos-capable home theater audio system connected to the Sony HDMI-ARC port and use it.

Maybe someone can try a Dolby Atmos-capable home theater audio system (e.g. soundbar) connected to the Sony KD-55A1 HDMI-ARC and see of Netflix identifies it as Dolby Atmos and plays?

[ajoysarkar]

Hi

i have an atmos set up through a Marrantz sr 7011. Playing Netflix on the tv app only gives 5.1 through the tv arc. If I play using an Xbox one x app, I get atmos on listed titles

[rooobb]

HDMI ARC is not able to passthrough Dolby Atmos or any lossless audio encoding. So no TV (even LG) are able to send it to an external HT. If you connect a box via HDMI directly to an HT it can receive the signal (being that the return channel ARC has a very limited bandwith compared to HDMI). THis will be solved by HDMI 2.1 and eARC standard but you'll need to change all the chain (TV, cable, HT) in order to support it

[rod_hull]

That's not strictly true.

There is a lossy variant of Atmos that can be included in a DD+ stream (which if looking at media files that have it would be recorded as "E-AC-3+Atmos" or "DD+ with Atmos") as opposed to the lossless version you might find on BD/UHD discs embedded in the TrueHD stream (TrueHD+Atmos).

I believe the lossy DD+ version is the one Netflix are using on those LG/Xbox devices that support it. It can definitely be passed to a suitable decoder/AVR via current implementations of HDMI ARC.

I don't think there's any technical reason other manufacturers (including Sony) can't support it already on any in-TV apps that can already pass "normal" DD+ via ARC.

I suspect it's merely a licensing/exclusivity agreement Netflix have struck with LG/Microsoft.

[Kuschelmonschter]

Internet streaming services of course use the lossy DD+ based Atmos which can indeed theoretically be carried over ARC. TrueHD based Atmos implies a bitrate of >20mbps.

[dutchice]

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@rod_hull wrote:

That's not strictly true.

There is a lossy variant of Atmos that can be included in a DD+ stream (which if looking at media files that have it would be recorded as "E-AC-3+Atmos" or "DD+ with Atmos") as opposed to the lossless version you might find on BD/UHD discs embedded in the TrueHD stream (TrueHD+Atmos).

I believe the lossy DD+ version is the one Netflix are using on those LG/Xbox devices that support it. It can definitely be passed to a suitable decoder/AVR via current implementations of HDMI ARC.

I don't think there's any technical reason other manufacturers (including Sony) can't support it already on any in-TV apps that can already pass "normal" DD+ via ARC.

I suspect it's merely a licensing/exclusivity agreement Netflix have struck with LG/Microsoft.

---

Your comments are correct. Support for Dolby Atmos (lossy compressed format) streams is as of yet not in production for SONY ATV1 and ATV2. I have however read a report mentioning the introduction in late 2018 for a number of the ATV2 models. As support for Dolby Vision + Dolby Atmos has been on the 2018 roadmap for SONY since eraly 2017. My understanding is that there will be this and some more announcements planned for IFA Berlin 2018.