Apple TV output stereo when atmos is not available

Apple TV 4K latest gen

Samsung the frame eARC

bose 900

all using the tv as hub.

Apple TV fails to send proper audio signal when atmos is on. It just converts any other 5.1 to LPCM 2.0.

I have seen many other threads with this same issue on different tvs audio setups.

definitely a config issue with Apple TV

Posted on Oct 7, 2022 02:57 AM

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447 1

2 replies

Urquhart1244

Level 10

145,674 points

Oct 7, 2022 03:36 AM in response to Gianni_Argentina

(L)PCM doesn't mean stereo, it means uncompressed, and can just as well be multichannel (up to 7.1 if your equipment supports that). It does mean that it is not Dolby Digital (which is compressed). But that doesn’t matter, as decompressing is lossless.

Oct 7, 2022 07:03 AM in response to Urquhart1244

Yeah sorry I meant LPCM 2.0.

so any content that’s 5.1 but not atmos will be delivered as 2.0. Same content through the apps on the Samsung tv is delivered as LPCM 5.1.

my guess is that the Apple TV is doing a bad job at choosing the best available format when atmos is not available and opts for 2.0 instead of Dolby digital for instance

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Apple TV output stereo when atmos is not available