Returning new Apple TV Can’t believe there is No Direct Passthrough for Surround Sound

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Level 1

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Returning new Apple TV Can’t believe there is No Direct Passthrough for Surround Sound

Owned 3 Apple TVs then went with Roku for 4K and Dolby Atmos. Last week purchased the new Apple TV 4K and to my amazement after researching for hours find out that as for Dolby Digital, Atmos etc there is no direct passthrough it’s received as PCM.

I have the very best equipment I can afford and expect the decoding from my surround processor not Apple.

Itunes is looks as though they allow direct pass though as it is showing LPCM. As for the rest streaming apps it’s PCM...

am I right ???? Much rather stay with Apple

To me there is a difference in LPCM vs PCM

Apple TV 4K, 12

Posted on Jan 25, 2019 6:49 AM

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Answer 1

Urquhart1244

Level 10

146,782 points

Jan 25, 2019 8:13 AM in response to Dozer4435

I expect the decoding from my surround processor not Apple.

Apple thought it best to do it differently, for sound mixing and other purposes.

To me there is a difference in LPCM vs PCM

LPCM is a specific form of PCM. Non-linear PCM (L in LPCM is for Linear) is not used in conventional home theater consumer electronics, as that deals with low signal strength, severe error correction, and options for simple compression (e.g. telecom). For all intent and purposes, PCM and LPCM are the same, when it comes to home theater implementations. You are not losing quality because of a missing letter on your receiver display.

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Returning new Apple TV Can’t believe there is No Direct Passthrough for Surround Sound

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