How can I view Netflix movies in Dolby digital 5.1 sound?

Netflix has announced that they will be rolling out 5.1 audio to other devices, but they haven't announced a definite schedule.

Now we all can watch movies and tv shows to netflix with the realism and impact of surround sound. Dolby® Digital Plus to deliver 5.1-channel audio supprts this growing library of tv shows and movies streamed instantly over the Internet.

But

If you guys want to make use of this Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound when instantly streaming TV shows and new movies releases from Netflix, you'll need the new Netflix application for the PlayStation 3. You guys can find it under the Video icon and the What's New icon at the time of turning on your play station 3, and simply install it from there.

This new app eliminates the streaming disc and offers a completely redesigned interface to make searching and navigating easy.

Has there been any update to this. My new Mini will arrive today. I tested netflix on my macbook. I convert usb to spdif to feed my pre/pro- All I get is PCM stereo which I can chang to pro logic II.

I was going to use the HDMI direct to my TV for video and use the converted usb/spdif for audio.

Is netflix still not supporting devises, other than ps3?

I have the Apple TV 2 with HDMI to the receiver and all I get is stereo.

Dolby is turned on in the settings. I have tried a bunch of Netflix HD movies and all are in stereo.

Am I missing something?

Should I get something else that plays Netflix?

You have to set the Dolby Digital option (audio/video preference pane) to ACTIVE, not automatic. Then ATV2 will send DD audio through HDMI and optical, if the title you're watching has the double D's symbol in it's description.

I too had the issue of not getting 5.1 surround when streaming Netflix. I fixed the problem by going to Apple TV settings/audio and changing the default setting from "auto" to "on."

To get surround sound from Netflix – at least in Sweden – you have to change an video quality setting on your Netflix account page: https://movies.netflix.com/HdToggle

When it's set on "High" it only streams with stereo sound. But set on "Highest" I finally get surround sound on my Apple TV.

And yes, trying to figure this out drove me crazy changing all kinds of settings on my Apple TV, surround system and television set which didn't help. And no, Netflix support didn't figure this one out for me, it was more of a coincidence.

Mediakip thanks for this. Super helpful.

In the U.S., there doesn't seem to be a "very high" option for the playback quality. At least, none that I could find. "High" was the highest available setting. And that setting results in 2-channel playback (Dolby Surround) only. 😟

Since this is a Netflix problem, I guess I'm going to have to contact their support and find out what's going on. I've already independently verified, via iTunes-available streaming media, that 5.1 playback does in fact work on my setup as it is, so this is clearly a Netflix-specific issue and not a general Apple TV issue.

I can't tell if this issue is related to an OS upgrade on the Apple TV or not. The only way for me to find out would be for me to revert back to some older version of the firmware, and that's enough of an annoyance that I'm reluctant to do so. It's probably better to just get the issue sorted out with the latest firmware.

currently there is a problem with Netflix and DD 5.1 is not working.. happened about 1mth ago.. Netflix has reported they are working on this... not sure if this is a AppleTV update 6.1 or Netflix related problem

Good news. Recent update to 6.1.1 resolves this issue and returns Dolby Digital to Netflix.

Bad news, i tested today and after latest update Netflix over ATV is without Dolby Digital again. That worked immediatelly after update, but today it doesn´t work again, only stereo.

That is very odd. I've just tested again and I'm back to stereo unless I send via airplay from phone.

Another thread about this is reporting that Netflix is aware of the issue and is working on it. I have experienced the same thing. The 6.1.1 update seemed to fix the DD 5.1 issue for Netflix and iTunes purchased movies. The Netflix issue is now back but the other stuff is still working okay.

This sure sounds like a server issue to me and not the 6.1.1 update. And to be perfectly candid the release notes for the 6.1.1 update didn't mention a thing about any Dobly Digital fixes, only security patches.