Re: HW-Q90R soundbar does not pass through Dolby Vision HDR signal

abc123xyz · ‎20-12-2019

Update: I can get Dolby Vision passthrough now! You simply have to turn of the HDR10+ functionality on your Panasonic OLED: TV Settings>Setup>HDMI HDR setting>HDR dynamic setting>HDR10+ Functionality = off

I tried to connect my Apple TV 4K (ATV) to my HW-Q90R soundbar to pass through a Dolby Vision HDR (DV) signal to my Panasonic GZ1000 TV. I have also tried this with my Xbox One X (XB1). I was using the Netflix and ATV+ apps. Both devices fail to pass the DV signal through my setup and all I get is HDR10. However, I have read that others have had success passing a DV signal through. I have checked all my settings on all the devices in the chain and they are correct. I am using ultra high speed 8K 48Gbps HDMI cables. I have also tried connecting the sources directly to the TV and then DV does work. The problem is then I get really bad lip-sync issues when passing the sound through the TV to soundbar, which eliminates this setup as a solution. I am posting here to hopefully get some feedback from other people who have either successfully passed an ATV or XB1 DV signal through their HW-Q90R and also those that have failed to do so. I am interested to see what TVs, video sources and apps you are using, especially when using ATV or XB1. I find it very frustrating and annoying that two common sources can't be used with their optimal video signal considering that the HW-Q90R is Samsung's flag ship soundbar.

abc123xyz · ‎24-12-2019

too bad i didn't find this earlier:

https://developer.dolby.com/blog/dolby-audio-over-hdmi-part-3-reality/

Facakente · ‎09-02-2020

Hey there ,

did u manage to resolve this or is that not possible ? I came along with same problem , I am unable to pass DV signal to tv , I only get HDR , I have a similar setup I have the gz950 - hwQ80R - ub820

abc123xyz · ‎03-03-2020

@Facakente wrote:

Hey there ,

did u manage to resolve this or is that not possible ? I came along with same problem , I am unable to pass DV signal to tv , I only get HDR , I have a similar setup I have the gz950 - hwQ80R - ub820

no. it still does not work.

Facakente · ‎10-03-2020

Me neither , I can pass hdr10+ but not DV, I have changed cables to 2.1 but still the same. I tried with firestick 4K connected to the soundbar and only get hdr , shows /movies indeed only show hdr info on Netflix rather DV .

Josephk · ‎20-03-2020

Hi, I've just taken delivery of a th-55gz1000s and the Q90R just this afternoon. While watching a few shows on Apple TV+, I saw that it does say Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision on the title screen. When I hit the info button on the TV's controller, is shows that it is indeed showing at a 4K resolution, but it says HDR. As such, I am not sure if I am getting DV on the TV at all. Note: Dolby Atmos does run across the small screen on the sound bar, so I at least know that I have surround sound.

abc123xyz · ‎20-03-2020

@Josephk wrote:

Hi, I've just taken delivery of a th-55gz1000s and the Q90R just this afternoon. While watching a few shows on Apple TV+, I saw that it does say Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision on the title screen. When I hit the info button on the TV's controller, is shows that it is indeed showing at a 4K resolution, but it says HDR. As such, I am not sure if I am getting DV on the TV at all. Note: Dolby Atmos does run across the small screen on the sound bar, so I at least know that I have surround sound.

i have this exact setup with a gz1000. when the tv is getting a DV signal it will display that clearly in the top right corner when you first switch to a DV source. if it's not there you are not getting DV. the HWQ90R soundbar is not capable of passing through DV from xbox one or apple tv 4K. some people will tell you it works. it doesn't. the tv's own apps use a DV signal and if you plug your source directly into the tv you will get DV but also massive lip-sync issues when you try to use ARC connection to the soundbar. there is just no winning here. the tv built-in apps do not have ARC lip-sync problems so I recommend using those if possible. unfortunately the gz1000 does not have a Disney+ app yet.

Largo1 · ‎02-04-2020

In a nutshell:

This soundbar does not support any use case where you get both HD Audio and Dolby Vision (DV)

After Samsung false promise to deliver eARC support, I had to buy a nvidia Shield. But that was not enough.

I get DV and loose HD audio if my setup is: Shield -> TV -> soundbar

I loose DV and get HD Audio if my setup is: Shield -> soundbar -> TV (my chosen option)

I tested with a UHD player and repeated the same set up that with my shield and the same result came out.

On second though, it was very stupid of me to believe this soundbar would support DV. Samsung is against DV.

They came up with their own better HDR standard: HDR10+ (and yes, the HW-Q90R support HDR10+ metadata). No QLED samsung TV support DV.

Today, the (desperate) only hope is to wait for Samsung to provide full support of eARC.

PS If Samsung ever wanted to show some love to DV (or to its customers, if you still remember us), the issue doesn't seem difficult to fix.

Josephk · ‎02-04-2020

It's a shame about DV considering it's a flagship soundbar. However for eARC support, am I right to say that the TV has to also support that function for it to work?

Also, what are the indicators for HDR10+? On most content that I watch, I see I do get HDR, but I have no idea if it is HDR10+.

In my conquest for the full Dolby experience, I've went and ordered a HDMI splitter off of Amazon. I'm hoping it works to provide DV to my TV and Atmos to the soundbar seperately. I'll update the findings when it's in my hands.

Largo1 · ‎03-04-2020

yes, both TV and amplifier need eARC support to pass HD audio.

I hope your HDMI splitter will work, I did read about it but it's hard to find a reliable splitter that supports hdmi 2.0 without limitation (with HD audio, Atmos and Vision unconditional support).

I read so many HDMI-related products that have an 2.0 HDMI port but still don't support HD audio, only the Core section of the HD audio. Dolby vision will be harder.

do let us know if you find a great one.

for other readers, Zapitti makes high end Android TV boxes. Their top model(s) support HDMI splitting. It might be a solution.

My plan is to wait until this Covid-19 crisis is over and people start buying second hand products again.

Then I'll sell my soundbar and will buy another brand.

I feel so betrayed by Samsung. I've spent close to 10K over the past 10 years on various Samsung products.

I've been boycotting Samsung since last autumn and have convinced, with decent success, a few people to stay away from that lying brand.