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What is going on with eARC update for the soundbar HW-Q90R?

(Topic created on: 05-12-2019 09:36 PM)
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zhspence
Pathfinder
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Hi everyone,

 

I need some clarification, as to be honest the Samsung support staff are hopeless with knowing anything about their own products. 

I was on chat with support enquiring about the eARC firmware update for this soundbar, he replies to me saying it doesn't have eARC?! 

the whole reason I purchased it was because of this update, I have the LG C9 which is eARC!

 

if they don't provide this firmware update to allow it, then this soundbar is going back for a refund. 

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kylios88
Apprentice
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@Viktorn wrote:

Hey. 

 

I just connected the source (in this case apple tv 4k) to the soundbar (HDMI 1) and then I connect the soundbar to the tv via ARC (hopefully eARC in the future). Now when I turn on the apple TV it all fires up and automatically goes to HDMI 1 and the sound from the Apple tv comes out of the soundbar and the video comes in the TV. 

 

If I wan't to use the TV as the source of video and sound I switch the soundbar to ARC mode and the sound from the TV is there. 

 

The only thing is that I have not yet got the "Dolby Atmos" Icon on content that supports that for streaming services like Netflix.. I'm figuring that out still (but the HD, 4K, Dolby Vision, Ultra 4K HDR is all there)


Hi @Viktorn ,

 

Have you already tried putting your streaming quality to maximum/highest? (You can change these netflix setting via your internet browser).

 

You only get atmos in Netflix with the highest streaming quality. 

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Viktorn
Journeyman
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Hi, yeah, I've upgraded the Netflix account to premium and last night I upgraded the Apple TV and now it has "immersive sound" in the settings where you can choose Dolby Atmos "when available". Didn't get the chance to explore it properly last night but I looked at a few titles on Netflix and the "Dolby Atmos" sign didn't show, only the 5,1. I might need to explore more cuz there are only a few titles that support the Atmos.

Must say, that I looked at some titles that are supposed to support Atmos though..
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fjpadilla
Apprentice
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My TV is the Q90R and soundbar Q70R.
Once conected both devices, if at the sound menu on the TV, output mode you select PCM o Dolby Digital, the Netflix App won't show de Atmos logo on any movie o series. This is normal.
If you choose Dolby Digital + the Nefilx App will show de Atmos logo if it is availave.... but... that not allways will make that you get Atmos Sound.

There is a third variable. The seleted language. When Netflix says that a particular movie has ATMOS generaly what it mean is that the ENGLISH version has ATMOS and the others no. And even, you can choose english vith no ATMOS.

So, to get ATMOS at the sound bar from Netflix from a Samsung TV you need:

* Conect the TV ARC hdmi to the ARC Hdmi at the sound bar.
* Choose Dolby Digital + as sound output mode on the TV
* Select from the Netflix app an audio language with Atmos

Then, you should see at the Sound Bar de Dolby Atmos label

_oSo_
Navigator
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@fjpadilla is right. If you watch the show “DARK” on Netflix you will see that it has DOLBY ATMOS but when I was streaming the show I was only getting 5.1, then I went to the audio option and the atmos sound is only available on the language in which the show was originally filmed which in this case is German. With this being said not every show or movie that says atmos means that you will get atmos. As @fjpadilla previously mentioned it depends also on the language you are watching the show and if atmos is available for that language. As for the rest of your set up you seem to be on the right track. I tested it with the Xbox and the Dolby atmos sound is impressive too bad that in order to get it at this level of quality I have to connect the devices directly to the soundbar and not to the tv which is what I would like to do.
Maybe those who have a Samsung tv should start a thread asking for the eARC update on the TVs, if the updates in the TVs happen then the tv will be able to pass-through the atmos sound from the devices when connected directly to the tv and then the tv to the soundbar. I’m not an expert by I assume that an update on the tv will allow this.
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Viktorn
Journeyman
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So yeah. I got the Atmos on, at least it sais that on the bar although the icon is still not there on Netflix. There are some fluctuations in the sound but that might be the cable or the content. Or the firmware version (1007.9. What is the latest one??)

 

Now back to the eARC update. The info with the soundbar I was looking at before this one said that it would unlock features as they come, and the Apple tv 4K just updated for atmos option!

 

so there is a big chance that Samsung has an eARC update there coming. I certainly hope so! At least it could be a good idea to take names og the reviewers that clame it's an eARC compatible divece!! At least it could be posseble to make them responseble for they're words! (Since it doesn't seem to be anywhere from Samsung). And if this soundbar is not compatible, Samsung could do the right thing and let people who bought this one be able to bring it in for hardware update - it seems they have been identical since they first came out and it can't be that hard to change an HDMI (and some motherboard or some sh*)

 

But this soundbar def sounds great! 

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White_Turbo
Journeyman
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I stumbled upon this when I am researching for soundbar.  I was quite set on the Samsung HW-Q90R until I learned that Dobly Atmos is only supported via ARC (but not eARC).  I recently bought a Sony TV that supports Dolby Atmos via eARC (really one of reason I bought this TV), and quite disappointed that currently there is no soundbar that uses eARC for Atmos. 

 

I also came across review from rtings.com and they have confirmed that the soundbar does not have eARC, so newer TVs won't be able to send Dolby Atmos signals to the soundbar (so it is really unclear to me why certain reviews or Samsung advertise this soundbar as Dolby Atmos available?). 

 

Quote from rtings.com:

Note 11/11/2019: There have been numerous comments about some of Samsung's soundbars supporting eARC. We confirmed with Samsung that this is in an upcoming update. At this time, there's still no eARC support. We will retest it when the future firmware update is available.

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J-Wo
First Poster
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@White_Turbo wrote:

I also came across review from rtings.com and they have confirmed that the soundbar does not have eARC, so newer TVs won't be able to send Dolby Atmos signals to the soundbar (so it is really unclear to me why certain reviews or Samsung advertise this soundbar as Dolby Atmos available?). 

The soundbar supports Dolby Atmos when your source is connected directly to 1 of the 2 HDMI ports on the Q90R.  You then connect the soundbar to your TV with a 3rd HDMI cable in the ARC port.  However if you have any Atmos sources connected to your TV, ARC will only support up to DD 5.1 sound, even if your TV supports eARC.  We have to wait for the soundbar to get the eARC firmware update so we can listen to Atmos sources connected directly to your TV.  This means if your TV itself has built in apps like Netflix, Disney+ or Prime with Atmos videos, you will only get DD 5.1 when connected to the soundbar via ARC.

fjpadilla
Apprentice
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@J-Wo wrote:

@White_Turbo wrote:

I also came across review from rtings.com and they have confirmed that the soundbar does not have eARC, so newer TVs won't be able to send Dolby Atmos signals to the soundbar (so it is really unclear to me why certain reviews or Samsung advertise this soundbar as Dolby Atmos available?). 

The soundbar supports Dolby Atmos when your source is connected directly to 1 of the 2 HDMI ports on the Q90R.  You then connect the soundbar to your TV with a 3rd HDMI cable in the ARC port.  However if you have any Atmos sources connected to your TV, ARC will only support up to DD 5.1 sound, even if your TV supports eARC.  We have to wait for the soundbar to get the eARC firmware update so we can listen to Atmos sources connected directly to your TV.  This means if your TV itself has built in apps like Netflix, Disney+ or Prime with Atmos videos, you will only get DD 5.1 when connected to the soundbar via ARC.


Not all true. Yoy can get now Dolby Atmos from the TV to the soundbar via ARC.  This is Dolby Atmos compressed through Doly Digital+.

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White_Turbo
Journeyman
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@fjpadilla wrote:

 


Not all true. Yoy can get now Dolby Atmos from the TV to the soundbar via ARC.  This is Dolby Atmos compressed through Doly Digital+.

But not all TV is able to passthrough Dolby Digital + via ARC, or does it?

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zhspence
Pathfinder
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I have the LG C9 and the Q90R soundbar connected via arc and I can confirm I get Dolby atmos on content that supports it. Yes. It’s compressed to DD+ but I can still get it and it displays on the soundbar.
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