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I’m considering buying a new LG OLED TV (C3 or similar) so that I can passthru more eARC audio formats (Dolby Atmos, DTSHD, etc), preferably to a Sonos Arc.
Will Plex support this directly through the native LG Plex app? Or do I need something like the nVidia Shield to be able to achieve this?
Dolby Atmos passthrough works fine with the Plex for LG app to eARC as long as you have an E-AC-3 audio track. But it does not support TrueHD tracks.
DTS support depends on your TV model. The C9 (2019 model year) still supported it. Later DTS support was dropped by LG, bevor it came back with the current (2023) model year. This applies to both “normal” DTS and DTS-HD HRA/MA.
But DTS:X - which would be the DTS technology similar to Dolby Atmos - is not supported as far as I know.
As @cremor mentions, the Plex LG app will not passthrough TrueHD + Atmos audio. This is an LG restriction (not supported by Samsung, Sony, or other TV brands either).
Specific to the LG C3:
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You can use a Nvidia Shield Pro connected to an HDMI input on the LG C3.
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You might be able to use a Amazon FireTV Stick 4K/4K Max (2nd Gen, 2023). They will passthrough TrueHD + Atmos. DTS support is unclear at the moment. The devices are new, and Plex is still working out the kinks. The core (lossy) DTS 5.1 should passthrough. What is unclear is support for DTS-HD MA 5.1/7.1 and DTS:X.
Cross reference with audio formats supported by the Sonos ARC. I do not know if Sonos supports DTS-HD MA / DTS:X. Their website just says DTS: Supported home theater audio formats
Additional Info:
Audio passthrough for devices attached to HDMI inputs is a different than passthrough from a TV app. To add to the confusion, LG has changed capabilities over the years.
Before buying a TV, see if a review is available at rtings.com. They test audio passthrough for HDMI attached devices. Search the review for “Audio Passthrough.” FYI, unfortunately, some reviews are behind a paywall.
The LG C3 supports passthrough for Dolby Digital, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS audio (all variants).
From rtings.com:
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Sounds like the main issue is the Plex LG app then…? (FYI, it would be the 2023 LG G3 most probably.)
Therefore, safest is to use the Shield then, to passthru as many formats as possible…?
Technically, it is an LG, not Plex, restriction.
Yes. Get the Shield Pro.
The non-Pro “tube” model has problems with high-bit rate media such as 4K HDR rips/remuxes. It is prone to audio drop-outs.
Cool, that sounds clear. No amount of Googling was giving me the consistent answers! Thanks!
Last question - the Shield Pro doesn’t screw anything up with regard eARC or anything? It supports it all? E.g. still passes everything through via the Shield (running Plex app) to TV to the soundbar via eARC (Atmos, DTSHD, etc)?
Shield will work fine. It has nothing to do with eARC. It just sends the audio to the TV.
eARC is between the TV and the soundbar. The TV has one eARC port, which will connect to the soundbar.
The Shield has a standard HDMI output, which connects to a standard HDMI input on the TV.
Shield ← HDMI → TV ← HDMI-eARC → soundbar
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