re: WiSA and other "sound bar killers"

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I’m just pointing out the nonsense you spew from your little bubble.

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my sonos setup was 'plug in and forget'. literally next to hue the best purchase i've ever made. how you are remotely comparing it to an AVR getup and pretending its just as problematic is beyond me. the amp and sub argument you're making is weak sauce.

also

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Nothing like your current $700 Amp and $750 sub not be compatible with your new $900 sound bar.

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copied because you're lying about all 3 of those prices. happy for you to post links though

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The apps are most likely the better route depending on your display.

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That's what I was thinking and I am already trying to prepare her for using them instead of the app selection through the box.

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Some native apps don’t output the audio formats consistently.

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I do not understand this.

OK, one more. Is eARC from TV to bar the best way to hook up? Do I need to connect the ATT box to the bar?

Alxtgr, I have the 2018 version of that soundbar with the rears and subwoofer so I can opine on this. Also, if you had an .edu email you probably could have gotten a few hundred more off at Samsung Store but I digress, no one ever responds to my threads about that

Anyway, as Wise said, many apps won't push the system and you may feel disappointment in the rear speaker output For example, YTTV still is dragging arse on 5.1 support. VUDU has Atmos movies and those can pack punch, but as I recall it's still compressed vs a 4K DVD pushing Atmos. With eARC you'll have the total bandwidth to get the full experience. In my model, it was pretty common to up the volume on the rears as they were quiet, so consider that.

Another thing to mind in 2018 and maybe not now is passthrough. For example my TV at the time doesn't passthrough Atmos but my soundbar supports it. If I plugged my Google Chromecast/Shield/Roku into the TV and played content, you wouldn't get Atmos at the soundbar of course. So I'm set up as Media Player - Soundbar - TV.

Maybe you know this already. Just thought I'd share.

We understand your needs and why. No criticism directed at you. It’s just CAD being CAD that can get people going.

Thanks.

I hope I do not suffer because I did not buy a Samsung TV. Meh, the stuff this is replacing is so old I'll probably love it no matter what.

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Does Samsung have that now? They didn't a few years ago.

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I think this is the first year it's been added.

LINK

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The Samsung HW-Q950A has an incredible selection of sound enhancement features. Unlike the Samsung HW-Q950T, it comes with an Auto EQ room correction feature that uses a microphone that's built-in to the subwoofer to calibrate audio reproduction.

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Also just as a note they mention being able to configure the soundbar to 7.1 through a Sony TV. Not the model AlxTgr mentioned but maybe his model as well.

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We can confirm that the Sony A9G allowed us to configure the surround to 5.1 or 7.1 through eARC and connection via PC. It also worked with a Bluray player with the Sony AV receiver. However, the Sony was the only TV to allow us to do so.

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I think I now have everything set up. Some general comments/observations.

Never again will I order an open box item. I did so on the sound bar. This one was rated "excellent". I would have rated it "Used, scuffed, kinda dirty and returned".

The bar sounds great, and when I searched for atmos content on HBOmax and Netflix, we heard some cool stuff from the surrounds, especially during the David Attenborough documentary. We were able to get through Yellowstone without captions or using the dialogue mode which I am very happy about.

The TV is not the improvement I was hoping for. It's not bad, it's just not wow. Don't know if it's content, or if I should have bought the LG. I tried a little calibration research, but kinda got lost in that endeavor.

If using an AT&T box, is there any reason to use HDMI 4 since it has something 1 does not, or is that strictly a gaming thing?

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That's an HDMI 2.1 port. It has other uses besides gaming but your cable box won't utilize the extra bandwidth. You'll be fine in HDMI1.

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Thanks!

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The only other thing you'll need to do is use the eARC port to connect to the soundbar.

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Yup, did that.

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What are you using to watch Netflix and HBOMax? The cable box or the apps on the TV?

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I have done both. Is there really a difference? I may do a view test tonight on the same movie.


Oh, and if I am using an older HDMI cable, does that matter?

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I have done both. Is there really a difference? I may do a view test tonight on the same movie.

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There could be. I'm not familiar with your AT&T box, so I don't know if it's capable of streaming 4k, Dolby Vision/Atmos or DTS:X. If it is, make sure you've gone into the settings and selected those options in the audio/video section.

If it's not capable of handling those formats then you'll want to use the apps on the TV.

Also make sure that in the TV settings that your HDMI 3 eARC port is set to Enhanced. Just to make sure that you're sending the Dolby Atmos signal to your soundbar.