Dolby Atmos help

[Longy999]

I have a LG C2 TV paired with an LG S95QR surround system. Everything has been working fine for a few months but noticed today that my Dolby Atmos settings have vanished from Windows 11 completely and I can't figure out how to get them back

Under sound settings>spacial audio I can now only select either 'off or 'Windows Sonic for headphones', the 'Dolby Atmos for home theatre' setting is now missing from the drop down box

I've reset the settings in both the TV and the soundbar itself, updated Windows, updated the sound drivers and uninstalled/reinstalled the Dolby Atmos app, no joy. The Atmos app tells me that configuration has failed as I need to select the Dolby setting in the sound settings but it's just not there

The mobile LG app shows the soundbar, sub and rear speakers all working and using the test function confirms sound coming from them all, the test function in Windows 11 however will now only play audio from the bar and the sub although I'm still getting audio from the complete set of speakers in media, just not in surround sound, it's all at once instead. I've been through all the settings 3 dozen times and can't figure out what the problem is, nothing has changed that I can see. The settings seem to suggest only 2 channel audio available as opposed to the 7.1 previously

This is my first delve into audio outside of TV speakers so I'm not very clued up, any idea's or help would be much appreciated

For reference I have my PC connected to the TV via HDMI and then the TV connected to the soundbar via HDMI EARC, both leads are 2.1b

[raystevens73]

Check device manager for problems.
Remove and re-install sound drivers.
Also remove and replace after 1 minute wait HDMI cable from the PC to the TV. Make sure PC and TV are on, this could solve detection issues sometimes.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Check and see if your PC updated to 24H2; if so then wipe all your Drivers and redo them with the very latest ones from their official websites.

[_I_]

are you using the mobo or dedicated gpu hdmi output to the tv?

grab the correct mobo drivers from the mobo or oem site
and update bios

[Bad 💀 Motha]

It also be some settings on the TV itself as to what could have changed with regards to 2 Channel vs 7.1 and Dolby Atomos no longer being an option in Windows as I'm fairly sure it needs to detect that via the HDMI/DP if trying to use that. Since HDMI/DP Audio has zero to really do with Drivers since it's direct between GPU and Display (or Digital Receiver) and is not in any ways using your Motherboard Audio (such as Realtek for example).

It's also possible that your OS is switched to a different audio device / stream; as is why I always suggest to WinOS users they need to go and make the one they want to use the default, then actually disable all the rest. Otherwise it's very possible to have WinOS auto switch between say; Reatek Speakers/Headphones vs TV HDMI Audio basically anytime it feels like it.

[Longy999]

So Windows is updated to the latest version, as is my bios and drivers. The HDMI goes from my GPU to my TV, then another from the TV to the soundbar itself. I can see nothing wrong in device manager

The only thing that's changed recently is my graphics driver, I've tried rolling back to the one I was using before but the home theatre option is still missing

At a loss, it's all been working fine for months and then outta the blue it's not. There's been the odd Windows update over the past couple of weeks, I'm wondering if one of them has broken the functionality

[Bad 💀 Motha]

You sure the TV settings are correct and that IT is working properly with the Soundbar? Otherwise I don't see how you'd expect your PC to be able to detect it. Usually the OS options available for something like that are going to based around the TVs settings. Since the PC can't dynamically detect other things plugged into the TV.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Yea I don't even see why you'd need WinOS to see and enable or provide Dolby options. If you're using a TV then enable it there, done deal. Audio via GPU will always say Stereo (2 Channel) no matter what you try to do in WinOS

If you want surround sound then GPU HDMI audio is not a good way to do that at all.

[Longy999]

I can't see any settings in my TV that have changed and nothing that could cause the issue, I've been through the settings in the TV, soundbar and Windows several times each

What would be you guys suggestion for a better setup other than HDMI? I have a sound card lying around somewhere, thinks it's an Asus Strix Soar 7.1, not sure what connections are on it though. Would I be better running from a sound card direct to the sound bar and let software handle it?

Sorry for all the noob questions, I've never really used anything other than TV speakers for sound so this is all kinda new to me

[terra]

Originally posted by Bad 💀 Motha:

Yea I don't even see why you'd need WinOS to see and enable or provide Rolby options. If you're using a TV then enable it there, done deal. Audio via GPU will always say Stereo (2 Channel) no matter what you try to do in WinOS

If you want surround sound then GPU HDMI audio is not a good way to do that at all.

Man, what a mess. The new video cards are great, but the audio just won't work right. I mean, Windows has always had problems with surround sound, but this is ridiculous.

I've tried everything - changing cables, re-plugging, restarting, you name it. But it just keeps happening. It'll work for a bit, then it stops again. And then you have to start all over.
There's no way to fix it, man. The internet's full of people with the same problem, but no one has a solution. If you want guaranteed performance, you might want to consider getting a better sound card.

[_I_]

are you using a receiver that supports atmos?

else stereo/5.1 is all you really need

atmos is for when the speakers are randomly positioned and needs to be configured for their actual positions

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Yea that's the thing. You basically need a proper digital receiver yo output the surround. If you somehow connect GPU yo just speakers it would only output 2 channel audio that way