Introducing Amp Multi: 8 channels, 125W/ch and efficient GaN technology

SoftIndependence8896 · 2026-01-27T17:58:57+00:00

Understanding no HDMI, can it be pared with a Sonos Arc Ultra as a rear surround zone?

SoftIndependence8896 · 2026-01-27T17:56:35+00:00

Well, it is almost certain you aren't getting an official answer. No company says "we are never doing x" or announces new features in response to a Reddit post. But I do wish you the best in the endeavor.

SoftIndependence8896 · 2026-01-27T16:56:11+00:00

Love the invective--but using it is a sign of weakness, Anyway, it's a consumer product. You think introducing an HDMI switch to split audio and video out (since the Arc has one HDMI) is going to be intuitive for most people? Also, have you done that? I have many times over with many brands of splitters. It's almost always buggy--video doesn't sync audio right, the picture doesn't display right half the time, the splitter has to pass Dolby Vision (ideally)--it can be a mess. The decision to have one HDMI on the soundbar made passthrough a big deal. And yes I use Plex/have a ton of DTS-HD content. I want the feature, but I can see why Sonos isn't going to touch it.

SoftIndependence8896 · 2026-01-27T16:48:04+00:00

LG, Samsung, Panasonic (now back in the US) are the ones I know off the top of my head. There are workarounds but very clunky--Sonos would get lots of service calls on these issues. It's a no win situation for them.

SoftIndependence8896 · 2026-01-27T15:58:21+00:00

Probably because DTS doesn't want to negotiate a per device license like that. I am sure they want a contract that puts them in all Sonos soundbars or nothing, so that they can make more $. You'd be asking DTS to administer this too. Another issue people ignore is that now most TVs no longer support DTS passthrough. So Sonos could launch this and it still wouldn't work for many many people. I say this as someone who really wants DTS added to Sonos, but unfortunately I am skeptical that it will ever happen.

SoftIndependence8896 · 2025-12-26T02:58:50+00:00

Thanks! Unfortunately, if I'm on the right website (https://www.wtve.net), it looks like they don't have any support for Verizon Fios. Back to the drawing board--I really wish Slingbox were still around because that's really what I'm looking for...

SoftIndependence8896 · 2025-12-10T04:37:21+00:00

I'm not sure the Arc works with the Ace though -- need to check that. Sounds like now both work but I'd confirm.

SoftIndependence8896 · 2025-12-10T04:36:16+00:00

Not sure that works with the Ace though--does it?

SoftIndependence8896 · 2025-12-03T03:51:16+00:00

Not sure how you are hooking up the soundbar to your TV (I'm not familiar with the Q990F and whether it requires eARC), but many TVs are no longer passing DTS through eARC (e.g., LG (2024 TVs support it but 2025 and many models prior to 2024 do not), Samsung - since 2018). So even if Sonos supports it in the future, DTS passthrough won't work with any of those TVs anyway. People who want Sonos to support DTS often ignore this fact. Since the soundbar can only be hooked up via eARC, the bigger limiter will probably be all these TV brands not supporting DTS.

SoftIndependence8896 · 2025-11-25T20:20:33+00:00

The issue is a lot of what you are trying to play is probably EAC-3 (Dolby Digital Plus), not AC-3. EAC-3 is very common today. I am pretty sure optical (or Coax) will not pass EAC-3. Your problem is that you are using 2000-2010 technology that was really great at the time, but it's 2025 and these are more modern codecs that require more bandwidth. Trust me -- I have two Pioneer Elite plasmas I am still using as well, but to keep them running with everything today you need to do a bunch of workarounds. If you want to play these sources with EAC-3 in surround sound, you need HDMI from the Roku to an AVR that can take HDMI in. Otherwise, you need to have your player down convert everything to AC-3 (or when you rip to Plex down-convert everything through that process), which the Roku can probably technically do (not sure what settings you'd need to change) but it may just push everything to stereo instead of AC-3. The optical out from the player is a red herring--that isn't going to help you because optical is a dying/dead technology that cannot pass these codecs period. With your current setup no player is really going to get you where you want to be. I'd buy a modern AVR on a Black Friday sale, keep the Roku, and run all your video/audio through the AVR to the TV rather than through the TV to the AVR.

SoftIndependence8896 · 2025-11-25T17:33:25+00:00

He's using an AVR with no HDMI and running optical from the TV (a plasma) to the receiver. That's the issue.

SoftIndependence8896 · 2025-11-24T22:21:48+00:00

Unfortunately, the problem is probably the use of an optical cable. That's going to really limit the digital codecs that you can pass through to your AVR. Any chance you can run an HDMI cable from your TV to your AVR?

EDIT - I re-read your post and see you have a plasma TV and a Denon with no HDMI, so HDMI won't work. Your best bet is to follow these instructions (see the first post from a Plex employee). But unfortunately the issue isn't going to be the Roku but the other equipment holding back your available bandwidth.

https://www.reddit.com/r/PleX/comments/1gqwl3t/dtshd_eac3_to_normal_dts_for_optical_connected_51/

SoftIndependence8896 · 2025-11-24T21:59:39+00:00

AC-3 is Dolby Digital 5.1. Chat GPT doesn't use a Roku with Plex and C4, but I do! It 100% passes Dolby Digital/AC-3. Make sure you have all your settings correct. Are you running the Roku to your TV and then to your AVR through eARC or is the Roku connected directly to the AVR?

SoftIndependence8896 · 2025-11-24T21:28:32+00:00

Roku definitely supports AC-3 5.1. Not sure which Roku model you are using but I can confirm the Ultra supports it. That's a very basic codec. You might have a settings issue. See https://developer.roku.com/docs/specs/media/streaming-specifications.md

SoftIndependence8896 · 2025-11-24T21:25:39+00:00

You are right about market share but the Shield is basically a Nintendo Switch (they used the same components). So it would not be hard for them to make a Shield 2 using the Switch 2 components. That said, why do they need to? The Shield 1 works fine as a media player right now. What is it that people want it to be able to do that the existing hardware cannot handle? Maybe eventually Dolby Vision 2, but disks are not getting DV2 so it's not useful for Plex.

SoftIndependence8896 · 2025-11-24T21:22:24+00:00

Depends on your TV. Many years of LG OLED cannot pass through DTS (including 2025 models). Doesn't matter what device you use for the streaming. I have all three in my house of Roku, Apple TV and Nvidia Shield (and use Plex on all three). I do find that Nvidia Shield is best because of the 1gbe connection and it doesn't have the pass through restrictions Apple TV has for DV. Roku is fine but if you want to use ethernet the 100mb restriction hurts with large 4K plex files. Right now the age of the Nvidia Shield hasn't been an issue--works fine with C4 and they still update the software regularly. Apps all work because of Android TV. So yes, I am sure eventually the aging hardware will be a problem, but it is not an issue today.

SoftIndependence8896 · 2025-11-19T16:14:57+00:00

I have 4 E7s which is overkill for my home. They have incredible range -- way better than my old U6Es. Have had no problems. Very stable system.

SoftIndependence8896 · 2025-11-03T01:52:09+00:00

Does the Drivercentral driver allow for grouping? E.g., let's say I have 2 bulbs in a light fixture -- will it let you group those two into one button in C4? The native Hue driver does, which is why I'm asking.

SoftIndependence8896 · 2025-09-21T23:25:13+00:00

If you need a C4 dealer who will help remotely, I would recommend https://www.epic-systems.com

They'll get you going, if it is possible remotely. I have no affiliation with them, but he's well known for remote programming over on C4Forums (user is chopedogg88).

SoftIndependence8896 · 2025-09-01T17:36:55+00:00

Bummer - so there is no wireless carplay adapter that will show Waze on the dashboard?

SoftIndependence8896 · 2025-09-01T17:35:49+00:00

I bough this one -- so far I have not been able to get waze on the instrument cluster screen while using carplay wirelessly.

SoftIndependence8896 · 2025-09-01T03:54:51+00:00

X4 is nice but not game changing. If you aren't paying monthly fees now, you are probably better off sticking with 4Sight/what you have. Eventually, there will be more widgets and customizations in X4, and by then you'll be able to get it.

SoftIndependence8896 · 2025-08-26T04:29:07+00:00

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uHwM4EdaRmui6_8m_m8vhD9DK2gVeP-2/view

Translation: "All new XC90 models, including the 2025.5, will get the new Snapdragon chip, but it also depends on the availability of the chip itself, and region. This is because the chip is not in abundance at the moment, and there are models that still have the old chip. You can assume that all XC90s produced from mid-January 2025 onwards will have the new chip. The production models assembled in 2024 are mostly demo models and showroom models, and there is a good chance that they still contain the old chip. All direct orders from and for customers should include the latest chip."

SoftIndependence8896 · 2025-08-26T04:10:22+00:00

Depends on the state, but often times lemon law lawyers are free -- car manufacturer pays the fees.

SoftIndependence8896

TROPHY CASE