Sorry about that, when I first got the sample it was £699, then it dropped to £599 and now it's £549. I've updated the review to reflect the current price.Thanks for the review Steve.
However, I see two prices mentioned - under the image £599 - but in the second para - £699
Again, thanks for these sound-bar reviews - my brother-in-law (who I am likely to help with his next TV purchase) is keen to get a soundbar at the same time as a new TV.
Cheers, Dave C.
This is the same nonsense the FM radio stations call their broadcast as HD or Utra HD .I must confess I am a tad confused. I thought Atmos was an object based multichannel audio technology, yet I am seeing it stamped on everything from 3 channel soundbars and smart speakers to tablets and mobile phones.
@Steve Withers I own this soundbar, and I think the review is overall fair/accurate. Whilst it’s not an issue for me, I do wonder if the lack of DV/HDR10+ is that much of an issue for most people who would buy this. If their TV supports HDR10+ and/or Dolby Vision, surely the source devices would go into the TV HDMI, and the HD and Atmos multi-channel audio would go to the soundbar via ARC without any compromise. I know we had issues with only having 2 full-fat HDMI and issues with ARC passing HD multi-channel audio a couple years back, but I assume most TVs people would be pairing with this high-end model, now have 4 proper HDMI inputs and fully implemented ARC.
Hi Steve can I just ask what level you found best for the sub I've read it sounds best above 50htz but how do I know thanks Dave
I'm not a fan of wireless subs., but that seems to be the trend nowadays. My old Yamaha YSP4100 has a wired option, which with the auto-switching power cable, works a treat.
It seems that at present, only a few of the new Sony soundbars handle Atmos correctly, as they have eARC support on their HDMI ports.
Clem
I think you need eARC to pass HD & Atmos signals from the TV.
The less neat solution is to have a disc player with two HDMIs, run video to the TV and then audio straight to the soundbar. TV sound would still be over ARC, so you lose Atmos from any streaming stuff.
Incorrect re Atmos and apps. They use Dolby Digital to send Atmos and you don’t need eArc to send that codec. Almost every tv can send that over Arc.
Apps don’t use full fat Atmos.
The lack of support for DV and HDR10+ might not be an issue for many people, but I find it a strange position to take given that Panasonic TVs and players support both. You could use ARC but you'll lose lossless audio that way, including Atmos and DTS:X from disc, which are delivered using TrueHD and Master Audio. Alternatively you could connect the main HDMI output on your Panasonic player to the TV and the secondary HDMI output to the soundbar for audio (assuming it has two). Both approaches aren't ideal in my view, and it would seem more logical to release a soundbar that supports the same features as the rest of your products, especially as consumes often buy multiple products from the same manufacturer (you'd think Pansonic would want to encourage this behaviour).@Steve Withers I own this soundbar, and I think the review is overall fair/accurate. Whilst it’s not an issue for me, I do wonder if the lack of DV/HDR10+ is that much of an issue for most people who would buy this. If their TV supports HDR10+ and/or Dolby Vision, surely the source devices would go into the TV HDMI, and the HD and Atmos multi-channel audio would go to the soundbar via ARC without any compromise. I know we had issues with only having 2 full-fat HDMI and issues with ARC passing HD multi-channel audio a couple years back, but I assume most TVs people would be pairing with this high-end model, now have 4 proper HDMI inputs and fully implemented ARC.
On another note, did you experiment with the placement setting on the soundbar. From memory it gives you the option of wall or stand. In my case the TV is wall-mounted and soundbar is a couple-inches below on furniture, flush to the wall. I couldn’t tell any difference across both settings, and given most soundbars would be inches below the TV either mounted on the wall under, or resting on a stand under, I don’t know what this option is supposed to do.
Sorry Dave, I can't remember what setting I used. The review was published yesterday, but I actually tested the soundbar and wrote up the copy over a month ago.Hi Steve can I just ask what level you found best for the sub I've read it sounds best above 50htz but how do I know thanks Dave
You do need eARC if you want to pass lossless audio back to the soundbar, so it depends on how the Atmos is delivered. As you point out, streaming uses DD+. Since DTS:X is currently only available on discs and delivered using DTS-HD Master Audio (with a couple of exceptions), you'd definitely need eARC to send a lossless DTS:X signal back to the soundbar.you don’t need eArc to handle Atmos. Atmos doesn’t need high bandwidth ports either.
Hi no probs thanks Steve for the quick response and great review .Sorry Dave, I can't remember what setting I used. The review was published yesterday, but I actually tested the soundbar and wrote up the copy over a month ago.
Agree its a poor design choice, can only suppose it was a limitation of the chipset, or they couldn't justify the extra cost of developing the firmware of the HDMI board. But I still think from other posts the only source of HD audio format then is a disc player, Arc I assume is fine for settop boxes and streaming devices into the TV ports, no compromise. In terms of e-arc, does it not need to be in place on both ends?