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Apple TV 4K and JBL 9.1 PCM/Dolby Surround

Why am I getting PCM on regular 5.1 movies using the Apple TV 4K and JBL 9.1?


  • The settings are set on Auto and the Dolby Atmos movies play well on Netflix and Disney +...except when I change to a 5.1 movie the JBL displays PCM when it should read Dolby Surround DD+.

Posted on Feb 2, 2021 7:06 PM

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Posted on Feb 6, 2021 10:22 AM

PCM isn’t necessarily Stereo 2.0. It means PCM Multichannel (up to 7.1). It is the default audio format output. It should not read Dolby Surround DD+, as it is not Dolby Digital-compressed. It works as intended.

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4 replies

Feb 6, 2021 10:32 AM in response to Urquhart1244

Thank you very much! Regarding maximum audio and video output what are the recommended settings for the Apple TV 4K? To avoid video flickering, sound drops or cut outs with soundbars, hdmi handshakes etc. Some people activate Frame Rate while others dont. When watching Itunes movies I get a glitch that when I want to fast forward or rewind a movie the cursos gets stuck buffering and plays the movie from the beginning. However if you fast forward 10 seconds with a click it works normally. Have had like 2 soundbars with the Apple Tv 4K and sometimes cause sound cut outs or pops glitches.

Feb 6, 2021 11:07 AM in response to GapzHn

Some people activate Frame Rate while others dont.

I would recommend Match Frame Rate always on, if your TV has no issues with that. Otherwise turn it off. With proper HDMI cables (18 Gbps), either setting is fully supported, and the TV will do a refresh rate upscale (100+ Hz) anyway. It shouldn’t matter for visual quality.


when I want to fast forward or rewind a movie the cursos gets stuck buffering and plays the movie from the beginning.

That seems to be an (internet) connectivity issue. While scrolling the timeline may take a moment to catch up, it shouldn’t stall or reset. There is no setting on Apple TV to improve on that.


soundbars … sometimes cause sound cut outs or pops glitches.

I get my audio from an AV receiver, and I never experienced any of that.

Feb 6, 2021 11:18 AM in response to Urquhart1244

Yes it seems be very common among soundbars I figured out. Now strangely the fast forward and rewind issue does not happen on Netflix or Disney +. I have. 30 mbps fiber optical plan. I have used the Belkins premium Hdmi cable for the ARC ports and the Radioshack High Speed cable. The Apple is connected to the JBL 9.1 with a Zeskit 3 ft 8K premium HDMI cable. I also ordered another one for the ARC between the Samsung NU7090 and the JBL: Amazon Basics High-Speed 4K HDMI Cable - 6 Feet https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014I8SSD0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_6RE14JMA1MBMMNW35FE1. The Amazon Basics Hdmi cable. Regarding the Frame Rate I will give it a try and study video quality (my eyes thought the Frame Rate ON disabled or reduced the soap opera or juddering of the Samsung tv)

Apple TV 4K and JBL 9.1 PCM/Dolby Surround

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