Apple TV 4K Occasionally No Sound Output When Playing Videos

if it was me then I would check the settings audio on the appletv

if one has set audio to surround without having surround speakers then one will only hear front right and left

if the material is surround, and most audio like voices are played out of the center speaker

I had the same experience with a similar setup (Samsung QN90A TV and Samsung Q800A Soundbar). I did play with the Apple TV audio output settings, but I think I found a better solution. Using high quality HDMI cables (Ultra High Speed HDMI certified), connect your Apple TV 4K directly to your soundbar, and connect your soundbar to your TV using the HDMI ARC ports. Do not use an optical cable.

Here is a link to a Samsung article on how to setup your soundbar.

https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00049272/

I initially had a HDMI 2.1 cable between the Apple TV and the Samsung TV, but sometimes the audio would not work. I believe the crux of the problem is HDMI 2.0 vs. HDMI 2.1. Apple TV supports HDMI 2.1 but I believe the HDMI ports on the Samsung TV support only 2.0 (excluding the ARC port). Thus, you could set the audio output of your Apple TV device to Digital Dolby 5.1 so the audio will always work but then you won’t get Dolby ATMOS. By connecting your Apple TV directly to your soundbar will support Dolby ATMOS since the HDMI port on the soundbar supports 2.1, but like you stated Samsung Q-Symphony (simultaneous use of TV speakers & soundbar) will not be available.

In my setup, I used HDMI 2.1 cables throughout for maximum flexibility to support the source coming from either my Apple TV or from the Samsung apps running on the TV. If you use the apps on the Samsung TV then you could use Samsung’s Q-Symphony. I believe Samsung has apps that you listed (Apple TV app, Hulu, HBO, Netflix), but I much better prefer the user interface on the Apple TV 4K device.

Hi arcylic_sauce,

I noticed on my TV there is a setting for Digital Output Audio Format (in Expert Settings): PCM, Auto, Pass-Through. Have you tried Pass-Through? I suspect that Q-Symphony functionality would be disabled with Pass-Through.

Please keep me informed of your findings.