QLED Televisions: Update 1402.5 Causing Soundbar/Home Theater Connection issues

[capnfalkon]

Permanent fix for eARC Soundbars:

Goto All Settings \ Sound \ Expert Settings

Switch eARC to Auto

I've been using it like that for days and days - no drops!

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Temporary fix for non-eARC Soundbars:

Goto

All Settings

Sound

Expert Settings

DiGital Output Format

Select PCM

Works for me. Couple of hours without a single drop.

Id suggest we each take this with your local Samsung distributor. The more pressure we put on them the better.

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Original Story:

I have a per of QN90c 75" TV and a Q990B soundbar.
After the TV was updated I immediately noticed sound drops with my soundbar. The drops would come at random intervals. Resetting the TV does not help. Neither does changing sound modes. Output via TV Speakers seems to be working fine drops-free.
Searching online i found a few more similar cases with different Samsung TV models and Samsung soundbars affected by the same firmware.

Here's one:

issu with sound after last update - Version 1402.5 - S95C : r/S95C (reddit.com)

[Dstendo]

Hey i have the same issue, i connected my Windows 11 PC (3080) with the one connect box and the HDMI cable test said everything is ok and i can play games with 4K RGB 144Hz 10 Bit Full settings. But my receiver that's connected through S/PDIF to the one connect box has frequent audio dropouts. Even the Tizen Plex app has audio dropouts.

Is there any way to downgrade my firmware version to exactly one below the current one?

[capnfalkon]

I can also confirm turning on eARC solves this problem.

I will update the post.

[SiJay94]

But it’s no Surround Sound and Dolby Atmos, so not a real solution 😕

[capnfalkon]

What are you talking about?

This is actually BETTER for Dolby Atmos and Surround Sound LOL.

I've been playing with Dolby Atmos on PS5 for the past couple of weeks. It works a treat.

[kutak11]

Same problem here with Yamaha HTR AV reciever. If the audio is from streaming app in TV there are sound cuts in random interval. When I use my settopbox signal input with pass through in settings all is fine. Hopefully new update comes quickly.

[SamsungJustin]

Hello, It sounds like many are having similar situations, however, the biggest difference noticed in the comments is that everyone's environment is different, from what type of sound system is connected to what external devices are connected (gaming systems, cable boxes, etc.)  As well as I'm seeing some say they are not experiencing issues at all. So let's find out exactly why some are experiencing and some are not...

First, I need to mention Samsung cannot guarantee compatibility with third-party sound systems or soundbars. Suppose you do not have a Samsung soundbar or home theater system. In that case, the update could likely have affected the third-party device, in the way of compatibility, which means this is something that those third parties will have to address with updates to make their units compatible. 

2.) If you have a Samsung soundbar, take a look at the following troubleshooting to see if this helps: https://www.samsung.com/us/support/troubleshooting/TSG01211322/  

If the steps didn't help above and you are utilizing a Samsung soundbar/home theater system, please provide the following information to help us better understand the challenges

1. TV Model you have: 
2. Home Theater System / Soundbar model: 
3. External devices Connected:
4. Current Software version for TV: 
5. How is the HTS or Soundbar connected: 
6. How often does this occur: 
7. Is there a specific device you're using when it occurs: 

[Marcel2552]

1. TV Model you have:  Samsung S95c 55"

2. Home Theater System / Soundbar model:  Yamaha RX V383/HTR-3071 (same model but different numbers)

3. External devices Connected:
None besides the home theater system, i use the hdmi in ports on the AVR

4. Current Software version for TV: 
1402.5 (the most current version)

5. How is the HTS or Soundbar connected: 
Optical primarely, but both hdmi ARC and optical have the exact same problem

6. How often does this occur: 
Every 10 minutes or so, sometimes more, sometimes less.

7. Is there a specific device you're using when it occurs: 
No im using the hdmi in ports on my avr so there i do not get audio skips. It mainly occurs with the internal apps like netflix and disney plus. Youtube app is not affected.

So my guess the problem has to do with how the tv handles the Dolby Digital Codec(since 1402.5) since youtube is using PCM. And switching the expert settings from auto to PCM solve the issue but you lose surround sound in the internal apps when using eARC and Optical(toslink/spdif). So my guess is a buggy codec, so that should be easily fixed on your part.

[SamsungJustin]

Hey Marcel, with the application running (i.e. Netflix) , have you attempted to check your sound settings while the app is launched and switch it to PCM output?  Sometimes if you have it set to PCM and then go into an application, it'll switch some of the settings by itself. Can you try that for me and see if the symptoms persist? 

[Marcel2552]

You mean put it on "auto" then launch netflix and then put it on PCM? If thats what you ment then i already tried it.And yes the drops disappear when you switch it to PCM.

Basically the only solution is to put if on pcm in the expert menu instead of auto, but you will lose surround sound and thats a bummer.

Thats why it leads me to believe that the Dolby Digital Codec the the Oled and Qled tv uses is probably bugged since 1402.5

Edit: just tried it again, switching to pcm and then back to auto and it still has the same audio drop problems

[adeharding]

Sounds like an excuse to me. firmware updated and suddenly everyone is now experiencing sound drop outs. I've got a Samsung bar which was working fine a now constantly drops when using internal apps, or HDMI connected apps. Only device that works fine is sky box via Soundbar