I have the suspicion that if I were to upgrade my TV to a newer eARC capable TV, than HBO MAX would pass-through Atmos content just fine to the Sonos Beam Gen 2, but I don't plan on upgrading my TV until this one fails on me (For it's age, even today it's a surprisingly good TV even when I compare it to the newer LCD (non-OLED) TV's at Best Buy). However, I believe HBO MAX should be outputting DD 5.1, when Atmos isn't supported. I don't really know where the problem is, however, if it's with the Roku not selecting DD 5.1, or the HBO MAX app has a bug that prevents it from correctly outputting DD 5.1 in this case.
(This is why I never upgraded to a 4802.)
I don't decode atmos, but I can confirm Avatar WoW on max plays DD 5.1 just fine at 4K60 HDR 10 with the TV audio output via optical.
Do you get atmos audio to the soundbar on any non-max channel?
Do you get DD 5.1 on any non-atmos programming on max? (max is f'd up on video, they lost 24p on the transition; maybe their atmos audio is fubar.)
(Always check that leveling and night modes are off when you see pcm.)
Have you tried the optical/HDMI adapter Sonos gave you, and used the optical out on the TV instead of ARC? That will limit you to DD 5.1, I believe, and maybe max will provide that.
from Sonos:
If your TV doesn’t have an HDMI ARC or eARC port, you'll need to use the optical adapter:
Remove the protective cap from the optical adapter, then attach the optical adapter to the HDMI cable.
Connect the optical adapter to your TV’s optical digital OUT port.
(The TV's optical adapter’s port is “D-shaped”—make sure the connector aligns correctly into the port. Inserting the adapter incorrectly may damage the cable.)
My setup can only do DD 5.1 maximum, and yes DD 5.1 is playing on the Sonos Beam from Netflix/Hulu/AmazonPrime (just not HBO MAX v54.0 build 1).
What version of the HBO MAX Roku app are you using? The latest v54.0 build 1 is not outputting DD 5.1 for me. I do recall that the previous versions were outputting DD 5.1 just fine, but I don't recall which versions worked (as I wasn't checking app versions when things worked).
Additionally, I do NOT get DD 5.1 output on HBO MAX, it's Stereo PCM only, regardless of Atmos-labeled content, or not labeled Atmos.
So I guess the answer is no, you don't get atmos from any source.
You have an atmos capable Roku and an atmos capable soundbar connected via HDMI ARC. What else do you need?
If all you get is DD 5.1, then I'd use the optical connection.
Max is on 54.1 build 1.
As I’ve stated several times in previous posts, my TV is technically not capable (too old) of decoding Atmos, or passing-thru Atmos to the Sonos Beam. In my particular audio chain, DD 5.1 is the max possible. I do indeed get DD 5.1 from other Roku apps. HBO should be outputting DD 5.1, and it’s not, and this is the problem.
