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[forrealgames145]

Man, talk about having one of the worst customer service experiences ever. I've never had customer service that simply refuses to do anything helpful or acknowledge an issue; and this is only my second time reaching out to them. So, honestly, I'm not sure if this is a Roku or TCL problem, but my Sonos Beam (Gen 2) no longer detects Dolby Atmos (DD+) over ARC. I can get regular 5.1 DD+, but I can no longer received Atmos for some reason. I contacted customer service about this via email and the service rep essentially told me that the TV does not support Atmos, which is a lie. It may not support lossless atmos, but it supports lossy atmos over DD+. I havent had an issue with this until recently, I'm thinking it was an update that broke it. I've tested the following sources: UHD movie via PS5 with Bitstream. Apple TV 4K using the Netflix and Amazon Prime app (tested with Bird Box and Jack Ryan/The Tomorrow War on their respective services), and on an Xbox One X using the Dolby Access app on the Microsoft Store (testing the Amaze demo).

Interestingly enough: On Xbox One X, I was able to passthrough Atmos but none of the sounds came out. Not sure how to explain this, but: I had my TV set to passthrough instead of Auto (although, the auto setting worked before I started having issues). Then I also set my Xbox One X to passthrough audio (this is in the Video/Audio settings on Xbox), and it showed up on my Sonos app as having Dolby Atmos (DD+). However, when I played the Amaze demo, none of the height sound effects were audible (in that trailer, there are rain effects and chirping bugs that use the height channel).

I really don't know what to do at this point, but honestly, that service rep doesn't know what they're talking about. I couldn't believe it. It even says it on their spec sheet, that Dolby Atmos is supported.

https://www.tcl.com/usca/content/dam/tcl/product/home-theater/5-series/download/515_SpecSheet.pdf 

Model: 7116X - Roku TV

Software version: 10.5.0 build 4210-30

I do have an issue ID that I also provided to that customer service rep.

[GuitarMan]

Good luck.  I have a TCL Roku TV that was broken by the 10.5 update.  The issue is very similar to yours.  The 10.5 update broke the TV's ability to communicate with every soundbar I've attached to it.  With one soundbar the sound would just randomly cut out completely and would not come back until I restarted everything.  With the other soundbar it doesn't recognize that the soundbar is Atmos or DTS capable until I change all the HDMI settings, then change them back.  Basically, like you, it won't put out ATMOS over ARC/eARC unless I go through all the HDMI and related Audio settings, change them to something else, then change them back.  Then it will output Atmos until I turn it off, then I have to go through everything again.  

TCL support is nothing but a bunch of idiots, unfortunately.    I've tried to get them to fix it for two months now. They asked me to send them the Tracker ID more times than I can count.  I sent it to them every time.  They asked me to make a video of the problem.  I made a video.  They asked me to make another video showing the same thing.  I did that too.  I've sent them everything they asked me to send even though they kept asking for the same thing over and over. 

They even sent a tech to my house who saw the problem and said he couldn't fix it.  After the tech said he couldn't fix it they didn't know what else to do so I asked them to provide me with a way to downgrade to the previous firmware that worked fine.  They refused.  I then asked them to replace the TV with the same model but with the Google OS instead of the broken Roku OS.  They refused to do that too. 

I then let them know that if they couldn't fix the problem or offer me a working TV I'd like them to either contact Best Buy and coordinate a return after BB's 15 day return period, or if they couldn't do that, to refund me the purchase price and I'd return the TV to TCL directly.

I didn't get a reply so I've tried contacting them countless times since then and they have completely ignored me.  I think I'm going on SIX unanswered emails over the last several weeks.   I guess if they can't fix their broken TV their solution is to ignore it and hope the owner gives up.  Well, I'm not one that does that without a fight.  

I was very nice to them but now we're going on three months since I reported the problem to them.  In the state I live, the law gives them 30 days to either fix the problem, replace the TV with a working one, or give me a refund for the purchase price.   

In the meantime the TV is gathering dust because its internal speakers suck and it doesn't work properly with any soundbars.  

[forrealgames145]

Oh no, this is terrible to hear. I'm glad to know this isn't an isolated incident though. That means it's not unique and is actually an issue across their line of televisions. We just happened to be the ones to discover it. Unfortunately, my warranty is past expired (i purchased this tv about 3 years ago and only started having issues with it now), so I may not be able to do much about it. The best case I have is them selling me a product under false pretenses, if what that customer service rep told me was true - she claimed that this television doesn't do Dolby Atmos when the fine print says it does. 

If you're looking to make a report and would like to make your case stronger, I'm willing to send over a transcript of my emails to their customer service as well, considering that we have the same issue. I'll try the procedures you mentioned (swapping the hdmi settings and audio settings to a different setting then changing them back to see if that works, although, obviously this isn't the preferred way to do things.) I wish they would let us downgrade since the update literally breaks functionality. That or actually address the issue with a future update. I wonder if I can make some noise on their social media channels about this too. This is just unacceptable for both Roku and TCL. There's an obvious issue here.

I'm getting a Sony or LG TV with Android OS next time 

[GuitarMan]

I have a Sony with the new Google OS which is just a renamed Android OS with a couple of minor changes and I really like it.

I don't have any social media accounts so I don't have a good way of making noise on TCL's social media channels. I'm also going to share my experience everywhere I can like here and a few other forums I'm active on.

The problems we're having have also been mentioned by a few other people on this forum.  I think there are two or three other threads about it.  The symptoms are slightly different depending on the various components connected to the TV, for example my LG soundbar behaved differently than my Vizio soundbar, but the issues with both were caused by the 10.5 update breaking eARC, ARC, and CEC.

[RokuDanny-R]

@forrealgames145

Thanks for the post.

We would be more than happy to investigate this issue further. Can you please provide us with the following information:

-Roku device model, serial number, device ID, and software OS/version (these can all be found in Settings > System > About)
-does this issue occur on a specific channel? if so, what channel and what version/build is the channel (this can be found be selecting the channel on the Home screen and pressing the * button)
-tracker ID when this issue occurs (when you see this issue occur, press the Home button 5 times, followed by the Back button 5 times)
-steps to reproduce the issue you are seeing

Once we have this information, I'll be able to pass it along to the appropriate Roku team to look into.

Thanks,
Danny

[forrealgames145]

@RokuDanny-R 

You're welcome.

I'd be more than happy to provide you with all that information:

Roku Device Model: 7116X - Roku TV

Serial number: YS00JS094543

Software OS/Version: 10.5.0 build 4210-30

This occurs in the examples I listed on my post: connected to a PS5 playing a UHD blu ray. Connected to an Apple TV 4K using Netflix, Prime Video, and iTunes. Connected to an Xbox One X using the Dolby Access app. Please refer to the original post for more details.

Tracker ID: Tracker ID: 43-106-509 (Timestamp: 2022-03-15, PS5), 43-110-677 (Timestamp: 2022-03-18, Apple TV 4K)

Steps to reproduce issue: Literally play any content with Dolby Atmos using an external device connected to an HDMI port. Also use a soundbar (I had a Sonos Beam, Gen 2) connected to the ARC port. On PS5, you can play a UHD blu ray like John Wick with bitstream enabled. On Apple TV 4K: Launch Netflix and play Bird box or launch Amazon Prime Video and play Jack Ryan Season 1 or The Tomorrow War.

[GuitarMan]

@RokuDanny-R , are you willing to look into my situation to see if Roku can fix it before I take the next step and file a complaint against TCL?

[GuitarMan]

Hmm...no response?  I guess I can't count on either TCL or Roku to fix their malfunctioning software.  Mark my words, I will never buy another TCL or Roku TV.   I don't care if they offer me a 100" 8K TV for $499.  They can keep it.  

[forrealgames145]

Let's wait for a bit. Since we're experiencing similar issues, their solution to my problem could potentially fix yours as well. Hopefully! Still no word back from TCL though, so Roku is our best bet at the moment.

[GuitarMan]

That's great but the way both companies have handled this issue is ridiculous.   At least if a Roku streaming device craps out it's maybe $50 bucks but a $500 TV breaking is no laughing matter.  I guess multi-million or billion companies couldn't care less about individual consumers or whether their products don't really work as long as their investors are happy and the people at the top are getting rich.