Learn how to watch YouTube TV in surround sound on Apple TV, how to listen to multi-channel audio, what other devices are supported, and more.
YouTube TV for Apple TV gets 5.1 sound support
YouTube TV (not to be confused with the main YouTube app) is Google’s TV streaming service that offers live TV, video-on-demand, and cloud DVR from over 100 TV networks.
YouTube TV is even better with support for multi-channel audio, offering a much more immersive audio experience when watching movies and TV shows in surround sound. Read: How to Enjoy Apple TV Surround Sound on HomePod
On September 7, 2022, Google announced that owners of streaming set-top boxes such as the Apple TV can now enjoy Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic, THX, and DTS surround sound. The official YouTube TV Twitter account explains that surround sound is available when watching live TV using the app’s DVR and video-on-demand functions. Read: How to Automatically Change iPhone Wallpaper Every Day
Follow along to learn how to enjoy YouTube TV surround sound on Apple TV, which devices are supported, how to identify compatible content, and more.
How to watch 5.1 surround sound on YouTube TV
Google says YouTube TV will automatically play 5.1 audio whenever it’s available for the movie or TV show you’re watching.
“Be aware that some YouTube TV channels will not offer 5.1 surround sound programming,”a Google support document warns. To find out if any piece of YouTube TV content supports 5.1 audio, use a feature called “Nerd Statistics”:
- Open the YouTube TV app on Apple TV.
- Start playing the video and click on the “More”menu with three dots in the video player.
- Navigate to the player controls and select “More”.
- Click the error icon to display video statistics.
Statistics for news will be displayed on top of any video during video playback. To make sure the video comes with 5.1 multi-channel audio built in, look for “AC-3/EAC-3″in the “Codecs”section.
YouTube TV devices that support 5.1 surround sound
If you have multiple speakers set up and your Apple TV is connected to an AV receiver, all you need to do is update the app to start enjoying multi-channel audio with compatible YouTube TV content. You can also set a stereo pair of HomePods as the default audio output for your Apple TV for surround sound.
Make sure you’re on the latest version of the app: Search for “YouTube TV”in the tvOS app store and click the “Update”button. If you don’t see this option, your Apple TV has already downloaded the latest version because you have automatic updates turned on. Read: How to enable automatic download of Apple TV apps
This YouTube TV update is also available on Amazon Fire TV devices.
“If you’re a game console user, we’re working to make it available to you as soon as possible,”says Google (check the Google website to see if your device is compatible.
Those without a compatible speaker system can enjoy multi-channel audio on their Roku, Android TV and Google TV devices, traditional Chromecast devices, smart TVs from Samsung, LG and Vizio (with Cobalt 20 or higher) or Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max, Fire. TV Stick, Fire TV Stick Lite, Fire TV Cube, Fire TV Stick 4K, and Fire TV Stick with 4K Ultra HD streaming devices.