YouTube TV Adds 5.1 Surround Sound to at Least One Device You Care About

It’s an overdue update, but YouTube TV now supports 5.1 surround sound on Roku, Google TV, and Android TV devices. This feature previously rolled out for a handful of other smart TVs and streaming sticks, meaning that most YouTube TV customers can now enjoy theatrical 5.1 Dolby Audio with a compatible speaker system.

Update, 6/23/22: Amazon’s Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Stick Lite, and Fire TV Stick 4K Max now support 5.1 surround sound on YouTube TV.

According to YouTube TV’s support page, here’s what you need to enjoy 5.1 surround sound on your favorite live TV channels:

• A compatible TV device.
  • Samsung,  LG, and Vizio devices with Cobalt 20 or above
  • Traditional Chromecasts
  • Android TV
  • Google TV
  • Roku
  • Select Fire TV Devices (Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Stick Lite, Fire TV Stick 4K Max)
• A compatible speaker system.
• Channels which support 5.1 audio.

Note that you may need to update the YouTube TV app for this change to take effect. And if you rely on a streaming stick, your TV needs to support 5.1-channel audio to take advantage of YouTube TV’s expanded support.

Also, some live TV channels don’t support 5.1 surround sound, and you may need to hunt around for a 5.1-channel speaker system that’s compatible with your smart TV or streaming stick.

YouTube TV says it’s working on adding 5.1 surround sound support for Fire TV, Apple TV, Xbox, and PlayStation. But don’t hold your breath. This has been a slow process, and it will probably continue to be slow.

Source: Google via Android Police