Sony’s premium soundbars will finally get support for VRR, ALLM

By Simon Cohen August 3, 2023

Sony HT-A7000 Dolby Atmos soundbar close-up of top panel. — Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

It’s been a long time coming, but the wait is almost over. Sony’s premium home theater soundbars are set to receive a software update that will add support for variable refresh rate (VRR) and auto low-latency mode (ALLM), two HDMI 2.1 gaming features that have been absent since these products launched.

The soundbars in question are the Sony HT-A5000, HT-A7000, and the multi-wireless speaker HT-A9 system. All three are scheduled to receive the update this fall, but Sony has declined to share specific timing, saying only that there will be more information closer to the rollout date.

Sony HT-A7000 Dolby Atmos soundbar close-up of input ports. — Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

For the most part, the update will only affect folks who use the soundbars’ dedicated HDMI input to connect a game console like the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, or a computer. At the moment, those HDMI inputs are capable of passing 8K video at 60Hz and 4K at 120Hz, in addition to HDR formats like Dolby Vision, but not VRR or ALLM.

VRR is a key technology for games that use multiple frame rates throughout gameplay. Without it, a TV can’t match its refresh rate to the changing frame rates, which results in tearing — a clear mismatch on-screen that makes gameplay choppy. Even if you own a VRR-capable TV, connecting a PC through one of these soundbars currently will prevent the VRR signal from being sent to the TV. The update fixes this problem.

Similarly, ALLM lets the TV know that it should switch into its least heavy image processing mode so that it can provide the fastest response to controller input. But without ALLM support, using one of these soundbars means that gamers need to manually switch modes on their TVs to get the best performance.

Sony says that while the update will happen automatically when it’s released, you can always go into the product’s settings to check for (and implement) the update. When they’re available, the details will be posted to Sony’s support sitee.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Contributing Editor, A/V

Simon Cohen covers a variety of consumer technologies, but has a special interest in audio and video products, like…

Audio / Video

Sony is updating 2021 Bravia TVs with variable refresh rate

Sony Bravia XR A90J 4K OLED TV

According to reports from owners of 2021 Sony Bravia XR TVs -- and verified by HDTVTest's Vincent Teoh -- Sony has started to update the firmware on these models to enable variable refresh rate (VRR). Digital Trends reached out to Sony for an official confirmation and a company spokesperson provided this response:
Starting March 1, 2022, the following 2021 Bravia XR TVs (X90J, X95J, A80J, A90J, and Z9J) will be receiving a firmware update v6.5660 to support VRR. This is in addition to the X85J and X91J, which were updated November 2021. As with all firmware updates, it will be pushed out to the market in waves, finishing on March 15th. This update will be distributed over-the-air (OTA).
In recent years, pretty much every major TV maker has added variable refresh rate (VRR) functionality to its premium models -- a feature that is especially appealing to gamers as it prevents an unpleasant screen-tearing effect when some game titles shift their frame rates during the course of play. Every major TV maker that is, except Sony. Despite its support of most other HDMI 2.1 features like HDMI eARC, 4K at 120Hz, and auto low-latency mode, VRR never made the cut.

When Sony announced its 2021 lineup, it acknowledged that VRR would not ship with the new TVs, but promised that a firmware update would follow and that all of the TVs would have VRR enabled by the end of the year. Save for a few LED-based models, that didn't really happen.

Audio / Video

Sony’s new $300 soundbar connects wirelessly to Bravia TVs

Sony HT-S400 2.1 channel soundbar.

Sony has just released its latest soundbar, the $300 HT-S400, a 2.1-channel unit that comes with a wireless subwoofer and a dedicated remote control. It can also connect wirelessly to select Sony Bravia TVs, giving buyers the ability to eliminate the HDMI or optical cable they would otherwise need. The HT-S400 will be available to order in April from Sony retailers and on Sony's website.

Wireless soundbar connections are becoming more popular, especially with soundbars that aren't aimed at advanced surround formats like Dolby Atmos or DTS:X. TCL introduced its wirelessly-connecting Roku TV Alto R1 in 2021, and our reviewer concluded that it makes set up and use much easier. When connected to a Bravia TV, the HT-S400's controls are available on-screen and can be accessed by the TV's remote.

Audio / Video

Sonos soundbars are getting DTS Digital 5.1 surround support

sonos black friday sale 2019 beam

Sonos is rolling out an update to its S2 control app that will give the Sonos Arc, Sonos Beam (Gen 1 and Gen 2), Playbar, Playbase, and Sonos Amp compatibility with DTS Digital Surround. The surround sound format, which is most commonly found on LaserDiscs, DVDs, and Blu-rays, offers 5.1 channel audio. It competes with Dolby Digital 5.1, but DTS uses a slightly higher bitrate, which some believe lets it offer higher quality sound.

The update begins rolling out November 16 and Sonos S2 users can check to see if the update is available by heading into the app's settings: Settings > System > System Updates > Check for Updates. Once you've got the update, the Now Playing screen will display a DTS Surround 5.1 badge whenever it detects that you're playing DTS audio content.