Fire TV and Apple TV Will Now Have YouTube TV Surround Sound Feature

This summer, Google’s Roku and TV devices got the YouTube TV surround sound feature, which a lot of people have been waiting for. Now, Google decided to add this capability to their Amazon Fire TV and also Apple TV platforms.

Last year, Google made an announcement that it plans to introduce the Dolby 5.1 surround sound feature for YouTube TV. These plans coincided with the 4K Plus package release and improved video quality. According to Google, this Dolby 5.1 surround capability had to come out in the upcoming weeks, but it clearly took a lot longer. In February of 2022, the chief product officer of YouTube, Neal Mohan, mentioned in an interview that the feature will be released soon.

One thing to note is that not all channels will support this sound capability. You can check if a certain stream will have it by going to the Stats, choosing More, and then clicking on the bug icon. If the audio codec in the settings is listed as AC-3 / EAC-3, you can expect to hear the surround sound feature, which will be automatically enabled. At the moment, this feature can be accessed on Android TV, Fire TV devices, Chromecast, Smart TV, Apple TV, Google TV, and Roku.

Now, these most widely used platforms have proper support for premium features of YouTube TV. In addition, cord-cutters can enjoy features, such as 4K streaming, watching videos offline, Live TV, and DVR. It is possible to upgrade from the standard subscription to the 4K Plus package by paying an additional $19.99 a month.

If you are wondering what 5.1 surround sound stands for, the numbers refer to five speakers and one subwoofer, which is a system that creates a home theater-style sound.
What do you think about this feature? Do you already have access to it? Please, share your thoughts in the comment section below!