PS3 - No Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio on 3D Blu-rays - Playstation 3

I have recently discovered that the Playstation 3 (slim) cannot process or output Dolby True HD audio when playing 3D Blu-rays. I did not notice this at first because the majority of 3D Blu-ray titles use DTS-Master 5.1 and 7.1 Audio for the sound encoding. The PS3 has no problem playing DTS-Master 7.1 audio on 3D Blu-ray discs, only on 3D Blu-ray discs with Dolby TrueHD audio. It plays regular 2D Blu-rays with Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Audio and DTS-Master audio 7.1 just fine. When trying to watch 3D Blu-rays of Transformers: Dark side of the moon, Madagascar 3, Megamind, and most of the Dreamworks 3D animation catalog (all of which are encoded with Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Audio) the audio is output as standard lossy 5.1 Dolby Digital.

After doing a bit of research I discovered that this is a universal problem affecting all PS3 console users attempting to watch 3D Blu-ray movies encoded with Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio. With more and more 3D Blu-ray movies using Dolby TrueHD sound encoding, this is going to become a big issue. Upcoming Disney releases of Brave 3D, Finding Nemo 3D, and Up 3D are all going to have Dolby TrueHD audio and thus the HD Audio on the 3D Blu-rays will not be able to be heard if these movies are watched on a Playstation 3 console.

For those who will ask…yes I am using a high speed 1.4 HDMI cable and yes, my receiver is a modern 3D processing receiver (Pioneer vsx-1121-k), and yes all the audio settings in the PS3 are properly set. This is not a connectivity or settings issue. This is a firmware issue in regard to the PS3's inability to play back Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio on 3D blu-rays.

I contacted playstation customer service about this issue (which again is widely reported on the internet) and they denied the problem existed. I even spoke to a customer service supervisor who again insisted that the problem does not exist and that I was the first person who had ever mentioned it. Please post if you are also having this issue - and better yet - please contact Playstation customer service. This issue will never be resolved unless many people protest it. I know I am not the only person that uses their Playstation 3 as the main Blu-ray movie player in their 7.1 home theater set-up with their 3D TV. If Sony can come up with a firmware update to allow DTS-Master 7.1 audio to play on 3D Blu-rays, they should also be able to come up with a firmware update to allow Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio to play on 3D Blu-rays as well.
Edited by Filmfanatic77 - 11/13/12 at 11:46am

I suggest anyone experiencing this problem contact sony customer service at 1-800-345-7669. Ask to speak to a supervisor and demand they report the problem to their technical divisions. If all people experiencing this problem would contact sony, they would acknowledge it and take it more seriously and resolve it with a firmware update - just as they did with DTS - Master 7.1 audio on 3D blu-rays.

It is news to Sony technical support who claim the problem does not exist - as of last week I might ad. Problems don't get resolved by ignoring them. Consumer action and discussion is what creates a corporate need for technical changes.It is also news to anyone who just purchased a 3D blu-ray with Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio and can't understand why their PS3 is only outputting lossy 5.1 dolby digital. If the thread discussion does not apply to you, why bother posting a comment.

Will Sony spend the money to develop a firmware update for the Playstation 3 that will allow Dolby TrueHD audio to play on 3D Blu-Rays is the question?

Yes the problem is a hardware issue. But there have been many hardware limitations on the PS3 that Sony was able to develop software (firmware update) workarounds for. Initially any type of 3D playback was not possible because of hardware (HDMI) limitations, and then Sony developed a software workaround. This was at the expense of Java based menus and HD audio of both types. Then Sony developed a software workaround for these limitations as well, at least for the inclusion on Java based menus and DTS-Master audio on 3D Blu-rays (for the PS3 slim anyway).

My understanding is that Dolby TrueHD requires less CPU processing power than DTS-Master audio does. So it seems logical that Sony could also develop a firmware update that allows Dolby TrueHD processing on 3D Blu-rays as well.

Dolby TrueHD of course already works on 2D Blu-rays. I’m assuming that with 3D Blu-rays having almost the entire catalog use DTS-Master audio with only a handful of 3D titles using Dolby TrueHD, it has not been a priority for Sony to spend the additional money to develop the firmware. That is about to change with Disney now suddenly switching to Dolby TrueHD for all of its current and future 3D Blu-ray releases. Disney’s new titles added with all of the Dreamworks 3D Blu-ray titles are starting add up to a lot of 3D movies with no HD audio on the PS3.

The more people that express their displeasure with this fact to Sony, the more likely they will be interested in creating a firmware update to resolve the problem. I suggest anyone frustrated with the PS3's inability to play back Dolby TrueHD audio on 3D Blu-rays contact Sony customer service at 1-800-345-7669. Go through the promps until reaching technical support and then ask to speak to a supervisor.

I emailed Dolby to get their take on the problem and just as I thought, it is completely up to Sony to develop the firmware. The comment in the below reply of "Dolby has encouraged Sony to do a firmware update to enable TrueHD functionality on 3D titles" does seem to suggest that the PS3 (slim at least) should be capable of Dolby TrueHD audio on 3D Blu-rays if Sony would only spend the money and develop the firmware. Here is the whole response I got from Dolby.

Hi ......-

Thank you for your email. The Sony PlayStation 3 was one of the first Blu-ray players to offer lossless Dolby TrueHD playback for Blu-ray content. As you have noted, the Sony PS3 does not support Dolby TrueHD audio for playback on 3D titles. This is not an issue on Sony’s other Blu-ray players. Dolby has encouraged Sony to do a firmware update to enable TrueHD functionality on 3D titles. If you have any additional questions we recommend contacting Sony.

Best-

The Dolby Game Team


People need to contact Sony and let them know that they want a firmware update for the PS3 that will allow Dolby TrueHD audio playback on 3D Blu-rays

I found the solution.....I realized that SONY sucks and they are never going to resolve the problem in spite of the fact that they easily could. My solution - I purchased a Panasonic DMP-BDT220 Blu-ray player on sale for $79 and now have Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless audio during 3D Blu-ray playback....not to mention a spectacular and far superior Blu-ray image quality on both 3D and 2D Blu-rays. I thought the PS3 was supposed to be a top of the line Blu-ray player? There is no comparison to the quality of image being output by my new Panasonic. I highly recommend the player to anyone frustrated with the PS3's never to be resolved 3D Blu-ray Dolby TrueHD audio shortcomings. The Panasonic DMP-BDT220 is last years model and can still be found at great closeout prices.

....moving on to bigger and better things.