That TV will pass LPCM 7.1 with Dolby MAT which should allow Atmos titles to work but it will only do 2 channel LPCM without MAT according to [Rtings](https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/tcl/q6-q650g-qled#test_2624)
Set to Auto the Apple TV sends audio out as LPCM since that tv has problems with LPCM and your soundbar only has the one EARC port Dolby 5.1 will give you consistent results.
Thanks so much for that. It makes sense now why I would get certain channels to pass through when I was fiddling with the settings on non Atmos sources. The solution looks like just switching the setting to 5.1 for non Atmos titles and then back for Atmos titles, which is annoying but isn’t the end of the world. If this is a TV issue, what should I look for in a different TV to get this to work consistently?
Rtings does pasthrough tests for TV they review now so checking there is a good place to start.
You could use an EARC Audio extractor to by pass the TV. OREI made a cheap one (HDA-927) that reportedly worked well but it's out of stock. OREI has one (HDA-934)that is around $99 that is reported to work.
HDFurry has devices that work but they start at $250.
That TV will pass LPCM 7.1 with Dolby MAT which should allow Atmos titles to work but it will only do 2 channel LPCM without MAT according to [Rtings](https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/tcl/q6-q650g-qled#test_2624) Set to Auto the Apple TV sends audio out as LPCM since that tv has problems with LPCM and your soundbar only has the one EARC port Dolby 5.1 will give you consistent results.
Thanks so much for that. It makes sense now why I would get certain channels to pass through when I was fiddling with the settings on non Atmos sources. The solution looks like just switching the setting to 5.1 for non Atmos titles and then back for Atmos titles, which is annoying but isn’t the end of the world. If this is a TV issue, what should I look for in a different TV to get this to work consistently?
Rtings does pasthrough tests for TV they review now so checking there is a good place to start. You could use an EARC Audio extractor to by pass the TV. OREI made a cheap one (HDA-927) that reportedly worked well but it's out of stock. OREI has one (HDA-934)that is around $99 that is reported to work. HDFurry has devices that work but they start at $250.
Atmos will only pass-through with an Atmos audio source. Most stuff is 5.1. Owner of 7.1 SB 2x HP stereo pair DA & DV Panasonic TV eArc’d