We live in the age of streaming, and all the major streamers are in a tight dogfight to add and hold onto audiences. Every element matters in this fight, and that includes sound quality. Indeed, watching TV is so much better when surround sound is available. And YouTube TV supports 5.1 surround sound. Here's how you can use it.

YouTube TV Supports 5.1 Surround Sound

Although Google killed YouTube originals, it made up for it by making it possible to watch thousands of TV shows for free. And now you can watch some of these shows on Google TV, Android TV, and Roku with 5.1 surround sound.

What is 5.1 surround sound, you ask? It is when you have five speakers and one subwoofer arranged in a style that surrounds your living room (5.1 literally stands for five speakers and one subwoofer).

Therefore, a 5.1 surround sound system feeds sound into five audio channels (speakers) plus a subwoofer channel. This style is widely used in home theater systems.

YouTube's 5.1 surround sound is only available for streaming TV and movie content, unlike the typical YouTube videos (which only feed audio into two channels). Moreover, it won't be available on every show or movie you watch.

How to Use 5.1 Surround Sound on YouTube TV

Home-Theater-Pull-Down-Screen
Image Credit: John P Salvatore/Wikimedia

The good news is that you don't need to do anything to use surround sound on YouTube TV, but you do need the right equipment for the job. According to Google's support page, as long as you have the YouTube TV app, your device runs on Cobalt 20 or above, and your device and speaker set-up are compatible, you'll automatically get 5.1 surround sound.

Some compatible devices include:

  • Samsung, LG, and Vizio devices with Cobalt 20 or above.
  • Traditional Chromecasts.
  • Android TV.
  • Google TV.
  • Roku.
  • Fire TV Stick 4K Max.
  • Fire TV Stick.
  • Fire TV Stick Lite

However, this will work as long as the content you are watching supports 5.1 surround sound. If you need to check whether your device or the channel you are watching are compatible with 5.1 surround, here's what you need to do:

How to Check if Your Device Supports 5.1 Audio

1. Open the YouTube TV app.

2. Go to your profile photo.

3. Select About.

4. Choose App Version.

3. Check the version number in parentheses after the word "Cobalt" (it should be 20 and above).

How to Check if a Show or Movie Has 5.1 Audio

This information is available in the audio details in Stats for nerds.

1. Open the YouTube TV app and play a video.

2. Go to the player controls, then select More.

3. Select the bug.

4. Stats for nerds will be displayed on top of the video while the video is playing.

If surround sound is available for the video you're watching, you'll see AC-3/EAC-3 listed in the Codecs section.​​​​​​​

You May Experience Audio Issues

Some users had complained that audio/video synchronization was not working correctly on some third-party devices such as Roku. However, it should work well on most devices, so give it a go and experience YouTube TV like never before. ​​​​​​​

YouTube TV Keeps Getting Better

The streaming wars will continue as different providers compete to create the best possible experience for their audiences.

Although YouTube TV is not exactly in the league of Netflix and Amazon Prime regarding content and subscribers, they are not about to roll over and give up the battle. With 5.1 surround sound, it fired yet another salvo in the streaming wars.