Hisense Digital Audio Out Settings
The single most common reason a Hisense TV sounds underwhelming through a soundbar is wrong Hisense digital audio out settings. If your format is set to PCM, your soundbar receives two stereo channels instead of surround sound, no matter how much you spent on it. The fix takes under two minutes once you know the right menu path, but that path differs depending on whether your TV runs VIDAA or Google TV firmware.
I've configured audio settings on more than a dozen Hisense models across the U45, U6, U8, and A7 series. The menus look similar but behave differently. This guide gives you the exact steps, the right format to pick for your setup, and how to fix the 3 most common problems that come up after you change the setting.
Where to Find the Digital Audio Out Menu on Hisense TVs
The path depends on your firmware. VIDAA and Google TV bury the setting in different places, so check which OS your TV runs before you start.
VIDAA OS (Most Hisense models before 2023)
- Press the Settings button on your remote.
- Select Sound.
- Scroll down to Audio Output.
- Select Digital Audio Out.
- Choose your format: PCM, Dolby Digital, or Auto.
On some VIDAA builds, the option is labeled SPDIF/ARC instead of Digital Audio Out. It controls the same signal. If you see both labels, use SPDIF/ARC for the optical port and ARC for the HDMI ARC port.
Google TV OS (2023 and newer Hisense models)
- Press the Settings gear icon.
- Go to Display and Sound.
- Select Audio Output.
- Choose Digital Audio Format.
- Set it to your preferred format.
Google TV on Hisense hides the passthrough options unless your TV detects an ARC or optical device connected. Plug in your soundbar or receiver first, then open the menu. The full list of formats won't appear otherwise.
PCM vs Dolby Digital vs Auto: Which Setting Should You Use
This is where most people get stuck. Each format does something different, and picking the wrong one either limits your sound or causes no audio at all.
PCM
PCM sends a two-channel stereo signal. Your soundbar or receiver decodes nothing — it just plays what arrives. Use PCM if your soundbar is a basic 2.0 or 2.1 model with no Dolby decoding. You'll also want PCM if you're running audio through an optical cable to an older stereo receiver.
Dolby Digital
This setting tells the TV to encode audio as Dolby Digital before sending it out. That gives you up to 5.1 surround sound on compatible soundbars. The TV does the encoding, so your soundbar just needs to support Dolby Digital playback, which most mid-range and up soundbars do.
One trade-off: the TV locks the output to Dolby Digital even when the source content is stereo. Some people notice a slight compression on stereo content. It's a minor issue, and for movie watching it's the right call.
Auto (Passthrough)
Auto mode passes the audio signal through to your soundbar or receiver without re-encoding it. If a streaming app sends Dolby Atmos, your Atmos-capable soundbar gets Dolby Atmos. If the source is stereo, it passes stereo. This is the best setting for Atmos soundbars and AV receivers.
The catch: Auto only works reliably over HDMI ARC or eARC. Over optical, it falls back to PCM or basic Dolby Digital because the optical port doesn't have enough bandwidth for Atmos or TrueHD. If you're using optical, set it to Dolby Digital manually rather than relying on Auto.
HDMI ARC vs Optical: How Your Cable Choice Changes the Settings
Your connection type directly limits which audio formats are available. This catches a lot of people off guard after they change the digital audio out setting and still don't hear surround sound.
Optical (Toslink)
Optical supports PCM stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1. That's it. It cannot carry Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, or TrueHD. If you're using optical and want surround sound, set digital audio out to Dolby Digital, not Auto. Auto over optical often defaults to PCM because the handshake fails.
HDMI ARC
ARC handles PCM stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1. It's one step better than optical because the signal travels over HDMI both ways, which means your TV remote can control soundbar volume. But ARC still won't carry Atmos. Set the format to Dolby Digital or Auto here — both work reliably.
HDMI eARC
eARC is the format to use if you have a newer Hisense U8 or U9 series and an Atmos soundbar or receiver. It carries uncompressed audio, including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Set digital audio out to Auto and enable the eARC setting in the TV menu under Settings > Sound > eARC. Both devices need to support eARC, and both need to be connected with a Premium High Speed HDMI cable, not a standard one.
Fixing the 3 Most Common Problems After Changing the Setting
No sound after switching to Dolby Digital or Auto
Your soundbar may not support the format you chose. Switch back to PCM temporarily to confirm the connection works. Then check your soundbar's spec sheet for supported input formats. If it only supports Dolby Digital and you set Auto, the handshake may be failing — switch to Dolby Digital manually instead.
Surround sound only works on some apps but not others
Streaming apps like Netflix and Disney+ send Dolby content, but some apps on Hisense TVs default to stereo unless you enable audio output in the app's own settings. Go into the Netflix app settings and set audio output to Dolby Atmos or Surround Sound. The TV's digital audio out setting handles the transport, but the app controls what it sends.
Audio is out of sync with the video
Lip sync issues appear most often when the TV re-encodes audio before sending it out. If you're on Dolby Digital and notice a delay, try switching to Auto or PCM and check if the sync improves. You can also use the Audio Delay or AV Sync setting in the Hisense Sound menu to manually offset the audio by up to 250ms in most models.
Hisense Digital Audio Out Settings for Specific Soundbar Brands
The right setting changes slightly depending on which soundbar you own. Here's what works in practice across the most common pairings.
Samsung soundbars
Samsung soundbars connected via optical work best with Dolby Digital