Sound on HBO-MAX

[kontiki533]

Sound on HBO-MAX from SKY Q is shocking its so bad i given up on watching it the sound level is so low even my Yamaha AV amp has to be turned up to nearly max and then its only in a very poor stereo.

[Angel_Aka · Accepted solution]

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@kontiki533 wrote:

Sound on HBO-MAX from SKY Q is shocking its so bad i given up on watching it the sound level is so low even my Yamaha AV amp has to be turned up to nearly max and then its only in a very poor stereo.

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Check and see whether your smart TV has the HBO Max app installed. If your TV is relatively new then it'll likely have much better apps than those on the decade-old Sky Q box. Most of the apps on Sky Q are there for convenience, and will not necessarily give you the best quality. 

[nigea99]

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@kontiki533 wrote:

Sound on HBO-MAX from SKY Q is shocking its so bad i given up on watching it the sound level is so low even my Yamaha AV amp has to be turned up to nearly max and then its only in a very poor stereo.

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hi @kontiki533 

The fact that the HBO app on Q only has 2.0 sound has been reported & unfortunately we are still awaiting a fix.

Personally I hadn't noticed it being significantly low in volume (I also use Yamaha Amps) but I admit I have only used the Q apps for testing.

Personally I use the HBO app on Firesticks which do have 5.1 sound.

As @Angel_Aka mentions some TVs & other devices may also have the app which are likely to be better

[kontiki533]

Thanks for the reply i think myself the reason the sound on HBO-MAX is down to HBO itself to make you upgrade to the pay version in my case that will never happen because it would be not worth it the programs available are average to say the least. Now Disney + has Dolby Digital+ on Sky Q and it's superb so if HBO-MAX want the new customers to watch it they want to up their game.

t 

[nigea99]

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@kontiki533 wrote:

Thanks for the reply i think myself the reason the sound on HBO-MAX is down to HBO itself to make you upgrade to the pay version in my case that will never happen because it would be not worth it the programs available are average to say the least. Now Disney + has Dolby Digital+ on Sky Q and it's superb so if HBO-MAX want the new customers to watch it they want to up their game.

t 

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it is not due to Subscription tier - subscribing to a higher tier would not change the Q app from 2.0 - it needs a fix to the app. 

You can get 5.1 sound with the Basic subcription when using other devices such as a TV or, as  I mentioned, in my case a Firestick 

(Atmos ,of course, does need the higher subscription) 

[Chodley]

I also use a Yamaha amp and don't recall having to significantly change the volume vs other Sky content.

[Markybhoy66]

I am a hbo premium customer currently paying around £12 a month but when I watch anything including movies on hbo I don't get Dolby Atmos. But then I am also a uhd sky moves customer and when I watch anything including sky movie in uhd I Dolby Atmos 

[Angel_Aka]

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@Markybhoy66 wrote:

I am a hbo premium customer currently paying around £12 a month but when I watch anything including movies on hbo I don't get Dolby Atmos. But then I am also a uhd sky moves customer and when I watch anything including sky movie in uhd I Dolby Atmos 

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Is this using the HBO Max app on the Q box? Try using the app on a dedicated streaming device or on your smart TV if it has it - then you'll get Dolby Atmos. 

[Markybhoy66]

So just contacted hbo max customer service and it turns out sky don't allow 3rd parties to give anything more than stereo or 5.1 

so in order to get the Dolby Atoms you need to download the hbo app on another device or platform. I did on my lg tv it's a bit of a inconvenience but at least now am getting the uhd and Dolby Atmos that I was paying for 🙄

[Angel_Aka]

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@Markybhoy66 wrote:

So just contacted hbo max customer service and it turns out sky don't allow 3rd parties to give anything more than stereo or 5.1 

so in order to get the Dolby Atoms you need to download the hbo app on another device or platform. I did on my lg tv it's a bit of a inconvenience but at least now am getting the uhd and Dolby Atmos that I was paying for 🙄

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It's always been better to use a dedicated streaming device rather than a satellite PVR for apps. The apps provided on Sky Q are there for convenience, not necessarily quality. 

With a dedicated streaming device you can choose which apps to download, you get the benefit of more HDR formats such as Dolby Vision and HDR10+, and you also can get 24fps playback, rather than being locked at 50 or 60Hz on Sky Q. 

When I had Sky Q I only used it for watching, recording and playing back satellite broadcasts - it does that exceptionally well. The apps were never good enough IMHO.  

[nigea99]

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@Markybhoy66 wrote:

So just contacted hbo max customer service and it turns out sky don't allow 3rd parties to give anything more than stereo or 5.1 

so in order to get the Dolby Atoms you need to download the hbo app on another device or platform. I did on my lg tv it's a bit of a inconvenience but at least now am getting the uhd and Dolby Atmos that I was paying for 🙄

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hi @Markybhoy66 

This is HBO customer services making it up.

SKY do allow 5.1 & Atmos sound - other apps have at least 5.1 & Disney+/Prime/ Paramount all  have Atmos

It is currently just a problem with the app on SKY Q that, unfortunately, still has not been sorted.

(AFAIK 5.1. & Atmos works on the Stream/Glass app)

As @Angel_Aka mentions & I echoed above we do recommend using other devices  which have later tech -  apps on Q  are more for convenience than best quality/features as  the SKY Q platform is now old in Tech terms and cannot, for example, support Dolby Vision

[Markybhoy66]

So why does it display on the sky hbo max that uhd and dolly Atmos is available depending on your hbo subscription. Why not state that because sky don't allow these functions they are not available, customers that wish to get the full benefits must downloaded a separate hbo app on a smart tv or another streaming device. The information is not widely available. 

[nigea99]

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@Markybhoy66 wrote:

So why does it display on the sky hbo max that uhd and dolly Atmos is available depending on your hbo subscription. Why not state that because sky don't allow these functions they are not available, customers that wish to get the full benefits must downloaded a separate hbo app on a smart tv or another streaming device. The information is not widely available. 

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@Markybhoy66 

It  is a bug with the sound that is still being worked on - as I said, SKY do allow it, it is just not working..  

I believe that the SKY Q app does support UHD for those with the premium subscription but as I don;t have that sub. I cannot confirm it

[Markybhoy66]

Well I was told differently by a sky tech advisor that they don't allow 3rd parties to provide uhd and Dolby Atmos as why would they want you to watch other providers rather than there own. 

and I watch my sky tv from my sky q box at home not on the app and I can watch uhd and get Dolby atmos as I pay sky e tea for the uhd upgrade on my package. So the hardware does have the capabilities. But as I was informed yesterday sky don't allow other providers to give full benefits in the fear of loosing out to them. 

[Angel_Aka]

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@Markybhoy66 wrote:

So why does it display on the sky hbo max that uhd and dolly Atmos is available depending on your hbo subscription. Why not state that because sky don't allow these functions they are not available, customers that wish to get the full benefits must downloaded a separate hbo app on a smart tv or another streaming device. The information is not widely available. 

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This is the same on all versions of the HBO Max app on all hardware, not just Sky. It just states the best format available for that particular title. It's up to you to work out whether your equipment can show it. You can blame HBO Max for that, not Sky. I have a Samsung TV for example, which has no Dolby Vision capability, nor is it connected to a Dolby Atmos capable amp, yet I get told via the HBO Max app on the TV that various titles have Dolby Vision and Atmos.