Great news for fans of 5.1 surround sound audio. This week, just in time for the start of the NBA season, YouTube TV added 5.1 surround sound audio to ESPN networks. This was a great surprise to many NHL fans last night who suddenly found ESPN’s coverage in 5.1 surround sound audio.
To make this work, you must have a 5.1 surround sound system and a streaming player that supports it. 5.1 surround sound is included with the base YouTube TV package.
Here is how YouTube TV describes what decives support 5.1 surround sound audio.
The setting will only appear for videos and devices that support 5.1 surround sound. 5.1 in YouTube is supported on all 2021 and later TVs, Chromecast, Apple TV, Roku and most Fire TV devices. In addition, 5.1 surround sound is supported on Xbox Series S|X, Xbox One X, Xbox One S, Xbox One and PlayStation 5. Many 2020 and earlier TVs may also support surround sound – check your device manufacturer to see if your device supports 5.1.
This is one of many upgrades YouTube TV has said it is working on. Other upgrades recently launched this year include better video quality, multiview letting you watch up to 4 games at once, and other changes to come, like an improved library experience.
YouTube TV now offers a growing number of channels, including ABC in 5.1 surround sound on supported devices. As always though, it is important to remember that not all programing on these channels is in 5.1 surround sound.