Apple TV TrueHD Passthrough: What Is Actually Possible

Here's the honest answer up front: the Apple TV 4K does not bitstream Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio. It never has. But that doesn't mean you lose lossless audio — the Apple TV decodes those tracks and sends them as multichannel LPCM, which is bit-for-bit lossless. And Dolby Atmos works (carried inside TrueHD or as Atmos metadata over Dolby Digital Plus). Here's exactly what's possible and how to set it up.

What the Apple TV can and can't do

• Cannot do: bitstream/passthrough Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD MA as the raw codec to your receiver.
• Can do: decode TrueHD/DTS-HD MA to multichannel LPCM (lossless — same audio data, just decoded by the Apple TV instead of the receiver).
• Can do: Dolby Atmos — the Apple TV passes Atmos (from streaming apps and from local TrueHD-Atmos files via Plex/Infuse) so your receiver lights up "Atmos."
• Cannot do: DTS:X in most cases (DTS:X rides on DTS-HD MA, which the Apple TV doesn't pass; you typically get the DTS core or LPCM instead).

The practical upshot

For sound quality, LPCM is lossless — you are not losing fidelity versus bitstreaming TrueHD. The only real differences:

• Your receiver's front panel shows "Multichannel PCM" instead of "Dolby TrueHD" (cosmetic).
• DTS:X specifically won't reach the receiver as DTS:X.
• The Apple TV does the decoding, which is fine — it's a capable decoder.

Best settings for Plex / Infuse

1. Apple TV audio: Settings > Video and Audio > Audio Format — leave on the default; if you want Atmos, enable it there. Don't force a fixed format that downmixes.
2. In Plex/Infuse: set audio to "Auto" or enable passthrough/surround so the app hands multichannel audio to tvOS rather than downmixing to stereo. Infuse generally handles TrueHD-Atmos → Atmos best.
3. For Atmos in TrueHD files: Infuse and Plex can extract the Atmos metadata so your receiver gets Atmos even though the base is decoded to LPCM/Dolby.
4. Use eARC if going through the TV — multichannel LPCM and Atmos need eARC, not ARC. Connect Apple TV → receiver directly for the cleanest path. If your receiver shows no Atmos at all, work through Apple TV HDMI Atmos issues.

FAQ

Can the Apple TV 4K passthrough Dolby TrueHD? No — it decodes TrueHD to multichannel LPCM instead. That's still lossless; you're not losing audio quality.

Do I lose quality without TrueHD bitstreaming? No. LPCM is bit-for-bit lossless — the same audio, decoded by the Apple TV rather than the receiver. The receiver just displays "PCM."

What about DTS:X? Generally not possible — DTS:X rides on DTS-HD MA, which the Apple TV doesn't pass. You'll get the DTS core or LPCM.

Does Atmos work on the Apple TV? Yes — from streaming apps and from local TrueHD-Atmos files via Plex/Infuse. Connect via eARC (or Apple TV → receiver) and your receiver shows Atmos. If Atmos cuts out mid-playback, see Apple TV Atmos sound drops.