YouTube TV finally adds 5.1 audio on Google TV, Android TV, and Roku

Illustration by William Joel / The Verge

5.1 surround sound support for its streaming TV package was announced last year. When we spoke to Neal Mohan about new features coming to the platform, he said it would arrive soon. It is now available for more devices, including the most recent Chromecast.

The company announced that, in addition to previously existing surround sound support on traditional Chromecasts and TVs, the immersive audio experience is rolling out to the following platforms:

If you have a compatible hardware setup and the program is available with 5.1 audio, it should turn on automatically. If you don't know if it's coming through, you can open the "Stats for nerds" window to see if you can find AC3/EAC3 under the codecs section.

The last update in March said that the feature on those platforms is still being worked on.

This just in ─────────────⚪️



We know you've been waiting, and it’s *finally* ready. 5.1 Audio is rolling out this week across Google TV, Android TV, and Roku devices.

— YouTube TV (@YouTubeTV) June 7, 2022