macOS Sequoia Supports HDMI Passthrough for Dolby Atmos Content

In macOS Sequoia, several Apple apps have gained a new HDMI Passthrough feature that enables a Mac to send an unaltered Dolby Atmos audio signal to a connected AV receiver or soundbar.

dolby atmos hdmi passthrough
The new functionality appears in various places in macOS 15, including Apple's TV, Music, and QuickTime Player apps. Apple says turning on the option lets users "Play supported audio in Dolby Atmos and other Dolby Audio formats using HDMI Passthrough when connected to a supported device."

The feature is likely to be welcomed by users who connect their Mac to an external device that supports Dolby Atmos, such as an AV receiver or soundbar. When conected via HDMI cable, the device will be able to decode and output the full immersive Dolby Atmos audio as it was meant to be experienced by the creators, while sending any accompanying video signal to a connected TV.

It's unclear whether this option will be included in tvOS 18, but given that Apple has made it a system-wide feature in ‌macOS Sequoia‌, there is a good chance we will see it come to Apple TVs in a future update. Both ‌macOS Sequoia‌ and tvOS 18 are currently in developer beta, with public betas expected later this month, followed by a general release in the fall.

Related Roundup: macOS Sequoia
Related Forum: macOS Sequoia

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday March 31, 2025 11:27 am PDT by
Apple today released new firmware updates for all AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 models. The new firmware is version 7E93, up from the 7B21 firmware that was installed on the AirPods Pro 2 and the 7B20 firmware available on the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we'll update this article should we find ...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.4 With Mail Categorization and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched in September. macOS Sequoia 15.4 comes two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15. With...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...

Top Rated Comments

Aaargh! Avatar
10 months ago

I think the Apple TV supports that already?
Apple TV only supports DD+ with Atmos, and only if you let the OS play the video file. Hopefully this change means proper support for bitstreaming: allowing any application directly send a stream of data to the receiver. That would allow apps like Plex to support Dolby TrueHD+Atmos and DTS:X.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ric22 Avatar
10 months ago
About time. Should have been implemented sooner.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Axl2023 Avatar
10 months ago
We are waiting for bitstream audio in tvOS 18 :)
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jus711 Avatar
10 months ago

Yeah I have no idea what the end of the OP meant when mentioning TvOS. Dolby Atmos and Audio of multiple formats is there has been there a few generations.
Not exactly, it supports lossy Atmos, not lossless HD audio like Dolby TrueHD or DTS HD-MA, it can’t decode those or send the unencoded version for the receiver to decode which is what passthrough would allow.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
urmaster Avatar
10 months ago

What sort of Atmos are we talking about here? The streaming kind or the lossless one?
Isn’t that the point of the feature; it’s pass through it doesn't matter what the content is.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
reallynotnick Avatar
10 months ago

Yeah I have no idea what the end of the OP meant when mentioning TvOS. Dolby Atmos and Audio of multiple formats is there has been there a few generations.
It’s not passthrough, it’s decoded into LPCM (LPCM+MAT in DD+ Atmos’s case) and sent to the device. And as already pointed out it’s just lossy DD+ not Dolby TrueHD.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)