LG has once again removed DTS audio support from its TVs, and may be preparing to add support for the new Eclipsa Audio instead.
Dolby Atmos is still supported too, of course.
We're very impressed by LG's 2025 OLED TVs, such as the LG C5. But while the 2025 range boasts tons of worthwhile improvements, an eagle-eyed influencer has spotted one important omission.
There's no DTS audio support.
The renowned Vincent Teoh from HDTVtest went digging into the EDID data for the flagship LG G5, and made the discovery.
EDID is the metadata that's used to communicate between display devices and video sources, and it essentially says, "Hello! Here are the formats I support!"
This time, DTS was absent, meaning no DTS:X encoded audio. And it seems that the change applies to all of LG's 2025 TVs.
That's interesting, because that DTS codec is the biggest current rival to Dolby and especially its extended Dolby Atmos tech. And while Atmos isn't going anywhere on LG TVs, the move does suggest that a different surround sound format could be coming instead: Eclipsa audio.
What does dropping DTS mean for LG TVs?
This isn't the first time LG has moved away from DTS. It removed DTS from its CX and GX OLED TVs back in 2020, and didn't bring the format back until 2023's LG C3 and G3.
According to HDtest, LG's internal data reports that the format isn't widely used by its TV owners – Atmos is much more popular. DTS also requires royalty payments, so LG may have decided it's not worth the time or cost to continue to support the format.
Eclipsa Audio is also a rival to Dolby Atmos, but the Google- and Samsung-backed format is royalty-free.
Samsung is bringing the tech to its 2025 TV range, and LG may be considering the same. During CES earlier this year, Google demonstrated Eclipsa on an LG TV running WebOS. And, as FlatpanelsHD reported at the time, "the launch timing ultimately depends on LG and the certification process".
What does this mean if you're thinking about buying one of the best TVs in 2025? If you've already invested in DTS:X equipment and like LG's panels then you might want to consider a 2024 LG instead. Those models do support DTS and DTS passthrough via HDMI, and there are some great deals to be found today.
