Passthrough sends supported encoded audio onward instead of having the player decode it first. The destination must understand that format and the connection must carry it correctly. Enabling passthrough can therefore help a compatible receiver but produce silence or problems on an unsuitable route.
Map the sound path
Determine whether audio travels directly to a receiver, through the television over ARC or eARC, or to another output. Each path can support different formats. An app may also implement passthrough differently from the operating system, so a system-wide setting is not always the whole story.
Test one known track
Use an authorised programme whose audio format is displayed if possible. Compare passthrough with a supported decoded output while keeping the same track selected. Note whether sound, channel layout and lip sync change. Do not switch the language and output mode together, because that makes the result difficult to interpret.
Keep a stable fallback
If passthrough causes silence, return to the previous compatible setting and consult the equipment’s format list. Do not leave the volume at an extreme level while trying unsupported modes. A working decoded output is preferable to a format badge with missing dialogue, and it gives support a useful comparison when investigating the encoded path.
