Surround sound (5.1) not working

[IggyPS 5]

Hello, 

I've browsed multiple threads on this and found some vaguely similar cases, and no one had the same type of configuration. I found this similar thread but to my understanding, that person had an optical connection instead of HDMI. 

So my setup is the following:

TV: Sony A1E OLED
AVR / Audio: Onkyo TX-NR656 with a 5.1 speaker configuration
Connection between TV and AVR is HMDI via eARC.
App: Emby for Android TV

The problem is that I am not getting 5.1 surround sound on any content I try to play. Well, at least not proper 5.1. Some sound is technically being played through my rear 2 channels as well, but it's incorrect sound (it carries some faint noise with dialog that can only be heard if I put my ear on the speaker). Maybe that's just something my AVR is doing, but I know what the sound is supposed to be if I'd want to play the same content directly via my PC with bitstreaming. So it seems like everything is downmixed to stereo. If I try to play a 5.1 test audio file, I can hear only the front soundstage. For example, the sound that was supposed to be coming from the rear left speaker gets played back through the front left (and same for the right side).

I am open to the possibility that I am missing something completely obvious, but I can't figure it out myself. Please see my configuration below.

This is the audio output setting on my TV:

 

Then the Audio output setting in the Emby Android TV app. I tried all options here. It's worth pointing out that dialog is being played via the center speaker even with the "Downmix to Stereo" setting. EDIT: Having made some additional tests with the 5.1 audio check video, I can report that I'm getting the exact same sound regardless of the setting chosen here (auto, convert to DD, downmix to stereo). 

The User > Playback settings:

 

I am open to sharing my logs as well, but only with official Emby support personnel / admins. 

Edited January 9, 2023 by IggyPS
Additional information

[ebr 14916]

1 hour ago, IggyPS said:

This is the audio output setting on my TV:

Hi.  That is your issue.  You have told the TV to only output PCM audio which is usually going to just be stereo.  Change that to one of the Auto options.

[IggyPS 5]

Thank you @ebr, this did indeed resolve my issue. My knowledge on what PCM means seems to have rusted. I was sure that was the correct setting. I have now put the TV setup to "Auto 1". But I also had to change Emby's audio output to convert to DD because "Auto" was not giving me 5.1 on all content. But I'll play around with the settings a bit more. 

Thank you very much.

[justinrh 174]

@IggyPS If you don't mind, what is your 5.1 audio reference file?  Is it something from your personal collection or something you found off the web?

[IggyPS 5]

9 hours ago, justinrh said:

@IggyPS If you don't mind, what is your 5.1 audio reference file?  Is it something from your personal collection or something you found off the web?

Well, I don't just have one, but rather a bunch of them. They're rips from various demonstration discs. So they're from my collection, but also stuff I've found online over the years as I'm a big data hoarder when it comes to stuff like this.  

[IggyPS 5]

@ebr calling for your help again. I have tested a lot of things, and I still don't manage to get true unchanged audio to play via emby for most of my multi-channel content (movies). Since my opening post, I've gotten a new TV (Sony BRAVIA XR-77A83K) which has some more modern settings in comparison to my previous TV (like audio passthrough), but Emby still recognizes some audio as unsupported. 

Audio is best (and to my ears indistinguishable from bitstreaming quality) when Emby's Audio Output is set to "Convert Unsupported Audio to Dolby Digital". But if I have this turned on, then I'm not getting direct play on video either, and I lose HDR output for example.

This is with Audio Output set to "Convert Unsupported Audio to Dolby Digital". Audio is good, but I don't get HDR. And How is TRUEHD unsupported?

 

This is with Audio Output set to "Auto". I get HDR, but I don't get proper audio (rear channels are nonexistent and the dynamic range is poor + volume is much lower) 

 

I really don't get this. Would really appreciate your help. This is my TV's audio output setup:

 

Could it be a container (mkv) problem? I have a Dolby demonstration video in mpegts that does play TRUEHD in direct mode. 

Edited January 21, 2023 by IggyPS
typos

[ebr 14916]

Hi. I don't believe there is any TV that supports True HD.  You would need a Shield to get that direct support.

[IggyPS 5]

2 hours ago, ebr said:

Hi. I don't believe there is any TV that supports True HD.  You would need a Shield to get that direct support.

Okay, got it, thanks . However, that still leaves me with an open question on why the video is not sent directly when the Audio Output is not "Auto" in Emby. What is the explanation here? Just trying to learn and understand these things. 

Edited January 21, 2023 by IggyPS
typos and rephrasing

[ebr 14916]

3 hours ago, IggyPS said:

that still leaves me with an open question on why the video is not sent directly when the Audio Output is not "Auto" in Emby

I may not understand exactly what you are asking (there are a lot of "nots" in that ) but, I think, because you turned on the option to convert unsupported audio on the server - which then means the whole thing has to be re-packaged.

[IggyPS 5]

So I got an Invidia Shield Pro this week and managed to set up everything the way I wanted. I have proper direct sound for all my audio now. Thank you @ebr for all your help. I really appreciate it!  

[pavel555 0]

Hello! So did you manage to solve this problem with Nvidia shield? i am having the same exact issue of having stereo only on my home 5.1 theater solution. tried dozens of patches  for Android TV 8.1 i have in my projector but it seems it just keeps on sending audio in 2 channel signal only.

How does the setup looks with the shield? database goes in the shield, video out to projector/TV, audio out to AV receiver?

Thanks!

[ebr 14916]

4 hours ago, pavel555 said:

How does the setup looks with the shield? database goes in the shield, video out to projector/TV, audio out to AV receiver?

Connect the Shield directly to the receiver and then the projector to the video out of the receiver.

[pavel555 0]

So the projector will receive a picture sent my receiver? I thought its the shield that should send it

 

[ebr 14916]

2 hours ago, pavel555 said:

So the projector will receive a picture sent my receiver? I thought its the shield that should send it

 

The Shield will send it through your receiver.  If setup properly, the receiver will not alter it in any way.  The important part is that the Shield sends the audio direct to the receiver. If you try to route this through your projector, it will severely limit the audio support (what you are seeing now).