New TCL QM8 TV & Emby for Android TV app

[RRmovies 4]

I am excited to hear the news. Can't wait to try this version out.

Is it possible to update this ticket when it's available?

Thanks guys 

[ebr 14958]

Hi.  It has already been released.  Try updating your app.  Thanks.

[RRmovies 4]

Ahh there is it.. Updated the app and I am VERY happy to report the following..

I changed the audio setting back to auto on the Emby for Android TV app

I tested several movies that I knew had audio skipping issues (due to HD audio formats) and they are now playing with no issues

Also noticed my Denon receiver is now automatically switching the audio formats (as it should) based on that movies surround sound mode. Including DTS-HD and TRUE-HD. It seems Emby is passing the audio through now. Very nice.  

Fantastic work guys 

Edited September 13, 2023 by RRmovies

[drjak 1]

My TCL still only passes through 2.0 PCM stereo to sonos ARC when True HD selected

[rbjtech 4329]

1 hour ago, drjak said:

My TCL still only passes through 2.0 PCM stereo to sonos ARC when True HD selected

HD Audio is not supported over ARC - it does not have the bandwidth - thus it is being downsampled to 2 Channel PCM.

[RRmovies 4]

The TCL QM8 has an optical output. If you are using an AVR run the optical cable off the QM8 to your AVR and you will get your surround sound. If the device you are using has an optical input you may want to go that route. Sorry I'm not familiar with Sonos   

[rbjtech 4329]

1 hour ago, RRmovies said:

The TCL QM8 has an optical output. If you are using an AVR run the optical cable off the QM8 to your AVR and you will get your surround sound. If the device you are using has an optical input you may want to go that route. Sorry I'm not familiar with Sonos   

Unless optical/toslink is the only option available, then I would recommend you not use that route as it's a very old standard.  It will only pass DTS (non-HD), AC3 and possibly PCM 2.0 but the same as ARC, it does not have enough abndwidth to pass HD Audio.

I'm still not aware of any 'TV' device that can passthough HD Audio - even if it has E-ARC.    So any DTS-HD is passed as DTS 5.1 and any True-HD 'may' be passed as AC3.

The only way to passthough HD Audio (if you have an AVR capable of decoding it) is to plug the client (shield etc) directly into the AVR via HDMI and then the AVR passes the Video (only) to the TV.  Using ARC or E-ARC in any combibation does not work due to 'App' limitations on the TV's.   

To note - Hardware UHD-Blu Ray players connected via HDMI, will pass HD-Audio over E-ARC - as they don't involve 'TV Apps' in the chain.  

[drjak 1]

9 hours ago, rbjtech said:

Unless optical/toslink is the only option available, then I would recommend you not use that route as it's a very old standard.  It will only pass DTS (non-HD), AC3 and possibly PCM 2.0 but the same as ARC, it does not have enough abndwidth to pass HD Audio.

I'm still not aware of any 'TV' device that can passthough HD Audio - even if it has E-ARC.    So any DTS-HD is passed as DTS 5.1 and any True-HD 'may' be passed as AC3.

The only way to passthough HD Audio (if you have an AVR capable of decoding it) is to plug the client (shield etc) directly into the AVR via HDMI and then the AVR passes the Video (only) to the TV.  Using ARC or E-ARC in any combibation does not work due to 'App' limitations on the TV's.   

To note - Hardware UHD-Blu Ray players connected via HDMI, will pass HD-Audio over E-ARC - as they don't involve 'TV Apps' in the chain.  

My SONOS Arc supports TrueHD but strips DTSHD to core dts and is connected via eARC output.  Just in one of the above posts someone mentioned that they are seeing DTSHD and TrueHD on their receiver from the emby app which I am not.  While the emby app was doing its stuttering shit I built an intel nuc and installed libreelec with emby for kodi and this played TrueHD, so works from external player just not directly from app.

[drjak 1]

On 13/09/2023 at 21:09, RRmovies said:

Ahh there is it.. Updated the app and I am VERY happy to report the following..

I changed the audio setting back to auto on the Emby for Android TV app

I tested several movies that I knew had audio skipping issues (due to HD audio formats) and they are now playing with no issues

Also noticed my Denon receiver is now automatically switching the audio formats (as it should) based on that movies surround sound mode. Including DTS-HD and TRUE-HD. It seems Emby is passing the audio through now. Very nice.  

Fantastic work guys 

Is your receiver connected from eARC and the emby app passes HD sound through, because mine converts True HD to 2.0PCM, and dtsHD to core dts which is OK as my sonos does not support dtsHD but does support all dolby including trueHD atmos

[rbjtech 4329]

15 hours ago, drjak said:

My SONOS Arc supports TrueHD but strips DTSHD to core dts and is connected via eARC output.  

Not over ARC it doesn't - there is simply not enough bandwidth over ARC to support any form of HD Audio.   If you mean EARC - then fine, but I believe my comment stands - no TV App (from either Emby or Plex) will passthough HD Audio vi EARC to either an AVR or Sonos.   They will all passthough the lossy versions, fooling many into thinking that is HD Audio.    The only exception is Kodi - I believe this may pass HD Audio from the Kodi App (over EARC), but I'm not 100% as I could not get this working.

Only devices directly connected to an AVR via HDMI and then passing the Video to the TV via a 'monitor' support HD Audio - simply because ARC or EARC (on the TV) is not involved in the audio 'chain'. 

[drjak 1]

7 hours ago, rbjtech said:

Not over ARC it doesn't - there is simply not enough bandwidth over ARC to support any form of HD Audio.   If you mean EARC - then fine, but I believe my comment stands - no TV App (from either Emby or Plex) will passthough HD Audio vi EARC to either an AVR or Sonos.   They will all passthough the lossy versions, fooling many into thinking that is HD Audio.    The only exception is Kodi - I believe this may pass HD Audio from the Kodi App (over EARC), but I'm not 100% as I could not get this working.

Only devices directly connected to an AVR via HDMI and then passing the Video to the TV via a 'monitor' support HD Audio - simply because ARC or EARC (on the TV) is not involved in the audio 'chain'. 

I don't have my external device connected directly to "receiver", it is connected by hdmi to my tv and the tv then passes HD audio to my sound bar over eARC.   So the TV can passthrough HD sound no problem, the sonos soundbar tells me what format is being played.  The question above was whether RRMovies was getting HD sound from emby app as he claimed to see the HD sound  format tags pop up on his receiver when he played content on his TV using emby app. I'm just saying I don't see that directly from the app, lossy yes, lossless no.

[rbjtech 4329]

9 hours ago, drjak said:

I don't have my external device connected directly to "receiver", it is connected by hdmi to my tv and the tv then passes HD audio to my sound bar over eARC.   So the TV can passthrough HD sound no problem, the sonos soundbar tells me what format is being played.  

ok - so this is the first instance I have ever heard of that HD Audio is being correctly passed from the Emby App (on the TV) via EARC to another device.

If the sound bar is displaying True-HD or DTS-HD - and emby is reporting 'Direct Play' on the Audio - then I'd be interested to find out what TV and what Sound Bar is allowing this.

9 hours ago, drjak said:

 The question above was whether RRMovies was getting HD sound from emby app as he claimed to see the HD sound  format tags pop up on his receiver when he played content on his TV using emby app. I'm just saying I don't see that directly from the app, lossy yes, lossless no.

So here you appear to contradict your statement above  - if I read it correctly, you are now saying it doesn't pass HD Audio, only lossy Audio.    If your system does pass HD Audio via the TV App, great ! - I'm all for that - but as it's a first, I'm keen to understand the detail.

[drjak 1]

53 minutes ago, rbjtech said:

So here you appear to contradict your statement above  - if I read it correctly, you are now saying it doesn't pass HD Audio, only lossy Audio.    If your system does pass HD Audio via the TV App, great ! - I'm all for that - but as it's a first, I'm keen to understand the detail.

No contradiction, I said when I have my external device connected to tv via hdmi, and my SONOS Arc sound bar connected to same tv vie eARC, I get TrueHD/TrueHDAtmos to my SONOS Arc sound bar.  The external device is and intel nuc running librelec 11.0.3 (so latest kodi 20.2) with the emby for kodi sync add on installed.  This setup passes HD sound through.  The emby app installed on TCL does not pass HD sound to sound bar over eARC.  That is what I said.  This is the reason I got the external device as I was sick of the shit performance of the emby app on google tv.  Thought maybe there were some improvements with latest beta, and it seems to play content OK but only with lossy sound formats, not with HD sound as claimed by RRMovies above. 

[rbjtech 4329]

21 minutes ago, drjak said:

No contradiction, I said when I have my external device connected to tv via hdmi, and my SONOS Arc sound bar connected to same tv vie eARC, I get TrueHD/TrueHDAtmos to my SONOS Arc sound bar.  The external device is and intel nuc running librelec 11.0.3 (so latest kodi 20.2) with the emby for kodi sync add on installed.  This setup passes HD sound through.  The emby app installed on TCL does not pass HD sound to sound bar over eARC.  That is what I said.  This is the reason I got the external device as I was sick of the shit performance of the emby app on google tv.  Thought maybe there were some improvements with latest beta, and it seems to play content OK but only with lossy sound formats, not with HD sound as claimed by RRMovies above. 

Right - 100% with you now and agree.  You need to use an EXTERNAL device (I use a Shield Pro) to get HD Audio - I go direct to AVR, you go via EARC, but either way - it is not using the TV Internal Emby App on the TV. 

Gotcha - thanks for the clarification. 

[JackBowman 18]

Thanks for this update! Much appreciated.