Convert Multi-Channel AAC/FLAC

[generiq 261]

15 hours ago, softworkz said:

What's your point? It was about the information we're giving, and that should match what the majority is seeing rather than a constantly decreasing minority.
The side note that it might have been different on Win 10 or (also well possible) may be dependant on the driver has been made, so all is good IMO.   

I prefer to be inclusive, and not ignore a minority. 

Edited December 8, 2024 by generiq

[softworkz 4574]

8 hours ago, legierk said:

In any event, I don;t have Emby Beta, so I don't have the features that are shown in the photo by softworkz. I will await the next Windows Desktop release to see if those features have been added yet. I did learn about exclusive mode in Windows though which will be helpful. My AVRs are modern...a Denon 3800 and a Denon 4800. No modern reciever to my knowledge can do anything with AAC. Which is why the setting on the Roku App to just target AAC transcoding it to AC3 is such a stroke of brilliance.

It's working a little bit different than you think, because this setting doesn't make the Roku "convert the audio to AC3" (which the Roku wouldn't be capable of anyway).
What it does is to tell Emby Server that it supports only 2-chan AAC but not multi-chan AAC. Now when there's a video with multi-chan AAC, it knows the client cannot take it, and it needs to transcode and stream via HLS and AC3 is the primary audio format for HLS streaming, that's why you get AC3, transcoded by the server.

While the way how Emby clients and server are interacting to always choose the best possible way for playback under given conditions, is undoubtedly great, there's not that much shine when looking at the audio path: A compressed format gets decompressed and then it gets compressed again into a format that's even inferior to the previous encoding - that's not brilliant at all.

For the Windows client, the situation is entirely different. The player does it all locally without needing help from the server and instead of recompressing the AAC audio it just sends it uncompressed over HDMI which is the best possible way. 

So, to finally answer the initial question: That's the reason why the Windows app doesn't need such kind of option - it does better by default.

[Julien_NC 2]

Hi,

I encounter the same problem. I can't find those option.

I am using a Windows 10 computer with the latest version of Emby Theater. HDMI output -> Sonos soundbar

When i put my computer on stereo and use the auto mode and passthrough I have 5.1 as long as my movie is using AC3

When I use "atmos" on Windows and force the 5.1 output I have no sound on AAC movie. I need to switch back to stereo but my Sonos app is showing stereo, no 5.1

I have been searching the web and this forum. Is there any way to always transcode AAC to AC3 with emby theater?

With another software I tried to convert my AAC soundtrack to AC3. It works but it means I have to do that on all my movies, seems like too much work and I am not sure I am not loosing audio quality

Thanks and sorry if it has been ask again and again

Edited December 16, 2024 by Julien_NC

[softworkz 4574]

Please try with the new app once it's released, ET Desktop isn't actively supported anymore.

Thanks

[Julien_NC 2]

Hi,

I am using the latest version from the store.

There is progress.

I am using a HDMI output with an audio extractor going to my Sonos Soundbar.

I need to configure emby in audio exclusive mode (AAC doesn't produce any sound if I don't).

My speaker disposition is 5.1 (I tried auto but it doesn't work in my case, same output) :

I had activated passthrough for everything.

My computer is using Dolby Atmos :

When I play any AC3 movie everything work as expected and my Sonos App show I am using DTS or any other type of surround.

When i play AAC it's working but in stereo PCM only.

I suspect Emby can't detect that my soundbar can't handle AAC because i am using an extractor. My soundbar can't work without one when I use a Windows computer.

Any idea/tips? Can I force AAC to AC3 transcoding even with a configuration file ?

Thanks,

Edited December 20, 2024 by Julien_NC

[legierk 7]

I too have recieved the latest version of Emby with the new audio features. I have not yet had a chance to experience the new features though but will this weekend.

[generiq 261]

6 hours ago, Julien_NC said:

Hi,

I am using the latest version from the store.

There is progress.

I am using a HDMI output with an audio extractor going to my Sonos Soundbar.

I need to configure emby in audio exclusive mode (AAC doesn't produce any sound if I don't).

My speaker disposition is 5.1 (I tried auto but it doesn't work in my case, same output) :

I had activated passthrough for everything.

My computer is using Dolby Atmos :

When I play any AC3 movie everything work as expected and my Sonos App show I am using DTS or any other type of surround.

When i play AAC it's working but in stereo PCM only.

I suspect Emby can't detect that my soundbar can't handle AAC because i am using an extractor. My soundbar can't work without one when I use a Windows computer.

Any idea/tips? Can I force AAC to AC3 transcoding even with a configuration file ?

Thanks,

How does the extractor work?

[Julien_NC 2]

I connect my HDMI output on my computer to the input of the extractor. The extractor "split" the audio and video. The audio goes to my soundbar, the video to my screen.

I use this product : https://www.orei.com/products/dual-hdmi-earc-audio-extractor-converter-4k-60hz-18g-hdmi-2-0-arc-support-hda-931

[softworkz 4574]

8 hours ago, Julien_NC said:

My computer is using Dolby Atmos :

Where is that screenshot from? I've never seen this on Windows..?

8 hours ago, Julien_NC said:

When i play AAC it's working but in stereo PCM only.

I suspect Emby can't detect that my soundbar can't handle AAC because i am using an extractor. My soundbar can't work without one when I use a Windows computer.

Any idea/tips? Can I force AAC to AC3 transcoding even with a configuration file ?

MPV doesn't send AAC over HDMI. Without passthrough enabled, it decodes audio on its own and sends the uncompressed audio over HDMI, which is widely support.

Can you please post the mpv log from the case with multi-channel audio that is output in stereo only?

[generiq 261]

13 minutes ago, softworkz said:

Where is that screenshot from? I've never seen this on Windows..?

That's the Windows audio config. That's what i was referring to, earlier. That needs to match mpv's audio channel config.

[generiq 261]

35 minutes ago, Julien_NC said:

I connect my HDMI output on my computer to the input of the extractor. The extractor "split" the audio and video. The audio goes to my soundbar, the video to my screen.

I use this product : https://www.orei.com/products/dual-hdmi-earc-audio-extractor-converter-4k-60hz-18g-hdmi-2-0-arc-support-hda-931

So are you using optical audio output? If yes, that doesn't have the bandwidth for uncompressed audio greater than stereo. So that's all you'd get. You would need the AC3 encoder to pass surround sound. 

[softworkz 4574]

8 minutes ago, generiq said:

24 minutes ago, softworkz said:

Where is that screenshot from? I've never seen this on Windows..?

That's the Windows audio config

How do I get to that menu exactly?

9 minutes ago, generiq said:

That's what i was referring to, earlier. That needs to match mpv's audio channel config.

He has exclusive mode and it seems to be Win11.

[generiq 261]

7 minutes ago, softworkz said:

How do I get to that menu exactly?

He has exclusive mode and it seems to be Win11.

I think it's moot. The menu shows 5.1 and 7.1 greyed out, and stereo is the only option. So it's always downmixed by the WASAPI. 

[softworkz 4574]

7 minutes ago, generiq said:

I think it's moot. The menu shows 5.1 and 7.1 greyed out, and stereo is the only option. So it's always downmixed by the WASAPI. 

Hence my question what kind of menu that is. Never seen this.

[generiq 261]

Just now, softworkz said:

Hence my question what kind of menu that is. Never seen this.

It was on the Win 10 taskbar.

In Win 11, you go here and hit configure. So in my case only stereo is possible

 

 

[softworkz 4574]

4 minutes ago, generiq said:

7 minutes ago, softworkz said:

Hence my question what kind of menu that is. Never seen this.

It was on the Win 10 taskbar.

No, that looks like this:

https://www.top-password.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/open-sounds-from-taskbar.png

 

And it already had the same dialog like in your screenshot.

[softworkz 4574]

And btw, it also had the speaker configuration (https://www.maketecheasier.com/manage-windows-10-sound-settings/)

[generiq 261]

1 minute ago, softworkz said:

And btw, it also had the speaker configuration (https://www.maketecheasier.com/manage-windows-10-sound-settings/)

Yes, I know. But in Win 10 you could right click and get the channel config. I used to do that a lot when I would test mpv configs. The result is the same, though. 

[generiq 261]

That splitter he's using, I think Windows sees it as optical and limits the channels to stereo.

[softworkz 4574]

4 minutes ago, generiq said:

That splitter he's using, I think Windows sees it as optical and limits the channels to stereo.

No, Windows doesn't do this for optical outs. It can't know. That's why the speaker configuration is there. It's exactly for allowing to configure it for those cases where it can't know(detect).

It's possible that he hasn't gone through the speaker configuiration to set a 5.1 layout. That would explain why the others are grayed out.

But the Atmos item doesn't make sense to me - neither the other menu entries.

[generiq 261]

2 minutes ago, softworkz said:

No, Windows doesn't do this for optical outs. It can't know. That's why the speaker configuration is there. It's exactly for allowing to configure it for those cases where it can't know(detect).

I understand what you're saying. What I'm suggesting is that the device is connected to the computer via HDMI, but the unit also has an optical output. And Windows is defaulting to stereo. That's what it did with me back when I used optical. Audio passthrough was the only way I could get surround sound. Windows is clearly not allowing 6 and 8 channel output. So it's making the decision autonomously.

[generiq 261]

As you see in my screenshot, Windows provides no other speaker configuration other than stereo. No possibility of choosing differently. 

[softworkz 4574]

43 minutes ago, generiq said:

As you see in my screenshot, Windows provides no other speaker configuration other than stereo. No possibility of choosing differently. 

This is different for each device. For your JBL Bluetooth speakers, it is known that it's just 2, but you can still control the frequency range.

For headphones there's no such menu - obviously there's nothing that could be configured.

For your Realtek audio, there are multiple speaker layouts to configure because it has multiple outputs.

[generiq 261]

4 minutes ago, softworkz said:

For your Realtek audio, there are multiple speaker layouts to configure because it has multiple outputs.

 

 

[Julien_NC 2]

Hi,

9 hours ago, softworkz said:

Where is that screenshot from? I've never seen this on Windows..?

MPV doesn't send AAC over HDMI. Without passthrough enabled, it decodes audio on its own and sends the uncompressed audio over HDMI, which is widely support.

Can you please post the mpv log from the case with multi-channel audio that is output in stereo only?

I am using Windows 10.

I have the Dolby Atmos option after I had done the Atmos configuration with Dolby Access :

 

My Speaker are already in a Dolby Atmos configuration :

Give me a minute to try an AAC movie I'll give you the MPV.log

Just in case the relevant screenshot for my audio configuration (I am sorry it's in french) :

Edited December 21, 2024 by Julien_NC