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HTPC Audio/Surround Sound Best Practice


Slouchmr

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Slouchmr

Hey guys

 

Long time supporter with Emby and very happy with the new update.  I thought it was time for someone to help me get the best possible sound out of my HTPC.

 

I am running Denon X2000 with some B&W 5 x surround speakers.  My receiver can support all the HD DTS Dolby etc as well.  I also have blu-ray player in the HTPC as well.

 

Just wondering how i should setup emy/windows 10 machine??

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johnlo317

That depends on your HTPC hardware. . I'm using spdif for audio and not HDMI. I get DTS and DD fine. I did use HDMI for audio in the past... It works too. I'm using it now cuz I was having problem with video. So been using DVI to HDMI instead.

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johnlo317

Go into setting from the theater Apps. Look for audio. And within there I was able to select my output of audio.

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Deathsquirrel

Ideally you would bitstream your audio to the receiver for it to decode.  The bitstreaming option should be set to hdmi since that's what you're using.

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Guest asrequested

I'm running a very similar setup. i7 6700K with HDMI. This is how I have mine set, and it works perfectly.

 

56db29d64d899_Snapshot_7.jpg

Edited by Doofus
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epayson85

I have yet to use emby theater on my HTPC reading this has got me wondering what others are seeing.  I have been a kodi / xbmc user and a long time WMC user.  With wmc it can be a pain but once you get all your codecs working correctly its great.  My only issue always has been no matter which codecs / audio splitters I use the bitstreaming volume is always way too low.  I am talking you have to set volume on my reciever 20 to 30 higher than when playing anything else that doesn't bitstream and even then it doesn't sound good in my opinion.  Not to mention that you get hissing out of your speakers for having the volume so high.  Doesn't matter if I use HDMI or optical bit streaming has always been low.  This has also been the case with Kodi for me as well.  This has been from multiple HTPCs over the years and multiple receivers.  I have never liked the results.  For me using a quality audio splitter that sends out each analog signal to the receiver has always sounded better.

 

All that being said... what results are people seeing using bitstreaming via emby theater?  If you aren't using bitstreaming how are you able to get into the settings of emby's audio decoders?  FFDSHOW has always been one of my favorites as its so easy to access each audio channel and tweak it the way you like it for your setup / room.

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Deathsquirrel

If you're bitstreaming you aren't decoding on the PC so there really shouldn't be any meaningful settings to change.

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Guest asrequested

I have yet to use emby theater on my HTPC reading this has got me wondering what others are seeing.  I have been a kodi / xbmc user and a long time WMC user.  With wmc it can be a pain but once you get all your codecs working correctly its great.  My only issue always has been no matter which codecs / audio splitters I use the bitstreaming volume is always way too low.  I am talking you have to set volume on my reciever 20 to 30 higher than when playing anything else that doesn't bitstream and even then it doesn't sound good in my opinion.  Not to mention that you get hissing out of your speakers for having the volume so high.  Doesn't matter if I use HDMI or optical bit streaming has always been low.  This has also been the case with Kodi for me as well.  This has been from multiple HTPCs over the years and multiple receivers.  I have never liked the results.  For me using a quality audio splitter that sends out each analog signal to the receiver has always sounded better.

 

All that being said... what results are people seeing using bitstreaming via emby theater?  If you aren't using bitstreaming how are you able to get into the settings of emby's audio decoders?  FFDSHOW has always been one of my favorites as its so easy to access each audio channel and tweak it the way you like it for your setup / room.

 

The filters and splitters are native in ET. There's nothing external to install. 

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Slouchmr

If you're bitstreaming you aren't decoding on the PC so there really shouldn't be any meaningful settings to change.

 

that is what i thought.  Just checking on what people have added to there system to get the best results.

 

I have done alot of things to my system over the past and now i have unplugged my amp as i am moving and now no sound works on my HTPC.  I think i might have to do wipe.

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Harblar

I have yet to use emby theater on my HTPC reading this has got me wondering what others are seeing.  I have been a kodi / xbmc user and a long time WMC user.  With wmc it can be a pain but once you get all your codecs working correctly its great.  My only issue always has been no matter which codecs / audio splitters I use the bitstreaming volume is always way too low.  I am talking you have to set volume on my reciever 20 to 30 higher than when playing anything else that doesn't bitstream and even then it doesn't sound good in my opinion.  Not to mention that you get hissing out of your speakers for having the volume so high.  Doesn't matter if I use HDMI or optical bit streaming has always been low.  This has also been the case with Kodi for me as well.  This has been from multiple HTPCs over the years and multiple receivers.  I have never liked the results.  For me using a quality audio splitter that sends out each analog signal to the receiver has always sounded better.

 

All that being said... what results are people seeing using bitstreaming via emby theater?  If you aren't using bitstreaming how are you able to get into the settings of emby's audio decoders?  FFDSHOW has always been one of my favorites as its so easy to access each audio channel and tweak it the way you like it for your setup / room.

 

I don't even know what to tell you on that.  I've been bitstreaming for years, on various HTPC's and Receivers and have never had that issue. Hell... most of the time on my current setup I have to turn my HTPC down 5-10 clicks to match the output level of my Xbox One. I'm always above reference level before I start hearing any noticeable white noise from my speakers. I'd double check the settings on your receiver. Sometimes there can be certain features that may unknowingly drop the levels during internal processing. (dolby volume, pro logic, input level adjustments, etc...) Try to eliminate all processing in the receiver other than the initial decode and whatever EQing you do to level match your speakers and see if that helps.

 

How does bitstreaming from a bluray player work for you? Bitstreaming from an HTPC should be identical to that. If it isn't then my guess would be there is maybe something in the way you are creating your media that is leading to the lower audio output levels. How are you handling your media, exactly? Mkv rips, iso's, Video_ts folders, conversions to Mp4's, etc...  I prefer to rip my media using Make Mkv. I always select the the main Video Title, the highest quality audio track (along with the nested track, in the cased of DTS-MA and True HD), and whatever I want for subs. This just pulls the original video/audio/subtitle files from the disc. No compression, no conversion, and (what I really like) no menus!

 

Whatever the case may be, there is definitely something odd going on with your setup, because bitstreaming to a mid-highend receiver should at least be equal in quality to (likely better than) built in decoding and direct analog output (unless your running a highend dedicated soundcard or motherboard with an isolated sound unit, even then, though, they should be very close).

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Guest asrequested

You know what I think may be happening. Using the installed codecs, filters and splitters, it might be re-encoding to AC3. If the receiver doesn't specifically say what the sound file is, you wouldn't know. Because ET is self contained you can't alter that setting, so it bitstreams without re-encoding. If the receiver doesn't support all the sound types, it'll convert it. So for instance, It may play a dts file, but may not support dts-MA or dts HD. Or it may support Dolby, but not TrueHD. Check your receiver and find out what it will support. The filters you've installed (LAV or ffdshow) don't have any effect on ET.

 

EDIT: I just looked it up. It would appear that it supports them. Play the files with something else and verify that your computer is correctly bitstreaming. Take a look at this guide 

 

http://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/30199-et-setup-guide-with-madvr-and-bitstreaming-hd-audio/

Edited by Doofus
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epayson85

I don't even know what to tell you on that.  I've been bitstreaming for years, on various HTPC's and Receivers and have never had that issue. Hell... most of the time on my current setup I have to turn my HTPC down 5-10 clicks to match the output level of my Xbox One. I'm always above reference level before I start hearing any noticeable white noise from my speakers. I'd double check the settings on your receiver. Sometimes there can be certain features that may unknowingly drop the levels during internal processing. (dolby volume, pro logic, input level adjustments, etc...) Try to eliminate all processing in the receiver other than the initial decode and whatever EQing you do to level match your speakers and see if that helps.

 

How does bitstreaming from a bluray player work for you? Bitstreaming from an HTPC should be identical to that. If it isn't then my guess would be there is maybe something in the way you are creating your media that is leading to the lower audio output levels. How are you handling your media, exactly? Mkv rips, iso's, Video_ts folders, conversions to Mp4's, etc...  I prefer to rip my media using Make Mkv. I always select the the main Video Title, the highest quality audio track (along with the nested track, in the cased of DTS-MA and True HD), and whatever I want for subs. This just pulls the original video/audio/subtitle files from the disc. No compression, no conversion, and (what I really like) no menus!

 

Whatever the case may be, there is definitely something odd going on with your setup, because bitstreaming to a mid-highend receiver should at least be equal in quality to (likely better than) built in decoding and direct analog output (unless your running a highend dedicated soundcard or motherboard with an isolated sound unit, even then, though, they should be very close).

If I bitstream from other sources there are no issues with audio volume it's only from a PC and this been with multiple receivers and multiple PCs. It's also any media that has Dolby / DTS audio. Whether it's mkvs / ripped movies or its live TV / recordings. The volume just drops. Everytime I build a new htpc I try to figure it out but I get no where.

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Harblar

If I bitstream from other sources there are no issues with audio volume it's only from a PC and this been with multiple receivers and multiple PCs. It's also any media that has Dolby / DTS audio. Whether it's mkvs / ripped movies or its live TV / recordings. The volume just drops. Everytime I build a new htpc I try to figure it out but I get no where.

 

That's really strange. There has to be something with the way you setup your system. You're not running your HDMI chain through any other devices, are you? It should just be HTPC -> HDMI -> Receiver -> HDMI -> TV. What about your HDMI cable itself? Do you always use the same one for the HTPC? If so, try a different one. Is there any other common hardware in your system? You said you've had multiple receivers and HTPC's. Were the HTPC's always 100% new parts? No carry over on video cards or dedicated soundcards? What about video card chipset? It shouldn't make a difference, but I know I've always had better results with Nvidia when it comes to video/audio playback via HDMI. It could even be a quirk related to a specific manufacturer. Are you using a manufacturer supplied driver? If so, try the latest driver direct from the chipset manufacturer, Nvidia/AMD. What about your display. Have you been using the same TV throughout all your other changes? There might be some kind of HDMI/HDCP handshake issue with the TV causing problems. The way HDMI works, everything in the display chain has to be on the same page or you could get weird effects. I'd try swapping in a newer TV (or even an HDMI equipped PC monitor) and see if that has any effect.

 

What about third party codecs? It took me quite a bit of futzing around with various guides and codec packs to get bitstreaming working initially. This usually ended up with me having lots of unneeded software running and causing problems.  Things have gotten much easier over the years. Emby Theater makes it beyond simple. Just install it and it takes care of all the necessary codecs to get everything set.  You mentioned FFDshow. Did you have it or any other codec packs installed any of the times you tried to get bitstreaming working? I'd suggest doing a clean windows install, Only install Emby Theater, and then try bitstreaming. See if that changes anything.  The way you describe it it sounds as though there is something on your PC adding some kind of processing to the audio stream before passing it through to the receiver. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
epayson85

Different TVs, different receivers, on board video, nvidia video, HDMI and spdif. I have tried it all. Different software and different codecs. Dolby and DTS. The second I bitstream the audio volume drops. Even if I turn it up the surround volume is awful in my opinion but at least the front speakers are great. Ffdshow even bit streaming sucks. The second I turn it analog and control all the speaker outputs via the software man does it sound spectacular. I saw an old post from someone using theater reporting the same thing. Turn on bitsteaming and they have to turn volume up to like 80%. I mean I have tried everything. Start from scratch and try every splitter / codec and nothing. Kodi does it, wmc does it... Even avoiding codecs and using wmc to watch live TV. If I go into control panel and enable bit streaming for Dolby audio which is what my live TV uses on wmc... Boom my audio levels drop. I wish I knew more people that were into this so I could see their setups and see if they have done anything I haven't. I have been building / using htpcs since I was connecting my PC to my TV to old tube TVs with svideo out haha so I'm not new to this by any means.

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Harblar

Well... I guess bitstreaming just doesn't like you very much! lol

 

Honestly, I have never had an issue with bitstreaming (once it was actually working, which was a bit of  PITA to get setup right 5-6 years ago.) I've been bitstreaming it to an Emotiva UMC-1 preamp/LPA-7 Amp Setup for years now. At 80% volume the neighbors think the world is coming to an end. hahaha  

 

Wish I had some other ideas for you to try. Is there anything you've been using or doing that is a constant across all of your various setups? Wires, cables, etc...   

 

If your front speakers sound fine, but the surrounds aren't loud enough for you, it could be related to the receiver's setup. Did you run some kind of automated speaker setup? Check out and tweak the surround levels in the receiver manually and see if that helps.

 

Or it might just be personal audio preference. Depending on what exactly you're watching, the surround tracks just might not be encoded to be as noticeable. Not all that uncommon and could be a result of the way a studio decided to master a soundtrack. Pretty common on TV and various Streaming services as well, probably more from an effort to help save bandwidth by making the surround less dynamic (bandwidth is not much of concern for surround these days, by I do notice them still being less dynamic than actual DVD's/Blurays). It could be you just prefer a much more Dynamic surround experience than the average viewer. Nothing wrong with that. As long as it sounds good to you, that's all that really matters. :-)

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epayson85

O no the front speakers are only good at like 65 to 70 and surround is faint. If I turn off bit streaming they are good at 45 and the surround sound better. Nothing has stayed the same from system to system. I honestly think I don't like bitsteaming haha

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