Shield TV 2017 playing Hi-Res FLAC

[ebr 14897]

Any updates on when we might get full audio quality on the Emby for Android TV app?  For now the workaround for me is to enable use kodi with the Emby addon and have the proper settings to for pass through audio and "best match" to the source.

 

According to the information we have, you need to be asking Google or Nvidia.

[StreamingMagic 0]

Thanks for your reply.  Has anyone heard anything from Google or Nvidia in this matter?

 

The thing that puzzles me is that Plex and Kodi work fine on the same platform, just not the Emby app.  Perhaps the same "workaround" they employ might be implemented with Emby in the meantime?  I pay extra for high-bit rate music so it ashamed not to be able to utilize and enjoy it's full potential with the Emby App.

[ebr 14897]

Thanks for your reply.  Has anyone heard anything from Google or Nvidia in this matter?

 

The thing that puzzles me is that Plex and Kodi work fine on the same platform, just not the Emby app.  Perhaps the same "workaround" they employ might be implemented with Emby in the meantime?  I pay extra for high-bit rate music so it ashamed not to be able to utilize and enjoy it's full potential with the Emby App.

 

Can you produce an example and provide all the information in How to Report a Problem including the part on sending a log from the app?

 

Thanks.

[Madaudio 0]

The thing that puzzles me is that Plex and Kodi work fine on the same platform, just not the Emby app. 

 

Plex and Kodi do not work fine on the Shield TV, as far as bit-perfect playback of hi-res audio flac files.  Until recently they both turned multichannel hi-res flac into two-channel.

 

And they both still tamper with cd rips to flac by converting the 44.1 khz sampling rate to 48khz, and down-sampling higher sampling of DVD-A rips to 48khz, regardless of whether the original was 88.2, 96, 176.4, or 192.  Everything comes out as 48khz.

 

You asked "Has anyone heard from Google or Nvidia".  Please read my post no 24 just above, dated 13/8/17, where Nvidia has commented on this.  It appears to be a limitation with the Android OS. 

 

I don't know whether Android O allows a solution to this:  only the savvy app developers can tell us this.  If so, we have to hope that Nvidia will provide an update to Android O for the Shield TV.  But if Android O does not provide a solution, then we are still stuck with what we have now. 

 

Unless more amps and avr's can be programmed to decode flac, and developers find a way of "passing through" the flac files via HDMI for decoding by amps and receivers, which apps like UAPP and Hiby and the like can currently do via USB to external DACs

Edited December 15, 2017 by Madaudio

[cchsieh 8]

Kodi and Plex play two-channel hi-res audio flac perfectly for a long time, but emby doesn't. Most of my music is two channel actually. If the OS has the ability, why not the player?

 

For me, Kodi is perfect to play two-channel hi-res audio flac & dsd (DSDs downgrade to 176khz, and it's perfect), and now I use Kodi as my solution. But I still wish only one app to play back all my movies and music.

[Madaudio 0]

Kodi and Plex play two-channel hi-res audio flac perfectly for a long time, but emby doesn't. Most of my music is two channel actually. If the OS has the ability, why not the player?

 

For me, Kodi is perfect to play two-channel hi-res audio flac & dsd (DSDs downgrade to 176khz, and it's perfect), and now I use Kodi as my solution. But I still wish only one app to play back all my movies and music.

 

Yes, they play two-channel, but not "perfectly": they tamper with the original CD sample rate by "up-sampling" it from 44.1khz to 48khz, as do all android music players.  I do have one two-channel hi-res flac file which I ripped from a dvd-rom of wav files which came on the DVD rom sampled at 176.4, and yes, Kodi does seem to play this correctly at 176.4.

 

But rips of standard 44.1khz CDs get tampered with, as I said, and played at 48khz (by the Android OS, not by Kodi or Plex, as I understand).  Who is to know what distortions get introduced in this "up-sampling" process??  This is not "bit-perfect" playback

[cchsieh 8]

Yes, they play two-channel, but not "perfectly": they tamper with the original CD sample rate by "up-sampling" it from 44.1khz to 48khz, as do all android music players.  I do have one two-channel hi-res flac file which I ripped from a dvd-rom of wav files which came on the DVD rom sampled at 176.4, and yes, Kodi does seem to play this correctly at 176.4.

 

But rips of standard 44.1khz CDs get tampered with, as I said, and played at 48khz (by the Android OS, not by Kodi or Plex, as I understand).  Who is to know what distortions get introduced in this "up-sampling" process??  This is not "bit-perfect" playback

 

Hi-res audio is the audio of 24bit/48khz and above, I think ... not the CD quality audio (16bit/44.1khz).

 

The ability of Android OS now, I remembered, is

1.Two channel hi-res audio (48khz-192khz) plays as it is (48khz-192khz). 

2.Multi-channel hi-res audio will downgrade to multi-channel and 48khz (bad, I know).

3.CD quality audio (44.1khz) will up-sample to 48khz (bad, I know)

 

Kodi and Plex can play music as the above, but not emby.

Edited December 15, 2017 by cchsieh

[Madaudio 0]

Hi-res audio is the audio of 24bit/48khz and above, I think ... not the CD quality audio (16bit/44.1khz).

 

cchsieh, now that you have introduced the bit-rate, I believe (may need correcting on this) that android N will currently only do 16 bit, not 24 bit??

[cchsieh 8]

cchsieh, now that you have introduced the bit-rate, I believe (may need correcting on this) that android N will currently only do 16 bit, not 24 bit??

 

What I remembered is 32bit in Kodi's log (for output), maybe not correct. But there's no information about bit rate in the receiver so I don't know the actual bit rate that the receiver received.

[StreamingMagic 0]

Kodi and Plex play two-channel hi-res audio flac perfectly for a long time, but emby doesn't. Most of my music is two channel actually. If the OS has the ability, why not the player?

 

For me, Kodi is perfect to play two-channel hi-res audio flac & dsd (DSDs downgrade to 176khz, and it's perfect), and now I use Kodi as my solution. But I still wish only one app to play back all my movies and music.

Yes this is what I am referring to as well..two channel music.  I can't speak to the multi-channel Flac as I do not have any of those type of files.

[ebr 14897]

Yes this is what I am referring to as well..two channel music.  I can't speak to the multi-channel Flac as I do not have any of those type of files.

 

Can you please describe how the other app "plays it perfectly" (how are you determining perfectly) and what it means that Emby "doesn't"?

 

Exactly what happens when you play the item in Emby?

 

 

Can you produce an example and provide all the information in How to Report a Problem including the part on sending a log from the app?

 

Thanks.

[cchsieh 8]

I tested MX Player for Android TV (free version) today. And make sure it can play 88.2khz/96khz/176.4khz/192khz two channel FLACs as it is on Shield TV. Still hope Emby can do so ...... 

Edited February 6, 2018 by cchsieh

[ebr 14897]

I tested MX Player for Android TV (free version) today. And make sure it can play 88.2khz/96khz/176.4khz/192khz two channel FLACs as it is on Shield TV. Still hope Emby can do so ...... 

 

Have you tried with the latest beta of the app?

[cchsieh 8]

I tested Emby for Android TV v1.5.45g today. And It can play 88.2khz/96khz/176.4khz/192khz two channel FLACs corretly.

 

Thank you very much!!!

Edited February 9, 2018 by cchsieh

[ebr 14897]

Thanks for the confirmation.

[StreamingMagic 0]

This is great news.  I would like to test this new beta version as well on my shield.  How might I do this?  Is it a matter of manually installing a .apk or can it be had from play store?

[ebr 14897]

This is great news.  I would like to test this new beta version as well on my shield.  How might I do this?  Is it a matter of manually installing a .apk or can it be had from play store?

 

Android Open Beta Testing

 

[StreamingMagic 0]

Ok that was too easy :-)  I was thinking I was going to have sideload and all this other nonsense!

 

Thanks Chief!

[cchsieh 8]

Recent versions of Emby client for Android TV  seems lose the ability to play hi-res music as 88.2hkz/96khz/176.4khz/192khz (two channel) in Shield TV and only play any music as 48khz now. Anything I can do?

 

Sorry for my bad english.

[ebr 14897]

Recent versions of Emby client for Android TV  seems lose the ability to play hi-res music as 88.2hkz/96khz/176.4khz/192khz (two channel) in Shield TV and only play any music as 48khz now. Anything I can do?

 

Sorry for my bad english.

 

Hi.  Can we please look at an example?

 

How to Report a Problem

[cchsieh 8]

I attached the log file.

 

 

embyserver-63685075389.txt

[cchsieh 8]

I also sent the log of Emby client for Android TV to your server around 18:56 (GMT+8) 2019-02-06 ...

[ebr 14897]

I also sent the log of Emby client for Android TV to your server around 18:56 (GMT+8) 2019-02-06 ...

 

There was no playback in that app log.

 

Can you please discuss exactly what you are doing and what is happening that you feel is a problem.  I'm not sure what "fails to playback" means?  Is there an error?

[cchsieh 8]

I just play one FLAC music file and then one FLAC music file to test if emby client will send 96khz/192khz audio to receiver correctly. 

 

As #39 of this thread I wrote, Emby for Android TV v1.5.45g can play 88.2/92/176.4/192khz FLAC music file to receiver correctly without any downgrading. But now, recent version, it can't. It can only play 48khz (downgrade to 48khz) no mather what the FLAC is.

[ebr 14897]

I just play one FLAC music file and then one FLAC music file to test if emby client will send 96khz/192khz audio to receiver correctly. 

 

As #39 of this thread I wrote, Emby for Android TV v1.5.45g can play 88.2/92/176.4/192khz FLAC music file to receiver correctly without any downgrading. But now, recent version, it can't. It can only play 48khz (downgrade to 48khz) no mather what the FLAC is.

 

Can you please play this one file and then immediately send the log from that?

 

Thanks.