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No 5.1 audio passthrough on new Sony Bravia


bobafett_h

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bobafett_h

I just got a new Sony BRAVIA (55 inch X90F - KD-55X9000F) yesterday and want to use the Emby app on it instead of the old HTPC running WMC and Emby Classic. The TV is running Android TV 7.0 and the Emby Server is currently version 3.5.3.0 on a Windows Server 2012 R2 machine.

 

The audio system is an old Panasonic one with support for Dolby Digital and DTS and is connected via the optical out from the TV. The HTPC was connected to this system via optical out as well.

 

Videos open fine from the Emby app on the new TV, but all audio is only being passed to the sound system as stereo instead of 5.1 as expected.

 

Opening the same videos via the DLNA server from the TV has the audio pass to the audio system correctly as Dolby or DTS. Playing UHD Blu-rays from my Sony UBP-X700 passes the audio as expected as well.

 

Most of my Blu-ray rips have been encoded as HEVC/H.265 with DTS-HD MA as MKVs, while DVD rips are the same with Dolby Digital or DTS audio. I have also tested using H.264 encoded videos. A log file from playing my rip of Avatar is attached.

 

Any help with getting the digital audio working would be appreciated.

ffmpeg-transcode-cc814e6f-523b-4cc3-b874-0d6e62ecf044.txt

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bobafett_h

Nope, AC3 (Dolby Digital) is not working.

 

Have now also tested Netflix which works fine. So far it is only Emby which is not passing through any 5.1 audio.

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Hi.  It looks like the app is trying to direct play and failing and, therefore, falling back to transcoding.  Perhaps even multiple failures because one of our fallbacks will be to decrease the audio support.

 

I suspect the multiple optical connections involved as that connection type is pretty limited in what it can carry (DTS-HD nor EAC3 will pass over it).

 

Can you please play this item and then follow the instructions to send a log from the app?

 

Thanks.

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bobafett_h

I have tested and sent two logs from the Emby app on the TV.

 

The first one was Avatar sent at 8:27 am

The second one was Lethal Weapon set at 8:28 am

Both were using the Administrator account.

 

I tested both after by playing direct from the network (I am assuming via DLNA) and they worked correctly.

The core DTS track from the DTS-HD MA track of the Avatar MKV was successfully sent to the sound system, while the Dolby Digital track of the Lethal Weapon MKV was successfully sent to it.

Edited by bobafett_h
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Okay, there are a couple of issues here.

 

1) Your system is only reporting support for stereo audio. That is why the app is mixing everything down.  First, check the audio setting in the app and ensure it is set to "Auto" and not "Downmix to stereo".  Then, check settings on the TV to be sure you are allowing multi-channel audio there.

 

2) A subtitle was automatically selected but there was invalid information about that subtitle and that caused a player error.  That particular situation is fixed now in the beta version of the app but you can try turning subtitles off for this item in the OSD to avoid it now.

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bobafett_h

1. The setting in the Emby app is definitely set to Auto.

The settings on the TV are set for Audio System instead of TV Speakers, and the Optical Output is set to Auto 1 (other options are Auto 2 or PCM).

PCM turns off bitstream passthrough, while passthrough should work for the Auto 1 or Auto 2 options.

 

2. The Avatar MKV has a forced VobSub subtitle track. It seemed to display correctly from the Emby app even if there was an error in the log.

 

I have now also tested playing movies in the VLC and Kodi apps on the TV and neither of them output the digital audio correctly either.

It seems like the issue could be something to do with Android or AudioTrack which these apps seem to use for passthrough.

The Netflix and Video apps still work fine so perhaps they use a different system for passing through the audio via the optical out.

 

I was really hoping I could ditch the HTPC, but it is not looking like I will be able to at this point.

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bobafett_h

In addition, I have just tested accessing Emby via the TVs web browser.

 

Videos play fine from the web app on the TV and Dolby Digital is successfully output to the sound system.

DTS audio tracks are converted to Dolby Digital, but it comes out as 5.1 regardless using this playback method.

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As far as the app is concerned, it is being told by the system that it only supports stereo and that is why it is converting it.

 

You could try the other setting but I'd also suggest getting off of the optical connection (switch to HDMI) if at all possible as that is a very limiting factor.

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bobafett_h

I don't have an option for HDMI audio at this time. The sound system only has optical connections.

Perhaps Andriod TV 8.0 will fix this problem if it is ever released for the Sony TVs...

 

In the meantime, I have figured out that I can browse to the movie from Emby on my phone or PC and then play/cast to DLNA on the TV which works as expected.

It is not the best way of doing it, but works, and is a lot better than the awful DLNA interface.

 

Also, I have tried enabling the "Play videos to external app" option in the Emby app on the TV, but it always encounters an error about not being able to find an app.

There doesn't seem to be anyway of configuring one though?

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mastrmind11

 

 

Also, I have tried enabling the "Play videos to external app" option in the Emby app on the TV, but it always encounters an error about not being able to find an app.

There doesn't seem to be anyway of configuring one though?

You need to install an external app, like VLC, etc.

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bobafett_h

You need to install an external app, like VLC, etc.

 

Oops! I had actually uninstalled VLC the night before and forgot I had done that before testing the external app option.

However, is there any way of getting Emby to use the Video app (built-in) as the external player? (since that works)

 

I downloaded a few other third party media player apps to test with and found that I can get Dolby and DTS to work correctly from Archos Video Player. It has an option in the settings for Audio passthrough which was set to disabled by default. So that should work as a workaround until a better option becomes available.

Edited by bobafett_h
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mastrmind11

Oops! I had actually uninstalled VLC the night before and forgot I had done that before testing the external app option.

However, is there any way of getting Emby to use the Videos app (built-in) as the external player? (since that works)

 

I downloaded a few other third party media player apps to test with and found that I can get Dolby and DTS to work correctly from Archos Video Player. It has an option in the settings for Audio passthrough which was set to disabled by default. So that should work as a workaround until a better option becomes available.

nope

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  • 1 month later...
jwproduction

I just got a new Sony BRAVIA (55 inch X90F - KD-55X9000F) yesterday and want to use the Emby app on it instead of the old HTPC running WMC and Emby Classic. The TV is running Android TV 7.0 and the Emby Server is currently version 3.5.3.0 on a Windows Server 2012 R2 machine.

 

The audio system is an old Panasonic one with support for Dolby Digital and DTS and is connected via the optical out from the TV. The HTPC was connected to this system via optical out as well.

 

Videos open fine from the Emby app on the new TV, but all audio is only being passed to the sound system as stereo instead of 5.1 as expected.

 

Opening the same videos via the DLNA server from the TV has the audio pass to the audio system correctly as Dolby or DTS. Playing UHD Blu-rays from my Sony UBP-X700 passes the audio as expected as well.

 

Most of my Blu-ray rips have been encoded as HEVC/H.265 with DTS-HD MA as MKVs, while DVD rips are the same with Dolby Digital or DTS audio. I have also tested using H.264 encoded videos. A log file from playing my rip of Avatar is attached.

 

Any help with getting the digital audio working would be appreciated.

 

 

Hello, 

 

I`m faced with the same problem. Sony Android TV (2015) no 5.1 Dolby Digital output in Emby App. If I use kodi as external player in emby i get 5.1 to my sonos system.

 

Amazon Prime App on the sony also sends 5.1 Dolby Digital output to my sonos system.

 

 

Do you have any advice for this problem?

 

 

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Hello, 

 

I`m faced with the same problem. Sony Android TV (2015) no 5.1 Dolby Digital output in Emby App. If I use kodi as external player in emby i get 5.1 to my sonos system.

 

Amazon Prime App on the sony also sends 5.1 Dolby Digital output to my sonos system.

 

 

Do you have any advice for this problem?

 

HI.  Have you checked these things?

 

 

1) Your system is only reporting support for stereo audio. That is why the app is mixing everything down.  First, check the audio setting in the app and ensure it is set to "Auto" and not "Downmix to stereo".  Then, check settings on the TV to be sure you are allowing multi-channel audio there.

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jwproduction

And what about the TV itself?

 

Also how is everything connected?

 

The TV and sonos are connected fine:

 

Examples:

 

Sony Android TV + Amazon Prime App on Sony Android TV  => 5.1 Sound on Sonos

Sony Android TV + Kodi App on Sony Android TV  => 5.1 Sound on Sonos

 

Sony Android TV + Vu+ Receiver (HDMI) Video Playback (same Video)  => 5.1 Sound on Sonos

Sony Android TV + PS4 fifa 19   => 5.1 Sound on Sonos

 

Sony Android TV + Emby App + Kodi App as external Player in Emby on Sony Android TV  => 5.1 Sound on Sonos

 
Sony Android TV + Emby App on Sony Android TV  => NO 5.1 Sound on Sonos
 

 I think that it must be a problem in the emby app.

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The Problem is Sony and the MediaTek SOC, they dont use the nomal android capatibilities for multichannel audio, they use any workaround, maybe licence problem.

 

Maybe it helps to look at the source code from archos video. There is a audio passthrough option, with Automatic 1 i have DD and DTS Sound on my av-receiver over arc.

 

 

I use Archos Video as external Player at the Moment on my Sony A1.

Edited by sofax
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The TV and sonos are connected fine:

 

Examples:

 

Sony Android TV + Amazon Prime App on Sony Android TV  => 5.1 Sound on Sonos

Sony Android TV + Kodi App on Sony Android TV  => 5.1 Sound on Sonos

 

Sony Android TV + Vu+ Receiver (HDMI) Video Playback (same Video)  => 5.1 Sound on Sonos

Sony Android TV + PS4 fifa 19   => 5.1 Sound on Sonos

 

Sony Android TV + Emby App + Kodi App as external Player in Emby on Sony Android TV  => 5.1 Sound on Sonos

 
Sony Android TV + Emby App on Sony Android TV  => NO 5.1 Sound on Sonos
 

 I think that it must be a problem in the emby app.

 

But how exactly are those items connected together?

 

If it is an Optical cable, I think that is probably the issue as the Android OS does not properly expose the capabilities to us with that.  It tells us it only accepts stereo.

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Okay, then i think the above poster was correct and this is simply a limitation of this particular platform and that connection type.  I don't believe it will allow us to bitstream from an Android app.  The only thing that would even potentially work would be plain Dolby Digital I believe but, the last time we attempted to force that, it simply produced no sound.

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Kodi is not an Android app per se.  It is written at a lower level.  It runs on the base OS that Android runs on as opposed to inside Android itself.

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