Shield TV AAC multichannel audio

[processcreative 0]

Hi folks

 

I'm wondering if someone can help me with some info.

 

I have both a Roku+ and a Fire TV 4K, connected directly to a Toshiba 4K HDR TV. Audio is output via optical to a Yamaha YSP-2200. (The Yamaha cannot pass through 4K video, so for now this is my only option until I can afford to upgrade the bar).

 

The Roku will transcode any 5.1 or 7.1 AAC audio to DD 5.1 (if I use Plex or Emby). All is well in that department and I'm very happy with the sound... however, the Roku is terrible with PGS subtitles and the video is required to force a transcode which I want to avoid completely.

 

The FireStick 4K handles any subs perfectly, but any multichannel audio is simply muxed down to stereo and passed to the soundbar, and it's noticeably inferior sounding. There's no setting on the Firestick to force DD 5.1, it always muxes AAC multichannel down to stereo.

 

Question is this, does the NVidia Shield TV handle multichannel AAC in the same way as the FireStick? Can anyone who owns one please let me know their experiences? I'd like to purchase one but if it muxes audio to stereo it's a no-go. My TV supports Dolby Vision HDR and looks great, and I'd lose that if I connected the sticks to the Yamaha sound bar due to its passthough limitations.

 

Thanks in advance guys.

 

 

 

[mastrmind11 717]

if you go directly from the shield to your receiver, I believe the shield will pass it through as PCM 5.1  Go grab a shield from best buy and return it if you are unsatisfied.  I have several shields both local and remote that play everything I throw at them.

Edited May 14, 2020 by mastrmind11

[processcreative 0]

Thanks, although I cannot send pcm 5.1 via optical. The Shield has to be connected to my TV (due to soundbar passthrough limitations)

 

Roku converts to DD 5.1 which is perfect, but I prefer Android TV.

 

if you go directly from the shield to your receiver, I believe the shield will pass it through as PCM 5.1 Go grab a shield from best buy and return it if you are unsatisfied. I have several shields both local and remote that play everything I throw at them.

[ebr 14930]

Hi.  You are correct that the limiting factor here is the optical connection as it cannot pass multichannel audio any way other than compressed in something like straight DD or DTS.  The Roku box itself, I think converts to DD for you so that is why you are seeing that there.  The Fire doesn't have that option I don't think.

 

The only thing we could do is force the server to convert the audio to DD in this case and that would need to be a new option.  This has been requested before and is being considered.

 

Thanks.