Jump to content

Dolby Atmos over TrueHD on eARC


TheKamakaZi
Go to solution Solved by rbjtech,

Recommended Posts

TheKamakaZi

Hi guys,

I'm in the process of upgrading my home theatre system, and hit a wall when it comes to Dolby TrueHD support in the app.

The Samsung TU7000 reports that it supports TrueHD passthrough over eARC. Would the app be able to take advantage of this, or will there need to be updates made to the app?

If the app is a no-go, could you recommend a device, a la nVidia Shield, etc. to use as media source into the receiver that would be fully functional, including Live TV, TrueHD/DTS-HD MA, and 4K@60FPS.

Cheers!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can test this by temporarily turning off these two user settings on the server

Allow video playback that requires transcoding
Allow video playback that requires conversion without re-encoding

This will prevent it from trying to convert the TrueHD audio.  If it plays through to the amp then we can update the client to better support this automatically.  If not, then there is probably not much we can do.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

rbjtech

Also remember both the TV and the Receiver need to support eARC for HD Audio, not just the TV.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

TheKamakaZi
3 hours ago, SamES said:

You can test this by temporarily turning off these two user settings on the server


Allow video playback that requires transcoding
Allow video playback that requires conversion without re-encoding

This will prevent it from trying to convert the TrueHD audio.  If it plays through to the amp then we can update the client to better support this automatically.  If not, then there is probably not much we can do.

I'm hoping to have things confirmed before buying the TV :)

1 hour ago, rbjtech said:

Also remember both the TV and the Receiver need to support eARC for HD Audio, not just the TV.

That, I can confirm! The AV receiver is the Denon AVR-S750H. It supports Dolby Atmos®, Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization Technology, DTS:X™, DTS Virtual:X®, new eARC support.

Thanks for the responses, guys!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FrostByte

Hopefully it would be a fairly easy fix even if it's not already in there.  All the app has to do is allow TrueHD playback if Tizen >= 5.5.   The app is already doing something similar by transcoding DTS if Tizen is >=4.0 

Also, which models have eARC?  Is it just the Premium sets?  If so then that makes the code a little harder because you have to target specific models also

Does the TV actually support TrueHD now, or is it supposed to come with a firmware update sometime in the future?  There have been a couple others in here who have said it's coming so it may be a good idea to wait until the firmware is actually available.

For playback of DTS:X, LiveTV, etc the 2019 Shield Pro is a good choice and what I use

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TheKamakaZi
1 hour ago, FrostByte said:

Hopefully it would be a fairly easy fix even if it's not already in there.  All the app has to do is allow TrueHD playback if Tizen >= 5.5.   The app is already doing something similar by transcoding DTS if Tizen is >=4.0 

Also, which models have eARC?  Is it just the Premium sets?  If so then that makes the code a little harder because you have to target specific models also

Does the TV actually support TrueHD now, or is it supposed to come with a firmware update sometime in the future?  There have been a couple others in here who have said it's coming so it may be a good idea to wait until the firmware is actually available.

For playback of DTS:X, LiveTV, etc the 2019 Shield Pro is a good choice and what I use

Hey Frostbite,

I read in a review that the TU7000s support both TrueHD and eARC, but I haven't been able to confirm this from any Samsung source, which makes me hesitant to push forward.

Thanks for recommending the Shield. I've been leaning that way as well. Good to have confirmation.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FrostByte

Rtings did a pretty thorough review of that model and they say it supports TrueHD.  They usually test everything they put in their write-ups

https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/samsung/tu7000

 

But when you look at the user manual page 99 it mentions nothing of TrueHD, though the manual does say it has eARC

https://downloadcenter.samsung.com/content/UM/202008/20200831155247300/KT2ATSCT-2.1.2_EM_KANTS_USA_ENG-US_200826.0.pdf

So it's possible that at time of initial release it didn't support TrueHD and that the firmware is out now

 

You could also take a look on Avsforum, they usually have actual user threads for most Samsung models on tha site

 

No DTS though, so you won't get DTS:X without a Shield.  I think LG and TCL have stopped adding DTS decoders also this year

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The thing to be aware of is the the LG C9 and CX models support TrueHD over eArc, but it is not supported in 3rd party apps like Emby, so even though it has eArc and TrueHD support, it has been tested several times and does not work in the Emby client.  Samsung may or may not have the same issue, so until someone tests and confirms it, we won't know for sure.

Check out this article in the Emby LG knowledge base, particularly from about half way down

https://support.emby.media/support/solutions/articles/44001984861-why-does-the-emby-app-for-my-lg-tv-not-play-the-dolby-atmos-truehd-audio-without-transcoding-

If your alternative is a 2019 Shield Pro, and you are still planning on buying a TV, then the TU7000 is still a good choice and there's a chance it might work when you test it for us 😉 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Solution
rbjtech

The safest bet imo, from both a compatibility and future proofing aspect is to get a Shield 2019 Pro connected directly to your Denon receiver - that way you have no need for any ARC/eARC in the first place.  ie Shield > Denon > TV.  As it's all connected via CEC - one press of the 'emby' button on the Shield remote will turn on your Shield, turn on the TV, turn on your Receiver and fire up Emby - ready for you to press play 😃

To add - Currently the Samsung Emby App does not have chapter/ff/rwd functionality  - so it's not going to be a great experience vs the Shield (Android TV) app which is very polished.  This is not to say the Samsung app will not catch up, but you may be disappointed in the usability as of today. 

 

Edited by rbjtech
Link to comment
Share on other sites

TheKamakaZi

Thanks for the input, gents!

I've decided to rather error on the side of caution and go with the nVidia shield TV (the sex toy version). As much as I would like to get a new TV, my current one is already 4K. I just can't justify the cost versus the benefit.

Edit:
Hmm, seems I can only select only a single answer as best answer, but thank you @FrostByte and @SamES for your valuable inputs as well. Seems the TV market can stand with a bit more shoring up feature-wise :) 

Edited by TheKamakaZi
  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

rbjtech

If you want to play high bitrate 4K remux's - then I suggest you stump up the extra for the Pro.  The tube version is hobbled by it's OS architecture and memory constraints - and is not recommended...

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

FrostByte

X2.  Don't get the tube. In addition to everything else the one thing they don't tell you on their website is that it's only 32-bit

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

vdatanet
26 minutes ago, FrostByte said:

X2.  Don't get the tube. In addition to everything else the one thing they don't tell you on their website is that it's only 32-bit

And a memory leak that makes high bitrate HEVC content unwatchable.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/11/2020 at 7:35 PM, TheKamakaZi said:

Oh wow! The plot thickens! The Pro it is 👍

Thanks again, guys! 

Once past the extra $ on the purchase, you'll be glad you got the pro version!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...