Nvidia Shield Pro, ATMOS in m2ts

[BalthazarBux 16]

Hi!

I have a Nvidia Shield Pro, connected to a Samsung HW-Q960a soundbar capable of Atmos in TrueHD, DTS-X in DTS HD MA and so on.

The TV is a Samsung QN95A, it itself does not support TrueHD.  or DTS whatsoever. But with EARC passthrough it plays.

If i play a m2ts file with TRUEHD7.1 ATMOS it direct plays the TRUEHD but doesn´t trigger ATMOS.

If i convert container to mkv file it directplays TRUEHD and trigger ATMOS.

 

Is it the Shield that doesnt support ATMOS in m2ts container or is it with the Emby app?

[ebr 16182]

Hi.  Can you try sideloading our standard android app on the same device and see how that compares?

https://emby.media/emby-for-android.html

Thanks.

 

[justinrh 260]

From what @rbjtech has been learning me, the different audio tracks have to be munged (merged) to play correctly via software (aka Emby).  This may be your case.

How did you create the MKV?  How many audio tracks do you have?

[BalthazarBux 16]

14 hours ago, ebr said:

Hi.  Can you try sideloading our standard android app on the same device and see how that compares?

https://emby.media/emby-for-android.html

Thanks.

 

I did try this, it was worse. It didnt play.

I had to enable container converting in Emby to make it play video, but then no audio at all.

13 hours ago, justinrh said:

From what @rbjtech has been learning me, the different audio tracks have to be munged (merged) to play correctly via software (aka Emby).  This may be your case.

How did you create the MKV?  How many audio tracks do you have?

Well, it was 2 tracks to begin with but I removed all tracks except the one I wanted to test.
I did the convert with mkvtoolnix.

[Luke 42078]

On 2/4/2023 at 8:24 AM, BalthazarBux said:

I did try this, it was worse. It didnt play.

I had to enable container converting in Emby to make it play video, but then no audio at all.

Well, it was 2 tracks to begin with but I removed all tracks except the one I wanted to test.
I did the convert with mkvtoolnix.

@BalthazarBux can you provide a sample video for testing? Thanks.

[rbjtech 5284]

How is the equipment actually physically connected ?

I believe the Shield should connect directly to the soundbar (hdmi 1 or 2) and then the hdmi 3 (labelled as arc/earc) should connect to the TV.

You are not actually using arc/earc in this scenario - as no 'sound' is being passed back from the TV to the soundbar - it's being processed directly from the Shield - and only 'video' is being passed through to the TV.

If you have the Shield plugged into the TV - THEN you are using arc/earc to get the sound back to the soundbar - and that is probably where the issue is coming from - but either way, if Atmos via m2ts is not supported, then it's not going to work and you'll need to convert them into MKV's.

Edited February 7, 2023 by rbjtech

[BalthazarBux 16]

Hi

I have the Shield connected directly to the Soundbar.

But I think the Shield is supporting Atmos via m2ts, therefore the thread start.

But Emby doesnt even play the m2ts-file without allowing container changing. 

 

On 2/5/2023 at 10:17 PM, Luke said:

@BalthazarBux can you provide a sample video for testing? Thanks.

The m2ts I attached have three audio tracks. One that says I'm not playing the dolby atmos track, and then one trueHD and one EAC3.

I'm going to try to be detailed now about the different ways I try to play it and the outcome.

1. With Emby app on Shield and server not allowing transcoding or container change. NOT PLAYING AT ALL

2. With Emby app on Shield, server allowing transcoding of audio, not container change. VIDEO, NO AUDIO with the trueHD track (Direct playing), stuttering frame by frame video or "too many errors" with EAC3, both VIDEO and AUDIO with AC3-track, (Direct playing both audio and video)

3. With Emby app on Shield, server allowing transcoding of audio and container change. VIDEO, TRUEHD AUDIO working , all other audio tracks also working. (Direct play both audio and video on every track) but NO ATMOS

4 With built in TV dlna function. VIDEO AND ATMOS AUDIO triggered only EAC3-track. TrueHD not supported, doesnt show up.

 

5. When I container change myself to mkv with MKVtoolnix, it plays TrueHD track and trigger ATMOS with Emby App, no transcoding or container change allowed on server.

 

dolby-shattered-lossless-(www.demolandia.net).m2ts

Edited February 7, 2023 by BalthazarBux
tested mkv too

[rbjtech 5284]

1 hour ago, BalthazarBux said:

But Emby doesnt even play the m2ts-file without allowing container changing. 

So this is normal - I don't believe emby has ever Direct Played .M2TS or .TS for that matter from a file - it always has to re-package for streaming - as I believe it needs to add timing and all sorts of other information for basic playback.  Stats for Nerds (on AndroidTV Client) clearly stats it is changing the container.  The only exception to this is Direct Play TV Tuner TS streams via options in the AndroidTV client.

Corrected - see below.

On my system (Denon AVR) , the track plays with thd+atmos only when converting to mkv.  the same behaviour as yours I believe.

On the 4k DV Chameleon demo file - this acts the same way. (triggering both Dolby Vision and Dolby THD Atmos if an MKV).

Of interest though - is even when converting to MKV, the EAC3 Atmos track does not trigger Atmos - despite emby saying this is Direct Playing (tried both files).   EAC3 Atmos works just fine on other files, so I'll have a play with this to determine why this is.  Could be a EAC3 7.1 vs EAC3 5.1 issue.

Edited February 7, 2023 by rbjtech

[BalthazarBux 16]

I have an option in my emby client to allow direct play of TS files, so I think it is possible.

Either way, if the device can play it then Emby should allow it to direct play?

My stats for nerds say nothing else than direct play, no container change.

[rbjtech 5284]

Thanks.  I stand corrected.  

I've never had that option set - and now it is - it plays the m2ts with thd/Atmos just fine.  EAC3 still fails Atmos though.

[BalthazarBux 16]

Oh you get Atmos triggered? 

Hmm, I don't, only TrueHD...except when mkv

and it is weird I have to enable transcoding of audio and container change in Emby server to make it play at all when it isnt using any of it since it direct plays anyway.

Of course the end result is the same, but I'm curious why... 

[rbjtech 5284]

15 minutes ago, BalthazarBux said:

Oh you get Atmos triggered? 

Hmm, I don't, only TrueHD...except when mkv

and it is weird I have to enable transcoding of audio and container change in Emby server to make it play at all when it isnt using any of it since it direct plays anyway.

Of course the end result is the same, but I'm curious why... 

yes, Atmos is triggered on the AVR (for THD).

All I can suggest is the Soundbar doesn't like the M2TS bitstream - there is nothing else inbetween the Shield and the soundbar..  

[BalthazarBux 16]

I now tested the same files with VLC from the Shield. 

THD and Atmos 

So it must be something with Emby...

[rbjtech 5284]

7 minutes ago, BalthazarBux said:

I now tested the same files with VLC from the Shield. 

THD and Atmos 

So it must be something with Emby...

odd - works for me just fine in the AndroidTV Client.

I would send a log file from within the AndroidTV App when playback (with just thd) first starts - then @ebr can see what your soundbar is sending emby as it's capabilities.

I'm not 100% but it may not show the 'Atmos' metadata levels - it may just show 'THD' as it's usually up to the end device to decode the Atmos metadata.

Edited February 7, 2023 by rbjtech