Which app to use for Google TV?

[FrostByte 5552]

2 hours ago, tattler said:

Thanks for testing! I appreciate it. This is actually what I have been talking about: Emby server is transcoding the video, not Shield. If you play the same movie in ATV you should notice that Emby server is direct playing with TrueHD Atmos and Shield is converting it to AC3. I can see it in the Sonos app.

In my case, if I turned on the convert to dd option, Shield will convert it to DD 2.0. Same Shield settings and same movie, ATV version results in Shield converting it to DD 5.1. I can see this in the Sonos app. It is a huge difference in audio.

Okay, I think I can duplicate and understand what you are wanting now  

So, you want the hardware to convert to surround and NOT the server, correct?  In the end you get AC3 5.1 either way, but you're saying the quality is better when it's converted by the hardware to surround.  I tend to agree. Also, everything I'm seeing online on the nVidia page says the Shield can only convert to 16bit PCM and lacks the encoder to convert to anything else. 

Are your Android settings like mine above? 

When I set mine like above, then I'm still getting surround using AndroidTV (and SFN says TrueHD is direct playing as you say) but it's being converted to something because I lthen ose Atmos.  I just can't tell the stereo format because my soundbar doesn't display anything but Atmos and DTSX (otherwise that spot is blank) unlike your Sonos which tells you it's AC3 5.1. 

However, when using the new app and using the above settings then I'm getting stereo unless I select "convert unsupported surround" in the app which then forces the server to convert to AC3 5.1. 

BTW you can also get AndroidTV to tell the server to transcode to AC3 by lying and changing your Android settings saying it supports TrueHD, DTSHD, and DTS and then unselecting those audio formats within the AndroidTV app playback settings (they aren't there unless you change your Android settings first), but you don't want the server to do the converting.  Both apps should sound about the same then.

Edited 17 hours ago by FrostByte

[CBers 7654]

3 hours ago, tattler said:

Thanks for testing! I appreciate it. This is actually what I have been talking about: Emby server is transcoding the video, not Shield. If you play the same movie in ATV you should notice that Emby server is direct playing with TrueHD Atmos and Shield is converting it to AC3. I can see it in the Sonos app.

In my case, if I turned on the convert to dd option, Shield will convert it to DD 2.0. Same Shield settings and same movie, ATV version results in Shield converting it to DD 5.1. I can see this in the Sonos app. It is a huge difference in audio.

Something is amiss in your setup, either on the Shield itself, or the settings in the ATV app, as the Shield should NOT be doing any transcoding/downmixing, as it can only downmix to PCM 2.0, not anything else. 

 If you have unsupported audio, then the server should be remuxing it to DD. 

I have a Sonos Playbar and the server remuxes unsupported audio to DD. 

Edit: I have just played the original AVATAR movie that has TrueHD 7.1 audio and both the ATV app and the Universal Android app both remux the audio to DD 5.1, whilst direct playing the video. 

Can I suggest that you check your settings again. 

Thanks. 

Edited 17 hours ago by CBers

[FrostByte 5552]

Do you by chance have stereo upmix, or dolby audio processing turned on in the Android settings?  Mine aren't set.

 

[tattler 31]

Hi @CBersand @FrostBytethanks for testing this functionality. I appreciate it. So I went on testing to compare the ATV version and the Android version.

 

Shield TV Pro (2019) settings: 

 

 

Playing X-Men Days of Future Past with DTS-HD MA 7.1. The results are below.

ATV version:

 

SONOS app:

 

Android version (option to convert to DD in the app setting is disabled):

 

SONOS app:

 

Android version (option to convert to DD in the app setting is enabled):

 

SONOS app:

 

One thing to note: please ignore the subtitle burn-in with hardware from the diagnostics plugin as it is not relevant. It has worked for me flawlessly so that is not the cause. I just want to focus on this comparison between the ATV and Android version.

I hope this is more clear now what issue I am facing. If you need more details, please let me know.

 

[FrostByte 5552]

36 minutes ago, tattler said:

Hi @CBersand @FrostBytethanks for testing this functionality. I appreciate it. So I went on testing to compare the ATV version and the Android version.

 

Shield TV Pro (2019) settings: 

 

 

 

 

Playing X-Men Days of Future Past with DTS-HD MA 7.1. The results are below.

ATV version:

 

 

SONOS app:

 

 

Android version (option to convert to DD in the app setting is disabled

 

 

SONOS app:

 

 

Android version (option to convert to DD in the app setting is enabled):

 

 

SONOS app:

 

 

One thing to note: please ignore the subtitle burn-in with hardware from the diagnostics plugin as it is not relevant. It has worked for me flawlessly so that is not the cause. I just want to focus on this comparison between the ATV and Android version.

I hope this is more clear now what issue I am facing. If you need more details, please let me know.

 

@CBersI agree with tattler that when having the Android settings like I/we posted and playing TrueHD Atmos I get 5.1 with the AndroidTV app and stereo with the Android app.  Both apps say it's direct playing.  I just can't confirm what the converted format is with my hardware, though I'm pretty sure the new app is getting converted to PCM 2.0. 

But, I'm not sure why I'm still getting surround with ATV.  The conversion must be getting done at the hardware level.  I know it's not TrueHD because Atmos is lost.

@CBers If you wouldn't mind testing TrueHD Atmos with the following Android settings?

I had to turn off DTS, DTSHD, and TrueHD manually, but that's probably your default on the Sonos

Then within the two apps make sure you aren't allowing the server to transcode and it's direct playing in SFN.

I get 5.1 with one and 2.0 with the other being converted assumingly at the hardware level by both. 

Edited 1 hour ago by FrostByte

[CBers 7654]

@tattlerSo you just need to have the "Convert unsupported audio to DD" option enabled in the Universal Android app and you will get DD 5.1 on your Sonos soundbar, remuxed by your server. 

The ATV app already does it all for you, hence no option. 

These are my audio settings on the 2015 Shield connected to my Sonos Playbar.

 

Edited 14 minutes ago by CBers

[FrostByte 5552]

@tattleronly thing I can suggest is opening your own thread and asking if Luke can make it happen with the new app just like ATV if you think it sounds better.  Explaining everything and tag me and I'll mention I see the same the same. 

Otherwise do like CBers says and let the server do it if using the new app.  Though I don't think ATV is going away any time soon if you don't want to. 

Or, get a new soundbar

[CBers 7654]

Just now, FrostByte said:

Otherwise do like CBers says and let the server do it if using the new app. 

Both the ATV app and the Universal Android app remux the audio to present DD 5.1 to my Sonos Playbar with the option enabled, so not sure there's anything Luke needs to do. 

 

[FrostByte 5552]

3 minutes ago, CBers said:

Both the ATV app and the Universal Android app remux the audio to present DD 5.1 to my Sonos Playbar with the option enabled, so not sure there's anything Luke needs to do. 

 

If ebr can make ATV play it DD 5.1 then why wouldn't Luke be able to.  Especially if it sounds better when the hardware converts it vs when the server does it

Edit: and those options turned off of course

Edited 15 minutes ago by FrostByte