Dialog Quiet, then loud other sounds - AAC Stereo, Shield TV, Samsung 5.1.4 Soundbar

[vaise 340]

Wife always complains about this.

It seems to be related to files that show AAC Stereo in the description.

Have to turn volume up and down constantly.

Not sure if it is Emby, Shield or SB that is the issue ?

Any way to search the collection for Stereo AAC files so I can look for better surround copies ?

[arrbee99 1815]

It is annoying, though personally don't think its an AAC Stereo thing. Midget was doing the same thing the other day with Harry Potter, and I think that was DTS:X.

[vaise 340]

Further to this, used this below tool to get a list of all 2 Channel AAC video files and there are shed loads.  

*edit* - this tool is incorrectly showing many 6 channel files as 2 channel - best not use - I will find another way to easily gauge the amount of 2 channel AAC files I have.  Manually using properties on mediainfo and this tool show different results.  https://sites.google.com/site/tsdarkness/batchmediainfosupporter/download

So......  is the issue Emby, or the Shield, of the Soundbar, or a combination of all.

The wife asked if she can just have it coming out the TV - seems a waste of the +$1000 SB then.

Whenever this is complained about, I check the format and it is only 2 channel AAC sound that has this issue, no other types so far.

I only have the SB/Shield in one room - all other rooms have roku's attached to TV's and they dont complain there.

 

Edited January 19, 2021 by vaise

[arrbee99 1815]

I asked about this a while ago, as have others. Never seems to get anywhere though. People have suggested adding another track with boosted dialog you can just select. Think I tried that once and it worked but too much effort for so many videos.

Kodi has an option to boost dialog in the player. Tried that as well. Also worked. Just seemed to stop using it though (another interface to learn).

I have a Samsung N850 soundbar and I think you can boost the centre speaker on that. I just never seem to bother with that either.

Sorry, hope I'm not hijacking your thread, just a few things I've come across. Not sure if any would help with Stereo.

[vaise 340]

Mine is a samsung N950 SB.

I can lower the other channels and increase the centre yes - but I believe this 2 channel AAC format is not being split to them anyway

If I did this channel volume change, I would have to reverse when a 'normal' atmos / AC3 etc vid is playing, or TV etc.

Edited January 19, 2021 by vaise

[arrbee99 1815]

Maybe you wouldn't have to reverse the settings for atmos etc - I doubt the wife is going to complain about inaudible explosions, guns, etc...

Edit - though, as you said, might not do much for stereo.

Edited January 19, 2021 by arrbee99

[jrwalte 17]

The wife just wanting to make the audio come from the TV made me laugh. Been there.

 

Looking at your manual, have you tried playing the 2 channel in sound mode 'surround'? This will tell your soundbar to simulate the 2 channel to 7.1.4, making use of the center channel. Every other mode makes it play in 2.1 mode.

[ebr 16169]

Yeah, boosting a center channel that doesn't exist won't do you much good .  As suggested above, I would investigate any settings or sound modes on your sound bar. 

[vaise 340]

21 hours ago, jrwalte said:

The wife just wanting to make the audio come from the TV made me laugh. Been there.

 

Looking at your manual, have you tried playing the 2 channel in sound mode 'surround'? This will tell your soundbar to simulate the 2 channel to 7.1.4, making use of the center channel. Every other mode makes it play in 2.1 mode.

OK - I will try that on the next playback. Thanks.

[Luke 42077]

Let us know how you get on. Thanks.

[vaise 340]

Can I just ask, is this an issue with this specific soundbar, or is it emby/shieldTV ?

I will be having a bit of a shuffle of hardware and could move the SB to the media room above - that hardly ever gets used and wife never was happy with the speakers all over the place......

So - with a tax refund on the cards, can anyone that uses soundbars catagorically say they have no issues with model XXXXXX on a ShieldTV with hdmi in/out with AAC Stereo sound track.  Specifically voice being too low and explosions being too high.

[crusher11 1101]

What are the originals? Are they stereo? Or are these 5.1 tracks that have been downmixed? Doing that badly will screw up the dynamics, and the only solution is to go back to the original source.

Alternatively, dynamic range is a thing, and it's often supposed to be there.

 

[vaise 340]

IJ - So if you can’t change the source, there is no point changing the hardware.

[Luke 42077]

Not necessarily. Different hardware can handle different variables that come into play better than others.

[horstepipe 422]

I'm having some shield ppl compaining about that, too. I was a little astonished that there is no setting for that on the shield. Maybe a setting in emby to push/mute the center speaker? But I guess that would be a bigger task.

Edited July 14, 2021 by horstepipe

[ebr 16169]

1 hour ago, horstepipe said:

Maybe a setting in emby to push/mute the center speaker?

We are discussing a stereo input.  There is no center channel...

[Carlo 4560]

I think he meant center speakerS where most of the dialog is heard from.

[horstepipe 422]

Honestly I’m currently not sure, just saying there came three people with a shield and that problem to me. One had a sound bar, Sonos Arc I think.

But I don’t know the audio input, but would have guessed it is >5.1, as then center channel is being converted to stereo channels which I would guess makes that problem.

[arrbee99 1815]

I guess its not a stereo thing, but I still think if Kodi can do it, Emby should as well.

[vaise 340]

So….. is there a thinking it is the shield TV?

I can connect an old roku, or a new ChromeCast with GoogleTV and test playback with those.  I would have to borrow from another room.  Those rooms only have TV’s snd TV’s don’t seem to have the same issue.  But then…..  no centre channel I guess.

Edited July 14, 2021 by vaise

[crusher11 1101]

It's stereo, there's no center channel anyway. 

[Luke 42077]

Have your questions been answered?

[vaise 340]

Well……

Maybe the beta is not the best place to ask this.

im after a definitive answer on what (if any) hardware (soundbar) is best to manage a possibly crappy stereo AAC track in a tv show.

or if there is stuff in Emby or the shield that can resolve the issue.

[crusher11 1101]

On 7/14/2021 at 4:49 PM, crusher11 said:

What are the originals? Are they stereo? Or are these 5.1 tracks that have been downmixed? Doing that badly will screw up the dynamics, and the only solution is to go back to the original source.

Alternatively, dynamic range is a thing, and it's often supposed to be there.

 

 

[vaise 340]

I don’t have the originals.  Emby reports the audio as AAC Stereo.