Dolby Atmos / True HD being output as PCM

[kaledi 41]

So This is my set up

Synology NAS > Shield TV Pro (2019) > Marantz AVR > OLED

I updated to the latest version of 4.6 last night and after the update Dolby Atmos / True HD tracks are played through my AVR as multi channel PCM.

I've checked in other apps - PLEX, Disney + and Atmos plays just fine with those.

I've also checked and EMBY correctly play DTS-HD and DTX soundtracks.  Very strange!

I've even played the shield through another AVR (Denon) and TV and the same behaviour! 

No issue prior to this latest release.

[rbjtech 5284]

The order in which the devices are turned on seems to influence the outcome. 

I've noticed this too on my Denon - but if I always turn on the Shield first - and let it turn on the AVR, which then turns on the TV - everything appears to be ok and Atmos THD plays and is notified as such, just fine.

[kaledi 41]

Thanks @rbjtech, however, I don't understand why I should be having the issue now, only after the update to the latest version.  And why only in Emby, not other apps, nor a problem with DTSX/HD material

[rbjtech 5284]

It's all to do with the HDMI handshaking - emby may have changed something meaning the handshaking per play perhaps need a bit of tweaking.

I would send a bug report (from the app) when this happens (and associate with this thread) - hopefully @ebr will be able to tell why the handshake for THD Atmos is not working as it used to.

 

[ebr 16176]

Hi.  Can we please look at specifics from an example?

 

[kaledi 41]

Here is a log.  I downloaded the log whilst playing an example movie with a Atmos soundtrack.

Edited July 8, 2021 by kaledi

[ebr 16176]

Hi.  Please play one of these items for just a few seconds and then send a log from the app.

[kaledi 41]

Done

[ebr 16176]

Hi.  I could not see the start of playback in that log.  Can you please play the item for about 15 seconds and then send the log directly from the playback OSD (cog icon)?

Thanks.

[kaledi 41]

Apologies - sent log from the main app home page!

Wouldn't you know, I played an example movie now and it is playing correctly.  The system has been on the whole time, and the only change in the meantime has been that I played a TV show (stereo track).  This is very odd.  I shall check again tomorrow and report back if I see the same problem.

[dcpete 9]

I am now having this same problem that I never had before with Emby.  I can confirm the problem exists on 4.6.4 and 4.7.0.7-Beta.  The problem is only with Atmos over TrueHD and not Atmos over DD+ or even DTS-X.  Plex does not have this problem when I switch back and forth with everything powered up.  So I am convinced this is NOT an hdmi handshaking problem.

My setup is 

Media on ReadyNAS 316

Emby Server on Windows 10 box (4.7.0.7-Beta) and another server on NAS box (4.6.4) (happens on both)

Shield running Emby Client

Marantz 6014

[drando 2]

I had the same issue,  using Nvidia Shield Pro w/ Emby and Anthem AVM60.  Definitely an issue with HDMI handshake from the NVIDIA to the receiver.

Eventually it just started working again after I set the audio settings on the shield to manual,  turned on all audio formats..  Than set it back to Auto for all audio formats and rebooted the shield.

[RMorgan 1]

5 hours ago, dcpete said:

I am now having this same problem that I never had before with Emby.  I can confirm the problem exists on 4.6.4 and 4.7.0.7-Beta.  The problem is only with Atmos over TrueHD and not Atmos over DD+ or even DTS-X.  Plex does not have this problem when I switch back and forth with everything powered up.  So I am convinced this is NOT an hdmi handshaking problem.

My setup is 

Media on ReadyNAS 316

Emby Server on Windows 10 box (4.7.0.7-Beta) and another server on NAS box (4.6.4) (happens on both)

Shield running Emby Client

Marantz 6014

Ditto…I’m experiencing the same thing as “dcpete” with all my TrueHD audio files decoding as PCM now. These files all worked perfectly before decoding them to Dolby Atmos. 
 

Please fix! Thanks 
 

I’m using Emby client 4.6.4 on Nvidia Shield playing through a Yamaha RX-A3040

[ebr 16176]

14 hours ago, RMorgan said:

Ditto…I’m experiencing the same thing as “dcpete” with all my TrueHD audio files decoding as PCM now. These files all worked perfectly before decoding them to Dolby Atmos. 
 

Please fix! Thanks 
 

I’m using Emby client 4.6.4 on Nvidia Shield playing through a Yamaha RX-A3040

Hi.  Did you see this?

18 hours ago, drando said:

I had the same issue,  using Nvidia Shield Pro w/ Emby and Anthem AVM60.  Definitely an issue with HDMI handshake from the NVIDIA to the receiver.

Eventually it just started working again after I set the audio settings on the shield to manual,  turned on all audio formats..  Than set it back to Auto for all audio formats and rebooted the shield.

We have not as yet identified anything we can fix.  If you can provide details on an example including sending a log from the app, maybe we can help you spot something.

Thanks.

[rbjtech 5284]

Ensure HDMI-CEC is enabled on all the devices.  Ensure 'power on/off' other devices is enabled on the devices.  Ensure all your HDMI cables use CEC.

Always turn on the end 'Client' first - which then turns on the AVR - which then turns on the TV.

If anything in the 'chain' is already on, then there is a chance the HDMI handshake may not work - and thus you get PCM (as the default bitstream). 

I've experienced this a few times myself with my Denon AVR if used without the Shield.  If I then turn on the Shield (from standby), I get PCM.  If I turn off the Shield and back on again (which then turns the AVR and subsequently the TV off and on again..) everything is ok.    Could be some issues with CEC I guess - but it's an easy enough fix.  

 

[RMorgan 1]

35 minutes ago, rbjtech said:

Ensure HDMI-CEC is enabled on all the devices.  Ensure 'power on/off' other devices is enabled on the devices.  Ensure all your HDMI cables use CEC.

Always turn on the end 'Client' first - which then turns on the AVR - which then turns on the TV.

If anything in the 'chain' is already on, then there is a chance the HDMI handshake may not work - and thus you get PCM (as the default bitstream). 

I've experienced this a few times myself with my Denon AVR if used without the Shield.  If I then turn on the Shield (from standby), I get PCM.  If I turn off the Shield and back on again (which then turns the AVR and subsequently the TV off and on again..) everything is ok.    Could be some issues with CEC I guess - but it's an easy enough fix.  

 

Thanks guys for your responses! My issue is now resolved! I actually followed another suggestion by you "rbjtech" from the "Latest Server Update - Dolby Atmos Issues" topic which said to enable the "Pass Direct Path" option under the "Playback Settings" and that did it. Apparently it didn't like the software decode in the Audio codec for TRUEHD. Changing it to direct via the "Pass Direct Path" option made my files playback correctly just like they use to. Thanks again!!

I knew that there had be something going on with Emby's settings or something on Emby's side because other apps i.e. Kodi could access those same media files and pass them on to my AV receiver just fine with Dolby Atmos. Other streaming apps all on my Nvidia Shield were able to do so as well, which kind of ruled out the HDMI handshaking issue for me. Hopefully this helps others who might be experiencing the same thing...

By the way keep up the great work as Emby is definitely the best media server/player that I used by far!

[rbjtech 5284]

4 minutes ago, RMorgan said:

Thanks guys for your responses! My issue is now resolved! I actually followed another suggestion by you "rbjtech" from the "Latest Server Update - Dolby Atmos Issues" topic which said to enable the "Pass Direct Path" option under the "Playback Settings" and that did it. Apparently it didn't like the software decode in the Audio codec for TRUEHD. Changing it to direct via the "Pass Direct Path" option made my files playback correctly just like they use to. Thanks again!!

I knew that there had be something going on with Emby's settings or something on Emby's side because other apps i.e. Kodi could access those same media files and pass them on to my AV receiver just fine with Dolby Atmos. Other streaming apps all on my Nvidia Shield were able to do so as well, which kind of ruled out the HDMI handshaking issue for me. Hopefully this helps others who might be experiencing the same thing...

By the way keep up the great work as Emby is definitely the best media server/player that I used by far!

Ah-ha ! I use Direct File Path as well - perhaps the HTTP streaming element for True-HD Atmos does have issues ? 

For the other users raising this as an issue - are you using standard emby HTTP streaming or the Direct File Path method ?  You can easily tell by looking in Stats for Nerds which will say Streaming type 'File' or 'HTTP' )

[RMorgan 1]

3 minutes ago, rbjtech said:

Ah-ha ! I use Direct File Path as well - perhaps the HTTP streaming element for True-HD Atmos does have issues ? 

For the other users raising this as an issue - are you using standard emby HTTP streaming or the Direct File Path method ?  You can easily tell by looking in Stats for Nerds which will say Streaming type 'File' or 'HTTP' )

That's quite possible, but what's strange to me is before the latest update to Emby to fix the movie trailers which had stopped working all of the sudden. Everything worked absolutely fine, so unless that latest update changed some settings in the background I just don't understand.  

[ebr 16176]

I think that is probably just avoiding the handshake issue by playing the file directly. 

[dcpete 9]

I seemed to have fixed the problem on my end too and it seems to be a Shield problem.  I noticed after playing around with this a lot that all of a sudden Plex developed the same problem, when it was initially working and Emby wasn't.  I did a factory reset on the Shield and Atmos is now back over TrueHD.  I've gone back and forth a number of times between Atmos/TrueHD Atmos/DD+ and Stereo recordings and it all seems to be sticking now.  At least in my case, it doesn't seem to be an Emby problem.

 

Thanks all!

[RMorgan 1]

It’s a weird one for sure just glad to hear that we’ve all found a workable solution to correct the issue!  Thanks again 

[nuke11 24]

A factory reset also fixed the issue in my case as well.

 

 

[dcpete 9]

Good to hear.  My friend has the same setup I do and will report back if a reset works for him too.  Also, I am using http, not direct file path.

He fixed the problem himself in a different way.  It sure does seem like an HDMI handshaking problem after all....

Quote

I tried the following and it fixed the issue.  Powered down the shield and disconnected the hdmi cable going to the Marantz.   I then reconnected the hdmi cable to the Marantz and reapplied power to the shield.  Tried playing back Atmos movie over TrueHD via Emby and was getting the full Atmos

I disconnected the hdmi from both the shield and the Marantz connections when it was powered down.  Reconnected both ends of the hdmi before powering the shield back up.  Just checked again this morning after watching other sources last night and all is still good.

 

Edited August 20, 2021 by dcpete
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