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Q: AppleTV 4 surround sound issue

i just acquired an AppleTV 4 to replace my AppleTV 3. Since I used to connect the optical audio out to my Yamaha surround sound receiver, I am forced to use only hdmi. That would not be a problem for two reasons:

 

1. All AppleTV content plays with the receiver showing PCM and not DTS or some other form of surround sound.

2. All my movies i encoded are strictly playing in stereo only. The DTS stream is seemingly not being passed through hdmi.

 

Routing hdmi to tv then optical from tv to receiver does not change anything.

 

How can I fix this?  Surely I should be getting DTS with a Yamaha rx- v1900 receiver?

Posted on Nov 1, 2015 1:32 AM

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Q: AppleTV 4 surround sound issue

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  • by bodosom,

    bodosom bodosom Jan 5, 2016 11:48 AM in response to bodosom
    Level 1 (28 points)
    iPhone
    Jan 5, 2016 11:48 AM in response to bodosom

    bodosom wrote:

     

    Airsculpture wrote:

     

    Previous movies which played fine in 5.1 on the ATV3 now only give stereo or mock surround sound whatever I choose, whether it be Auto or DS setting.

    Using what app?

    What app are you using to play movies?  What app is converting AC-3/5.1 (3/2/.1) to stereo (2/0/.0) on the ATV4gen?

  • by Airsculpture,

    Airsculpture Airsculpture Jan 5, 2016 1:12 PM in response to bodosom
    Level 4 (1,431 points)
    iTunes
    Jan 5, 2016 1:12 PM in response to bodosom

    TThe movies are streaming from iTunes library through home sharing

  • by Airsculpture,

    Airsculpture Airsculpture Jan 5, 2016 2:15 PM in response to bodosom
    Level 4 (1,431 points)
    iTunes
    Jan 5, 2016 2:15 PM in response to bodosom

    Just as an aside ( and not promoting at all ), I just downloaded https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/media-info/id550128418?mt=12 from the app store. Are App and  shows up exactly what you have in your media files ( audio, video etc ) . Thought this might be useful with those details sadly removed now from the iTunes Info pane.

  • by Airsculpture,

    Airsculpture Airsculpture Jan 6, 2016 5:19 AM in response to Airsculpture
    Level 4 (1,431 points)
    iTunes
    Jan 6, 2016 5:19 AM in response to Airsculpture

    Ignore my post on the 'only giving stereo', there was a fault in the m4v file, recitified and now get PCM 5.1 through from the file in Auto setting in audio options in ATV4

  • by jvulto,

    jvulto jvulto Jan 18, 2016 3:31 AM in response to Airsculpture
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Jan 18, 2016 3:31 AM in response to Airsculpture

    Just installed Infuse PRO for ATV4. It has the options to pass through Dolby Digital and also DTS.

    Although only tested with 5.1 material, I have seen DTS5.1 content being passed through the ATV to my receiver.

    The Receiver did detect a true DTS stream .

     

    Now I am awaiting material with Dolby Atmos information included to see if this information is passed through also when setting DD to pass through in Infuse Pro settings!

  • by Colin - apple,

    Colin - apple Colin - apple Jan 19, 2016 8:23 AM in response to pwnell
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iCloud
    Jan 19, 2016 8:23 AM in response to pwnell

    I just want to add that I too am having a similar issue with no Dolby output on the TV4

     

    I am using a brand new Pioneer 1310 receiver.

     

    I have tried all settings on the apple TV (stereo, auto, dolby). I have tried Netflix and Youtube content.

     

    I have swapped the Apple TV4 onto an HDMI input that that works with a different device (cable box), and the TV4 did not work. I have swapped the cable box on the HDMI port used by the Apple TV and it works. Thus ruling out issues with the receiver.

     

    I have reset the TV4 to factory. Still experience the same issues.

  • by meegwell,

    meegwell meegwell Jan 19, 2016 8:47 AM in response to jvulto
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Apple TV
    Jan 19, 2016 8:47 AM in response to jvulto

    jvulto wrote:

     

    Just installed Infuse PRO for ATV4. It has the options to pass through Dolby Digital and also DTS.

    Although only tested with 5.1 material, I have seen DTS5.1 content being passed through the ATV to my receiver.

    The Receiver did detect a true DTS stream .

     

    Now I am awaiting material with Dolby Atmos information included to see if this information is passed through also when setting DD to pass through in Infuse Pro settings!

     

    I am probably not alone when saying that I am very curious about this.  What setting did you have on the ATV4 (auto or dolby) audio?

  • by Jon Walker,

    Jon Walker Jon Walker Jan 19, 2016 9:36 AM in response to Colin - apple
    Level 6 (18,620 points)
    Jan 19, 2016 9:36 AM in response to Colin - apple

    I just want to add that I too am having a similar issue with no Dolby output on the TV4

     

    I am using a brand new Pioneer 1310 receiver.

     

    I have tried all settings on the apple TV (stereo, auto, dolby). I have tried Netflix and Youtube content.

     

    I have swapped the Apple TV4 onto an HDMI input that that works with a different device (cable box), and the TV4 did not work. I have swapped the cable box on the HDMI port used by the Apple TV and it works. Thus ruling out issues with the receiver.

     

    I have reset the TV4 to factory. Still experience the same issues.

    If you are using the TV4 with the latest tvOS update, then, according to the Apple developer engineering team, the device "behaves as intended." This appears to mean that Apple currently has no plans to restore previous TV Dolby "passthrough" capabilities and implies Apple is satisfied that

    1. the "Stereo" mode will covert all input audio to mono/mono or Left/Right 2-channel PCM output to downstream devices,
    2. the "Auto" mode will output all DD+/DD "multichannel" audio as multichannel PCM channelized audio and all non-"multichannel" audio as "Stereo" mode audio output to downstream devices, and
    3. the "Dolby Surround" mode will output DD+/DD "multichannel" audio as DD5.1 audio bitstream and non-"multichannel" audio as "Stereo" mode audio output to downstream devices with
    4. "multichannel" apparently being defined as any audio content having an LFE channel.

    If this is the way your system is operating, then Apple concludes your system is working normally/properly at this time. If you disagree and would prefer to have the developer engineering team restore a separate "DD+/DD Passthrough" mode, then you are invited to send Apple Product Feedback and/or Developer Bug Reports to this effect.

    SJAUG.png

  • by Steve Waite,

    Steve Waite Steve Waite Jan 19, 2016 5:08 PM in response to Jon Walker
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Jan 19, 2016 5:08 PM in response to Jon Walker

    ROFLMFAO, if this is Apple's take on it, I guess I Am in possession of some pretty expensive hockey pucks.

  • by Protodd,

    Protodd Protodd Jan 19, 2016 5:23 PM in response to Steve Waite
    Level 4 (2,074 points)
    Jan 19, 2016 5:23 PM in response to Steve Waite

    Edit: Wrong thread

  • by Csound1,

    Csound1 Csound1 Jan 20, 2016 6:17 AM in response to Steve Waite
    Level 9 (51,382 points)
    Desktops
    Jan 20, 2016 6:17 AM in response to Steve Waite

    Hockey Pucks?

     

    I'll take them off of your hands

  • by Steve Waite,

    Steve Waite Steve Waite Jan 20, 2016 7:31 AM in response to Csound1
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Jan 20, 2016 7:31 AM in response to Csound1

    LOL, but seriously, IMO if the atv4 can't passthrough the bitstream and let high end avr's do their job, then it doesn't get to be part of my home entertainment setup. Just a little shocked by Apple's take on this issue, I know I am not alone...

  • by Jon Walker,

    Jon Walker Jon Walker Jan 20, 2016 7:36 AM in response to Steve Waite
    Level 6 (18,620 points)
    Jan 20, 2016 7:36 AM in response to Steve Waite

    ROFLMFAO, if this is Apple's take on it, I guess I Am in possession of some pretty expensive hockey pucks.

    Am not implying that the TV4 is little more than a brick paperweight, but I am stating there is an obvious difference of opinion as to which playback options should be available for DD+ and DD bitstreams. Like many users, I would prefer the Dolby bitstreams be passed through the TV4 to downstream devices for "proper" decoding and processing. Until the most recent tvOS release, the TV4—like previous TV models—had this capability. Unfortunately, some misguided Apple employee seems to have convinced "the powers that be" to change all that—contending that "Stereo" PCM output of a non-multichannel Dolby bitstream provides the same decoded/post-processed result as passing through the original Dolby bitstream. THIS IS NOT TRUE!

     

    "Engineering has provided the following information regarding this issue:

    "The attached Test-4.m4v contains two audio tracks, AAC 2.0ch and AC-3 2.0ch. Because both are the same 2.0ch, our current logic is to select AAC 2.0ch."


    First of all, there is no "selection" process. A Dolby 1.0, 2.0, or 2.0 Active ProLogic II bitstream is now processed the same by the TV4 whether or not any AAC audio track is present—namely, the Dolby bitstream is output as 2-channel ("Stereo" mode) PCM audio in all cases. This means that, without further manual post-processing, a 1.0 Dolby center channel input signal will be played back as mono/mono (Left/Right) speaker audio instead of being played back through the center channel speaker as originally encoded. In a similar manner, by default a Dolby 2.0 Active ProLogic II bitstream plays back as stereo (Left/Right channel) PCM unless passive ProLogic II processing is manually activated by the user. True, manually applying such post-processing does "essentially" restore the PCM content to its original Dolby encoded channelization—but why bother? To me, this is like playing a 3D Blu-ray disc in 2D and then setting the TV to "simulate" 3D viewing.


    Secondly, the current TV4 tvOS output process of creating a "pseudo" Dolby bitstream in the "Dolby Surround" mode prohibits proper "Quad" playback of a 2.1 Dolby Active ProLogic II bitstream. In this case, the active Left, Right, and LFE content is properly channeled to a DD 5.1 bitstream with the Center and Surround channels left empty. Since may AVR recognizes the TV4 output as a DD 5.1 bitstreams, it automatically deactivates my ability to post-process Active ProLogic II data leaving me with just Left/Right stereo speaker playback with LFE instead of the encoded Left, Right, Center, and Surround channelization with LFE. In short, the Apple engineering team has opted to NO LONGER FULLY SUPPORT DOLBY BITSTREAM CONTENT and, in the same breath, FAILS TO EVEN RECOGNIZE THE FACT THAT A PROBLEM EXISTS.


    I had hoped/am still hoping, that a significant enough number of TV4 users will complain about this oversight and eventually prompt Apple to add an additional "Dolby Passthrough" audio output option as available in the Infuse Pro app and was previously available to TV devices (including the TV4) prior to the latest tvOS update.

    SJAUG.png

  • by bodosom,

    bodosom bodosom Jan 20, 2016 7:44 AM in response to Steve Waite
    Level 1 (28 points)
    iPhone
    Jan 20, 2016 7:44 AM in response to Steve Waite

    Steve Waite wrote:

     

    LOL, but seriously, IMO if the atv4 can't passthrough the bitstream

    I haven't seen anyone with a deep understanding of tvOS development post about this.  I'm sure the ATV4gen is capable of providing a bitstream but the API may not be public (yet).  There are assertions that Infuse has licensed DTS and can provide a bitstream.  I don't know if that's true.

  • by Jon Walker,

    Jon Walker Jon Walker Jan 20, 2016 7:46 AM in response to Steve Waite
    Level 6 (18,620 points)
    Jan 20, 2016 7:46 AM in response to Steve Waite

    Just a little shocked by Apple's take on this issue, I know I am not alone...

    Exactly! It's not that Apple can't fix the issue but rather that they are currently choosing to ignore it. That is why I am so anxious to organize Product Feedback and/or Developer Bug Reports to underscore user dissatisfaction with the current TV4 Dolby Support limitations. If Infuse Pro properly supported my iTunes managed video library content metadata, I would be using it exclusively as my TV4 multimedia player. Unfortunately, it does not and I am unwilling to give up on all of the time and effort I have invested already over the last decade.

    SJAUG.png

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