No HDMI Digital Audio Passthrough?

Question

Level 1

8 points

No HDMI Digital Audio Passthrough?

I'll outline the situation:
I have a Sony Bravia KDL EX500 series TV connected to a non-HDMI receiver, the Yamaha RX-V659 via optical toslink.
I have connected an XBOX-360 to the TV via HDMI and told the TV to enable digital audio passthrough. This is something the TV's manual states that it can do and it is doing it well - the receiver picks up the 5.1 stream and plays it without a problem. No fuss, no muss.
I have also connected my Mac Mini 2010 to the TV. In audio/midi config the options for the HDMI output are 2CH/16, 2CH/24, 2CH/32 and Unencoded Digital Output.

Heres the problem: When I select the Unencoded Digital Output the "use this device for sound output" icon jumps from HDMI to Built-In Output and stays there until i chose a 2 channel option. No 5.1 passthrough for me & my Mac Mini :'(

Now, considering that I've already established through the reading of the manual as well as a practical example with an Xbox360 that the TV can pass through a 5.1 channel stream to my reciever... Is there anyway to force the Mac Mini to output a digitally encoded stream? I'd even be happy using a command line or editing files to get this done.
I can understand why the Mac Mini might have trouble seeing a 5.1 output as the TV does only have 2 speakers but I don't see why the speaker icon in Audio Midi utility jumps to built-in audio when I select digitally encoded output. Like I said, the manual states that the TV supports 5.1 passthrough and the Xbox via the TV to the Receiver is doing 5.1 with no problems.

Thanks in Advance.

Mac Mini 2.4 Ghz 2010, Mac OS X (10.6)

Posted on Jul 7, 2010 7:49 PM

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Answer 1

MacProCT

Level 2

366 points

Jul 8, 2010 12:46 AM in response to Andrew Scott

Hi.

Please try this process and you should get the multi-channel sound that you're expecting...

http://www.cod3r.com/2008/02/the-correct-way-to-enable-ac3-passthrough-with-quic ktime/

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Answer 2

walfau

Level 1

0 points

Jul 8, 2010 1:38 AM in response to Andrew Scott

No great help I'm afraid but I'm having similar problems.

I've connected my Mac Mini Server to my 40" Sharp LC-40LB700X via HDMI.

I've selected Sharp HDMI as the audio output in Apple preferences and in EyeTV.

Now when I restart the Mac Mini the TV puts up this warning..

"An incompatible audio signal has been received. Check the output device settings"

And my Yamaha 5.1 sound system is only indicating 2 speakers be used.

I've reported this to Apple and I sent them all my log files as requested after running the log file gathering application they sent me.

That was on 1st July, I've heard nothing since, hopefully they are working on it.

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Answer 3

MacProCT

Level 2

366 points

Jul 8, 2010 1:47 AM in response to walfau

walfau wrote:
No great help I'm afraid but I'm having similar problems.

I've connected my Mac Mini Server to my 40" Sharp LC-40LB700X via HDMI.
...

...And my Yamaha 5.1 sound system is only indicating 2 speakers be used.

Many TVs cannot pass a 5 channel digital bitstream. They only send 2 channel sound from their output.

Please try connecting the HDMI cable to the receiver and then hdmi from receiver to tv.

If your receiver doesn't have HDMI input, then you'll have to use a mini toslink cable from the mini to the receiver, in order to get multi-channel digital surround.

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Answer 4

Andrew Scott Author

Level 1

8 points

Jul 8, 2010 2:23 PM in response to MacProCT

This is system wide, not quicktime specific and I've already gone through the process of enabling AC3 through quicktime including the perian installation.
I've since tried unplugging the HDMI cable and just running the digital output through an optical cable straight into my receiver but the exact same effect occurs: 2 Channel is fine, as soon as I select encoded digital output the "use this device for sound output" icon disappears from *built in sound*.

My iMac G5 quite happily outputting encoded digital output - I'm thinking of RMAing this unit if it can't do digital passthrough... Shame, I really liked it apart from that but I intended to use it as a HTPC.

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Answer 5

MacProCT

Level 2

366 points

Jul 9, 2010 3:52 AM in response to Andrew Scott

The 2010 mini can do multi-channel digital sound just fine. If your G5 does it with the receiver in question, then the Mini will as well. You are simply experiencing a configuration/settings issue.

QuickTime provides audio services throughout the Mac environemnt, not just in QuickTime Player. That is why using exact configuration on the cod3r.com page is important.

An exception to using the quicktime infrastructure is VLC (videolan.org). If you turn on the SPDIF option in the audio prefs of VLC, it will pass 5.1 channel sound to your receiver via HDMI. It works with my Denon HDMI receiver.

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Answer 6

walfau

Level 1

0 points

Jul 10, 2010 3:12 AM in response to MacProCT

MacProCT wrote:

Many TVs cannot pass a 5 channel digital bitstream. They only send 2 channel sound from their output.

Please try connecting the HDMI cable to the receiver and then hdmi from receiver to tv.

I tried connecting the Mac Mini to my Yamaha RX-V365 Receiver's DTV/CBL port with an HDMI cable and another HDMI cable coming out of the Receiver to the TV.

I got sound from the center speaker only and no picture.

I made sure I selected the appropriate inputs/outputs with both TV & Receiver.

I tried with and without the Toslink between the Receiver & TV.

These newer Mac Minis don't come with optical audio.

Using Screen Sharing I checked the Mac Mini's sound preferences from my iMac and there was no sign of it being connected to the Yamaha Receiver.

When I have the HDMI going from the Mac Mini to the TV, the TV shows as an option in the sound preferences as "SHARP HDMI" not so for the Receiver.

I've returned to the Mac Mini - TV connection for now.

When I get time I'll have another go and study the manuals more closely.

However a TV with passthru would make life a lot easier.

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Answer 7

MacProCT

Level 2

366 points

Jul 10, 2010 5:02 AM in response to walfau

The Mac Mini does indeed have digital audio optical output. Just as the 2009 version did. It's provided through the headphone jack using a connector called mini-toslink.

You'll need to get a mini-toslink to toslink adapter. (They're frequently bundled with a toslink cable.)

Regarding the problem you encountered when connecting the Mini's HDMI to the receiver:

Try swapping the two HDMI cables.

Make sure you have all the components powered down when you make the changes. Then power on the tv and receiver, followed by the mac mini.

If you still aren't getting video from the computer, check the Yamaha's menus for source input selection settings. Make sure of the HDMI port that is selected for that source mode. On many receivers, it is possible to choose any of the receiver's HDMI ports as the input to any source. So for example, even though HDMI jack #2 may say DTV, it's possible that input #2 is set to the DVD source selection.

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Answer 8

walfau

Level 1

0 points

Jul 12, 2010 3:29 AM in response to MacProCT

MacProCT wrote:
The Mac Mini does indeed have digital audio optical output. Just as the 2009 version did. It's provided through the headphone jack using a connector called mini-toslink.

You'll need to get a mini-toslink to toslink adapter. (They're frequently bundled with a toslink cable.)

I turned everything off and went back to connecting the Mac Mini to my Yamaha's DTV/CBL port with an HDMI cable and another HDMI cable coming out of the Receiver's output to the TV and tried your idea of turning on the devices in sequence but still no picture.

Selecting the correct input on the Yamaha is confirmed by an indicator on the front.

I then turned everything off again and swapped the cables and turned the TV, Receiver and Mac Mini on in sequence and when I started up the Mac Mini I got the "incompatible audio signal" message from the TV again.

Thank you for putting me right about the Mac Mini having digital audio optical output.

For the moment I prefer to have the sound coming from the Sharp TV as it has the Blue Ray player attached and I basically only use the Mac Mini to view recorded shows. But this is all new to me so that may change as time goes by. The TV and receiver have other input/output options I can explore.

Even though the TV is reporting an incompatible audio when Mac Mini is connected (HDMI) to the TV, the sound is still being spread to all the speakers & LFE by the Yamaha it's just not being divided up intelligently as it should be, as the graphic indicator on the front of Yamaha shows only 2 speakers being used instead of 5.

Thank you for your assistance.

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Answer 9

capaho

Level 4

3,677 points

Jul 12, 2010 7:46 AM in response to MacProCT

http://www.cod3r.com/2008/02/the-correct-way-to-enable-ac3-passthrough-with-quic ktime/

That procedure was posted in 2008 and requires the installation of third-party software and the use of shell commends to enable the audio outputs.

According to Apple's FAQ, the new Mac mini supports 8 channel, 24-bit audio at 192 kHz, Dolby Surround 5.1, and stereo output through the HDMI port. I would think that enabling 8 channel, 24-bit audio at 192 kHz in the AudioMidiSetup utility would be sufficient for most people, assuming the mini is connected to an audio device capable of outputting audio at those settings.

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Answer 10

MacProCT

Level 2

366 points

Jul 12, 2010 11:43 AM in response to walfau

walfau wrote:

Selecting the correct input on the Yamaha is confirmed by an indicator on the front.

Ok good.

I then turned everything off again and swapped the cables and turned the TV, Receiver and Mac Mini on in sequence and when I started up the Mac Mini I got the "incompatible audio signal" message from the TV again.

Thank you for putting me right about the Mac Mini having digital audio optical output.

You could try new HDMI cables. But you may have a more likely path to a positive result by using toslink. Because I think it's possible that your Yamaha receiver doesn't like the HDMI audio signal from the Mini. Others on this forum have reported similar compatibility issues with certain brands of surround processors. So buying a mini-toslink cable is what I would do in your shoes.

For the moment I prefer to have the sound coming from the Sharp TV as it has the Blue Ray player attached and I basically only use the Mac Mini to view recorded shows. But this is all new to me so that may change as time goes by. The TV and receiver have other input/output options I can explore.

Just FYI, this "problem" is now being addressed by a number of TV manufacturers, who are starting taking advantage of HDMI's ability to send data bidirectionally. Specifically, they are providing a means to send the sound from an HDMI input to the TV, to a receiver that is also connected to the TV via HDMI.

It's unfortunate it's taken so long for electronics manufacturers to identify this need.

Even though the TV is reporting an incompatible audio when Mac Mini is connected (HDMI) to the TV, the sound is still being spread to all the speakers & LFE by the Yamaha it's just not being divided up intelligently as it should be, as the graphic indicator on the front of Yamaha shows only 2 speakers being used instead of 5.

Yeah, the Yamaha is receiving a 2 channel signal from the TV's sound output and performing matrix decoding to provide the 5-channel sound that you're being presented with.

This means that you aren't getting the benefit of discrete surround sound. For some content this may not be a big deal, but the point is that you're not getting the optimum performance possible when you are using the Yamaha receiver to watch a movie. If you wish to keep the keep the Blu-Ray player connected to the TV as it is now (so that it can be used with the receiver off), then you should get a second toslink cable (this one without the mini adapter) to go from the BD player to the receiver.

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