TV's and sound decoding

Relentless81

Relentless81

Relentless81

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Joined
18 May 2010
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Hi,

The more I read into this the more confused I get so was wondering if anyone can help me understand please.

When I select HDMI source on my TV within Sound Settings there is the options for PCM, Dolby Digital and DTS - The latter of the two are greyed out.

Connected via HDMI is my HTPC which is an i3 using in built graphis and sound. Within the sound properties no Encoded Formats are detected.

Within Kodi there are the options to enable Passthrough or not, from what I gather enabling Passthrough allows the signal to be sent to be decoded by the TV/AVR or whatever you have at the end of the HDMI cable

Whatever setting I choose, Dolby Digital and DTS are greyed out and not selectable.

When I go to settings with TV selected, I can choose Dolby Digital and the soundbar displays that it is displaying a DD source

My question is, why cant my TV play DD and DTS when the options are there and if I selected any other option than PCM would I have to keep manually changing between all three when no sound played depending on what it is receiving?

Thanks
 
The pattern for a lot of tellies has been that they are DD5.1 capable for
(a) the internal TV tuner, but this only applies to HD broadcasts for those channels which bother to transmit a DD5.1 capable signal, and then only for the individual programmes that carry DD5.1 sound
(b) and for any smart app such as Netflix
(c) and for medial file playback from the TV's USB port

Any of the TV's HDMI ports haven't been DD5.1 pass-thru capable. This is because the HDMI handshake between the TV and the source buggers-up the communication. In simple terms the TV tells the source that it has stereo speakers so don't bother sending anything better than stereo sound. Some folk have had limited success with certain models of LG TV I believe in overriding this dumbing-down.

When it came to DTS the TVs rarely had DTS decoders so the handshake never called for that sound format. Over the last couple or so years that has started to change. Some TVs have supported DTS albeit in limited 2 channel for only. (DTS 2.0)

The pattern is starting to change though with the introduction of UHD 4K TVs. They're less likely to dumb down DD5.1 via HDMI. LG have also now done a deal with DTS to include full DTS5.1 decoding on its higher-end TV products.

The long and short of it is you have to read the manual very carefully for your TV. Many manufacturers give the impression that DD5.1 is supported without saying it's only the TV tuner and apps/USB.

Once you know what your TV's capabilities are then you can plan from there onwards.

Looking at HTC as a source, you should check whether the HDMI output card can carry DD5.1 and DTS5.1. If it can, then enable it and make sure the film or file has that soundtrack. Kodi will pass the bitstream raw data if you set it to pass-thru.

So, lots of ducks to get in lined up in a row to make this work if going via the TV as a source switching hub.

Its a lot simpler if the audio or HDMI goes direct to a decent soundbar or AV Receiver first. As long as its a DD/DTS capable source and in bitstream form via a digital connection then it just plays right.
 
Thanks for answering my questions, I've just 'set it and forget it' to stereo now, just found it odd at first that I can watch cbeebies on Freeview with DD but cant pass DD through HDMI but its a limitation of my TV when using HDMI

Cheers
 
For a lot of TVs it's what I said in the 2nd paragraph. The TV acts dumb where external sources are concerned.

The only way to know for sure is either to trawl the Web looking for an answer for.your specific model, or to hook up an external box (BD player, HDMI DVD plater etc) and make sure it is set to bit stream and that you're playing a disc with the DD5.1 audio track selected.

When it comes to your HTPC system it's certainly possible to have DD5.1 coming out so long as all the hardware, and settings and source signal support it.
 
This could explain my issues. I have been I have a Panasonic DMR-BS850 on which the optical and coaxial digital outputs have stopped working. SO I have been forced to use the HDMI output as picture and sound source to my TV. The TV also has a digital out but this is not 5.1 - the obvious reason is that the Panasonic TV is degrading the HDMI sound. The manual is "quiet" on what happens to these digital signals. My current problem is that my Denon AV amp does not have an HDMI input, only 1080 component. SO its either a separate box to enable me to extract DD 5.1 from the HDMI signal before the TC degrades it, OR a new AV amp in the sales!
 
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The dead Digital/Optical output is bloody frustrating, especially on a high-value machine less than 2 years old. Have you spoken to anyone at Panasonic technical, or your dealer? It might be out of the 12 month manufacturer's warranty, but it's still covered by the 5 year Consumer Rights Act. It's not as comprehensive as the maufacturer's warranty but it does give you an avenue for redress.
 
Sorry - the Panasonic device at fault is 5+ years old and prob went wrong 4 - 5 years old. Still. Very annoying and not economic to repair.
 
Have this on both my Samsung TVs (2014 and 2015 models), but my 2016 Sony will play DD or DTS via the HDMI ports.
 
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