Channels & viewing

[Obelix27]

I use an HDMI switch with an SPDIF optical audio extractor to get the audio from the HDMI to my old surround amp which handles DD and DTS (not HD). This works well in surround sound with everything except for Netflix on Roku where I get 2.0 sound. The setup even gets DD surround with Netflix on a Fire Stick 2nd gen.

Presumably the problem lies in the fact that Netflix sound is DD Plus. But I have tried the Roku’s Audio settings with DD and also DD,DTS and all I get is 2.0 with Netflix. Any idea why this might be? The HDMI switch has 2.0, 5.1 and TV settings, all of which give 2.0.

Curiously if I stream a DTS movie using Plex with Roku’s Audio settings set to Dolby Digital (not Plus), then I get DD surround, so the Roku is converting the surround sound format as would be expected.

[atc98092]

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@Obelix27 wrote:

I use an HDMI switch with an SPDIF optical audio extractor to get the audio from the HDMI to my old surround amp which handles DD and DTS (not HD). This works well in surround sound with everything except for Netflix on Roku where I get 2.0 sound. The setup even gets DD surround with Netflix on a Fire Stick 2nd gen.

Presumably the problem lies in the fact that Netflix sound is DD Plus. But I have tried the Roku’s Audio settings with DD and also DD,DTS and all I get is 2.0 with Netflix. Any idea why this might be? The HDMI switch has 2.0, 5.1 and TV settings, all of which give 2.0.

Curiously if I stream a DTS movie using Plex with Roku’s Audio settings set to Dolby Digital (not Plus), then I get DD surround, so the Roku is converting the surround sound format as would be expected.

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Plex is doing the transcoding, not the Roku. For what you are seeing, check to see of any of the audio processing functions are enabled. You can only access them when something is playing. Press the * button while the video is playing and look for any sound function and make sure it's turned off. It might be labeled volume leveling, or something different. But any audio processing must be turned off or you only get stereo sound. 

[Obelix27]

Volume Leveling is turned off. The only other relevant setting I can see is Roku's main Audio Setting where  I have tried all the options and none of them give surround sound with Netflix. Volume Leveling doesn't seem to stop surround sound on Plex.

[Obelix27]

On further investigation, it seems that if you set Volume Leveling before starting the video, then it does indeed set the sound to stereo. If you set Volume Leveling after starting the video it doesn't set the sound to stereo, however it doesn't seem to do any volume leveling either (until the video is restarted).

None of this however has got Netflix to output surround sound. Netflix only outputs stereo irrespective of Audio and Volume Leveling settings.

[dgrace]

If you can't decode dd+ then its what it is, and the roku doesn't convert for you, so selecting something else there is moot. 

Does your receiver offer 7 channel stereo? My Yamaha does and I use that on 2 channel sources to fill all speakers, until you upgrade your avr.

[Obelix27]

I don't understand then what the Roku audio setting does when I select between DD, DTS, and DD+ etc.?

If I play a DTS movie via Plex, and the Roku setting it set to DD then it comes through as DD. If the Roku setting is set to either DD or DD & DTS then not surprisingly it comes through as DTS. So something is able to convert from DTS to DD, presumably the Roku since it is the Roku setting that determines the output format. I would have thought that same transcoder would convert from DD+ to DD if the Roku Audio setting is DD.

Also worth noting that Netflix on my Firestick gen 2, and a 5 year old Samsung smart bluray player, both output DD 5.1 when playing Netflix

My surround processor handles 7+1 DTS & DD, and it is configured to use 5+1. It then  feeds 3 stereo power amplifiers.

[matthewrknoll]

I'm having the same thing happen but with my Roku TV. Did you ever find a fix for this?

https://community.roku.com/t5/Playback-Issues-Audio-Video-Power/No-5-1-audio-when-watching-Netflix-o...

[bginfl]

  I’ve been using a Roku box with an HDMI extractor for a while with an optical cable to my older Fenon 5700 receiver.  I’ve always gotten 5.1DD on amazon Prime and Netflix as well as the new Apple TV+.  I’ve just recently noticed however that I’m no longer getting sound in DD on either Amazon Prime or Netflix but I am still getting DD on Apple+    I’ve tried almost every combination of settings on the Roku audio settings without luck.  Though it seems Apple will come through DD on almost any setting I pick. 
  So something has definitely changed within the last 30 days or so. 

[Obelix27]

Seems like we have a similar setup. I never found a solution. Netflix has never worked for me in DD5.1 on Roku. I just use Netflix on my Firestick instead which does do DD5.1. However the Roku is much better when streaming movies from Windows via Plex and gets DD5.1, DTS5.1 and lip-sync much better.  

Frankly it is a bit annoying as I'd like to get rid of the Firestick. So any ideas much appreciated. I haven't tried Apple+ or Amazon Prime.

[RokuTannerD · Accepted solution]

@Obelix27 

Hi there, 

Thanks for the question here. Netflix provides Dolby Digital+ format audio for their content via their channel on Roku. They do not provide standard Dolby Digital 5.1 format. You'll want to use the 'Auto' setting in Settings>Audio mode in order for your device to automatically detect your TV/A/V receiver's capabilities and pass through the corresponding audio format where available. Your models of Roku devices cannot alter (or transcode) the audio format from Dolby Digital+ format to Dolby Digital 5.1—they will simply pass the supported audio format through to your TV or A/V receiver. (By contrast, the Plex channel uses different functionality to transcode audio in your Plex media server, then delivers the transcoded audio to your Roku device, allowing it to pass standard Dolby Digital 5.1 audio through to your TV/A/V receiver.) 

If your TV or A/V receiver isn't capable of playing Dolby Digital+ audio formats (as detected by the 'Auto' settings in Settings>Audio>Audio mode, you would only receive Stereo audio from the Netflix channel. 

I hope that helps clarify. 

Thanks,

Tanner