Solving playback issues

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StreamerUser
Roku Guru

Re: Update 9.2 broke dolby digital

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@vodil wrote:

I have a ROKU Ultra plugged into my Atmos-enabled AVR, but Netflix never shows "Atmos" for the sound although others (e.g.the ROKU) channel do.  Do you get Atmost from Netflix?


Only the recently released model 4800 Ultra supports Atmos from NetFlix (its the only Roku model that has the necessary Atmos decoder requirements that NF enforces/requires) - all other models, including all previous Ultras, do not support Atmos for NetFlix (though they do support it for pretty much everything else that offers it:  Prime, Disney+, Vudu, Apple TV, etc).

vodil
Binge Watcher

Re: Update 9.2 broke dolby digital

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@StreamerUser wrote:

@vodil wrote:

I have a ROKU Ultra plugged into my Atmos-enabled AVR, but Netflix never shows "Atmos" for the sound although others (e.g.the ROKU) channel do.  Do you get Atmost from Netflix?


Only the recently released model 4800 Ultra supports Atmos from NetFlix (its the only Roku model that has the necessary Atmos decoder requirements that NF enforces/requires) - all other models, including all previous Ultras, do not support Atmos for NetFlix (though they do support it for pretty much everything else that offers it:  Prime, Disney+, Vudu, Apple TV, etc).

 

THANK YOU!  I have a 4640X and it had been driving me crazy.  Now I'll have to get something new--and I doubt it will be ROKU, seeing as they obscured all of this so much.  NVIDIA Sheild anyone?


 

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dddddsssssss
Channel Surfer

Re: Update 9.2 broke dolby digital

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Actually, the fire stick will pass 5.1 natively to the Panasonic receiver. I just tested on a movie which gives options for stereo or 5.1. That is why I am sticking with the new fire stick. Roku has a great interface and of course, they are not pushing you to buy amazon content right on the landing page.

However, I have to discount the lack of 5.1 on the roku. It's just too fundamental a need. I am aware that Roku channel has some movies that maybe in 5.1 but that is too hit and miss to sway me.

I am in no way an audiophile but I like my setup and I have had this receiver for several years with no hiccups. I intend to keep it until it drops dead.

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Heyitsrick
Roku Guru

Re: Update 9.2 broke dolby digital

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@dddddsssssss wrote:

Actually, the fire stick will pass 5.1 natively to the Panasonic receiver. I just tested on a movie which gives options for stereo or 5.1. That is why I am sticking with the new fire stick. Roku has a great interface and of course, they are not pushing you to buy amazon content right on the landing page.

However, I have to discount the lack of 5.1 on the roku. It's just too fundamental a need. I am aware that Roku channel has some movies that maybe in 5.1 but that is too hit and miss to sway me.

I am in no way an audiophile but I like my setup and I have had this receiver for several years with no hiccups. I intend to keep it until it drops dead.


Of course, you should do what works for you. But think about it - you're dinging Roku for your own receiver's lack of capability. That's your choice to keep old technology that you need workarounds for.

dddddsssssss
Channel Surfer

Re: Update 9.2 broke dolby digital

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That's just the thing. There are no workarounds. The receiver works perfectly and Roku does not. It would be a workaround to attach new devices and configurations to do what the fire stick simply does natively. Roku is the one without the capability.

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StreamerUser
Roku Guru

Re: Update 9.2 broke dolby digital

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@vodil wrote:

@StreamerUser wrote:

@vodil wrote:

I have a ROKU Ultra plugged into my Atmos-enabled AVR, but Netflix never shows "Atmos" for the sound although others (e.g.the ROKU) channel do.  Do you get Atmost from Netflix?


Only the recently released model 4800 Ultra supports Atmos from NetFlix (its the only Roku model that has the necessary Atmos decoder requirements that NF enforces/requires) - all other models, including all previous Ultras, do not support Atmos for NetFlix (though they do support it for pretty much everything else that offers it:  Prime, Disney+, Vudu, Apple TV, etc).

 

THANK YOU!  I have a 4640X and it had been driving me crazy.  Now I'll have to get something new--and I doubt it will be ROKU, seeing as they obscured all of this so much.  NVIDIA Sheild anyone?


 


Both NetFlix and Roku share blame about the lack of transparency regarding NetFlix Atmos functionality on Roku devices - NetFlix for not making clear their platform requirements (Dolby decoding) for Atmos in general (to the public), and Roku for not making clear that while their pre-4800 models support Atmos, they don't support it on NetFlix because they don't meet the NF platform requirements (and as usual with CE devices, the Cs (consumers) are left in the lurch)...

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StreamerUser
Roku Guru

Re: Update 9.2 broke dolby digital

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@dddddsssssss wrote:

That's just the thing. There are no workarounds. The receiver works perfectly and Roku does not. It would be a workaround to attach new devices and configurations to do what the fire stick simply does natively. Roku is the one without the capability.


Both your receiver (no DD+ or beyond) and Roku (no DD+ decoder) lack functionality (along with every other CE device) - its the nature of CE:  new/changed/revised/updated standards/protocols/functionality come along, potentially deprecating the value of your current CE devices, especially in connected configurations. 

Better products include functionality for backwards compatibility and multiple connection configurations, but no CE device is ever perfect, and even if they were, its for a very short lived period of time at best.

The best thing you can do is inform yourself/do the research about standards/protocols/functionality and how different products/services implement them, and then choose accordingly:  in your case, with a receiver that can only process DD, you need a streamer that can do Dolby DD+ decoding (and thus transcode to DD), and the Fire TV Stick is the product you chose (there are other products, including the recently released 4800 that can accomplish the same thing).

 

 

lesmikesell
Roku Guru

Re: Update 9.2 broke dolby digital

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Or... TV's are remarkably cheap now, and a new TV would likely have native apps for whatever you are streaming plus the ability to handle DD+ from an HDMI input and send DD 5.1  out it's optical connection.

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Heyitsrick
Roku Guru

Re: Update 9.2 broke dolby digital

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@dddddsssssss wrote:

That's just the thing. There are no workarounds. The receiver works perfectly and Roku does not. It would be a workaround to attach new devices and configurations to do what the fire stick simply does natively. Roku is the one without the capability.


So your receiver has the "capability" to decode the format channel apps are actually using...Dolby Digital Plus? That's an interesting take.  The Fire Stick needs to transcode for you, as your receiver doesn't have the capability you speak of to decode DD+.

Roku has always been a "pass-through" device where audio is concerned. There is/was no hiding that to buyers. The Roku works perfectly, as you would say, in passing the audio surround stream the channel app is using. Overwhelmingly, that's Dolby Digital Plus.

You want something that works around your receiver's limitations. Hence, the Fire Stick.  It's like someone buying a three-prong electrical cable adapter (a "cheater plug")  to plug their modern device into an older ungrounded two-prong electrical outlet. 

I'm not saying this isn't a good solution for you, given your desire to keep your older receiver. But it certainly doesn't have anything to do with Roku not working as it should. As you can see with the Roku Channel, the Roku passes older Dolby Digital just fine. It's not transcoding Dolby Digital Plus from other channel apps, but it's not advertised to do that. The new Roku Ultra might transcode DD+, as it advertises that it decodes Dolby Atmos, a more advanced format than DD+. I haven't tested it, though.

StreamerUser
Roku Guru

Re: Update 9.2 broke dolby digital

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@Heyitsrick wrote:

@dddddsssssss wrote:

That's just the thing. There are no workarounds. The receiver works perfectly and Roku does not. It would be a workaround to attach new devices and configurations to do what the fire stick simply does natively. Roku is the one without the capability.


So your receiver has the "capability" to decode the format channel apps are actually using...Dolby Digital Plus? That's an interesting take.  The Fire Stick needs to transcode for you, as your receiver doesn't have the capability you speak of to decode DD+.

Roku has always been a "pass-through" device where audio is concerned. There is/was no hiding that to buyers. The Roku works perfectly, as you would say, in passing the audio surround stream the channel app is using. Overwhelmingly, that's Dolby Digital Plus.

You want something that works around your receiver's limitations. Hence, the Fire Stick.  It's like someone buying a three-prong electrical cable adapter (a "cheater plug")  to plug their modern device into an older ungrounded two-prong electrical outlet. 

I'm not saying this isn't a good solution for you, given your desire to keep your older receiver. But it certainly doesn't have anything to do with Roku not working as it should. As you can see with the Roku Channel, the Roku passes older Dolby Digital just fine. It's not transcoding Dolby Digital Plus from other channel apps, but it's not advertised to do that. The new Roku Ultra might transcode DD+, as it advertises that it decodes Dolby Atmos, a more advanced format than DD+. I haven't tested it, though.


The 4800 does transcode to DD if thats the highest detected or otherwise manually configured for DD (I tested it with multiple DD-only devices, and it worked in all scenarios). 

It will actually transcode everything to the highest-detected Dolby level on "Auto-detect" (Settings/Audio/HDMI=Auto detect) or (with the latest 4200 build) whatever you manually configure it for (PCM, DD, DD+, DD/DTS, DD+/DTS). 

Note that the highest Dolby levels (DTHD, MAT 2.0) are not manually selectable (though it will transcode to them if detected on "Auto detect"), so manual transcode configuration is limited to DD+/DD only (in terms of Dolby).

If you don't want anything transcoded/want passthrough only, it must be set to "Auto passthrough" (Settings/Audio/HDMI=Auto passthrough).