Roku setup

[Jmhc]

Hi there:

I have Roku Ultra 4800x with software version 14.1 and I can’t get any service to play Dolby Atmos on my receiver, only DD+ 5.1. 

The digital output format is set to passthrough and the preferred streaming format is set to auto.

Please help me out here.

Thank you.

[atc98092]

What is the make/model of your AVR?

[Jmhc]

Denon avr-x3700h.

I also tried with my old Onkyo tx-sr805 that doesnt support Dolby Atmos but it must play the sound in Dolby TrueHd and still only get DD+

[atc98092]

OK, what source are you using that you expect Atmos? You just mentioned Dolby TrueHD, and no Roku player will bitstream TrueHD or DTS Master Audio (i.e. lossless audio). So if your source has Dolby TrueHD with Atmos, you will not get the Atmos track. The only place you can get Atmos audio is from online streaming sources like MAX, Netflix, Prime Video, and so on. If you're playing any media that you've ripped from a disc (I have 1000s of them) you will never get the Atmos audio track.

[Jmhc]

Netflix, Max, Fanfango Now, Disney, they all stream Dolby Atmos, but in all cases I only get DD+.

I mentioned TrueHd because I also tested with a legacy non atmos capable receiver and got exactly same results. In this particular case I know the avr would not be able to decode atmos metadata but it should be able to play TrueHd, just like it does ehen I use my bluray player

[atc98092]

Yes, those all offer Atmos via DD+, but at least some you mentioned it requires a specific membership plan to get them. Also, some services (I can't say for certain with any of these) don't offer the Atmos track by default and it must be manually selected. I know Paramount+ was that way in the past, but I don't use it any longer.

I have MAX, but my plan doesn't offer 4K and that's required for Atmos sound. Disney I believe it's available as standard, and I do know I get Atmos with any title that offers it.

You will never get TrueHD playing any media through a Roku, so it didn't matter when you tried a different AVR. Roku devices will not bitstream any lossless audio codec, even when it's set to passthrough on the audio setting.

[Jmhc]

Yes all my plans support both 4k and Dolby Atmos.

Atmos is TrueHd (lossless) at its core, so if Roku Ultra can passthrough Dolby Atmos the its up to the receiver to decode the Atmos metadata and reproduce Atmos sound, in the case of a legacy non Atmos avr, then it plays the sound as TrueHd.

[atc98092]

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@Jmhc wrote:

Atmos is TrueHd (lossless) at its core, so if Roku Ultra can passthrough Dolby Atmos the its up to the receiver to decode the Atmos metadata and reproduce Atmos sound, in the case of a legacy non Atmos avr, then it plays the sound as TrueHd.

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That is not accurate. Dolby Atmos is available in two different codecs: the lossless Dolby TrueHD and the lossy Dolby Digital Plus (EAC3). All online streaming sites use the DD+ version. Roku devices supports only the lossy DD+ version. You are confusing the two different versions of Atmos.

You are correct that a non-Atmos AVR that supports TrueHD will still play the lossless TrueHD audio without the height channels.

[Jmhc]

Thanks pale, that explains everything.

Regards.

[StreamerUser]

@Jmhc 

Atmos can be carried in several ways:

1) DD+/Atmos (EAC3/Atmos)

2) AC4/Atmos

3) DTHD/Atmos

4) DMAT/Atmos (Dolby MAT 2.x PCM/Atmos)

Since nearly every streaming service uses DD+/Atmos you should expect your AVR to indicate DD+ in some way.  However, if your AVR is only indicating DD+ (and no Atmos @ all) then:

1) Make sure you have an Atmos speaker configuration (AVR's can/do change their EDID relative to the speaker setup)

2) Disable any upmixing/surround modes per HDMI input (disable Dolby Surrond, enable Pure/Direct etc)