Solving playback issues

[davidc502]

I've seen similar subjects on the Ultra and Dolby Atmos, and have not seen a solution for the problem.

Essentially, I have a Dolby Atmos Receiver and Speakers. The Roku Audio is set to the highest setting, and the receiver just shows Dolby Digital Surround Sound. I've tried 2 different sources, Netflix and Disney+ and chose programs/movies with Dolby Atmos.  If I bypass the Roku, and use the TV apps and use ARC to send the audio back to the receiver Dolby Atmos works. 

I have Roku Ultra 4670X which was purchased from Best Buy in 2019. I've checked for updates and it is set for Auto Updates and has the latest version of OS.

I have read of a few people using Audio "passthrough"?  However, I do not see this setting on my Roku?

[StreamerUser]

The NetFix app on the 4670 (and earlier Roku players) doesnt support Atmos, so it isnt clear what "programs and movies" you chose.

The NF app on the 4800 (Ultra 2020) and the 394x (Express 4K/4K+) does support Atmos.

Disney+ supports Atmos on any 4K/HDR capable model.

You need to make sure Settings/Audio/HDMI=Auto detect  (the Auto passthrough option is only available on devices with a Dolby decoder, such as the 4800 and Roku TVs).

It also isnt clear how you have the 4670 connected (to the TV or to the AVR), and this can/does make a difference as well.

[davidc502]

The Roku Ultra 4670x is connected to Ethernet and HDMI is connected to the Denon AVR-X3600H to one of its input HDMI ports (They are all 4k HDCP 2.3 capable). The Denon receiver is connected to the TV through its HDMI Out ports with ARC return.

The thing is I could have sworn last year Dolby Atmos was working because I tested it with some new Klipsche speakers I bought. I'm wondering if 10.0 didn't make some changes which took that capability away, but is just speculation.

For Disney+ I tested Star Wars - The rise of SkyWalker which is Atmos enabled.  This does work when I bypass the Roku

For Netflix I tested - 6 Underground which is Atmos Enabled. This also works as expected when the Roku is bypassed.

From what I understand the Ultra today is still the 4670(?) << Not sure what iteration they are on now.

[StreamerUser]

You need to re-read the response to you regarding necessary settings and app Atmos limitations/functionality relative to model versions.

The 4670 is the 2019 Ultra - the 4800 is the 2020 Ultra.  

[davidc502]

I appreciate the community support and responses.

Thanks,

David

[davidc502]

After a bit of research it appears there is licensing involved for Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision.  This has me thinking a bit about how a signal is relayed to the TV for everyone's viewing pleasure, and the licensing involved.

1. Roku licensing for Dolby Atmos and Vision. Sends the signal to the receiver next.

2. The Receiver Licensing for Dolby Atmos and Vision. My Denon receiver advertised Dolby Atmos and I'm sure they had to pay a license.  The receiver sends the signal to the TV.

3. The TV Licensing for Dolby Atmos and Vision. Looking at my LG OLED, I'm sure they also had to buy licenses for both Dolby technologies.  The TV ultimately displays the signal.

My question revolves around the legality of charging licenses for each component in the pipe-line or stream-line. It seems Dolby has a licensing scheme that charges each component down the line, and I wonder about the legalities of such a scheme. 

Any thoughts about the licensing?

[StreamerUser]

There are different licenses required for Dolby support, and Dolby also licenses different codec "combo" packages.  Its intellectual property owned by Dolby.  I'm not sure what seems odd or questionable.

Your TV is capable of decoding/processing DV/DA - it needs a license for the Dolby modules in its hardware/firmware that do that.

Your AVR is capable of decoding/processing DV/DA - it needs a license for the Dolby modules in its hardware/firmware that do that.

Your Roku is capable of decoding/processing DV/DA - it needs a license for the Dolby modules in its hardware/firmware that do that.

IP licensing is an extremely normal and common practice - everything you are using right now is covered by all sorts of different licensing agreements.

All IP licensing is a "scheme" - the scheme generally involves providing access/use of the IP in a way that maximizes revenue and/or distribution (sometimes other considerations, like control/modifiability/inclusion/exclusion).

[davidc502]

Thanks for the explanation.

I've read the term "passthrough" when reading about Roku.  Does passthrough still need a license?  It seems to me to be a waste for the Roku to process audio when the receiver is going to do it anyway. Also, I noticed my particular Ruku does not have this option, but I don't know why.

[StreamerUser · Accepted solution]

For player models, only the 4800 (2020 Ultra) and the 4640 (2016 Ultra) have a passthrough option.

That is because they are the only two with Dolby decoders (different levels), and need a way to either transcode/convert audio ("Auto detect") versus bitstream passthrough ("Auto passthrough").

All other models are passthrough only (for Dolby/DTS - AAC/etc is decoded/transcoded/converted)

Roku licenses a codec package from Dolby (MS1x = Multistream Decoder version 10/11/12/etc), and its version+configuration+license level determines the final audio output capabilities of the device.

[davidc502]

*Update*

Since the Roku Ultra is on sale I bought another one, and it is the 4800X. Yes, no problems with Dolby Atmos Audio or Dolby Vision.

1. When I look at the audio configuration it is set to Auto, but passthrough is listed.

2. When I look at Video configuration it is also set to Auto, but Dolby Vision is listed.

Thanks for the Accurate information.