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Apps Amazon Prime 5.1 Status?

IPadNParadise

IPadNParadise

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 12, 2013
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i have an ATV 4 connected by HDMI to my Pioneeer receiver, then receiver connected HDMI to Sony Bravia. I can get receiver processed 5.1 sound from my Amazon app but see nothing about the actual app outputting 5.1. Any update as to when they will fix it?
 
Nothing yet...

And more bad news for Prime members... as of Jan 1st, they took away all the classic James Bond movies! :(
 
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IPadNParadise said:
i have an ATV 4 connected by HDMI to my Pioneeer receiver, then receiver connected HDMI to Sony Bravia. I can get receiver processed 5.1 sound from my Amazon app but see nothing about the actual app outputting 5.1. Any update as to when they will fix it?
Click to expand...

When I understand you correctly, you mean to say that you don't get your ATV 4 to output 5.1 sound to your receiver. And that the only way to get some sort of 5.1 is to have the receiver artificially create it by one of it's features.

I have a Marantz receiver and it switches automatically to surround when the input is in that format. So it regularly switches from 5.1 to stereo or from stereo to 5.1 when I use Amazon. However this does not happen when I have it set to one or the other. I have to choose the 'automatic' setting. After it has switched to 5.1, I can still choose between different 5.1 formats. (DTS, Dolby or simple Multi channel)

That is the way that I detect 5.1 output on Amazon. Sadly I can't see it any other way. So when The Grand Tour is on my sound switches to 5.1 in season 2 but to stereo in season 1. I don't know which other movies and series are in 5.1

When you have the automatic input on your receiver, select it and set you ATV 4 to best available sound and NOT to dolby surround 5.1.

See if it works. I hope your receiver has the right choices. Mine was updated not long ago to improve it's response to changing audio input formats.
 
I am not very tech savvy so bear with me if I am not understanding. My Pioneer Vsx-Lx101 is a 2016 model that has had a firmware update applied that allows DTS. And it doesn’t have a basic setup for auto but it does have 2 buttons on the remote that I use. One is called Auto and using that if I hit the ‘i’ status button on the remote I can see what the source audio is inputting i.e. Directv, Netflix, shows 5.1 and I can toggle to Surround. If the source is showing PCM 2.0 like the Amazon Prime App, I then select the Surround button on the remote and toggle between the Pioneer’s applied Surround Settings. I do have the ATV 4 set to Best Available.
 
Amazon fixed the Prime app to output 5.1 audio in late December, but only for 4K content (so only for the Apple TV 4K). Amazon claims they will fix HD and SD content "soon". This shows up if you check the update history for the Prime app on the Apple TV's App Store.

Of note, to get 5.1 audio from my Apple TV 4K, I had to change the audio output from "Best Available" to "Dolby 5.1". My ATV4K is connected directly to my TV and uses ARC to return sound to my receiver since my receiver only does HDMI 1.4.
 
IPadNParadise said:
I am not very tech savvy so bear with me if I am not understanding. My Pioneer Vsx-Lx101 is a 2016 model that has had a firmware update applied that allows DTS. And it doesn’t have a basic setup for auto but it does have 2 buttons on the remote that I use. One is called Auto and using that if I hit the ‘i’ status button on the remote I can see what the source audio is inputting i.e. Directv, Netflix, shows 5.1 and I can toggle to Surround. If the source is showing PCM 2.0 like the Amazon Prime App, I then select the Surround button on the remote and toggle between the Pioneer’s applied Surround Settings. I do have the ATV 4 set to Best Available.
Click to expand...

I think that the automatic setting on your receiver is the best input option. I am not sure why I do get 5.1 on my ATV 4 and you don't. Maybe it matters to which location your account is connected. I do get a multi channel input on my receiver for some content and not on other content. That's why I am pretty sure that the multi channel 5.1 output has been implemented.

HOWEVER when you read the following post, be careful because just doing the next thing may mess up your DTS signal:

Morac said:
Amazon fixed the Prime app to output 5.1 audio in late December, but only for 4K content (so only for the Apple TV 4K). Amazon claims they will fix HD and SD content "soon". This shows up if you check the update history for the Prime app on the Apple TV's App Store.

Of note, to get 5.1 audio from my Apple TV 4K, I had to change the audio output from "Best Available" to "Dolby 5.1". My ATV4K is connected directly to my TV and uses ARC to return sound to my receiver since my receiver only does HDMI 1.4.
Click to expand...

This may be a solution for some, but keeping the output of your ATV4 on automatic is my advice. Why? Because the newer versions of DTS will not work when the input is set to anything 'Dolby'. Dolby and DTS are competing brands that is why DTS-X does not accept Dolby signals.... I have set my ATV4 output to 'Best Available'.

Setting the output to 5,1 will also destroy an original Stereo signal if that came with the content you watch. Everything stereo will be artificially 'upgraded' to some sort of Multi-Channel Dolby rubbish. Which is prevented by selecting 'Best Available'.

It could be that some old input-settings are stored in a flash memory of your receiver. So what you could try is to switch your receiver off AND unplug the power cord. Plug it in after ten minutes or so. If nothing helps I advice to wait until you are 100% sure that you get the multi channel content delivered on Amazon.
 
lemonkid said:
I think that the automatic setting on your receiver is the best input option. I am not sure why I do get 5.1 on my ATV 4 and you don't. Maybe it matters to which location your account is connected. I do get a multi channel input on my receiver for some content and not on other content. That's why I am pretty sure that the multi channel 5.1 output has been implemented.

HOWEVER when you read the following post, be careful because just doing the next thing may mess up your DTS signal:



This may be a solution for some, but keeping the output of your ATV4 on automatic is my advice. Why? Because the newer versions of DTS will not work when the input is set to anything 'Dolby'. Dolby and DTS are competing brands that is why DTS-X does not accept Dolby signals.... I have set my ATV4 output to 'Best Available'.

Setting the output to 5,1 will also destroy an original Stereo signal if that came with the content you watch. Everything stereo will be artificially 'upgraded' to some sort of Multi-Channel Dolby rubbish. Which is prevented by selecting 'Best Available'.

It could be that some old input-settings are stored in a flash memory of your receiver. So what you could try is to switch your receiver off AND unplug the power cord. Plug it in after ten minutes or so. If nothing helps I advice to wait until you are 100% sure that you get the multi channel content delivered on Amazon.
Click to expand...
Thank you, I do intend to keep the audio on the Appletv 4 set to Best Available. I have also unplugged/replugged the receiver this week for another issue and it didn’t change the audio display info showing input as pcm 2.0. But like I said I can get the receiver itself to put out processed 5.1 so I’ll live with that.
 
lemonkid said:
Setting the output to 5,1 will also destroy an original Stereo signal if that came with the content you watch. Everything stereo will be artificially 'upgraded' to some sort of Multi-Channel Dolby rubbish. Which is prevented by selecting 'Best Available'.
Click to expand...

For me, even if I set the setting to 5.1, stereo is still output as PCM stereo. I think the issue with my set up is that my TV will only output stereo, Dolby 5.1 or DTS 5.1. For whatever reason “best available” defaults to stereo.
 
I noticed, for the first time last evening, I am finally getting ‘multi channel 5.1’ Input instead of the 2.0 I had been getting and without asking my receiver to process it. I have a non 4k Sony tv and an ATV 4. 5.1 is still not showing on the screen with the movie info.
 
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There are still programs that should be in 5.1 playing as 2.0 in the app. For example “The Tick” plays in stereo on the Apple TV 4K. It plays in 5.1 on other devices.
 
It's a mixed bag from what I've experienced. 4K content is in 5.1 but HD content is a mixture of 5.1 and 2.0.
 
IPadNParadise said:
i have an ATV 4 connected by HDMI to my Pioneeer receiver, then receiver connected HDMI to Sony Bravia. I can get receiver processed 5.1 sound from my Amazon app but see nothing about the actual app outputting 5.1. Any update as to when they will fix it?
Click to expand...

I have 5.1 on Apple TV Gen 4, but just because a movie icons shows it should have 5.1 doesn’t mean it will. Robin Hood (with Russel Crow) has working 5.1 but Deep Impact does not. Both show they should. Lots more doesn’t have it, most actually.

And for some strange reason, the only place where the 5.1 icon appears seems to be when navigating to Movies -> Genres -> and then picking for instance Action Adventure. But when opening the movie for more details and to play it there is no information on sound spec.

So in conclusion. Most places don’t show if a movie has 5.1 surround sound or not. And where it does show the information is false most of the time.
 
Amazon Prime On Apple TV is absolute garbage. Complete lottery as to whether or not you get 5.1

Case in point for me currently is The Man in the High Castle. Some episodes in season 2 are 5.1, some 2.0. So far every episode in season 3 is 2.0. Everything is 5.1 on other devices. I put in a help request with Amazon and they’ve completely stonewalled me. Quite shocking that in 2018 they cannot get their act together with a surround format that’s been in homes for getting on twenty years. More accurately they obviously don’t care.
 
Jim Lahey said:
Amazon Prime On Apple TV is absolute garbage. Complete lottery as to whether or not you get 5.1

Case in point for me currently is The Man in the High Castle. Some episodes in season 2 are 5.1, some 2.0. So far every episode in season 3 is 2.0. Everything is 5.1 on other devices. I put in a help request with Amazon and they’ve completely stonewalled me. Quite shocking that in 2018 they cannot get their act together with a surround format that’s been in homes for getting on twenty years. More accurately they obviously don’t care.
Click to expand...

I've been talking to a guy from Amazon Video support about this topic for weeks now. He's been reporting problems on a show by show basis, and much to my surprise, there is genuinely a lot more 5.1 on Amazon now than there was a month or so ago. The Man in the High Castle is an odd one though, and he told me that according to the Amazon app devs, the show does include a 5.1 stream, but there's an issue with the ATV which prevents it from detecting it. They're apparently "looking into it".

Of course there are other issues as well, such as whole app feeling like a sluggish web app and not at all like it belongs on the platform, but I suspect that isn't something that's going to change anytime soon, if ever.

I'd at least like to see video and audio parity with other Amazon platforms, which means Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.
 
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Sakurambo-kun said:
I've been talking to a guy from Amazon Video support about this topic for weeks now. He's been reporting problems on a show by show basis, and much to my surprise, there is genuinely a lot more 5.1 on Amazon now than there was a month or so ago. The Man in the High Castle is an odd one though, and he told me that according to the Amazon app devs, the show does include a 5.1 stream, but there's an issue with the ATV which prevents it from detecting it. They're apparently "looking into it".

Of course there are other issues as well, such as whole app feeling like a sluggish web app and not at all like it belongs on the platform, but I suspect that isn't something that's going to change anytime soon, if ever.

I'd at least like to see video and audio parity with other Amazon platforms, which means Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.
Click to expand...

I’m definitely getting 5.1 on High Castle season 3
 
Hate to bump an old thread but this still seems to be an issue in 2019. All Amazon Originals are in stereo as of today, February 2, 2019. Regular movies come thru in 5.1 so it seems to be an issue with coding by Amazon for the Apple TV. By the way I have the Apple TV 4K. This is just irritating as I can get 5.1 on my 10 year old PlayStation 3.

I’m not sure who’s to blame, Amazon or Apple.

Anyway, thanks for any thoughts.
 
Agreed - While Amazon's Support site says 5.1 is supported, it's hit or miss on the Apple 4K TV. Murdoch Mysteries and Jack Ryan are examples of content that plays in Stereo on the Apple 4K TV, and 5.1 on the Fire TV 4K. In my opinion, it's a problem with the Amazon App or the way Amazon codes it's video streams.

I have reported it to Amazon Prime Video support, but I'm not very optimistic.
 
This is a timely bump of this thread. I just finished watching Hanna on Prime Video last night - an excellent series BTW - and to my surprise it was broadcast in Dolby 5.1 (via PCM but I'm not going to be picky cause it sounded great). I haven't tried other original shows, but this is the first Amazon Original show that I have watched that came through in DD 5.1 on my Apple TV 4K. I will try some other shows in the next few days. And maybe it's in 5.1 because it's a brand new release. No idea. But I was very happy.
 
IPadNParadise said:
i have an ATV 4 connected by HDMI to my Pioneeer receiver, then receiver connected HDMI to Sony Bravia. I can get receiver processed 5.1 sound from my Amazon app but see nothing about the actual app outputting 5.1. Any update as to when they will fix it?
Click to expand...

Actually its working, only you have to use Microsoft Edge. Literally the ONLY useful thing edge does that google doesn't. For some reason Chrome is not compatible with anything more than stereo. Firefox supposedly is with plugins but I've never gotten it to work. Also HBO Now works like this for me as well.
 
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