Immersive audio..

[archer75]

It’s a shame library view won’t update for you. Because this fixes the slow cover art issue you speak of. Try contacting the developer. They are incredibly responsive.

The issues with the Shield TV are very well documented. For example, it does not change resolution automatically. So if you’re watching something in 1080p, you need to manually change to that resolution. If you leave it in 4k, it upscales...I could live with this however, the scaler is incredibly bad. It softens the picture to the point where it can actually hide film grain. Motion panning can also reveal artefacts in some scenes with the upscaled image. In addition to this, when you change resolution, it defaults to a Rec 2020 colour space and its colour space conversion is also inaccurate (again well documented and measurable). So, not only do you manually have to change resolution, you have to change colour space too. It doesn’t always consistently change refresh rate to native 24p either. A quick check using my amp will often show it at 60hz when it should be at 24....explaining the pulldown judder I was seeing. When this happens, a reboot of the shield is required because no amount of changing resolution, refresh rates or restarting the movie fixes it. Netflix and the other internal streaming apps can only output at 60hz whereas my tv’s in built apps can output at native resolution.


Despite acknowledging all of these issues, the last firmware update was around 6 months ago. And the issues have existed far far longer than that. The person who calibrated my TV told me that the device lasted around a week in his system before he binned it. I’m actually just about to shove it on eBay now. I’m going to buy a Vero 4k player at just over £100 instead.

I'm not aware of any of these issues. I just don't see them. I leave my shield in 4k 60hz. I don't see judder. I had put it in 24hz but didn't notice a difference other than it made the gui slow. I don't see any difference in 1080p content no matter what the shield is set at or what streaming device I use.
The only difference in streaming Netflix on the built in lg app or on the shield is Dolby vision vs hdr but other than that they look the same. Maybe its the processing the tv is doing?
[doublepost=1505660230][/doublepost]

Did not know about all these Shield issues. That's annoying. Well I may just stick with my media pc (repurposed laptop) which is solely used as a Plex server and media player so I can get 24hz and bitstreaming of hd audio and Atmos from my blu ray rips. Have atv 4K ordered. Oppo 203 ordered. Will hopefully soon be upgrading to lg oled (have 1080p Samsung plasma). Between built in lg apps, atv 4K, oppo, and my media pc hopefully I'll be satisfied but it's always evolving.

I ditched my htpc for the shield. I already have the oppo and lg oled which are both very nice. I got the apple tv 4k because it brings Dolby vision and then I can ditch the built in apps. Trying to simplify things by getting down to 1, maybe 2 streaming devices.

 

[rhett7660]

The Problem with Plex is that it apparently cannot even get any audio tracks that aren't AAC or AC3 to the ATV without quality degradation, since the Plex server seems to transcode everything to AC3 when sending it the ATV Plex client.

I am assuming that Infuse gets around this? I just may have to look into Infuse a little more!

 

[Rigby]

I am assuming that Infuse gets around this? I just may have to look into Infuse a little more!

Infuse (and also MrMC) does not have this issue because it does not use server software that could transcode the audio. It pulls the original files directly from the network volume, decodes the audio track itself and outputs it in PCM format (which is a lossless operation).

 

[andrewstirling]

I'm not aware of any of these issues. I just don't see them. I leave my shield in 4k 60hz. I don't see judder. I had put it in 24hz but didn't notice a difference other than it made the gui slow. I don't see any difference in 1080p content no matter what the shield is set at or what streaming device I use.
The only difference in streaming Netflix on the built in lg app or on the shield is Dolby vision vs hdr but other than that they look the same. Maybe its the processing the tv is doing?
[doublepost=1505660230][/doublepost]
I ditched my htpc for the shield. I already have the oppo and lg oled which are both very nice. I got the apple tv 4k because it brings Dolby vision and then I can ditch the built in apps. Trying to simplify things by getting down to 1, maybe 2 streaming devices.

Displaying 24fps material at 60hz introduces judder via 3:2 pulldown. 24 into 60 doesn’t go so the issue is absolutely universal. Some people don’t notice it but it absolutely is there. I also have an oled btw (lg65e6) and the built in apps do a perfect job of displaying video in its native framerate.

As for the upscaling, try watching something like a high bitrate version Martin Scorsese’s ‘silence’. Playing the upscaled version completely softens the picture to the point where the film grain almost disappears. Again, this isn’t something which varies from device to device, it affects all Shield TVs. The nvidia forum regularly has threads complaining about the upscaling. Of course, if you’re watching low bitrate versions of the films or sit some distance from your tv, then the problem may not be obvious.
I have to be honest, it’s not something I’m usually sensitive to but the upscaling on the shield is so awful, it’s hard not to notice.

 

[archer75]

Displaying 24fps material at 60hz introduces judder via 3:2 pulldown. 24 into 60 doesn’t go so the issue is absolutely universal. Some people don’t notice it but it absolutely is there. I also have an oled btw (lg65e6) and the built in apps do a perfect job of displaying video in its native framerate.

As for the upscaling, try watching something like a high bitrate version Martin Scorsese’s ‘silence’. Playing the upscaled version completely softens the picture to the point where the film grain almost disappears. Again, this isn’t something which varies from device to device, it affects all Shield TVs. The nvidia forum regularly has threads complaining about the upscaling. Of course, if you’re watching low bitrate versions of the films or sit some distance from your tv, then the problem may not be obvious.
I have to be honest, it’s not something I’m usually sensitive to but the upscaling on the shield is so awful, it’s hard not to notice.

Perhaps I'm just lucky that I don't see it. Any of these issues.

 

[nebo1ss]

I'm somewhat amazed when I read that people prefer Plex and at the same time insist on audio bitstreaming. Last I checked a few months ago, Plex transcoded all audio formats except AAC and AC3 to AC3 when using an ATV4, which obviously degrades the audio quality. Has that changed recently?

Plex is very capable of doing audio bit streaming. Use it myself on a Nvidia shield. The limitation is not on Plex but on Apple with the ATV.

 

[Rigby]

Plex is very capable of doing audio bit streaming. Use it myself on a Nvidia shield. The limitation is not on Plex but on Apple with the ATV.

No, the limitation is on the Plex app for ATV. If Plex wanted, they could support decoding of advanced audio codecs on the ATV. Of course that would require more work than simply relying on Apple's inbuilt player.

 

[HiRez]

So my question is can Dolby Atmos support be added with a software update, or does it require special hardware?

Unfortunately it looks like the tv I'm looking at (LG 65" C7/E7 OLED) only supports Atmos by streaming using the TV's apps, not through HDMI.

 

[vipergts2207]

So my question is can Dolby Atmos support be added with a software update, or does it require special hardware?

Unfortunately it looks like the tv I'm looking at (LG 65" C7/E7 OLED) only supports Atmos by streaming using the TV's apps, not through HDMI.

I wouldn't think it would require special hardware, just a software update. What do you mean the TV won't support Atmos through HDMI? Do you mean over ARC to a receiver or as an input from an external device?

 

[HiRez]

What do you mean the TV won't support Atmos through HDMI? Do you mean over ARC to a receiver or as an input from an external device?

As I understand it, it cannot read Dolby Atmos through an HDMI input. But it can through its own apps via streaming. Which if true is a real bummer. That means no Atmos support though Apple TV (if it ends up supporting it), which is where most of my content will come from -- iTunes movies and Netflix.

I don't have the space right now for an elaborate speaker/amp setup so I was hoping to use the tv's built-in speakers (which they claim render Atmos at some level) for a while. Even an external sound bar is problematic because this tv sits very low to the ground on its stand. In theory I could get Atmos by using Netflix in the TV instead of through Apple TV, though built in UIs for apps like Netflix are frequently terrible. But not for iTunes movies, which is probably where most of the 4K HDR content will be found.

 

[andrewstirling]

As I understand it, it cannot read Dolby Atmos through an HDMI input. But it can through its own apps via streaming. Which if true is a real bummer. That means no Atmos support though Apple TV (if it ends up supporting it), which is where most of my content will come from -- iTunes movies and Netflix.

I don't have the space right now for an elaborate speaker/amp setup so I was hoping to use the tv's built-in speakers (which they claim render Atmos at some level) for a while. Even an external sound bar is problematic because this tv sits very low to the ground on its stand. In theory I could get Atmos by using Netflix in the TV instead of through Apple TV, though built in UIs for apps like Netflix are frequently terrible. But not for iTunes movies, which is probably where most of the 4K HDR content will be found.

I have an e6 oled tv and the built in Netflix app is excellent. It’s virtually indistinguishable from the Apple TV app and is fast and responsive. What’s more it renders programmes at their native framerate whereas the Apple TV Netflix is locked at 60hz. Netflix now has a decent selection of shows in 4k with a decent amount of those having Dolby Vision. Not sure about atmos support though.

 

[vipergts2207]

As I understand it, it cannot read Dolby Atmos through an HDMI input. But it can through its own apps via streaming. Which if true is a real bummer. That means no Atmos support though Apple TV (if it ends up supporting it), which is where most of my content will come from -- iTunes movies and Netflix.

I don't have the space right now for an elaborate speaker/amp setup so I was hoping to use the tv's built-in speakers (which they claim render Atmos at some level) for a while. Even an external sound bar is problematic because this tv sits very low to the ground on its stand. In theory I could get Atmos by using Netflix in the TV instead of through Apple TV, though built in UIs for apps like Netflix are frequently terrible. But not for iTunes movies, which is probably where most of the 4K HDR content will be found.

Honestly, unless you have at least a 5.1.2, setup you're not going to be missing anything anyway so I wouldn't worry about the lack of Atmos support.

 

[nebo1ss]

No, the limitation is on the Plex app for ATV. If Plex wanted, they could support decoding of advanced audio codecs on the ATV. Of course that would require more work than simply relying on Apple's inbuilt player.

Since we are talking about support for audio bit streaming. Decoding of advanced audio codecs is totally irrelevant.

 

[Rigby]

Since we are talking about support for audio bit streaming. Decoding of advanced audio codecs is totally irrelevant.

Are we? I'm interested in the result, and for everything except Atmos decoding to PCM provides the exact same quality as bitstreaming if implemented correctly.

 

[vetikje]

Hi,

I have a Samsung Dolby Atmos soundbar (HW-K950) which supports Dolby Digital plus 8 channels. Will Apple tv give me Dolby Digital plus from streaming apps like Netflix?

The soundbar does not support LPCM multichannel, only PCM 2.0.

Can anyone confirm?

Thanks

 

[ZeRoLiMiT]

With iNFUSE i get audio passthru. Works perfect with MKV files

 

[cardsdoc]

Hi,

I have a Samsung Dolby Atmos soundbar (HW-K950) which supports Dolby Digital plus 8 channels. Will Apple tv give me Dolby Digital plus from streaming apps like Netflix?

The soundbar does not support LPCM multichannel, only PCM 2.0.

Can anyone confirm?

Thanks

No one knows if ATV 4K will be any different but the assumption is that it will likely be the same as current gen ATV. This means ATV can only output a basic Dolby Digital (max 5.1) as a bitstream. DD+ is supported but it gets output as multi-channel LPCM. Even with that it seem it's only itunes content that supports DD+. As far as I know no 3rd party apps as of now support DD+ even output as LPCM. So that won't work for you but we'll have to get confirmation regarding 4K version once it's in peoples hands. In short Apple seems to have crippled audio quality and capability on the ATV which we are all baffled about.
[doublepost=1505833334][/doublepost]

With iNFUSE i get audio passthru. Works perfect with MKV files

Yes but true passthrough on infuse is limited to basic DD or DTS which means no Atmos which requires DD+. Infuse will decode HD audio codecs and then losslessly output as LPCM which would strip any Atmos metadata.

 

[vetikje]

No one knows if ATV 4K will be any different but the assumption is that it will likely be the same as current gen ATV. This means ATV can only output a basic Dolby Digital (max 5.1) as a bitstream. DD+ is supported but it gets output as multi-channel LPCM. Even with that it seem it's only itunes content that supports DD+. As far as I know no 3rd party apps as of now support DD+ even output as LPCM. So that won't work for you but we'll have to get confirmation regarding 4K version once it's in peoples hands. In short Apple seems to have crippled audio quality and capability on the ATV which we are all baffled about.
[doublepost=1505833334][/doublepost]

Yes but true passthrough on infuse is limited to basic DD or DTS which means no Atmos which requires DD+. Infuse will decode HD audio codecs and then losslessly output as LPCM which would strip any Atmos metadata.

Thanks for reply

 

[Agent2015]

Dolby Atmos on the way!

http://appleinsider.com/articles/17...d-sound-coming-to-apple-tv-4k-in-later-update

 

[thomasfxlt58]

Dolby Atmos on the way!

http://appleinsider.com/articles/17...d-sound-coming-to-apple-tv-4k-in-later-update

A little vague but promising.

 

[rhett7660]

Dolby Atmos on the way!

http://appleinsider.com/articles/17...d-sound-coming-to-apple-tv-4k-in-later-update

Nice, fingers crossed.

 

[benji888]

That was via the Verge, here is their review:

“Apple told me that the lack of Atmos isn’t a hardware limitation, and that support is on the roadmap.”

APPLE TV 4K REVIEW: SO CLOSE, SO FAR
Almost all of the lights
https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/21/16341876/new-apple-tv-4k-review-2017

So my question is can Dolby Atmos support be added with a software update, or does it require special hardware?

Unfortunately it looks like the tv I'm looking at (LG 65" C7/E7 OLED) only supports Atmos by streaming using the TV's apps, not through HDMI.

 

[ActionableMango]

Perhaps I'm just lucky that I don't see it. Any of these issues.

It won't show on a lot of content types. However, on certain content types it shows very badly.

I didn't notice until it was pointed out to me by a friend, and now I can't unsee it and it takes me out of the movie. So I make a point of not trying to tell people like you what to look for. Just enjoy your viewing and don't try to look for it.

 

[archer75]

It won't show on a lot of content types. However, on certain content types it shows very badly.

I didn't notice until it was pointed out to me by a friend, and now I can't unsee it and it takes me out of the movie. So I make a point of not trying to tell people like you what to look for. Just enjoy your viewing and don't try to look for it.

I do have a dejudder option turned on the tv. Maybe that fixes it. I watch all sorts of content from disc, to streaming from both a ATV4 and Shield on it. In addition to the built in apps on the TV.