Mac Mini (late 2012) and receiver 5:1 problems

[johjames912]

I've got a Mac Mini (late 2012) which I use as a HTPC. It's linked via a Premium HDMI cable to the receiver and the receiver is linked to via a Premium HDMi cable a LG OLED65C8PLA TV.
I now have a 5:1 speaker set-up, but I'm having a real struggle getting the surround sound to work consistently when I play video files. Sometimes they play in 5:1 and sometimes they don't and I haven't been able to find any way to get the surround sound working consistently.
I've tried using different Premium HDMI cables and I've used a SONY STRDN-1080 and a Denon AVR-X2600H receiver and neither changing the cables or receiver has helped.
Maybe I have missed something, but my online searches haven't thrown up any solutions either.
Is there anything I can do to solve this problem?

 

[sdp77]

I have the same issue. Everything worked just fine before Catalina. Now, the only movies playing in surround sound are the ones bought from iTunes. It seems there is an issue with the HDMI connection. There is a whole thread in MacOS where people complain of not having video either. I am tempted to call technical support but I'd rather wait for an OS update first. Let me know if you find a solution.

 

[TinHead88]

What software do you use to play your media?

 

[schlotz]

Yup, let's start at the source with details. What software is used to display the movies? What file format are the movies in? What software was used to rip the movie and with what settings?

 

[johjames912]

Thanks for responding all. I use VLC and Plex to play the files and I use a variety of files, mainly mp4, avi and mk4. I've adjusted the settings in Plex to play 5:1 and in VLC when it will let me. Most of the movies are downloads or were ripped using handbrake many, many years ago. I'm not sure it's the software, as when I've played a file, at times it will play in 5:1 and at times it won't.