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Aura and Sonos.

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    GrahamY

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    Wheelmon, have DMed you, let’s take this to Humax for a fix

    | Mon 22 Feb 2021 19:52:58 #11 |
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    Wheelmon

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    GrahamY - I've replied to your DM.

    Just a point: I take it you've been to Settings > Device Preferences > Sound > Select formats.

    I tried both 'Auto' and 'Manual' but it made no difference.

    On 'Auto' it switches on 'DD', 'DD+' and 'DTS'. My TV can handle just those three' so there is some sort of recognition. From this I think we can assume that Humax do intend for it to provide what we need. It's just not actually doing it in practice!

    Hopefully it'll be sorted in the next firmware update as you say.

    The Sonos App normally shows "Audio input: 'Stereo PCM 2.0' or 'Dolby Digital 2.0' or 'Dolby Digital 5.1'."

    As it is it's showing:
    MS12 On : everything 'Dolby Digital 5.1'
    MS12 Off: everything 'Stereo PCM 2.0'

    | Mon 22 Feb 2021 22:47:31 #12 |
  3. Barry

    Barry

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    Humax Towers have been reading this thread and asked me to post the following:

    Freeview channels do not have Dolby Digital Audio - the actual transmission is AAC 5.1 if it is multi-channel.
    (Most of contents have 2-channel AAC, but sometimes AAC 5.1 is transmitted. AAC is MPEG-4 audio, a different format from Dolby.)
    In case of Android TV, AAC multi-channel audio will be decoded by STB, and send PCM output to audio device according to capability.
    - If the receiver supports multi channels (usually AVR), then the output will be PCM 5.1
    - If the receiver supports stereo (TV), the output will be PCM stereo.
    - The legacy STBs will transcode AAC 5.1 to DD 5.1.

    MS12 options should be off - and if everything is ok, correct format should be PCM 5.1, and Sonos App should display PCM 5.1 as well. (Not PCM 2.0 nor DD 5.1)

    I searched with “Sonos PCM 5.1”, there was a software update from Sonos side recently : https://support.sonos.com/s/article/3521?language=en_US
    11/10/2020 : "Sonos Arc now supports multi-channel LPCM surround sound through an eARC connection."

    So, I think Sonos Software update may help - and it would be interesting to see the result.

    | Tue 23 Feb 2021 7:18:10 #13 |
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    Martin Liddle

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    Barry - 5 hours ago  » 
    Humax Towers have been reading this thread and asked me to post the following:

    It is good to see Humax engaging with this Forum Barry. I am thinking that if Humax continue to fix bugs for a while longer, then the Aura may well turn out to be the best box they have produced since the HDR-FOX T2.

    | Tue 23 Feb 2021 12:34:06 #14 |
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    Wheelmon

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    Thanks Barry for the quote.
    Now I'm worried - it's beginning to look as though the Aura was a bad choice in my case. It seems that with the Aura the Sonos Beam is not receiving a multichannel audio format it can handle unless I turn the MS12 "On"- but that only works with 5.1 transmitted programmes (which are only occasional) and the 2.0 progs have no sound from rear speakers. I don't have this problem with just the TV tuner or the DTRT2100. They just work.
    All this 'cos I wanted a PVR with 3 tuners and a bigger HDD.
    Due to the comparison in monetary outlay it would have to be the Aura that would have to go.
    The Aura seems to be too advanced for the Beam, but surely the Beam can't be obsolete already?
    For the time being I'll use the DTRT2100 for 5.1 and the Aura (MS12 'Off') for everything else. - Or vice versa with MS12 'On'. - Gulp - !

    | Tue 23 Feb 2021 15:21:45 #15 |
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    Tommy1976

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    I have a Sony Android tv with Freeview and that outputs at Dolby digital 2.0 and 5.1 as expected, pcm sound is only using the beam and not the rear Sonos speakers, so I’d say it’s definitely a humax problem and not Sonos, the only time the rears work is Dolby digital 5.1.

    | Tue 23 Feb 2021 16:21:23 #16 |
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    GrahamY

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    Wheelmon - 17 hours ago  » 
    GrahamY - I've replied to your DM.
    Just a point: I take it you've been to Settings > Device Preferences > Sound > Select formats.
    I tried both 'Auto' and 'Manual' but it made no difference.
    On 'Auto' it switches on 'DD', 'DD+' and 'DTS'. My TV can handle just those three' so there is some sort of recognition. From this I think we can assume that Humax do intend for it to provide what we need. It's just not actually doing it in practice!
    Hopefully it'll be sorted in the next firmware update as you say.
    The Sonos App normally shows "Audio input: 'Stereo PCM 2.0' or 'Dolby Digital 2.0' or 'Dolby Digital 5.1'."
    As it is it's showing:
    MS12 On : everything 'Dolby Digital 5.1'
    MS12 Off: everything 'Stereo PCM 2.0'

    Yes I have tried all the various combinations under manual/auto and each time get unsatisfactory results. I am using an Onkyo receiver, so this problem is not specific to Sonos.

    | Tue 23 Feb 2021 16:41:12 #17 |
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    GrahamY

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    Barry - 9 hours ago  » 
    Humax Towers have been reading this thread and asked me to post the following:
    Freeview channels do not have Dolby Digital Audio - the actual transmission is AAC 5.1 if it is multi-channel.
    (Most of contents have 2-channel AAC, but sometimes AAC 5.1 is transmitted. AAC is MPEG-4 audio, a different format from Dolby.)
    In case of Android TV, AAC multi-channel audio will be decoded by STB, and send PCM output to audio device according to capability.
    - If the receiver supports multi channels (usually AVR), then the output will be PCM 5.1
    - If the receiver supports stereo (TV), the output will be PCM stereo.
    - The legacy STBs will transcode AAC 5.1 to DD 5.1.
    MS12 options should be off - and if everything is ok, correct format should be PCM 5.1, and Sonos App should display PCM 5.1 as well. (Not PCM 2.0 nor DD 5.1)
    I searched with “Sonos PCM 5.1”, there was a software update from Sonos side recently : https://support.sonos.com/s/article/3521?language=en_US
    11/10/2020 : "Sonos Arc now supports multi-channel LPCM surround sound through an eARC connection."
    So, I think Sonos Software update may help - and it would be interesting to see the result.

    If I set MS12 to off, I only get PCM 2.0 output, never 5.1 - even when the channel is sending 5.1 (checked via other DTV and by switching MS12 to on). I have an Onkyo receiver, so this issue is not specific to Sonos.

    | Tue 23 Feb 2021 16:43:31 #18 |
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    Wheelmon

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    What's puzzling me is if Freeview doesn't do Dolby Digital audio then who does?
    My Sony TV on its own is sending Dolby Digital 2.0 or 5.1 on all HD channels and Stereo PCM 2.0 on all SD channels (and Radio) to sound system. Exactly the same with the DTRT2100 > Sony TV. (Both with speech from centre speaker and rear speakers working).
    With the Aura it's more a question of what you're going to sacrifice than what you're going to get. The choice is MS12 On or MS12 Off. Neither being satisfactory.
    I'll see what Humax say if they reply to my email. My question is : is it a software or a hardware problem? Not sure whether that's the right terminology. What I mean is can it be fixed with an update or am I stuck with it as it is?

    | Tue 23 Feb 2021 20:15:02 #19 |
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    Wheelmon

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    Just a minute ago I switched to & fro several time between TV and Aura on Channel 204 which is currently in DD 5.1 (according to the Sonos App when on TV).
    The difference in the audio is unbelievable!
    On TV it is true surround sound with speech from centre of sound bar and not from rear speakers. On Aura the speech comes out of all speakers and no separation. Also the volume has to be turned up twice as much. Sonos App shows Stereo PCM 2.0 . You can’t tell what anybody’s saying because it’s all in a big soup.
    Apologies for repeating the same facts.

    | Tue 23 Feb 2021 21:24:48 #20 |

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