3BB GigaTV and 5.1 sound

[recom273]

We just received a 3BB GigaTV box today, the guys came round and installed it, the guy was sitting infront of my receiver so I didn’t notice until after he left that only the 2.1 sound indicators were showing.

 

Can anyone let me know how their boxes behave?

 

I was expecting to have some

kind of audio-passthrough option in the settings but the only settings in the box are system sounds - there is a surround option but it’s greyed out.

 

Do I need to use toslink from the box to the receiver?
It’s a bit disappointing because my fireTVstick had 5.1 over HDMI.
 

Looking though the other thread, it looks you can just install the 3BB app on any android box or appleTV and have free IPTV - We tried using AISplay app on the TV but the picture kept on buffering and the sound was out of sync.

 

 

[Jai Dee]

It could be that the GigaTV box does not support digital surround sound audio formats if the surround option is greyed out.

 

3BB's advertising indicates that the box supports 4K video and Dolby audio, but this could mean Dolby stereo only, and not 5.1 Digital, or any of the other Dolby multi-channel audio compression coding standards such as Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Digital Surround EX, Dolby Digital Live, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby AC-4, or the latest Dolby TrueHD.

 

Just to confirm your cabling setup... is the GigaTV box connected via HDMI to your receiver, and your receiver connected via HDMI to your TV?

 

And one more question, can you select that input HDMI port on your receiver input menu and choose what audio format to use (or auto if it's an option - some receivers have different menus/options)?

 

[MoD1977]

I got mine a month ago and it's the same.

I couldnt find any 5.1 sound option or content to test on this box.

Same for 4k content.

The box itself will support it for sure (because every android box does it these days) but there is just a lack of content.

 

Because I also have a Nvidia shield and a Android TV (Sony) I dont use the 3bb box.

[recom273]

49 minutes ago, Jai Dee said:

It could be that the GigaTV box does not support digital surround sound audio formats if the surround option is greyed out.

 

3BB's advertising indicates that the box supports 4K video and Dolby audio, but this could mean Dolby stereo only, and not 5.1 Digital, or any of the other Dolby multi-channel audio compression coding standards such as Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Digital Surround EX, Dolby Digital Live, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby AC-4, or the latest Dolby TrueHD.

 

Just to confirm your cabling setup... is the GigaTV box connected via HDMI to your receiver, and your receiver connected via HDMI to your TV?

 

And one more question, can you select that input HDMI port on your receiver input menu and choose what audio format to use (or auto if it's an option - some receivers have different menus/options)?

 

Yes, you got it .. gigabit box > hdmi > receiver > tv

 

It’s a newish Yamaha receiver, it recognizes the input - i have a firetv and at first it didn’t show 5.1, just the 2.1 symbols. I restarted the firestick once and that was enough.

 

yeah there are switches for Dolby atmos, etc but they are can’t be moved.

 

I think I will dig out a toslink cable and try that tomorrow, just a bit disappointing - I use the firetvstick to run jellyfish and stream content from my home server, when I noticed you could use the Google play store, i installed the app and still only 2.1. 
 

[recom273]

48 minutes ago, MoD1977 said:

I got mine a month ago and it's the same.

I couldnt find any 5.1 sound option or content to test on this box.

Same for 4k content.

The box itself will support it for sure (because every android box does it these days) but there is just a lack of content.

 

Because I also have a Nvidia shield and a Android TV (Sony) I dont use the 3bb box.

I run a Jellyfin media server, everything is 5.1 surround - I have been streaming to a fireTVstck with an android app. I loaded the same app via playstore and streamed the same content from my server and it plays at 2.1.

 

If you have a shield and an android tv, do you download the apps onto your other devices and use your 3bb login?

 

Tbh .. I’m looking for the best Thai tv service for the wife for the least money, if I could buy the new appleTV I would download the AISplay app and let her watch Thai TV for free, then I would, but the new ATV 4K isn’t available here yet. We tried the Samsung app and i guess the processor is too slow. 
I could live without hbo go, but it’s ok for us to watch a movie with Thai subtitles, but not without surround sound, it’s as flat as ..

 

I called 3bb .. ff .. the girl didn’t have a Danny - Does your gigtv device support 5.1? “Can you see a picture sir” Someone will call me back, no doubt the technicians will be back tomorrow shrugging shoulders.

[recom273]

OK solved 

 

I was using a new hdmi channel, the default DSP for the channel was 2.1 stereo.

 

I wish 3BB could have just told me that the box was 5.1 straight off, could have saved some time.

[recom273]

Ok - I got a call from 3BB -  His English was pretty bad, at least he had a clue what I was talking about and I asked in several ways to ensure I got a clear answer - the box does not support 5.1 audio - he couldn’t tell me if the broadcasts were 5.1.

 

I must be getting some simulated 5.1 or whatever from the DSP function on my receiver. 

I don’t know how that’s possible in this day and age, next stage is to get an appleTV and run their app and see how things go. What’s the point of having big movies on hbo go and not having surround sound? 

[MoD1977]

23 hours ago, recom273 said:

Ok - I got a call from 3BB -  His English was pretty bad, at least he had a clue what I was talking about and I asked in several ways to ensure I got a clear answer - the box does not support 5.1 audio - he couldn’t tell me if the broadcasts were 5.1.

 

I must be getting some simulated 5.1 or whatever from the DSP function on my receiver. 

I don’t know how that’s possible in this day and age, next stage is to get an appleTV and run their app and see how things go. What’s the point of having big movies on hbo go and not having surround sound? 

set your receiver to the "straight" dsp program and you will see that you're only getting 2.0 out of it ????

[recom273]

Just now, MoD1977 said:

set your receiver to the "straight" dsp program and you will see that you're only getting 2.0 out of it ????

 
Yup 

 

I didn’t get why you have a 3BB box but don’t use it. 
 

Also, isn’t it strange to not provide 5.1? Is this what happens back home? 

[MoD1977]

I got the Box incl. HBO Go for 2 years for free.

BTW HBO Go has no 4k and 5.1 content also(or I just didnt found any).

 

I use my NVIDIA shield because its far supirior and I can install HBO Go on it.

On it I have all the other Services (Netflix, Plex, Spotify, ...) I'm using.

I have no interest in the 3bb TV chanels so I'm not losing out on using the NVIDIA Shield.

And it supports everything (Multichannel sound and 4k HDR)

 

[recom273]

Ahhhh .. OK - We are signed up for a year, I don’t watch any streaming service, I have my own automated system - it’s just for the wife to watch on a couple of nights a week. 

 

If the new Apple TV can reliably play her free Thai TV service then I can send the 3BB box back and tell them it’s <deleted>. 

[Jai Dee]

On 5/12/2021 at 5:25 PM, recom273 said:

Tbh .. I’m looking for the best Thai tv service for the wife for the least money,

 

There are lots of Android apps that will provide this... probably not 5.1 surround sound and 4K video though.

[recom273]

9 minutes ago, Jai Dee said:

 

There are lots of Android apps that will provide this... probably not 5.1 surround sound and 4K video though.

Yeah, I don’t really care too much for the wife’s Thai soap marathons, even if it was atmos 7.1 and 8K picture, there would be no improvement in the quality of the content.

 

I was really trying to slim down the number of remotes / button presses for her and just use one android box for everything. I’m also trying to fathom why big name movies from HBO go aren’t in surround sound. Why 3BB out a cheap android box and restrict 5.1 capability.

 

Seems a bit strange. 

[Jai Dee]

Is there a "Favourites" (or "Favorites") button on the remote that could be used to program a shortcut to the Thai soaps?

 

I resolved a similar quandary in my own household by buying "her indoors" with a tablet and bluetooth ear buds... now she can watch and listen to her stuff when she's cooking, exercising, or just laying around... without disturbing anyone else!

 

Off topic slightly, but just another option for you to consider and it won't tie up your TV.

[recom273]

1 minute ago, Jai Dee said:

Is there a "Favourites" (or "Favorites") button on the remote that could be used to program a shortcut to the Thai soaps?

 

I resolved a similar quandary in my own household by buying "her indoors" with a tablet and bluetooth ear buds... now she can watch and listen to her stuff when she's cooking, exercising, or just laying around... without disturbing anyone else!

 

Off topic slightly, but just another option for you to consider and it won't tie up your TV.

lol - she ain’t buying that one. She likes to watch TV on a TV. 
 

I know she can save her favourites, it’s like on my sofa there is a remote for air, fan, TV, fireTV, receiver, and now this box. Drives me crazy. 

 

I came back last night and she was staring at a black screen after she had managed to change the hdmi input and lost the wifi network on the new 3BB box. Life would be a bit easier if we could use one box.

[Jai Dee]

9 minutes ago, recom273 said:

I know she can save her favourites, it’s like on my sofa there is a remote for air, fan, TV, fireTV, receiver, and now this box. Drives me crazy. 

 

I wonder if a cheap "learning remote" like this might help?

[recom273]

Just now, Jai Dee said:

 

I wounder if a cheap "learning remote" like this might help?

 Which is why I want to go with an appleTV - we have TV, aircon and fans on homekit  (automations) - we could use a tablet to control everything.