Dolby Atmos / DTS X Android Box

[IGCKorat]

Does anyone have an android box capable of handling Dolby Atmos and/or DTS X?   (object based surround systems).   I have a home-theatre amplifier that can produce both,  but every attempt to illuminate either signal light using suitably encoded Bluray discs from my Bluray DVD player has failed.   Also,  if anyone has such an amplifier,   have you had any success in producing Dolby Atmos from the range of movies on Netflix which offer Dobly Atmos ?

 

Any input much appreciated.

[johng]

8 minutes ago, IGCKorat said:

every attempt to illuminate either signal light using suitably encoded Bluray discs from my Bluray DVD player has failed.

I think this points to a problem with the  connection between  DVD player/ android box and surround sound amp  maybe the HDMI cable is not to spec ?   "normally" the digital sound track  should just pass through and the "Surround Sound Amp" does the decoding  not the actual DVD/android box.

[vinny41]

For netflix

• A Netflix plan that supports streaming in Ultra HD.

• https://help.netflix.com/en/node/64066

Suggest you list the make and model number of your blu-ray player as some settings need to be turn on or off

is your blu-ray player connecting directly to your amp or your tv

[IGCKorat]

Thanks for your replies.   I did upgrade the HDMI cables thinking perhaps that was the problem,  but it didn't make any difference.  I followed all the instructions from the DVD manual,  selected "Bitstream' and disabled secondary audio and thought I was good to go.   I am very happy with the amp otherwise,  but every so often it really bugs me that the amp has this capability but I can't access it.   I have seen android boxes which do claim to have both Atmos and DTS X handling,  but before I throw another 10,000 baht at the problem,  I just wanted to know if anyone was already using one and  getting a verifiable signal.  If so,  make and model please.

 

I have downloaded Dolby Atmos demo. clips from the likes of demolandia which is great resource for everything home-theatre but for some incredibly irritating reason,  they are not being recreated in Dolby Atmos.  Neither the Atmos nor DTS X signal light has ever appeared.   I am using a TX6 android box,  but I'm not sure if I'm asking too much of it in handling this.

[johng]

20 minutes ago, IGCKorat said:

I did upgrade the HDMI cables thinking perhaps that was the problem,

You of course know that not all HDMI cables are created equally  there are quite a few "versions' of HDMI  each adding support for more and more video/audio signal  formats.

I ran into this problem myself once with HDMI CEC protocol  tried all the cables I had in the house (quite a few that came originally with equipment) none worked  bought another one supporting the latest

( at the time)  HDMI standard and it worked.

 

[Jai Dee]

An HDMI cable is just a conduit between your TV and media device, be it DVD, Blu-ray, or 4K UHD Blu-ray player; a media streamer; a video game console; or a PC. Different types of HDMI cables do exist, but their designations indicate how much data they can carry.

 

When pared down to the most basic information, the video resolution guidelines (as set by the HDMI Forum Technical Working Group that defines the specification) are:

• Standard HDMI: Up to 720p or 1080i resolution at a 30Hz refresh rate
• High Speed HDMI: Up to 4K resolution (including 1080p) at 30Hz
• Premium High Speed HDMI: Up to 4K resolution with high dynamic range (HDR) at up to 60Hz
• Ultra High Speed HDMI: Up to 10K resolution with HDR at a 120Hz refresh rate (4K video can refresh at up to 240Hz)

To get DTS:X or Atmos surround sound from your home theatre amplifier/receiver you should be using HDMI 2.0 or 2.0a cables, or Premium High Speed HDMI. All your HDMI cables, not just one.

 

HDMI 2.1 , or Ultra High Speed HDMI has recently been released and it brings new features and a lot more bandwidth, but there's not much on the market to take advantage of that yet.

 

The Atmos demo file that you downloaded... how are you trying to play it? From a USB drive inserted into your BluRay player, or your amp, or your Android box?

[vinny41]

Here are the settings for a Sony blu ray player 

There are settings to check in the blu ray settings and also in the system settings

Sony BD player settings
Dgital Audio Output Auto
DSD Output Mode Auto
BD Secondary Audio off
Audio DRC Off

 

System Settings
HDMI Audio Output Auto

I assume you are connecting your blu-ray player to an input on your a/v amp and that your a/v amp has a HDMI/arc/earc output which is going to the HDMI/arc/earc port on your TV

I suggest you troubleshoot getting Dolby Atmos/DTSX to work on your blu-ray player before moving onto troubleshooting your android box

[IGCKorat]

Again, many thanks for all the assistance offered.  Regarding the HDMI cables, I did upgrade them to HDMI 2.0.  They can produce a 4K picture, but I do have some concerns. Although they look and feel the part, I ordered them from Lazada, and I'm not sure I paid a high enough price for the task in hand. 

 

Focusing on getting an Atmos/DTS X signal from my DVD player seems a good idea, as that takes out several concerns about the Android box.  Although I have been through the settings many times, I will do so again trying to recreate the settings above.

 

I find the whole thing so frustrating and leave it alone for a few weeks and just enjoy the very acceptable sound the amp produces.  But then I get into it all over again and become determined (obsessed) to see either of the signal lights illuminate.  I shall report back accordingly. 

[Jai Dee]

What make and model is your home-theatre amplifier @IGCKorat?

 

And what make and model is your BluRay DVD player?