Dolby Atmos or DTS X with HTPC

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nipunkx

nipunkx

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Please help me to clarify a doubt:
Suppose I have a AVR like Denon avrx520bt which do not have the capability of playing Dolby Atoms and DTS X files.
If i have a basic HTPC like this one here and if I use this HTPC to pass the sound from a DTS X movie (downloaded mkv file) to the Denon AVR how will the Denon output sound...will it convert the DTS X to normal DTS? Or does I need to configure the connectivity in some other way?
 
It is important you understand a few things here.

A audio from a movie has three parts:

1. A CODEC that compresses and encapsulates the sound, and links it to both the lips of the actors, and surrounding sound.
2. A system that can understand what to do with the sound CODEC.
3. A system that has enough connections to route and play the sound properly.

I am using the word system carefully here. A system, for simplicity, consists of three important elements - a player that can play the media, an amplifier that can understand the sound codes and send them to the correct channel and, of course, the speakers.

The sound can be sent in two ways - PCM and Bitstream.

In PCM, the player decodes the audio and sends it as uncompressed analogue signals to the amplifier. All the amplifier has to do is to amplify the sound and send it to the speakers.

In Bitstream, the player does nothing. It just picks up the audio signal and sends it in raw format to the amplifier. The amplifier decodes the signal, amplifies each channel, and sends the sound to the speakers.

Most important for Atmos and Dolby:X is the additional channels. An amplifier must have enough speaker connections and understand the difference between Rear Surround and Height channels. In the 5.2.1 or 5.2.2, the rear channels are also used as height channels. In this configuration, an amplifier that has a 7.1 configuration can work. If you are looking at 7.2.1 or 7.2.2, you need 9 speakers connections at the back.

A few of the amplifiers (AVRs) are capable of understanding height channels and have the connections at the back. This capability is limited to AVRs for now and high end Blu-ray players. As of now, an HTPC cannot understand Atmos nor Dolby:X nor decode them. You just have to bitstream them and get the AVR to do all the grunt work.

To answer your specific question, unless your AVR has height channel capabilities, as of now, you cannot play Atmos or Dolby:X.

Cheers
 
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:signthankspin: Thanks a lot Venkat. That was a great piece of information.
So I understand that I will not be getting any audio at all from a 5.1 set up speakers if I pass the audio to AVR from HTPC if the AVR does not have DTS X capability while playing a DTS X file. Am I correct?
 
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nipunkx said:
So I understand that I will not be getting any audio at all from a 5.1 set up speakers if I pass the audio to AVR from HTPC if the AVR does not have DTS X capability while playing a DTS X file. Am I correct?
Click to expand...

Yup. You will get audio, but not the height channels as specified by Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. You will get regular Dolby surround and DTS sound mixes.
 
A guy called htpcforever has said this - "Atmos will be contained inside the HD format container. ALL players that can bitstream TrueHD out can send out Atmos information. The AVR will decode it and do something with Atmos if it is an Atmos aware AVR. If the AVR is not Atmos aware, it does not matter if you decode it in the player, you will never hear it from your AVR."

He has missed an important piece of information. HDMI 1.4 can transmit only 8 audio channels or a 7.1 audio configuration. So if you have a 5.1.2, it may work. For anything beyond that, you need HDMI 2.0 or higher.

Cheers
 
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nipunkx said:
...will it convert the DTS X to normal DTS?
Click to expand...
No need to, since a normal DTS-HD MA track is at the core of every DTS:X track. Same with Atmos, which is an extension of a normal TrueHD track. If you transmit an Atmos or DTS:X track to an older receiver, it will only decode the part it recognizes and ignore the extension data. No need to convert DTS:X to DTS (or convert Atmos to TrueHD).
 
Thanks a lot guys. All your post were very helpful and easy to follow.
So Can I conclude that If I play a DTS X audio available movie that I downloaded, I will get DTS HD MA audio from an older 5.1 AVR which do not have support for DTS X? Will it be DTS HD MA or normal DTS?
(Some audio is always better than nothing):clapping:
 
nipunkx said:
Will it be DTS HD MA or normal DTS?
Click to expand...
Depends on what you meant by "older" AVR. If it is from the last decade, then you'll get DTS-HD MA. If it is older than that, you'll get legacy DTS. Either way, you'll get surround sound.

That's the cool thing about the way the new formats are structured. At the core of a DTS:X track is a DTS-HD MA track. At the core of a DTS-HD MA track is a legacy DTS 5.1 track. Same with Atmos, except the nested structure includes a TrueHD track, which itself includes a legacy Dolby Digital 5.1 track.
 
sdurani said:
Depends on what you meant by "older" AVR. If it is from the last decade, then you'll get DTS-HD MA. If it is older than that, you'll get legacy DTS. Either way, you'll get surround sound.

That's the cool thing about the way the new formats are structured. At the core of a DTS:X track is a DTS-HD MA track. At the core of a DTS-HD MA track is a legacy DTS 5.1 track. Same with Atmos, except the nested structure includes a TrueHD track, which itself includes a legacy Dolby Digital 5.1 track.
Click to expand...
:signthankspin: Thanks a lot Sanjay.
 
manoj.p said:
Again. same answer by Sdurani
Click to expand...

You have to understand the nomenclature and what they mean.

When I say a PCM can transmit 8 channels over HDMI 1.4, what I mean is that there are 8 separate discreet channels each with it's own audio.

Auro is a new form of encoding where some extra channels are hidden in some of the 8 channels. When you transmit Auro through HDMI 1.4, you are still transmitting only 8 channels of data. Some of these channels have been encoded to carry additional information. At the receiving end, the amplifier can decode the incoming signals and do what it wants with it. It is still receiving only 8 discreet channels of information.

HDMI 2.0 can transmit 32 discreet channels of information. When this happens and you ready a system that can understand 5.1, 7.1, 9.1 and 11.1, the concept of Auro will not make sense. Under the new system you will be transmitting 6, 8, 10, and 12 discreet channels of information.

If you think you can set up a 5.1 system with HDMI 1.4 and get 11 channels of information, then you are completely wrong. There are some software available, including on Pioneer receivers that create a virtual surround effect. But this is how the receiving end processes the incoming signals that are yet sent on a max of 8 channels.

Over all this, you need an AVR that has enough speaker connections. As far as I am aware, Auro and Auro-3D is available only in cinema halls, and maybe a few uber high-end receivers.

Cheers
 
venkatcr said:
When you transmit Auro through HDMI 1.4, you are still transmitting only 8 channels of data. Some of these channels have been encoded to carry additional information.
Click to expand...
Auro soundtracks are transmitted as 5.1 channels. The least significant bits of each channel carry the height info and VOG (voice of god) channel.
As far as I am aware, Auro and Auro-3D is available only in cinema halls, and maybe a few uber high-end receivers.
Click to expand...
There are a few Denon/Marantz models with Auro. The home version is called Auro 3D, the cinema version is called Auro 11.1.
 
Reviving an old thread, as I have few doubts and most importantly I have been through all posts,so it's different. My question is if I have window 8 pc with 7.1 channel out or a PC card which can do decode the mkv file into the right channels which can be amplified by a multi channel amplifier, then I can use my htpc for Dolby Atmos right? I have to add one more thing here, as in my case, I have a stereo setup, so I'm planning to buy a ht sound card and put front left/right to one input of my amplifier and the rest channel through a multi channel amplifier so that I can use my existing floor standers for both audio n in movie. I already have a subwoofer and a pair of bookshelf, so I will have to buy only one centre and two rear surround.is this a right idea. One more thing , I'm already using my pc for audio and i want to keep that as well for movie too...I'm thinking of buying a 3d gfx card n audio card so it will keep my system with as much few electronics as possible
 
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No sure what you mean by "PC Card", but for audio passthrough you only need capable GPU, no need for a sound card. Plus if you have a multichannel amp, which I am assuming is what you mean is AVR, you do not need stereo amp. You are making things too complicated. if you have an AVR, all you need is HDMI from windows GPU to AVR HDMI IN and AVR speaker outs will be connected to all your 5.1 speakers.
 
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