[SOLVED] Sony UBP-X800m2 - playing lossless Atmos from files (USB)

[anibal]

Hi there!
I recently scored an Atmos-capable receiver and I am hoping to buy some lossless Atmos files from "Immersive Audio Album". However, I haven't found a way of playing any file type in my Sony UBP-X800m2 that results in Atmos playback. If I use the MKV container, the player recognizes the audio track as MLP and is played as 7.1 PCM. I can play lossy Atmos in mp4 containers. A TrueHD track in a mp4 container is not recognized at all in the player.

@harync reported in this post that he(she?they?) is capable of doing this using .m2ts container. I haven't succeeded with this, maybe is not supported any more in the latest updates? I tried creating a .m2ts file with Dolby Atmos Encoder and also transcoding an MKV to this and I get not sound at all.

BTW, I can successfully play a Blu-Ray with a TrueHD Atmos track.

I also have a Google TV Chromecast but I understand that I can not use it for lossless Atmos.

Any ideas?

Thanks!!!!

EDIT:

The Sony UBP-x800m2 can play Atmos from a USB drive as long as it is stored in a .m2ts container and the TrueHD track includes an AC3 core.
IMPORTANT: the AC3 core must be on the same track (thd+ac3).
If you only have the TrueHD track, you can generate a thd+ac3 track using eac3to, like this:

eac3to  input_file.mp4 output_file.thd+ac3 -640

 

[SeeMoreDigital]

What 'muxing' applications are you using?

 

[sjcorne]

I was going to say that it sounds like your player is internally decoding the TrueHD stream instead of bitstreaming to your AVR, but then you'd only be getting 7.1 from Atmos Blu-Rays and the lossy MP4s too. Glad to hear the MKVs are at least playing in TrueHD 7.1 for you though, my original X800 annoyingly won't play them at all.

I still think the easiest way to play them is with VLC on a PC, though I realize not everyone wants to hook up a laptop to their home theater system.

 

[anibal]

What 'muxing' applications are you using?

I tried with ffmpeg version 6.0 and I also tried encoding a 10 channel wav of my own music with the Dolby Encoder Engine.

 

[anibal]

I was going to say that it sounds like your player is internally decoding the TrueHD stream instead of bitstreaming to your AVR, but then you'd only be getting 7.1 from Atmos Blu-Rays and the lossy MP4s too. Glad to hear the MKVs are at least playing in TrueHD 7.1 for you though, my original X800 annoyingly won't play them at all.

I still think the easiest way to play them is with VLC on a PC, though I realize not everyone wants to hook up a laptop to their home theater system.

I tried with my laptop but I can not get TrueHD passthrough from VLC, only regular DolbyDigital and DTS. I know I have a problem in my setup since I can not output multichannel PCM through HDMI either, but I would prefer not to use my work laptop for entertainment indeed

 

[atrocity]

However, I haven't found a way of playing any file type in my Sony UBP-X800m2 that results in Atmos playback. If I use the MKV container, the player recognizes the audio track as MLP and is played as 7.1 PCM.

Unfortunately, I don't have a solution for you, but I find your problem interesting because Oppo has the same weird issue. TrueHD on a Blu-ray bitstreams as TrueHD. Ripping that losslessly to MKV results in Oppo calling it MLP and outputting PCM. It must be some common (buggy!) chip in both machines.

 

[timothyemerson]

I seem to recall something about Sony players not playing Dolby audio reliably.

There are new Zidoo media players coming out very soon that would help in this regard although gapless multichannel FLAC still appears to elude the developers. Z9X Pro would be best bang for buck. https://www.zidoo.tv/Product/allProduct.html#Media Player

 

[SeeMoreDigital]

I tried with ffmpeg version 6.0 and I also tried encoding a 10 channel wav of my own music with the Dolby Encoder Engine.

For muxing content into a 'transport' [.ts or .m2ts] container, I recommend you use one of the newer 'open source' builds of TSmuxer GUI.

Also, for anybody muxing Dolby TrueHD audio into the .m2ts container you will need to include a mandatory (lossy) Dolby Digital core.

 

[humprof]

I tried with my laptop but I can not get TrueHD passthrough from VLC, only regular DolbyDigital and DTS. I know I have a problem in my setup since I can not output multichannel PCM through HDMI either, but I would prefer not to use my work laptop for entertainment indeed

There's an HDMI passthrough setting that's buried two or three layers into the "Advanced" settings.

 

[anibal]

There's an HDMI passthrough setting that's buried two or three layers into the "Advanced" settings.

Yes, I found it and I tried it and it did not work. I think the problem is that my laptop does not have an HDMI output, it outputs video using DisplayPort over USB-C. I tried with 2 different docking stations but apparently, only stereo audio over HDMI is implemented there.

 

[anibal]

For muxing content into a 'transport' [.ts or .m2ts] container, I recommend you use one of the newer 'open source' builds of url=tsMuxer Open Source - Doom9's Forum GUI[/url].

Also, for anybody muxing Dolby TrueHD audio into the .m2ts container you will need to include a mandatory (lossy) Dolby Digital core.

Thanks a lot! I will try this as soon as I have time.

 

[humprof]

Yes, I found it and I tried it and it did not work. I think the problem is that my laptop does not have an HDMI output, it outputs video using DisplayPort over USB-C. I tried with 2 different docking stations but apparently, only stereo audio over HDMI is implemented there.

Oh...got it. Yes, I'm pretty sure HDMI is required.

 

[SeeMoreDigital]

Oh...got it. Yes, I'm pretty sure HDMI is required.

Yep, currently only devices fitted with HDMI ports are able to bit-stream lossless audio.

 

[anibal]

For muxing content into a 'transport' [.ts or .m2ts] container, I recommend you use one of the newer 'open source' builds of TSmuxer GUI.

Also, for anybody muxing Dolby TrueHD audio into the .m2ts container you will need to include a mandatory (lossy) Dolby Digital core.

Unfortunately, this did not work. The TrueHD track is not recognized, the lossy DD core works.

 

[anibal]

Ok, an interesting (at least for me) development of the events:
I took one Atmos blu ray and copied the STREAM folder, opening the .m2ts folder works!!! So I guess it is a matter of finding the right muxer...

 

[SeeMoreDigital]

Unfortunately, this did not work. The TrueHD track is not recognized, the lossy DD core works.

Ok, an interesting (at least for me) development of the events:
I took one Atmos blu ray and copied the STREAM folder, opening the .m2ts folder works!!! So I guess it is a matter of finding the right muxer...

Hmmm... I wonder if the Sony player requires a basic video stream along with the Dolby TrueHD audio track to maintain Blu-ray spec compliancy.

What audio test sample are you using?

 

[Methuselah’s Grandpa]

Ok, an interesting (at least for me) development of the events:
I took one Atmos blu ray and copied the STREAM folder, opening the .m2ts folder works!!! So I guess it is a matter of finding the right muxer...

Have you tried using MKV-ToolNIX-GUI to mux your m4a/mlp/mp4 into an mkv?

 

[kfbkfb]

I'm not sure that Dolby TrueHD includes a Dolby Digital core, AFAIK (trying out my Sony BDP-S6700 and the 1st TrueHD-Atmos Blu-ray with my old Pioneer VSX-D514 receiver [only has DD and DTS 5.1]), the Sony player is encoding the Dolby TrueHD to DD 5.1.


Kirk Bayne

 

[SeeMoreDigital]

I'm not sure that Dolby TrueHD includes a Dolby Digital core...

If a 'lossless' Dolby TrueHD audio stream is muxed within the .m2ts (transport) container, then the inclusion of a 'lossy' Dolby Digital (AC3) 'core' is a mandatory requirement.

By contrast, the 'lossy' Dolby Digital 'core' is automatically removed during muxing into the .mkv/.mka container (due to limitations in the Matroska muxing spec).

Muxing 'lossless' Dolby TrueHD audio streams within the .mp4 container is a relatively new concept and not all (SoC) hardware playback devices support it. Muxes can be created with or without a 'lossy' Dolby Digital (AC3) 'core'.

 

[anibal]

Hmmm... I wonder if the Sony player requires a basic video stream along with the Dolby TrueHD audio track to maintain Blu-ray spec compliancy.

What audio test sample are you using?

Two samples:
- Roger Waters - The Wall Live (Blu-Ray).
- A multitrack of my band encoded using the Dolby Encoder Engine. Not mixed in Atmos, just a 10-channel wav used for testing.