Hello,
I've just upgraded my 1st Gen Fire Stick 4K Max to a second generation one so I could get TrueHD passthrough working (which indeed does work). But now Dolby Digital+ passthrough has stopped working. I've tried back to back tests on the two firesticks.
Both are running Kodi 20.2
Both have audio set up like this:
2.0 Channels
....
Allow passthrough ON
Passthrough device Audiotrack RAW Android IEC packer
DD capable receiver ON
DD transcoding OFF
DTS capable receiver ON
TrueHD capable receiver ON
DTS-HD capable receiver ON
Both Fire TVs are set to "best possible audio out". Both are up to date with software updates. Both are connected directly to the AVR (a Sony A7000) over HDMI in the tests below.
On the same DD+ movie, using the 1st Gen Fire TV 4k Max my AVR reports: Dolby Digital 5.1ch
The 2nd Gen Fire TV 4k Max makes the AVR report: LPCM 2.0ch (and indeed it's just stereo coming out)
If I then enable DD transcoding on the 2d gen Fire TV the AVR reports: LPCM 5.1ch (so I guess Kodi is now doing the decoding, which is ok but I'd rather the AVR was?)
Dolby Atmos 7.1, TrueHD all work absolutely fine.
What have I missed? Or is it a bug / feature?
Many thanks,
Jon
Just installed Fire OS update 8.1.0.2. Kodi audio settings afterwards showed a “Dolby Digital Plus (E-AC3)” passthrough option briefly, but by the time I’d tried to play a movie the option has vanished again, and I again need to enable AC3 transcoding to get 5.1 from a DD+ source.
It's always the same story.
And you can see it clearly in kodi's log. Kodi outputs whatever is supported and you tell it. The rest is processed in amazon firmware. They even decode / alter / DD(+) streams. Only Atmos they let through untouched.
Zero we can do about this behaviour, it's firmware behaviour.
That being said:
As your old firetv also did not output DD+, but only DD 5.1, something in your chain simply does not support it. On my Marantz AVR all those formats work as they should, including DD+ Atmos.
File a bug with amazon.
oh man this sucks big time, I also did a update just now to 8.1.0.2 now all dts format has no sound at all, ac3 and eac3 are all converted to lpcm 5.1. only truehd 7.1 get passthrough. should read this post sooner, luckily the cube still works. Amazon should stop using the Realtek chip in their tv stick
(2024-01-13, 00:59)testphase Wrote: [ -> ]oh man this sucks big time, I also did a update just now to 8.1.0.2 now all dts format has no sound at all, ac3 and eac3 are all converted to lpcm 5.1. only truehd 7.1 get passthrough. should read this post sooner, luckily the cube still works. Amazon should stop using the Realtek chip in their tv stick
Wait a moment. I also have this device, but all formats were still working yesterdays. Will report back my fimware version and see if it still works.
FireTV 4K Max (2nd Gen), Version: 8.1.0.2 (RS8102/1967) attached to a Marantz NR1711 AVR in Direct-Mode.
Settings: Surround-Sound: Best Available
DTS-HD-HR: works as DTS-HD-HR
DTS-HD-MA: works as DTS-HD-MA
DD+: works as DD+
DD+ with Atmos works as DD+ with Atmos
TrueHD: works as TrueHD
TrueHD with Atmos: works as TrueHD on Atmos
Dolby Digital: Works as Dolby Digital
Multi-PCM: works as Multi-PCM
Using Kodi's IEC Packer.
So - perfectly fine here.
Thank you for the feedback, I have the kodi21 beta2 it was working before the firmware update, I will now try installing the nightly to make a comparison.
Update: after reinstalling the beta2 everything starts working again, that is strange.
(2024-01-13, 14:31)testphase Wrote: [ -> ]Thank you for the feedback, I have the kodi21 beta2 it was working before the firmware update, I will now try installing the nightly to make a comparison.
You might like to upload a
logfile first, as there may be some clues in it
The most important thing about audio passthrough on Fire TV devices is to use
Kodi IEC Packer.
If audio passthrough doesn't work or stopped working, the first thing to check is: open Kodi Settings -> System -> Audio and make sure option "Audio output device" is set to "AudioTrack (IEC), Kodi IEC packer (recommended)" and option "Passthrough output device" is set to "AudioTrack (IEC), Kodi IEC packer (recommended)". If any of these two options is set to "Android IEC packer" or "Android RAW", then audio passthrough will not work properly!
Two bugs, causing disappearance of „Kodi IEC packer" from the list of audio devices, have been fixed recently (
#24369,
#24484). If the list of devices doesn't include "Kodi IEC packer" but contains only "Android IEC packer", then your system is also affected. I recommend to use Kodi nightly in this case.
(2024-01-13, 15:35)boboc Wrote: [ -> ]The most important thing about audio passthrough on Fire TV devices is to use Kodi IEC Packer.
If audio passthrough doesn't work or stopped working, the first thing to check is: open Kodi Settings -> System -> Audio and make sure option "Audio output device" is set to "AudioTrack (IEC), Kodi IEC packer (recommended)" and option "Passthrough output device" is set to "AudioTrack (IEC), Kodi IEC packer (recommended)". If any of these two options is set to "Android IEC packer" or "Android RAW", then audio passthrough will not work properly!
Two bugs, causing disappearance of „Kodi IEC packer" from the list of audio devices, have been fixed recently (#24369, #24484). If the list of devices doesn't include "Kodi IEC packer" but contains only "Android IEC packer", then your system is also affected. I recommend to use Kodi nightly in this case.
Thank you mention this, I do also have that no passthrough bug in the past after wake up the device overnight, hopefully quitevoid will publish a new build, without his Dolby vision fix the firetv stick can only output blackscreen
Thanks, and indeed I don’t have the option to select the Kodi packer. I’ll try a nightly build.
Indeed, a nightly build fixed it.
Even without selecting the now available "Kodi Packer", the option to allow E-AC3 passthrough had re-appeared, so selecting that, and the Kodi Packer, has solved the issue. DD+, True HD and Atmos passthrough all working now.
Thanks so much, am really grateful.
J