Kodi Community Forum

@ Noggin > WOW thanks, you still amaze me man. Into the "Noggins Knowledge Reference" folder that post goes.

@noggin > As 'wrxtasy' said ... WOW! I'm really a newbie and I'm very very lost with this high level information but many thanks trying help us!

If the AML chipset in the WeTek OE Edition is able to handle this HD audio output I'll wait for this and the support in the OpenElec ;-)

After all, probably with my setup (i.e. a soundbar only, not true 5.1 speakers nor 7.1 ones) I won't be able to note the difference between DD/DTS and the HD audio. Well, I hope someone in WeTek or AML can explain to us if they can handle PCM multichannel output so this player have better audio output in the future.

Thanks to @wrxtasy and @fritsch too!

(2015-10-17, 16:09)serieofilo Wrote: [ -> ]Well, I hope someone in WeTek or AML can explain to us if they can handle PCM multichannel output so this player have better audio output in the future.

99% chances are that it will not support multichannel PCM output. The SoC does have 3 stereo I2S channels capable of 5.1 LPCM output. However, the SoC has been licensed under DMP category for Dolby which by default only allows stereo PCM. You have to pay a higher license fee to get multichannel PCM output.

@wesk05: Ooops ... and then? The RPi 1 B+ has paid this license?

Nope.

(2015-10-17, 20:48)serieofilo Wrote: [ -> ]@wesk05: Ooops ... and then? The RPi 1 B+ has paid this license?

The Pis do not have licensed Dolby decoder. Kodi is using open source software decoders. So, the rules do not apply.

(2015-10-16, 19:45)serieofilo Wrote: [ -> ]@noggin: Thanks again!

I'll try to find an small file sample file with HD audio (any good place for finding one?) and play with the different passthrough settings in OpenElec.

I'm right now using OE 5.95.5 in the WeTek and I've found that (after upgrading from 5.0.8) some settings have changed in Kodi (no audio channels settings for example, some HD audio passhtrough options are missing, etc.).

Thanks!

Samples http://www.demo-world.eu/2d-demo-trailers-hd/

So, the Pi 2 B has paid the license isn't it?

(2015-10-15, 05:31)wrxtasy Wrote: [ -> ]The RPi2 will decode HD Audio to Multichannel PCM and output that but then you loose the 7.1 Virtual Channels feature I believe. No HD Audio to multichannel PCM decoding and output on the C1+ or WP (WeTek Play)

(2015-10-18, 12:42)serieofilo Wrote: [ -> ]So, the Pi 2 B has paid the license isn't it?

Quote:The Pis do not have licensed Dolby decoder. Kodi is using open source software decoders. So, the rules do not apply.

The difference is if a device ships with a built in audio/video player capable of decoding DTS or AC3 (I'm taking about the native Android player rather than kodi) then the device manufacturer is responsible for licensing it. And a license for decode often has additional restrictions disallowing other use, like passthrough or multichannel output (without paying more).

Interestingly you don't need a licence for passthrough of DTS/AC3, but paying for a licence to decode DTS/AC3 may prohibit you from using passthrough.

This is what we are talking about:

https://github.com/foo86/dcadec

So, cutting the chord on my Technomate and removing the sat dish. I need some real guidance to know which kodi box to buy to allow me to stream foreign tv, all the various channels available on satellite with all the additional bits added. I had a version of XBMC loaded on an old Linux machine a couple of years ago but it felt difficult to use, adding repos etc as I'm not that techie. Maybe now is the time to leap forward? Which stb would people recommend for the above spec (love watching tv from all round the world, multi-lingual family).

Quote:I had a version of XBMC loaded on an old Linux machine a couple of years ago

As an old hand at this, I'm sure you are familiar with Official:Forum rules/Banned add-ons (wiki) as for hardware box suggestions, look at the stickies, threads that are written by the pros, just for the rest of us.

These days, what is legal and what isn't is a minefield and so, most of the sites that are legally available through add-ons can be seen with an ordinary browser. Add-ons like chrome launcher have made it easy to get just about anything that the web offers. You also have the option of making your own add-on, or include links.

(2015-10-18, 12:42)serieofilo Wrote: [ -> ]So, the Pi 2 B has paid the license isn't it?

(2015-10-15, 05:31)wrxtasy Wrote: [ -> ]The RPi2 will decode HD Audio to Multichannel PCM and output that but then you loose the 7.1 Virtual Channels feature I believe. No HD Audio to multichannel PCM decoding and output on the C1+ or WP (WeTek Play)

No - because the Pi 2 B doesn't include HD Audio decoding, and doesn't come bundled with HD Audio decoding software. End users are installing Open Source HD Audio software decoders separately.

This had me confused initially as well.
So what Noggin is saying is because the RPi2 does not come with any HD Audio Decoding capabilities at the point of sale no licensing fees are necessary.

What end users, then run on their RPi's. Like OpenELEC (that includes the Open Source HD Audio software), after purchase is up to them and has nothing to do with the RPi foundation.

(2015-10-19, 07:06)wrxtasy Wrote: [ -> ]This had me confused initially as well.
So what Noggin is saying is because the RPi2 does not come with any HD Audio Decoding capabilities at the point of sale no licensing fees are necessary.

What end users, then run on their RPi's. Like OpenELEC (that includes the Open Source HD Audio software), after purchase is up to them and has nothing to do with the RPi foundation.

It isn't just HD Audio. There is no Dolby or DTS decoder in the Pi. Licensing fees apply to both hardware and software decoders. Kodi is using open source decoders and therefore is not subject to licensing fees or other restrictions. That said, there is a question regarding the use of open source decoders esp. for the advanced audio formats in the U.S., but I am not going to get into that topic.