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Niko21
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Hi there!
So I’m using Kodi on my FireTV Stick, which is connected to my soundbar (Q930), which is connected to my TV (HDMI ARC)
I tried Kodi 20.2 and 21 (pre-release).
When setting passthrough output device to AudioTrack (RAW) I can also enable both DD and DD+ options in Kodi.
When pausing and unpausing a movie, the Audio stutters or is completely gone until I restart Kodi.
When setting the passthrough output device to Audio Track (IEC) I don’t have this issue and I can unpause a movie normally.
However I can’t enable the DD, DD+, DTS etc. options. If I do so, there is no audio at all.
My soundbar is capable to decode all of those options.
Any ideas what I could try?
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fritsch
Team-Kodi Developer
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You did not mention which FireTV stick you use. If you talk about the 4K stick, amazon killed the IEC passthrough in a firmware update roughly 1.5 years ago. It's still there but the firmware blocks it.
For RAW and seeking: Yes, that's a very nasty issue and very hard to workaround with the RAW API. While it stutters now for you - it works for others. RAW AddPause, the code which is responsible for properly handling pause / unpause was "workarounded" for 20.1 as plenty devices had issues with it. Seems your device liked it better.
Could you install 20.0 apk - does this work for you?
First decide what functions / features you expect from a system. Then decide for the hardware. Don't waste your money on crap.
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Niko21
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Thanks for the prompt reply!
I installed Kodi 20.0 and now it works for me with the RAW audiotrack and both Dolby settings.
No stuttering/audio issues after pausing!
This solves it.
Yes, I use a FireTV Stick 4K Ultra HD (2021)
I guess I shouldn’t install the new Kodi versions in the foreseeable future?
I still don’t really get what Kodi 20.2/21 is giving me, when selecting IEC and unchecking the DD, DD+, DTS etc. options.
My soundbar was indicating DD+.
But surely it’s worse audio quality than I’d get when enabling the DD+ option and letting my soundbar do the decoding, right?
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fritsch
Team-Kodi Developer
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Kodi does not introduce a loss when decoding the data, but some soundbards cannot handle the decoded multi pcm stream properly.
Let me post you a test build later on to see if we can get your pause / resume working properly.
First decide what functions / features you expect from a system. Then decide for the hardware. Don't waste your money on crap.
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fritsch
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One more question:
You have the pause / resume issue in both DD+ _and_ normal Dolby? Or only in DD+? with 20.2 and nightlies?
First decide what functions / features you expect from a system. Then decide for the hardware. Don't waste your money on crap.
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Niko21
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Yes, both DD and DD+.
When enabling the DD option, then there was no audio in DD files.
The same logic for the DD+ option.
I tested that in the 20.2 recommended version and the 21 Alpha 2 (prerelease).
I didn’t try DTS tough. But this option isn’t available when selecting the RAW output so it shouldn’t matter.
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Niko21
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Sure thing - will report back later (in around 1-2 hours)
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Niko21
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You were right!
The issue was only with DD+ content.
I played a few files with AC3 content and pausing/unpausing works normally.
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Niko21
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Just tried the build: The audio works and I couldn’t reproduce any bigger issues after unpausing
