[AppleTV2] HOW-TO to enable AC3 and DTS output for Apple TV 2

Yup (well, 7.1 but I believe I've also tried 5.1) ... here you go ...

http://pastebin.com/XegP0z5E

Actually, they are on 5.1..

you get 2.0pcm because thats what the video you try to watch has as audio track. I don't think that any youtube video has an ac3 or dts 5.1 audio track. They all are stereo only. Better try a dvdrip or something else with 5.1 sound...

What about something like this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtXJ8tQnh...re=related

Wouldn't that be a 5.1 DTS-MA stream? Comes through as PCM 2.0 as well. Haven't ripped any DVD's as of yet. Just streaming via the various video add-on's available and all seem to come through as PCM 2.0.

All YouTube is scaled down to stereo. Download and play one of these: http://www.demo-world.eu/trailers/high-d...ailers.php

Thanks, can these be downloaded and run straight out of a directory on the ATV2?

(2012-03-21 02:40)Sdpbc Wrote:  Thanks, can these be downloaded and run straight out of a directory on the ATV2?

Yeah where it says "Part" click on the number or numbers and download them (they will be zipped) then put them wherever your media is normally stored for xbmc and go to that folder via file mode and you can play it. The video might stutter in some of them (mostly the lossless 7.1 ones) but the audio is proper dts/dd 5.1. Hope they help!

Can anyone tell me if Apple TV 2 can pass a DTS Audio CD file (i.e. 44.1kHz) with XBMC? It seems the Apple TV 2 upsamples all 44.1kHz signals (including CD and therefore DTS CD) to 48kHz, thus destroying the proper DTS signal and not allowing it to play back except as static (whereas my two 1st Gen Apple TV units pass DTS Audio CD rips (as WAV or Apple Lossless encapsulated) through the AppleTV just fine.

What hasn't been clear to me is whether this is an actual hardware limitation because of some crappy chip it uses, a driver/firmware issue (that won't allow it to output a 44.1kHz signal directly even if the hardware supports it) or just a software issue (i.e. Apple's software is set to up-convert, but perhaps XBMC can output a proper 44.1kHz signal)

If not, it's a real bummer because then I have to keep additional hardware around to play my DTS music (or go back to using the actual CDs) if I want to upgrade to newer AppleTV that can handle higher bit-rates, etc.

While I like some of the newer features on the latest AppleTV (I was thinking of getting a 1080p capable ATV3 for my main home theater room, although it remains to be seen if it will be able to be jailbroken any time soon), but some things were just BETTER on the 1st Gen player (internal hard drive, bit-perfect audio output, analog audio outputs available, component video connections available and even some GUI things like stacking movies by SHOW into sub-folders and showing TV seasons inside a sub-folder of the tv show itself (ATV2 just lists each season as a single entry, making the list of tv shows unbearably long and a PITA to get to what you're looking for quickly when you have a lot of shows in your collection. Ironically, the iCloud GUI is VASTLY better with seasons changing by clicking left or right. WTF aren't they consistent?

(2011-09-29 13:36)charlietilt Wrote:  

beddy Wrote:Did you try exiting XBMC, and going to Apple TV > Settings > Audio & Video > Audio Output and setting it to "16 bit"?

Thank you very much for your suggestion, that was the magic setting that made the whole thing work for me. I do currently still have AC3 and DTS passthrough enabled in xbmc, but after changing that output setting from AUTO to 16bit the DTC and AC3 starting working through my receiver and the static/feedback was gone.

Thanks again!

I was having a similar issue with my ATV2 and Pioneer VSX-9130TXH receiver through HDMI. No DTS, AC3 or MKV files would play audio . . . just loud clipping and static. Switch ATV2 to 16bit as you suggested and it works perfectly. My Pioneer receiver reads stereo when in the ATV2 menu and switches over to DTS once the file starts to play. Big thanks goes out to "beddy" for taking the time to post this solution.

Hello

I seem to recieve distorted sound when viewing some files i dd 5.1 format(ac3). For some reason some files work flawlessly, but others dont't. what I hear is the dialogue and such but with a sort of crackling. I haven't experienced this in any movies so far, just a few specific tv-shows. I've tried everything i can think of. Sound settings is in 16bit and so fourth.

Some specifications:

atv2: 5.1 software, jailbroken with Seasonpass. Optical cabel connected to reciever.
reciever yamaha htr-6030: registers dts and dolby surround. works great i general aside from the crackling on certain ac3-files

As I said the sound outputs sound. I can hear the dialogue and such but it's slitely distorted. Any ideas?

Thanks

signed up to post, hope this helps you guys.

ATV2
XBMC Eden 11
Pioneer Elite SC-57
ATV2 connected to SC-57 Via HDMI ONLY

Settings
ATV2>Settings>Audio&Video>
Dolby=On
Audio out=Auto (not 16bit)

XBMC
System>Settings>System>Audio Output:
Audio Output=Optical/Coax (even though I am using HDMI and have absolutely no spdif/optical connected)
Speaker Configuration=7.1 or 5.1
Boost Volume level on downmix= Disabled
Dolby DIgital (AC3) Capable Receiver= Checked
DTS Capable Receiver= Checked

These settings work for me, if I had Audio output to HDMI it would only do Stereo PCM.
Switching to Optical/Coax (AGAIN I DONT HAVE AN OPTICAL CABLE CONNECTED, JUST PICK THIS SETTING) I get Dobly Digital where need be and like wise with DTS.

Also make sure you check your video files settings in the context menu for your video thats being played back. Make sure you pick the 5.1 track and that output is also set to optical/coax there.

I hope this helps someone out there, and if it does please post back.

God Bless