Rotel RSP-1576mkii / Sony Bravia A80J won't play nice... (1 Viewer)

[pdt20]

Hi,
I recently upgraded my home theatre to include a Rotel RSP-1576mkii AVR and a Sony Bravia A80J TV. The issue that I am dealing with is that when I stream content from the Sony TV to the Rotel AVR via ARC, the AVR is not detecting and decoding the proper digital audio format (i.e., it appears to be stuck on “Dolby Digital” even when the source format from the TV is indicated as being “Dolby Digital +” or “Dolby Atmos”. When I manually switch the Rotel AVR to "Dolby Atmos" (for Dolby Atmos source content) everything works and sounds great, however, I dropped quite a bit of money on these guys and it would be nice if the auto digital audio detection and decoding worked properly. I have been working with technical support on both ends, however, the Sony TV technical support tell me that the TV is configured and working properly and the Rotel AVR technical support tell me that the AVR is configured and working properly. Just wondering if anyone on the forum has experienced a similar issue?
Thanks!

 

[JohnRice]

I don't know every AVR, but generally they have an "Auto" surround mode in the rotation of modes. You also want to be certain the digital audio output on the TV is set to "Bitstream". At least that's the common term.

There also might be audio output settings for the individual apps. Make certain they are also enabling all modes and also are bitstream, if that's an option.

Aside from those things, nothing is really jumping out to me. You need to be certain your hdmi cable is at least 18Gb/s certified for eARC.

 

[JohnRice]

I looked up your receiver, and it doesn't appear to have eARC. That's probably a problem. If it only has regular ARC, it can't receive Atmos through that connection, but it should still receive DD+. So it's still a little confusing.

 

[pdt20]

Thanks for the reply! I don't think my AVR has an auto option, but I'll check. I think the options are 2/3/5 Channel Stereo, Dolby Atmos, DTS Neural:x). The digital audio output options for my TV are "Auto1" (compressed), "Auto2" (compressed for multi-channel input) and "PCM". Do you know which one of those options might correspond to "Bitstream". I did try a different and shorter cable to confirm that the cable is okay. I used a certified 8K / 6' cable so I'm pretty sure there was sufficient bandwidth at a short distance - unfortunately, nothing changed. Thank you for your assistance!

 

[pdt20]

Yes - you are right, my receiver only has Arc and not eArc. I thought the sales people told me it would play Atmos because I upgraded my home theatre to include height speakers and that was all supposed to be part of it. Will DD+ play "height" information?

 

[JohnRice]

Thanks for the reply! I don't think my AVR has an auto option, but I'll check. I think the options are 2/3/5 Channel Stereo, Dolby Atmos, DTS Neural:x). The digital audio output options for my TV are "Auto1" (compressed), "Auto2" (compressed for multi-channel input) and "PCM". Do you know which one of those options might correspond to "Bitstream". I did try a different and shorter cable to confirm that the cable is okay. I used a certified 8K / 6' cable so I'm pretty sure there was sufficient bandwidth at a short distance - unfortunately, nothing changed. Thank you for your assistance!

OK, I reviewed this a bit. I think the audio setting you want is "Auto 2" (compressed for multi-channel input). The problem is I don't use ARC, so I don't really have experience with it. eARC is needed for full bandwidth HD audio, but that's not what is on streaming services. ARC is supposed to be compatible with compressed Atmos signals.

 

[pdt20]

Thanks - I really appreciate your assistance and taking the time to help me research this issue. I set the digital audio output option to "Auto2" last night, and my receiver didn't like it. It basically switched to a "DSP Bypass" mode and I couldn't hear anything at all (similar to what happens when I set the digital audio output option on the TV to "PCM").

 

[JohnRice]

Something isn’t working the way it’s supposed to.

 

[pdt20]

Yeah - I agree - just not sure exactly what. I’m using a 50’ active/powered fiber hdmi cable to connect the two. I was told I would be okay with that, but now I’m starting to wonder.