BT Pro Box surround sound

[AlyCath]

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Yes, that’s spot on. If the audio source is 2.0 then it should only play as such and not as 5.1 through all the speakers.

Currently 2.0 plays through 5.1. 

[DarrenDev]

I've corrected my previous message to say "It will always send in DD+" - i.e. the point I'm making is that the old boxes would switch between DD+ and PCM, but the new box doesn't.
Ignoring the technical specs though - what actual impact is it having now? How is it impacting your viewing (listening) experience? Your amp should be able to handle the signal correctly and offer all the same features as were previously available with older boxes.

[DarrenDev]

@AlyCath you're the only person to say that the stereo sound is playing through all the speakers. This sounds like an incorrect setting on your amp - on some devices it's called "multichannel stereo" or "all channel stereo" and can be turned off.

[AlyCath]

It’s the ones that are only 2.0 at the source that the box seems to send as 5.1 and plays through all speakers.

It should not send 5.1 in this case.

The AVR is set to auto select the correct sound format but it the ways it’s sent from the BT box.

When I was with Sky, this was never an issue and only since moving to BT has it become an issue. Same AVR.

Ill check again tonight but it was certainly an issue earlier this week.

[SoupDragon57]

Spot on @AlyCath . This is the heart of the issue @DarrenDev. HD channels always send as DD or DD+ (although why DD+ is sent when not delivering Atmos seems like it might be making work - most channels won't have sent that to BT)

The sound in some channels (e.g. BBC1) will be dynamic depending on the programme. Many will be 2.0, but when showing a film or high budget drama etc, it may be 5.1. but it should always reflect what is being sent and not include empty channels.

DD or DD+ does not always equal 5.1

[DarrenDev]

Sorry, but I'm going to stop responding to technical comments now.
All I care about is impact. The audio is being sent with a valid specification that amps should be able to handle and correctly process the same as a regular stereo signal.
Ignore what lights show on the amp - if it sounds wrong, tell me how.

[SoupDragon57]

I'm afraid that is incorrect @DarrenDev . AV systems are reliant on the correct number of channels being identified. This allows the AV to properly expand out the sound to match the setup that you might have. Passing incorrect data hampers this process and gives sub optimal sound output.

[DarrenDev]

The correct number of channels ARE being identified, and we've proven with our setup here that the amp is now capable of adding Pro Logic where previously it couldn't.
You've still not told me what actual issue you have with the sound now.

[SoupDragon57]

@DarrenDev  Is tag with images I've just taken on ITV1HD and ITV2HD showing how they show as DD+2.0 and DD+5.1 respectively, but there's no option to shrink the image size. Both channels only transmit stereo (DD2.0)

Pro logic is an old AV setup. The replacement is"Dolby Surround" (yes, helpfully generically labelled!) Which will automatically adjust the output, but is reliant on the correct metadata being sent.

[Anonymous]

I'm not an audiophile and don't even have an AV amp, but I do have a Sonos soundbar and/or TV speakers in use depending on where I have the box plugged in.

To try and answer your query @DarrenDev , the impact on a "normal" end user is different sound levels as you change channels, resulting in an usually high amount of "riding the volume control" up and down to compensate. 

If you set the box output to stereo (default), the overall volume level is much higher than for DD. When set to DD and receiving a stereo signal, output for me is much lower volume and I have to ride the gain on the remote.

Switch to a true DD 5.1 signal through an app like Netflix and you have to ride the gain down again. 

I suspect this is an issue to a minority as most people probably leave it on the stereo default, but I get the pain if you are into your sound and it does have an impact on "normal" users.

I remember Sky went through a lot of pain on stereo volume levels with Sky Q being too variable and customers got fed up with keep having to adjust it.