4K/UHD bluray players that decode DTS to Dolby?



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I'm positive this has been confirmed in this thread but was unable to find a definite answer that under the correct settings the XBOX One S can convert DTS to DD 5.1 and thus passthrough to the Playable connected via HDMI to my TV. I should note my Sony Tv does support 5.1 passthrough for all other sources. I'm getting close to taking the plunge on UHD player and thinking given the price and added advantage of a game system the XBOX one S might best fit my needs over the Samsung's. The OPPO is out of my budget and I would have prefered the Sony UBP-x800 but looks like from this thread its been confirmed it does not transcode DTS to 5.1 and can only pass PCM. Appreciate if anyone can verify the XBOX One S and offer any last minute advice before I pull the trigger on the Xbox. Thanks, this forum and users on here have been extremely helpful.

I can confirm that it does work. Well, at least I can confirm it works over the Xbox One's optical output. I have it hooked to an older surround receiver which has an HDMI switch feature, but it's just passthrough and doesn't support HDMI audio in, hence the optical connection. Under settings -> display and sound -> audio output are the settings for sound output. Playing a Blu-Ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio track, when the optical bitstream format is set to Dolby on the Xbox, the Dolby Digital LED lights up on my receiver. Setting the bitstream output to DTS lights up the DTS LED on the receiver. (And surround sound plays in both cases.)

It should work over HDMI the same way, though in your case you'd set the HDMI output to bitstream.
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I'm positive this has been confirmed in this thread but was unable to find a definite answer that under the correct settings the XBOX One S can convert DTS to DD 5.1 and thus passthrough to the Playable connected via HDMI to my TV. I should note my Sony Tv does support 5.1 passthrough for all other sources. I'm getting close to taking the plunge on UHD player and thinking given the price and added advantage of a game system the XBOX one S might best fit my needs over the Samsung's. The OPPO is out of my budget and I would have prefered the Sony UBP-x800 but looks like from this thread its been confirmed it does not transcode DTS to 5.1 and can only pass PCM. Appreciate if anyone can verify the XBOX One S and offer any last minute advice before I pull the trigger on the Xbox. Thanks, this forum and users on here have been extremely helpful.
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I completely understand folks who want to dump their playbar (and potentially sub) due to this issue. I am in the same boat in terms of frustration - but I'm "all in" on Sonos products in my house. A mix of play 3s, play 1s, two playbars and a home theater set up. I love the system. Love the speakers. Love the music. The TV support, obviously, has its faults. That said, the playbar (when working as intended) is equally awesome as all the other speakers. So when I look at the big picture, the playbar in my home theater will be used mostly for TV (my tv passes 5.1), so no problem there. With apple tv, no problem there. With streaming from Amazon, no problem there. And with blurays and 4K discs. And there, some have native dolby audio (no problem there), but some have only DTS. My point is, of all the sound sources, the "problem" is just a portion. And to me, personally, not worth dumping my playbar entirely, because of a "portion". Let alone, dump my playbar, sub and other Sonos components.

Just going to wait it out for the right 4K bluray player that transcodes - and problem will be solved. I did the same thing back with regular blurays. I now have a Sony player that transcodes, so there's no issue at all there. It's really just a need for the right player (elusive right now!)


Which normal Sony Blu Ray player are you using that transcodes DTS to 5.1?
My player is the Sony BDP-S3700.
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I'm still considering which route to go and would really like an xbox one S anyway, I've been reading all the posts mainly the one below that says these settings work to get dd 5.1 from DTS thats all I'm concerned about on all blu rays including 4k to get 5.1 to passthrough to my playbase since my tv is capable of this on all other devices and inputs. Has anyone been able to confirm for sure 100% that this is the case with the xbox one S on the latest software update? I'm thinking this is a good option now since it will also support Dolby Atmos and DTS as well if in the future I decide to get a full fledged home theatres setup with a receiver, but want to make sure it will play nice with the playbase.

Alright Tom. I can't find the feed for the Xbox setup. Want to make sure before I take the plunge. It's really complicated isn't it haha. Do you know where the link is mate. Still pondering which one to get. Obviously I don't need the Dolby vision but obviously DD5.1 and HDR is a must. What's the quality like on the picture does anyone know?

I can't find the link. But I did do a cut & paste of his instructions in case I ever needed them. Here is what he posted:
Xbox One DD5.1 setting:
All Settings > Display & Sound > Audio Output
Set to:
HDMI audio: Bitstream out
Optical audio: Bitstream out
Bitstream format: Dolby Digital (other option is DTS Digital Surround)
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I completely understand folks who want to dump their playbar (and potentially sub) due to this issue. I am in the same boat in terms of frustration - but I'm "all in" on Sonos products in my house. A mix of play 3s, play 1s, two playbars and a home theater set up. I love the system. Love the speakers. Love the music. The TV support, obviously, has its faults. That said, the playbar (when working as intended) is equally awesome as all the other speakers. So when I look at the big picture, the playbar in my home theater will be used mostly for TV (my tv passes 5.1), so no problem there. With apple tv, no problem there. With streaming from Amazon, no problem there. And with blurays and 4K discs. And there, some have native dolby audio (no problem there), but some have only DTS. My point is, of all the sound sources, the "problem" is just a portion. And to me, personally, not worth dumping my playbar entirely, because of a "portion". Let alone, dump my playbar, sub and other Sonos components.

Just going to wait it out for the right 4K bluray player that transcodes - and problem will be solved. I did the same thing back with regular blurays. I now have a Sony player that transcodes, so there's no issue at all there. It's really just a need for the right player (elusive right now!)


Which normal Sony Blu Ray player are you using that transcodes DTS to 5.1?
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Samsung M9500 - Update

Have found small problem with new Sammy - Re-encoding via bitstream works great when playing discs but problem if playing mkv files from USB - the audio only works if changed to PCM. This is a known problem and has been logged by other users with Samsung who are working on a firmware fix, to be released shortly. Picture quality is still amazing and makes it bearable listening to soundtrack in stereo. Will let you know of anything else I encounter.
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Samsung M9500

Great News - Got my new Sammy M9500 today and the re-encoding to DD 5.1 works a treat via HDMI, sounds brilliant !!!!! (Soundbar, Sub, 2 x Play 1's)

Picture quality is pretty stunning so far, but haven't had time to test it fully yet.
Excellent. Good to hear. Please keep us posted on any other observations.
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Samsung M9500

Great News - Got my new Sammy M9500 today and the re-encoding to DD 5.1 works a treat via HDMI, sounds brilliant !!!!! (Soundbar, Sub, 2 x Play 1's)

Picture quality is pretty stunning so far, but haven't had time to test it fully yet.
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I'd imagine it's every bit as good as pretty much every other 4K UHD player out there and indistinguishable to 99%+ of users. Fair enough - but for Sonos Playbar owners, technically, it really comes down to how it compares to the K8500, given those are our only two options. Have yet to seen official verification that the re-encoding on the M9500 actually works!
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I'd imagine it's every bit as good as pretty much every other 4K UHD player out there and indistinguishable to 99%+ of users.
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Would still love to get a report from someone using the Samsung M9500 with the playbar! DTS to Dolby decoding working smoothly? Picture quality?
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Not for what is added no way.
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Hey SJW, So is it worth me waiting for the M9500 then?
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'last resort' lol. It has a stunning picture and sound output that I would bet pretty much nobody could ever differentiate between.
I have one connected to my 4K tv and have never seen a picture so good.
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Samsung UBD - M9500

Any of you lucky guys in the US managed to get hold of the Sammy M9500 yet? I finally took the plunge and bought myself an Oppo 203 - only to find it wouldn't fit in my cabinet (not even with some modification to back of cabinet) so my last resort is get the K8500 now or wait (end of May UK) for the new M9500.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/HEJSANG-Switcher-Splitter-Extractor-function/dp/B01MYZ5UW8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493055152&sr=8-1&keywords=toslink+4k

That has been ordered although i do'nt have a 4k hdmi source to check it with just a Wii U (which has dubious 5.12 support) and a basic panasonic blu-ray


So that bit of kit didnt really work, the ARC feed from the TV did return a 5.1 signal however there was no conversion of a DTS signal from Blu-ray or LPCM (from the Wii U) to 5.1. Sending it back then.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/HEJSANG-Switcher-Splitter-Extractor-function/dp/B01MYZ5UW8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493055152&sr=8-1&keywords=toslink+4k

That has been ordered although i do'nt have a 4k hdmi source to check it with just a Wii U (which has dubious 5.12 support) and a basic panasonic blu-ray
...and that £200 is the same price as an Xbox One S!
Balls! Ed Balls!

For years i've had the 2 x Play 3's and a sub. After a house extension i thought i'd damage the credit card a little more and got myself a new TV and the Playbar. Now fallen into the same hole as you guys, thousands of £££'s spent and no 5.1 for the majority of DVD's or bluray's...Nice!

Got myself a lovely 2017 Panasonic 50EX700B, netflix kicks out stunning images and DD 5.1. When it comes to my Wii U and Panasonic blu-ray player i'm stuffed though. God only knows what happens when i bring the Nintendo Switch into the equation!

A damn shame. The dream was to have one tv, use that remote and play Wii U games in 5.1

Now its a game of more expense, pro's and cons and no guaranteed solution i guess.
http://www.octavainc.com/HDMI%20switch%204x1%20ARC%20port_pro.html seems to be the best option but its £200 and i have no idea if it brings with it sync issues.

Does an all singing Av AMP work too?
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Thanks. I think that recent announcement means no matter what player you buy, we're all in for a mess for a while. I have an Xbox one S, and movies look amazing, but I don't want to buy another Xbox. Kids end up playing games all day on MY tv. :D

You talked me into it. I'm going with the Samsung. Ultimate dream in life is that Sonos makes some sort of breakout box that corrects all of this nonsense.
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Seems like not much action around this topic. I really want to get a 4K UHD BR player. What's the best choice st the moment?

bozer:
I have the same TV as you. I was also hoping the new LG player would transcode.
I settled on the Samsung K8500. If you're like me and have eveything going to your TV's HDMI ports and then the optical from the TV going to the Playbar, the Samsung is your best (only?) choice right now. We have to go with a player that lacks support for Dolby Vision.

I posted a while back that the Oppo 203 I bought didn't work out as their DD5,1 transcoded audio only works on the players optical port. I (and probably you) need it to go out the HDMI port.

The Samsung M8500 is out now. Though I didn't think the extra bells and whistles Samsung tacked on made it worthwhile to upgrade from the K8500. I emailed Samsung asking if the M8500 might get Dolby Vision in the future and they said no. Then just the other day Samsung announced another HDR format called HDR+. Great - just what we needed another format to muddy the waters even more.

Bottom line - get a player quick. You're missing out on a fantastic TV experience! I had watched a lot of 4K HDR movies on Netflix and Amazon. But seeing it from a 4K HDR player was jaw-dropping. Amazing - OLED at it's best, When you do get a player, go out and buy the Planet Earth II on 4K. Wow!
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Seems like not much action around this topic. I really want to get a 4K UHD BR player. What's the best choice st the moment?
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I'm sorry I made another thread about this before seeing this one. Looks like I'm in the same boat as you guys. I have an Xbox One S, but I want to replace that as my kids end up taking over my TV. I really was hoping the new LG player would decode DTS to 5.1, but reports say it doesn't. I have a LG OLED B6, and that would have been perfect for me. I really hope either Sonos does something or the companies making blu ray players do. All my other stuff seems to work fine with my Sonos, so I'm surprised this is even an issue.
Hi Everyone, First time poster. I’m very interested in purchasing the new 4K Sony UBP-X800 Blue Ray Player if it will decode the DTS to DD 5.1. I understand that it doesn’t have a simple check box for decoding DTS to Dolby Digital in the audio set-up, which the Sony BDP-S6700 had (last known Sony player to have it).

However, I was excited because I found this proposed solution in a Sony UK help forum in response to a Sonos compatibility question regarding the Sony UHB-H1 Blue Ray Player. Both the Sony H1 & X800 have very similar specs except some ports & 4K and even manuals are fairly close. Hence I thought this possible solution may also work for the new Sony X800. Please find the links below for reference. Thanks very much in advance for the collective wisdom of this group. Proposed solution from Sony UK help thread:

[Audio Settings]:
[Digital Audio Output] > PCM, [BD Audio MIX Setting] > Off, [DTS Neo:6] > Off and [Downmix] > [Surround]

1. Would this Sony proposed solution work for the Sony UBP-X800 blue ray player and decode the DTS to Dolby Digital?

2. If this would work, would it be considered a simulated Dolby Digital 5.1 sound? If so, would that practically matter?

3. Finally, if this would work on the X800, would the Sonos app display a DD 5.1 sound when playing.


https://community.sony.co.uk/t5/home-cinema-projectors-players/dolby-5-1-from-uhp-h1/m-p/2224382/highlight/true#M12314

https://docs.sony.com/release//Manual_4687309111.pdf (audio settings on pages 22 & 23)

https://docs.sony.com/release//Manual_4588105121.pdf (audio settings on pages 31 & 32)

http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/How-to-Get-5-1-Dolby-Surround-Sound-from-a-SONOS-PlayBar.shtml (very informative article)
Just to update you all, here is the reply from the AVS Forum:-
"The x800 doesn't not have the "Dolby D Compatible Output" option which is what you are looking for. This converts DTS to DD5.1 on the fly. (The Sony BDP-S6700 does for instance). The x800 is only able to converts DTS/Dolby Digital to multi channel PCM. So unless you're Sonos Soundbar can accept a multi channel PCM input, then you'll need to find alternative solutions".

Not what i wanted to hear - have to start looking at alternatives now as this is getting ridiculous and Sonos don't seem to listen to it's user base.
My Soundbar & Sub will be up for sale pretty soon i think !!!