Stream box audio frustrations

[Mike6222]

I've had a stream box since October and I'm generally very pleased with it.  But its very frustrating that it's audio capabilities, seem to offer an either / or choice, rather than 'smart' solutions. I have the box direct to an 2022 LG tv connected by eArc HDMI to a Denon X6200W AVR in a 7.4.2 setup.  If I select 'follow content' on the box then the AVR shows that a Dolby Digital + signal is being received through 5 channels and output to all 13 speakers. A couple of channels such as 5 and Sky Arts do that, but the vast majority of tv channels including BBC and ITV only actually play from the front left and right speakers. Hardly a great soundstage.  The inbuilt apps such as Apple and Prime do play Dolby Atmos this way though.

To get a reasonable sound from the majority of channels I have to switch (downgrade ?) the audio on the Streambox to PCM 5+1, which gets then gets output as Dolby Surround from the full speaker system. But so do the built-in apps, so I lose the Dolby Atmos signal.

I've tried every combination of swapping the inputs around, changing HDMI cables, plugging the Streambox direct to the AVR etc but haven't found a way to fix it.

I can use the apps on the tv (or firestick) to get the atmos version, but it sort of defeats the object of having everything built into the streambox, when it would be nice to use just one remote control, instead of chopping and changing all the time, which not all the family are able to do. Why can't the box be smart enough to switch automatically ?

[Matthew_ML]

Hey Mike6222, thank you for reaching out and I am sorry to hear this,

A big point of this is everything is now filmed in different audio broadcasts , so for example the soaps are all filmed in 5:1 sound whereas something on Netflix is filmed in 7:1.

I will feed this back for sure.  

[Mike6222]

Hi Matt, thanks for the reply. I reset the Denon AVR to factory setting yesterday, but still have the problem. It should be converting the signal to 7.4.2 which it does with a couple of channels but the majority are only stereo. Unfortunately I don't have another AVR to try the Stream box with (and don't know anyone else who has) I didn't have the problem.with the V6 box I had before this.  I also cant find anyone else reporting this problem

[pob42 · Accepted solution]

I agree with you Mike. It’s very annoying. 
Stereo content on channels like BBC and ITV are being sent in a 5.1 Dolby Digital+ stream which means there is no way to apply Dolby Surround/Pro-Logic decoding. 
Freeview and Sky manage to change the audio format between programmes (switching correctly between Stereo and 5.1). Can’t understand why Virgin Stream can’t. 
It will be an issues with the feeds they are distributing and not your equipment. 
They probably won’t care as the majority of viewers will be watching via a TV rather than AVR so won’t experience any issues. 

[Roger_Gooner]

Why have you got the Stream connected to your TV instead of the Denon? Everything should go into the Denon, that's the point of an AVR.

[Mike6222]

Thanks Pob42 I wasn't aware of that limitation. Can't see the point of them offering DD+ if that's the case.

[Mike6222]

Hi Roger, it doesn't make any difference which way its connected, the audio signal remains the same

[unisoft]

Soaps like Eastenders are broadcast as Stereo AAC (Low Complexity), and selected 5.1 programmes are broadcast as AAC 5.1. On Freeview this is variable bit rate. VM may have static rate feeds as a possibility into them before they redistribute.

Although the feeds to VM may be different from that transmitted by Freeview, Eastenders would still be Stereo and some selected programmes (usually some drama and the odd comedy show) 5.1.

iPlayer is stereo regardless of original format, although 5.1 in PCM was tried at one point in the past.