How to Setup Dolby Atmos on a Minix neo u9-h
- Thread starter regismaltais33
- Start date
@ArcticWolf and others, thank you for your posts. Until yesterday I experienced the same issue as tom31 from post #7. I was not able to see the options TrueHD capable receiver and DTS-HD capable receiver. I tried all the suggestions from several threads, changing different HDMI cables, updating firmware soundbar and U9-h etc. but nothing worked. As a last resort I tried booting with CoreELEC on a usb drive. This did the trick. Now I am able to see the options and Atmos works. I included attachments. Interface skin blue is Android, interface skin gold is CoreELEC. Setup is the same, NEO U9-h --> soundbar LG SK10Y --> TV LG OLED65C8
Would anybody know why I am not able to see the options TrueHD capable receiver and DTS-HD capable receiver on Android?
Would anybody know why I am not able to see the options TrueHD capable receiver and DTS-HD capable receiver on Android?
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ArcticWolf
Trusted Helper
Thanks, & you're welcome
. Sorry to hear you're experiencing some issues, however !!I'm assuming you've been through most if not all of the following yourself already. (Just including it all on the off chance there's one step you may not have yet tried & obviously disregard anything you have been through)......
Atmos doesn't just work with TrueHD only just to clear that one up!! It will also function with audio encoded in DD+ (e-AC3) if you can source any test files encoded as such to try it? (That could at least determine if Atmos will function with your soundbar & the U9-H as is for you but it obviously won't specifically address why your HD audio options are mysteriously missing.)
The sync playback to display option is definitely disabled in your Android Kodi yes? (It still shouldn't stop the HD audio options actually being visible in Kodi but you just don't know with some hardware these days
.)Does your soundbar also have any different user selectable modes or surround effects/upmixing? (It may need to be set to a specific mode.)
Ideally, it should be on a default setting with no upmixing applied as this could essentially override an incoming RAW audio stream. (Purely for the sake of example, my AVR has to be in a specific mode (A.F.D.) or the AVR essentially up mixes & stops an incoming HD audio stream from being properly decoded. (Again, it doesn't cause the HD audio options to actually disappear from Kodi if in the wrong mode, but the same could apply as above!! Obviously some AVR's/soundbars just don't do this & may need to be manually adjusted by the user on an as required basis. Certainly worth double checking that one too, if you hadn't already of course.))
Have you also ensured that you have at least cleared Kodi's cache in Android, especially if it's an old install you've been repeatedly carrying forward for a long period of time? Failing that, try clearing both the cache & data (which will wipe Kodi), or just completely uninstall & reinstall Kodi from the Play Store again just in case something has become corrupted when your Kodi has been updating, or from a specific add-on(s) you've used. (Obviously we were still using Kodi 17.6 when this thread was created & some users simply let their old versions update through to date rather than starting afresh with 18.X.)
(Make sure you do any initial testing after a fresh install of Kodi without loading any add-ons or backups too & see if these missing options suddenly return.)
If you've otherwise been through everything else discussed in this thread already, however, it may simply be an unfortunate incompatibility issue with your specific soundbar. (It happens
.)If you're still just getting nowhere with it all, the last thing I would definitely try is factory resetting the U9-H &/or the soundbar as well just in case something involved in the whole process has become corrupted when updating etc. (It's certainly been known to remedy many other completely unexplainable issues at times so it may be worth considering as a last resort if CoreELEC alone isn't enough for you & you would sometimes prefer to be using Android.). If you flashed to the CE ROM too I'd also advise flashing back to the official 6.0.1 ROM firmware. (The CE ROM has been known to cause undesirable issues with some AVR's or soundbars if you're presently using that??)
Keep us posted
.
pusb87
Trusted Helper
@Kuka @ArcticWolf
I was just about to put pen to paper but the above post covers everything I could think of !
I am also at a loss to explain why you cant see the HD options with your U9 using Android.
I am only able to confirm that it should work so the only resolution may be that you have to factory reset, and if that doesn't do it, reflash firmware FW008, and then clean install Kodi 18.8 . Bit of a pain i know if you have configured kodi with addons/ build/ skins/ media libraries etc. May be worth taking a kodi backup ( storing it externally) that you could try to restore if you do see the HD options with a clean install.
I was just about to put pen to paper but the above post covers everything I could think of !
I am also at a loss to explain why you cant see the HD options with your U9 using Android.
I am only able to confirm that it should work so the only resolution may be that you have to factory reset, and if that doesn't do it, reflash firmware FW008, and then clean install Kodi 18.8 . Bit of a pain i know if you have configured kodi with addons/ build/ skins/ media libraries etc. May be worth taking a kodi backup ( storing it externally) that you could try to restore if you do see the HD options with a clean install.
@ArcticWolf @pusb87 Thank you for your quick and useful replies. This is very helpful!
On Android, I played the sample Core Universe.m2ts which has 4 audio tracks. I had the following results:
TrueHD 7.1 - 8 channels, I hear Core Universe sound, display soundbar shows 'PCM'
AC3 5.1 - 6 channels, I hear the message from the dolby digital companion track, display soundbar shows ' dolby audio'
DD+ 0 channels - 0 channels, I hear Core Universe, display soundbar shows 'Atmos'
AC3 0 channels - 0 channels, I hear the message from the dolby digital companion track, display soundbar shows ' dolby audio'
I wanted to test on CoreELEC as well but somehow the boot from USB does not work anymore. Tomorrow I ll continue with that and your other suggestions. Will let you know what happens.
On Android, I played the sample Core Universe.m2ts which has 4 audio tracks. I had the following results:
TrueHD 7.1 - 8 channels, I hear Core Universe sound, display soundbar shows 'PCM'
AC3 5.1 - 6 channels, I hear the message from the dolby digital companion track, display soundbar shows ' dolby audio'
DD+ 0 channels - 0 channels, I hear Core Universe, display soundbar shows 'Atmos'
AC3 0 channels - 0 channels, I hear the message from the dolby digital companion track, display soundbar shows ' dolby audio'
I wanted to test on CoreELEC as well but somehow the boot from USB does not work anymore. Tomorrow I ll continue with that and your other suggestions. Will let you know what happens.
Alright, I made a new CoreElec usb drive because I could not get the old one to work again.
I played the sample Core Universe.m2ts again but now on CoreELEC. I had the following results:
TrueHD 7.1 - 8 channels, I hear Core Universe sound, display soundbar shows 'Atmos'
AC3 5.1 - 6 channels, I hear the message from the dolby digital companion track, display soundbar shows ' dolby audio'
DD+ 7.1 channels -8 channels, I hear Core Universe, display soundbar shows 'Atmos'
AC3 5.1 channels - 6 channels, I hear the message from the dolby digital companion track, display soundbar shows ' dolby audio'
So the names of the audio tracks #3 and #4 have changed in comparison with Android. Also, audio track#1 seems to fully work as the soundbar shows 'Atmos'.
I played the sample Core Universe.m2ts again but now on CoreELEC. I had the following results:
TrueHD 7.1 - 8 channels, I hear Core Universe sound, display soundbar shows 'Atmos'
AC3 5.1 - 6 channels, I hear the message from the dolby digital companion track, display soundbar shows ' dolby audio'
DD+ 7.1 channels -8 channels, I hear Core Universe, display soundbar shows 'Atmos'
AC3 5.1 channels - 6 channels, I hear the message from the dolby digital companion track, display soundbar shows ' dolby audio'
So the names of the audio tracks #3 and #4 have changed in comparison with Android. Also, audio track#1 seems to fully work as the soundbar shows 'Atmos'.
Check, it is disabled.The sync playback to display option is definitely disabled in your Android Kodi yes? (It still shouldn't stop the HD audio options actually being visible in Kodi but you just don't know with some hardware these days
The SK10y has 5 surround modes. I tested them with the sample Core Universe.m2ts. For every surround mode and the audio track TrueHD 7.1 - 8 channels, I hear Core Universe sound, and the display of the soundbar shows 'PCM'. Also for every surround mode I am not able to see the options TrueHD capable receiver and DTS-HD capable receiver in the Kodi settings.
I just uninstalled Kodi and then installed it again. Still I cannot see the options TrueHD capable receiver and DTS-HD capable receiver in the Kodi settings.
Also I noticed that in settings/system/display/display mode I only have the option for a resolution of 1920x1080p in Android. In comparison using CoreELEC I get many options varying from 720x480p up to 4096x2160p.
Tomorrow I ll try the factory resets.
ArcticWolf
Trusted Helper
Hey Kuka,
Again, assuming you've checked & double checked everything yourself already....
.. It is indeed extremely odd why Kodi in Android isn't properly detecting your HD audio capable soundbar.
Before you do factory reset or re-flash the firmware....
..Just double check again the audio settings of the U9-H itself. (You've mentioned a couple of times that the soundbar is receiving the audio in PCM rather than the RAW audio stream that it should.).
Just double check the U9-H audio settings sound devices. You can set the output devices to auto or HDMI. (Try using both. (Personally, mines hard set to HDMI as I seem to recall auto at one point causing some sort of problem for me in the past but it was 2+ years ago & I can't remember what is was that needed it now.))
(RE:. The Kodi display resolutions. Which are you referring to? The whitelist resolutions or the actual resolution? (The actual resolution of 1920x1080p is for the GUI only & won't affect any media you playback which will continue to playback in its native resolution.) The whitelist is another matter entirely & isn't always needed by everyone. It's really there as an option for users to only allow the resolutions they specifically whitelist in case of any issues with their specific TV/monitor.)
For completeness sake I attached images of the Audio settings. That might be redundant but I have the feeling that somewhere I am overlooking something and the solution is in some minor setting. And often the longer you stare at a problem just by yourself the more difficult it becomes to spot the cause of it. @ArcticWolf Thank you very much for watching along and for giving your suggestions.
Alright, so I tested the following two settings:
a. Dolby sounds (DRC Mode LINE), DTS sounds (DTS Drcscale 0), Devices manager (input devices auto, output devices hdmi), Systems sounds (on), Digital Sounds, Auto detection, HDMI passthrough
b. Dolby sounds (DRC Mode LINE), DTS sounds (DTS Drcscale 0), Devices manager (input devices auto, output devices hdmi), Systems sounds (on), Digital Sounds, Auto detection off, HDMI.
Both times the options TrueHD capable receiver and DTS-HD capable receiver are not available.
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ArcticWolf
Trusted Helper
Kk, I'd try factory resetting the soundbar first if you've recently updated its own firmware. Failing that, factory reset the U9-H. (I know it's a giant pain in the backside, I've had to do it countless times with a number of devices but you're at a bit of an impasse otherwise.)
That's just the GUI resolution only mate. If you have a 4K capable display & any 4K media, that will still playback in its native resolution
.Let us know if the factory resets work.
By the way, I just found out another something peculiar but I do not know what to make of it. Instead of the Dolby Atmos sample that I tested earlier I tested the two DTS samples 'DTS:X Out of the Box (Long)' and 'DTS HD Out of the Box (Long)'. On android both the audio tracks of each sample work and 'DTS' is shown by the soundbar (btw DTS:X is not supported by the soundbar so I guess it automatically uses the DTS 5.1 core). On the other hand on CoreElec only the second audio track of each sample functions (the audio track called ' DTS 5.1 (side) - 6 channels').
Anyway, I ll try the factory resets. Worst case that does not work either but then I ll just have to work around and use Android for DTS material and CoreElec for Dolby material.
Anyway, I ll try the factory resets. Worst case that does not work either but then I ll just have to work around and use Android for DTS material and CoreElec for Dolby material.
ArcticWolf
Trusted Helper
BUGGER
!!!!I would say double, double check your cables then, but you're reporting that the HD audio options are present in CoreELEC so that would indicate they're fine. (Although you do seem to be experiencing other audio issues in CoreELEC too.)
Do you have any other devices capable of outputting HD audio too? Do they work OK with the soundbar? (Apologies if you had already confirmed that as working, am quickly scanning back through previous posts while typing lol
.)Not to be condescending, but you have you also configured your TV properly too right
? Ideally, you should have settings available on the TV to ensure all audio is bitstreaming from your HDMI devices to the soundbar, & above all ensure that any output to the speakers on the TV are definitely disabled from both the TV, & soundbar too!! (If the TV speakers are still enabled, your setup may be seeing the TV as the primary decoder with Android instead of correctly seeing the soundbar.)Get surfing to double check all available settings on the soundbar too. (Kodi will simply detect what your soundbar supports & allow you to select the available options, so that's really pretty straightforward. It'll either see supported formats or not if not supported.)
With everything else you've been through in trying to solve this, go through all of the settings on your TV & soundbar one last time. (It only takes one setting to be missed to throw everything else off.)
I dread actually saying it, but you could try factory resetting the TV as well. (Yes, something could interfere with the whole process from the TV in certain circumstances.)
Double checking other device settings is your last option as your U9-H is configured correctly.
Failing that, might be time to light up LG support!!
Yes I checked all the cables but it does not make a difference.
So setup is NEO U9-h --> soundbar LG SK10Y --> TV LG OLED65C8
Sound setting of the OLED65C8 are:
Sound output HDMI ARC, digital sound out, automatisch (only other option is pcm)
DTV audio-setting, automatic
AV Sync-adjustment, off
TV speakers are definitely disabled. The soundbar settings are quite limited. there no seem to be no options for choosing. For example when I run the Core Universe.m2ts on CoreELEC, the SK10Y recognises Atmos, shows that in the display and I cannot even change sound effects.
By the way, again something I cannot make sense of. I just tested Netflix' 6 underground (Dolby Vision and Atmos) straight from the tv app, while the Minix was turned off. On soundbar I chose Input source / Function ' OPTICAL/HDMI ARC'. The display switched automatically to 'OPTICAL' (I had no sound). Then I turned on the Minix, the soundbar switched automatically to ARC. When I pushed the information button on the remote I expected to see Atmos on the display of the soundbar, however it showed Dolby digital. I turned off TV, soundbar and Minix. Then turned on tv and soundbar (not Minix). Now the soundbar display says ARC and when information button on the remote is pushed it says Atmos.
I played a blu-ray with DTS-HD Master audio on my ps4 pro, it worked fine.Do you have any other devices capable of outputting HD audio too? Do they work OK with the soundbar? (Apologies if you had already confirmed that as working, am quickly scanning back through previous posts while typing lol
Haha, no worries, I am really at the end of my ideas how to tackle this issue. So all your help is very much appreciated!Not to be condescending, but you have you also configured your TV properly too right
So setup is NEO U9-h --> soundbar LG SK10Y --> TV LG OLED65C8
Sound setting of the OLED65C8 are:
Sound output HDMI ARC, digital sound out, automatisch (only other option is pcm)
DTV audio-setting, automatic
AV Sync-adjustment, off
TV speakers are definitely disabled. The soundbar settings are quite limited. there no seem to be no options for choosing. For example when I run the Core Universe.m2ts on CoreELEC, the SK10Y recognises Atmos, shows that in the display and I cannot even change sound effects.
By the way, again something I cannot make sense of. I just tested Netflix' 6 underground (Dolby Vision and Atmos) straight from the tv app, while the Minix was turned off. On soundbar I chose Input source / Function ' OPTICAL/HDMI ARC'. The display switched automatically to 'OPTICAL' (I had no sound). Then I turned on the Minix, the soundbar switched automatically to ARC. When I pushed the information button on the remote I expected to see Atmos on the display of the soundbar, however it showed Dolby digital. I turned off TV, soundbar and Minix. Then turned on tv and soundbar (not Minix). Now the soundbar display says ARC and when information button on the remote is pushed it says Atmos.
ArcticWolf
Trusted Helper
You're welcome
. Just a shame there doesn't seem to be an obvious answer to this one . (At this point, I'd be banging on LG's desk myself, so to speak .)When did you purchase the LG SK10Y? (A more extreme solution, but if it was quite recent you could consider returning it for another brand/model, or even pick up a decent mid range AVR for less than half of the SK10Y's original retail mark up. (Depending if you already have some half decent speakers too, you could also use them & add to them later, or build up a 5.1.2 system to accompany an AVR as you go/cash flow allows etc.))
Otherwise, the behaviour you've mentioned does make sense. (Obviously, because you're just using HDMI & no TOSLINK cable is required you'd also expect the optical audio option not to function with all else being correct.). You'd also expect the soundbar to enter ARC mode if it's just detecting the TV alone without any other active HDMI devices being present/powered on. So that part all seems fine.
When you power on the U9-H the soundbar should simply report detecting 2.0 PCM only for the default system sounds & most apps etc., (unless of course said apps can specifically support additional audio channels/passthrough such as Kodi). It's only when you bitstream RAW audio via passthrough that the soundbar should switch from PCM to the respective audio format that requires decoding.
Did I ask if you'd tried an older version of Kodi or a Kodi fork with the U9-H & Android? (You could try quickly installing 17.6 just to see if this is a weird glitch with Kodi 18.x.)
There are a couple of other things you could try adjusting with the U9-H, although usually they just wouldn't affect the audio side of things as you've been experiencing, but still...
...In the U9-H's settings, just turn the CEC switch only on if it wasn't already, but leave the other 3 CEC options disabled, (at least initially), then test again. Additionally, you'll also see an option called playback settings, in there you'll see some options for the HDMI self adaptation but these are typically for the visual aspect for apps to correctly switch between different display resolutions, (but again, just in case). Try setting that to level 2, level 1, or off respectively & test again trying each one in turn. (I wouldn't expect it to make a difference in this instance but you really have nothing to lose by trying it. (FYI, my hardware works best using level 2 but the different options are obviously there for a reason.)
I understand you've been endlessly trawling through your TV & soundbar settings of late
!! But, have you also tried initiating any media on the U9-H encoded with TrueHD or DTS HS MA, & then whilst that media is actively playing go back through all of the available settings again in case something only pops up in a menu somewhere just when that media is playing that you possibly haven't seen before. (Certainly worth trying too if you hadn't already.). Then check Kodi again to see if the options suddenly appear.When you have the PS4 Pro actively gaming/processing media, presumably the soundbar doesn't just decode DTS HA MA correctly, but the soundbar is also correctly decoding/switching between any of the different SD/HD audio formats as expected from the PS4 Pro too?
I'd also definitely enter a support ticket with LG at this point as there really is no normal explanation for why either Android or CoreELEC would behave as they are in conjunction with all of your LG hardware & it's not exactly cheap kit either. Not to mention, the SK10Y was LG's flagship soundbar in the not too distant past & as such it really shouldn't be suffering any incompatibility issues such as this!! (I'd be pretty frustrated if I purchased it to find it wasn't working as intended. There are also literally countless folk out there using the U9-H with a huge range of different AVR's, soundbars or other external audio hardware that all function as expected, it is well proven. I'm not saying all hardware will always function together with an absolute 100% guarantee, but the U9-H definitely supports what you're trying to do & as far as I can see your LG hardware is relatively new kit too that should also be functioning normally in this regard as well.)
If it helps too, include a link to this thread in your support ticket to LG so that they can see exactly what measures you've already gone to, to get this all working properly. Also, that you've obviously covered everything you possibly can as far as the actual output source is concerned & everything is correctly configured there too, and/or you've even been through the painstaking process of extensive troubleshooting & even factory resetting the source device already. (That may well be LG support's immediate & default suggestion but hopefully it could save you some time & arguments with their internal system if you've already been there.)
Keep us in the loop of what's happening as you never know, someone else could eventually pick up on your posts that may have seen the same thing or similar who may also have been through a long list of troubleshooting & eventually sorted it all out.
Finger's crossed
.
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ArcticWolf
Trusted Helper
Good grief, for some reason I seemed to have temporarily lost all ability to actually type "DTS HD MA" correctly above lol .
.