Server Version#:4.141.0
Player Version#: Reloaded to have latest
LifeTime License in use
This is not a new subject - Volume issues on Roku Smart TVs. Have to turn TV volume to max (100) to just adequately watch movie from my media library. Same movie played on my home theater via a Roku Ultra - I have full control of the audio. My server is a Win11 Pro 24H2 64bit with 32Gb memory - there are no server issues. I use HandBrake to encode videos and typically boost all video files audio by 5dB. Which is the case with movie referenced above. But, this is not a single media file issue - it is every movie in my media library when played on a Roku Smart TV.
I also am a great fan of Plex Amp. Play back usually is either via an Android table with a BlueTooth connection to the home theater or my Pixel phone via Android Auto. I’ve streamed my music library all over the US with zero issues. And, the LifeTime Pass definitely enhances the Plex Amp experience.
The connection between these two subjects - Plex/Roku and Plex Amp - is Plex Amp has very good audio management. I now license both. And, this is easy for me to say - but why can’t the audio processing from Plex Amp be present in Plex/Roku? Two really good products - do a mash up. Yep, easy to say. Either at the server or in the actual Player app.
I’ve had odd sound issues with Roku TV and usually it’s related to TV settings or TV talking to additional equipment. Also the sound output settings can be funny.
On my older TCL and older samsung soundbar setup volume needs to be around 40-50 for normal listening (about halfway on the Roku volume meter). On my newer TCL and newer samsung soundbar\surround setup it’s only 13-15 (about 1/3rd on the roku volume meter). On my Roku Ultra connected to a small Samsung dumb TV it’s about 30 on that volume meeter. So meter isn’t necessarily a good measure necessarily but you said you have to go to max.
Anyways, there’s a couple things I do when my audio is acting up. First I unplug the TV for about 15 seconds. I’ve had the TV and soundbar miscommunicate and pulling the power can be the only way to clear it up so I tend to just do that first for most Roku oddities. Next I go fiddle with the Audio output settings and make sure I’m getting the expected results there. So when it comes to Audio output I prefer “passthrough” so my soundbar or home theater setup will manage the audio without any additional processing. I also set my home theater to “standard” typically as well; the other options all try to do fake surround for stereo sources, or worse fake atmos, and I don’t want that to happen. This is where you can often see that the Roku is not talking to the soundbar correctly. If my Roku says “stereo” is the only supported format then I know it’s not talking right and usually only unplugging the TV from power and making it reconnect to the soundbar will clear this up. Sometimes hitting mute\unmute will do it but I’m so used to pulling the power being the only way to clear some oddities that I just do that from the start now.
So that’s a bunch of stuff and one thing I wasn’t clear about is if you have any additional equipment attached to that TV. If you don’t, and it supports AC3\DTS\EAC3 but is only stereo speakers built in then that might be part of it… I’ve had TVs just not manage downsampling it themselves very well but when forced to stereo via Plex it’s fine. This happens with my Roku Ultra and Samsung TV using it’s built in speakers because it supports DTS actually but when it tries to play DTS it is WAY too quiet because it does a crap job supporting it. So in my Roku audio settings I manually tell it that my audio doesn’t support DTS and now Plex transcodes to stereo for me on those little stereo speakers built into the TV and it sounds better.
Sorry if that’s a bunch and maybe doesn’t work out but I noticed so many Roku posts not getting attention lately and I wanted to at least suggest something for ya’ here.
If you have a bit more detail about the audio codecs you’re trying to playback and some specifics about the TV setup itself that might help narrow things down too.
