Server Version#: 1.18.6.2368-97add474d_amd64
Player Version#: 2.13 (14243) (tvOS 13.3.1)
I have tested both on an ATV 4th gen and an ATV 4K. If direct playing a file with EAC3 audio, there is no sound. It doesn’t matter if you set the systemwide audio output to Best, DD5.1, or Stereo. There is just no audio at all.
This is an increasingly common problem because more and more content is using EAC3.
The current only remedies are:
a) Enable enhanced video player (which requires PlexPass) or;
b) Disable eac3 in the tvOS server profile (which will force a transcode to AC3)
I’ve opted for the latter because I have a couple of shared users who have ATVs but don’t have Plex Pass. But customization of server profiles sucks because they’re overwritten with every update.
If there is no forthcoming fix for the EAC3 issue in the old player, then perhaps there should be a differentiation in the profiles for Apple TV’s using the enhanced player so EAC3 can be disabled to the old player.
I found a thread from over 2 years ago where someone experienced this same behavior and it was never acknowledged: [FIX] EAC3 playback on AppleTV gen4
