I’Ve been having playing AC3 tracks on 0.9.14.3 and now on 0.9.14.4… Here’s what the logs are about:
I have an episode of Gotham encoded in a .mkv file, h264 video and AC3 audio. In the PS4 app I have checked the option to playback AC3, and that used to work with other files of the same series encoded the same way. Now, when I playback my original file, my AVR shows it as playing DTS (which is my primary codec for the PS4, so I assume it’s being transcoded).
Also, when I try to play an “optimized” version of the same file, which should direct play and be trouble free, I get no audio at all. Video plays, but silently. AVR also shows DTS, so no AC3 passthrough is being done/attempted.
Same files work perfectly on chromecast, which has a similar codec ability as the PS4.
I’ll check your log but something doesn’t sound right. Plex cannot encode to DTS so if your AVR is showing DTS, something is off. You should either get AC3 pass through which should show up as Dolby Digital or LPCM, which is the only multi-channel audio PMS can encode.
Your log shows the AC3 track being used, which makes sense if you have that option enabled. So either the app is not sending the sound correctly or the receiver is not processing it correctly. I’m not sure how to test which is the case. Do you have other files that also have AC3 that do work? The log indicates the file has a second AAC audio track. Your optimized version may have used this audio track which it why it can direct play in Plex Web.
@MovieFan.Plex said:
Your log shows the AC3 track being used, which makes sense if you have that option enabled. So either the app is not sending the sound correctly or the receiver is not processing it correctly. I’m not sure how to test which is the case. Do you have other files that also have AC3 that do work? The log indicates the file has a second AAC audio track. Your optimized version may have used this audio track which it why it can direct play in Plex Web.
@MovieFan.Plex for the record, I am currently watching an aac encoded file on my ps4 and my receive shows DTS again… Which is the primary output codec I chose for my games.
Not sure how that’s possible, it didn’t do that before as far as I know… Did sony
update their multimedia platform? Do you need any other logs?
Looking at your log and the sample file, it all indicates that Plex is direct playing the AC3 audio track, which should be what is being sent to the PS4. The PS4 may be doing something to the audio before ti gets to your AVR. Again, I don’t have a PS4 but I would go through all the PS4 options to see if there is something odd. I don’t see anything wrong with Plex.
If you are positive this use to work before, can you try reverting PMS to 9.12.x and confirm the AC3 audio works and what the AVR says?
@MovieFan.Plex said:
Looking at your log and the sample file, it all indicates that Plex is direct playing the AC3 audio track, which should be what is being sent to the PS4. The PS4 may be doing something to the audio before ti gets to your AVR. Again, I don’t have a PS4 but I would go through all the PS4 options to see if there is something odd. I don’t see anything wrong with Plex.
If you are positive this use to work before, can you try reverting PMS to 9.12.x and confirm the AC3 audio works and what the AVR says?
That was a good idea, didn’t think of it myself… You’re right, it says the same thing. I changed my audio output setting in the PS4 settings from “bistream DTS” to “bitstream dolby” and sure enough, now it says dolby digital on my receiver, even for an AAC file… so I guess the PS4 decodes it and then reencodes it into whatever I ask!?
Either way, that doesn’t matter, bu the fact remains than even on the last public version (0.9.12.x) the optimised files would not have sound when played back. I’m really confused with this, as other ac3 files work fine… Anyway, I hope the team can figure it out.
@KarlDag said:
Either way, that doesn’t matter, bu the fact remains than even on the last public version (0.9.12.x) the optimised files would not have sound when played back. I’m really confused with this, as other ac3 files work fine… Anyway, I hope the team can figure it out.
Just to be clear. The sample you provided, which is an mp4 file, is from the optimized version you made from the original mkv file. The original file when playing on the PS4, you get sound? With the same settings, choosing the optimized version, you get no sound? Is that correct? Have you tried adding this sample file into PMS to see if it will play with sound.
@KarlDag said:
Either way, that doesn’t matter, bu the fact remains than even on the last public version (0.9.12.x) the optimised files would not have sound when played back. I’m really confused with this, as other ac3 files work fine… Anyway, I hope the team can figure it out.
Just to be clear. The sample you provided, which is an mp4 file, is from the optimized version you made from the original mkv file. The original file when playing on the PS4, you get sound? With the same settings, choosing the optimized version, you get no sound? Is that correct? Have you tried adding this sample file into PMS to see if it will play with sound.
Exactly. When I choose “Play version”, the original file plays with sound, this one plays without sound.
I am unsure what you mean by “adding this sample file into PMS”… It is already a part of it… I tried removing the original file from PMS once to have only the sample file left, but then PMS deleted the optimized file…
The only thing I didn’t think of would have been to add this optimised file into the previous PMS version alone, but then again, it played without sound when I did “Play version”.
Ok. I’ll pass this info along. I’ll post back if/when I hear something.
Edit:
@KarlDag said:
I am unsure what you mean by “adding this sample file into PMS”… It is already a part of it… I tried removing the original file from PMS once to have only the sample file left, but then PMS deleted the optimized file…
I meant adding this sample file as some random episode so it gets picked up then trying to play it in the PS4 app. Another thing to try is to copy the optimized file as another episode too and see if that plays. Just curious if it is the file or the Play Version command causing the issue.
