Player Version#: Latest Plex for Xbox (Xbox Series X)
I’ve got audio passthrough enabled on my Xbox Series X and it seems to be working perfectly for TRUEHD audio, and AC3, but it looks like the logs are saying passthrough isn’t possible for DTS audio. I’m attempting this with headphones (HyperX CloudX Flight) using both the Dolby Atmos and the DTS:X apps, and neither seems to allow DCA codec audio to play.
Is this a current limitation of the Series X, or is there something I can change about my setup to fix this?
I’m having the same issue. Series X, server v1.24.2.4973, passthrough enabled.
DCA and DCA-MA shows as being directly streamed, but soundbar, tv or headset are silent.
Check your TV, LG removed DTS support in their TVs and doesn’t allow DTS passthrough.
Samsung also doesn’t not support DTS but I don’t know if it allows passthrough.
That is one issue, the other is that even if you change the setting in Xbox to not allow passthrough and force to use Dolby Atmos or other, the Plex client app doesn’t change the output to that codec.
Now that is only a problem if you connect the Xboxto your TV first and then to a soundbar or HT.
The only solutions are:
Use the Movies & TV app and stream via DLNA
Connect first to the HT or soundbar and then to to the TV.
Oh wow. My soundbar says it supports DTS:X, would that work for DCA-MA audio? I can’t test it because the soundbar is in getting repaired under warranty.
Is there no way to let Plex know my TV doesn’t support DTS? Even in the TV’s own plex app DTS doesn’t play. The TV is an LG CX. I would have thought Plex would at least know with the TV’s built in app that DTS won’t work, and would then transcode just the audio.
My current work around is to force transcoding of the video quality. But that isn’t ideal for a few reasons, one being that Plex won’t transcode 4K to 4K.
It worked for me. I have the same tv and a samsung q950t soundbar. I threw everything at my series s when i had it, codec and hdr wise. Ofc only when the xbox is connected to the soundbar directly. Also solves other problems like the atmos support for games. But no 4k120 then.
Ah, right, didn’t think of that. Loss of 4k@120 is a deal breaker for sure.
I guess my underlying question is, why can’t plex figure this out? Plex is all about tailoring the streaming experience to the device. My TV doesn’t support DTS, why isn’t there a way to let Plex know this? Even the LG Plex app, thinks my TV can support DTS.
What I don’t understand is why the XBox’s default Movie and TV app can stream the files perfectly from my Plex DLNA server, but the Plex app itself finds it necessary to transcode? The problem is undeniably not with my hardware which is clearly capable, but with Plex.
Oh for sure. Passthrough is great. I wish it worked for me.
But even in that example, if xbox can’t decode dts or atmos, why doesn’t the xbox plex app request transcoded audio for those types of audio tracks? Or why can’t I manually tell Plex what codecs I’d like direct streamed or transcoded?
Edit: I think Xbox does support Atmos and DTS:X through add-ons.
No. The problem is not with my settings. The Plex app on Xbox Series X is broken, and will not play media that the hardware supports. It’s been this way for months, and the Plex team seems happy to leave it broken. As a paying Plex Pass subscriber I’m not impressed.
Okay, so I do think I understand it now. Microsoft is forcing us to use their horrible app that actually doesn’t work very well, and won’t let Plex have the access they need for their app to work properly. Most likely to force customers to purchase content through the Microsoft Store. Might be forcing them to stay silent about it, too. Or I’m too paranoid for my own good.
Ultimately I still think Plex is ultimately responsible here. Microsoft may be limiting Plex, but that’s no excuse for Plex not transcoding audio to a currently supported audio format on Xbox. We could also fix this if Plex allowed us to override and specify which codec’s we want to use on a particular device. Plex can’t know what codec’s your AV system supports.
It looks like this device may solve my issues. Look into it, but it might also work for you.
