Plex client on Android TV on Sony XR-55A80K TV: version 9.13.1.37459
Samsung soundbar Samsung HW-Q990B (HW-Q995B EU version) connected to TV via HDMI ARC
Video file with DTS-HD MA 7.1 audio track, e.g. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Harry’s first flight on Buckbeak scene when Harry screams with happiness, timecode around 37:01 - 37:14
TV audio settings:
eARC mode: Off
Digital audio output: Auto 2 (Output only compressed audio for multi-channel content without change)
Pass through mode: Auto (Pass through intended audio signals automatically. Select this setting when you want to output signals like DTS, etc.)
What’s wrong:
[Playing on Android TV on Sony TV with Samsung soundbar] Sound disappears on some parts of the video file, usually on some load parts (see example in “I have” section). If setting Pass through mode to Off, the issue a bit disappears: some compression audio issue appears on the parts where there was no sound (sound crumbles) and video becomes not so smooth, looks like TV’s SoC is loaded with audio compression task.
Meanwhile:
[Playing on PC (Plex HTPC) connected via HDMI to Sony TV with Samsung soundbar with TV audio settings in the section above] No issue.
[Playing on Apple TV 4K connected to Sony TV with Samsung soundbar with TV audio settings in the section above] No issue.
[Playing on Android TV on Sony TV with Sony TV’s internal audio with TV audio settings in the section above] No issue.
Please tell me which info I should provide in addition to this.
Auto 1 - The TV passes-through any compressed audio to your output device. The external audio device will decode the audio for you.
Auto 2 - The TV passes-through any compressed multi-channel audio to your output device (same as above), but other compressed audio content is decoded by your TV, and the TV sends the resulting decoded, uncompressed audio to your output device. (I am not sure if the TV considers 2.0 Stereo audio to be ‘multi-channel’ or not)
@FordGuy61, of course, beforehand I experimented with all these settings, and enabling eARC and Digital audio output: Auto 1 doesn’t make any effect - the issue is still observing. Plex app has Passthrough: HDMI in Advanced settings as well.
I would like to emphasize that when using eARC mode: Off and Digital audio output: Auto 2, everything is good on Plex HTPC (Windows) and on Plex app on Apple TV 4K which all connected via HDMI to TV (and TV connected to soundbar via HDMI ARC).
So roughly speaking, the only variable in this equation is the Android TV Plex app.
Attaching the reproducer. There is 824077_reproducer.mov inside the archive: TV screen and 7.1 sound from soundbar were captured on a camera. For convenience, video track has hardsubs “NO SOUND” indicating when sound was lost.
