Server Version#:1.21.1.3759
Player Version#:6.7.3.6761
Originally Posted in the smart TV section, realized it was the wrong location.
TCL R625 TV with the native Plex app for Roku. eARC from tv to Yamaha V6A Reciever. If I click “allow DTS MA” the app will crash when attempting to play a video.
The crashing will consist of loading the media to 99% and then crashing the Plex app. When trying to select the Plex app again, the TV will reboot itself. Sometimes it straight reboots the first time. The server is still up and running and can be accessed with other devices, its the Roku app that crashes.
I can use the windows Plex application on my PC > R625 TV with eARC > Yamaha V6A and pass through all lossless audio, including DTS HD, it works without issue. It just seems to be the roku app on the tv causing the issues.
Installed the beta Plex Preview channel, 6.7.4.6764. Exact same behavior when selecting “allow DTS HD”. Loads content to 99 percent then locks up and crashes back to channel select screen. Then locks up and roces a complete reboot if I try to navigate around or relaunch plex.
Passthrough is selected in the TV options and works with other apps and input devices.
Oh sorry, “where”, not “what” is DTS setting. my bad. Yeah allow DTS HD is in the plex app under audio. TV settings are set to passthrough. Yes lesser lossy audio formats like DD+ will still work.
Odd, I don’t have an audio section for my Plex Preview app settings.
Is your stream DTS-HD MA? I heard that the TV and the app has to license the codec somehow even for passthrough. But here the Sono ARC cannot process DTS so the Plex app has to transcode using the TV’s CPU. Maybe you can enable logging on the app and see that happens before it crashes in there.
The DTS-HD option is experimental and may not work with all models. Can you provide a media sample of at least one file that exhibits this behavior.
As for anyone not seeing this audio option: this will only show up if your connected devices support DTS, otherwise it will not show up as an option. This option essentially allows our media decision engine to allow Direct Play of DTS-HD instead of requiring the PMS to convert the audio.
My TCL 635 supports DTS but not the Sonos ARC I use for audio. Odd since PoppinJ as an older model Roku TV and gets the option for DTS-HD. In any case we want PMS to transcode any DTS stream to multi-channel LPCM to leverage lossless DTS MA streams. We don’t want transcoding to Dolby codecs. Also 7.1 DTS-MA gets bumped down to Dolby 5.1 for some reason when the Sonos Arc does 7.1 no problem with other codecs. This happens on the Shield and AT4K too. It would nice to understand how Plex apps and PMS decide how to transcode audio and how to hard code it using XML profiles for apps.
The TV just needs to support eARC and recognize that it is connected to a DTS HD capable transcoder(my Yamaha reciever). We don’t want plex to do anything except push out the DTS MA signal to the TV, which should then pass it unmolested to the DTS MA capable reciever. Plex shouldnt have to transcode anything at all, just pass the signal through. Not sure if it’s crashing because it’s trying to transcode DTS MA down to a lesser format, or if PMS is sending the DTS HD signal through and that is causing the app to crash.
TCL updated the 2019 6 Series and others to support eARC.
As I stated above, streaming on Plex for windows with my media PC plugged directly into the TV passes through DTS HD just fine, so I know it is compatible and that my setup can support it. Oddly, on the PC I have to manually select the audio device under player settings instead of leaving it set to auto or it will not pass through DTS. Strange because there is only one available display anyways.
Yeah my 635 came out with ‘eARC’ too but it was unstable (had to unplug the Arc all the time to get TrueHD) until Roku 9.4 and even now it won’t give me multi-channel LPCM. LG CX TVs get LPCM no problem with the Sonos Arc so TCL HDMI EDID code must need work. PMS or the Apps should give us an option to force LPCM over DTS.
