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Anonymous User
Not applicable

5.1 Audio output ??

Hi there ....

Having had a lengthy 'web chat' with one of The NOW help persons, they assured me that the Black Now box should output a 5.1 Dolby signal .... Which I was failing to get, so .... After several hours of fiddling with settings on both my AV amp & resetting the Now box a couple of times, I'm still not convinced a 5.1 output is happening.

Within the settings/audio menu I've tried both the 'auto detect' ..... Which did as it said & recognised the HDMI could carry DD and DTS .... And also manually set the audio at DD (along with all the other settings) but alas all that is being fed from the Now box appears to be stereo.

 

Has anyone out there managed to configure a 5.1 output & inform if I'm missing something really simple & stupid !

Thanks in advance for any info

Cheers

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION
Anonymous User
Not applicable

@Anonymous User

 

NOW TV only supply stereo audio.  Hopefully 5.1 is something on their list for the future, especially moviesSmiley Happy

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173 REPLIES 173
SeeMoreDigital
Legend 5
Legend 5

@Anonymous User wrote:
...I've said it many times that this service is a complete rip off, the picture definitely is not HD it's SD...

And you've been asked 'many times' to confirm which device you are using. Because the 'on-demand' movie service is currently 720p. Which is HD.

Anonymous User
Not applicable
I've been asked many times? Errrm no. I use the PS4 PS3 and 4K Sony Bravia... If you think that's good HD quality you need to go spec savers.. That is not 720p! I have some of the same movies on Blu Ray which I set to 720p and they look much much better. TBH I'm not mega fussed about the picture it's the awful audio that puts me right off...
Anonymous User
Not applicable

I don't understand why we still do not have 5.1 audio.

 

I've come to accept that we won't get 1080p but it isn't the 90's and Stereo doesn't get anyone excited anymore.

 

I'm sure the Sky Player App I used years ago was 1080p with 5.1 streams though.  NOWtv is basiaclly the same thing, so why is it so inferior?

Anonymous User
Not applicable

It s actually a real travesty that Now TV Cinema isn't streaming in Dolby Digital 5:1 sound, especially when one considers that that exact sound source is avalible on Sky Cinema via the HD box.

 

Comperable streaming competitor services already provide Dolby 5:1 on modern blockbuster aquisitons, yet Now TV remains reluctant to do so. This is unacceptable and indicative of a second class service with A-list content. Heck, we're shifting into the soundscape of Dolby Atmos on movies, but try telling that to Now TV.

 

Now TV's technical profile is embarrassing and needs serious upgrades. Upgrading its content to better HD quality picture and 5:1 sound is actually tecnically very straightforward (trust me on this), and Now TV not doing so is more of a business decision.

 

Fellow consumers, revolt!

Anonymous User
Not applicable

Fellas, forward this message via e-mail to Now TV:

 

Dear Now TV,

 

I subscribe to your Cinema service via an app on my [model/ make] television.

 

As marvellous as your film catalogue is, the actuality that Now TV is not offering Dolby Digital sound on applicable movies, and doesn't stream in 1080p HD picture, makes me very disappointed in your service priorities.

 

Your competitors are leagues ahead of you on both these fronts, which makes me question why Now TV has such a lackadaisical approach to elevating its technical profile. You have positioned yourselves as the home of quality cinema, yet your shortfalls will ire filmmakers who want their films shown in the best possible print and sound available: as it is meant to be. It is important to them and important to me as film buff that you rectify your low standards. You need to seriously get on top of this. You owe it to us and yourselves. We both love cinema.

 

Right now, Now TV Cinema is a second class service with A-list content. Surely that must embarrass you as a provider of valuable content.

 

You can do better. You must do better.

 

Best wishes,
[Your Name]

4268
Legend 5
Legend 5

@Anonymous User wrote:

Fellas, forward this message via e-mail to Now TV:

 

 


I wish to complain about the sexism in this post. Fellas......   What about the ladies on this forum!! 🙂 😛 

Please take a moment to click thanks or marked as solution if this answered your question. I am a community contributor and pop on when I can.
Anonymous User
Not applicable

It would be nice to have 1080p and 5.1, but how many people can make use of it, first you'd need HDMI enabled receivers or sound bars (as the NOW TV boxes don't offer digital audio ouputs (I'm not sure if the new box has one?)) and secondly you'd need enough of a connection to get the higher bitrate. How many customers would select 5.1 and 1080p and not be able to get enough bandwidth? They'd be on here minutes later asking we they're buffering.

 

I'd prefer subtitles over 5.1 and 1080p.

ukbobboy
Legend

@Anonymous User

 

You are quite right Chip

 

Now TV would have to run a two speed service, the first one would have to cater for the current majority of customers who have (let's call it) a normal broadband service, although there are still areas in the UK that don't even get download spreeds of 2Mb.

 

And secondly, a high speed service capable of 10Mb and above for 1080p 5.1 (or even 7.1) users.

 

I am reasonably sure that as soon as Now TV see that the second option is commercially viable then they will make it happen.

 

 

UK Bob

Andy
Legend 5
Legend 5

There would be no issues streaming 5.1 at all.

 

A 'two-speed' service wouldn't be used as NOW TV (along with just about every other streaming service) already use adaptive streaming so the quality will automatically adjust to the bandwidth available. The audio component of the stream is only a small proportion anyway compared with the video component, there's hardly any extra overhead with 5.1 and it is backwards compatible and so will work regardless of whether the user is watching on a TV with mono speaker, TV with stereo speakers, soundbar or AV system.

 

There's still some paid-for streaming services that only provide stereo but the big hitters like Netflix, Amazon, Google Play, iTunes all support 5.1. NOW TV along with Sky Store don't and I suspect it's less a case of 'commercially viable' and more a case of 'commercial impact' on the Sky TV side of the business. 

 

There is the argument on the forum that NOW TV is a budget offering and that there isn't a demand, but while that makes more sense to me for the entertainment pass, it holds less sway when it comes to cinema.

 

'Film fanatics' have traditionally always been happy to spend money on the 'hobby' both in terms of buying films rather than renting or waiting for them to pop up on TV and also in terms of equipment purchases (larger TVs or projectors, AV equipment, higher end players etc) and I suspect it's those people (like me) who are disappointed in the lack of 5.1, especially when the VHS tapes I bought 25 years ago (and alas don't have any more) sported Dolby Surround/Dolby Pro Logic.

 

Anonymous User
Not applicable

There wouldn't be a huge issue upgrading to 5.1 as audio isn't a huge difference in bandwidth requirements, but when you factor in the increase in video as well you'll have people who have content dipping in and out if they have slower connections (which happens with other services too), either it will start to buffer or drop down to the lower bitrate qualities. So some customer would lose video and sound quality if their connections dip. I know you can set the quality of the stream through the hidden bitrate menu, but how many customers do that?

 

"'Film fanatics' have traditionally always been happy to spend money on the 'hobby' both in terms of buying films rather than renting or waiting for them to pop up on TV and also in terms of equipment purchases (larger TVs or projectors, AV equipment, higher end players etc) and I suspect it's those people (like me) who are disappointed in the lack of 5.1, especially when the VHS tapes I bought 25 years ago (and alas don't have any more) sported Dolby Surround/Dolby Pro Logic."

 

But aren't those "film fanatics" buying Blu-rays and UHD BDs? Video quality aside, there's a huge difference between the streaming 5.1 and DTS Master Audio 5.1. But there isn't a huge difference between using your receiver's DTS Neo: 6, DTS Neo: X or Dolby Pro Logic 11x and what we'd get with streamed 5.1. Obviously the 5.1 would contain true 5.1, but the quality of that 5.1 wouldn't be anywhere near what we'd get from a high defintion physical purchase.

 

Would I like 1080p and 5.1? Of course I would (and I'm a cineaphile like you), but it might end up causing a lot of problems we don't currently have.