5.1 Audio output ??

[Anonymous User]

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

[Anonymous User]

No in a word and if you watch any of the live movie channels on now tv you will need a tv licence so your stuck with amazon or Netflix as sky don't offer access to their on demand content without a subscription to the basic sky package and a sky movies sub and you have to download them to the sky q box to watch.  The new sky q boxes are quite compact not like the old ones.

[Anonymous User]

But GaryL...I have never watched any live movie channels as I have my TV list and I just select whichever movie I want from there...I am going to be honest, this is why hate live broadcasts..no  one tells me what and when to watch it...on nowtcv you can just go through the film library and watch them...that is al do, which isn't illegal without a TV license...so an use nowtv wihithout a TV license...see attachment..

[Anonymous User]

GaryL I already responed to your post, but I realized you were answering my queston about other Boxes I could buy that would give me the proper sound...I have been looking beforeI even asked so I thought the answer would be no...but in regards to 5.1 not being an issue, I guess it is like everything else..it depends on who you are..and what pleases you...I know a lot of people who are happy enough with stereo sound from their telly..but..fact is, I am 42 years old...I started with dobly pro logic years ago, where you needed to have nicam stereo to get this pro logic sound..this was the beginning for me though..with the home cinema sound..I am heavily into it..and I do not watch anything without the sound from my AV receiver...the thing is on all day.....so yes it is a big thing to me to get the proper audio..so unfortunately nowtv obviosuly isn't for me..it is frustrating too I found as althoguh I have seen them now..I could not believe the new underworld film wasn't on it or the new resident evil film..so it is not what I thought it was...that said I think it is good value for money to the person who is hapy with stereo sound, I had no issues with the box, it did what it was supposed to do...and for the little money, it isn't really all that bad...it is just as explained the sound thing is pretty important to me, so it is not worth it...I have two subwoofers..although at present I only have it set as 5.1, I did have it at one point have it set to 7.1 audio....it was good but  moved house and I do not have the room for al those speakers...but point is...yes it is pretty important to me my multi channel audio when watching my films..basicly what I live for..itis what makes me happy..so yep it is a pretty BIG deal to me...stereo for me is just an irritating format when I have all the stuff to hear it a certan way..I have Mordanbt short Mezzo range..big floorstanders and they sound fantastic..so  I DEFINTITELY do not want to hear stereo sound if I can help it. But as said, it depends on who you are..someone else..quite possibly yourself..doesn't use these mutli channel audio home cinema receivers so do not understand the full benefits you get from that kind of audio..so it may seem unimportant...when actually..it is very important..actaully to explain, for me having the mutli channel audio or 5.1 audio adds to the overall enjoyment of the actual film, as you are even more immersed in the fillm as it is what it says on the tin, surround sound...

[Andy]

@Anonymous User

Very well said and couldn't agree more. For me the sound is more important than the picture quality in terms of immersing you in the action. Where there's a film on NOW TV that I also have on DVD, I'd rather dig the DVD out, and whilst I quite enjoy watching the Cinema Pass via amp using DPL-IIx I agree it's definitely not the same, especially where dialogue is concerned.

Whilst there's not much we can do about it, there is an idea submitted on the Ideas Board of the forum for proper surround soundtracks on NOW TV, and if you do have a minute please pop on and up vote it / leave a comment. I'm not expecting anything to change soon but the more people who show their support there, the better in the long run.

https://community.nowtv.com/t5/Ideas-for-NOW-TV/Surround-Sound-audio/idi-p/17460#comments

[Anonymous User]

Andy, thanks for the link, I added a comment...I do suspect though that there is a reason why the NOWTV app is only capable of giving us stereo. I reckon it is because they want the sky boxes to have all the premium/perks...so that people who have sky boxes and sky contracts..won't leave and just buy a nowtv box. If this is their reason for lack of multi channel audio on the NOWTV box, I doubt it ever will have it..and will always have stereo sound...but hopefully if enough people do make a big enough fuss about it, they wil eventually add the mutli channel audio. I was actually in disbelief that it was only capable of stereo...it did say on my reciever I Was getting multi channel audio..but ear to each speaker..proved it was stereo...the sound was only coming from my font left and right speakers regardless of what the actual display said on my receiver...

[Anonymous User]

Interestingly enough, I was a first week adopter of sky q and only left at the end of my contract due to overall dissatisfaction (high cost to gain uhd hdr, etc - but little uhd offered, no hdr, very little 5.1 audio, little use of the many extra channels, etc).

Netflix and amazon are now my main source of content due to the low cost / high content - most of it with uhd, a good selection of hdr, and pretty much all content with 5.1 audio!

But I was delighted that sky had the Now Tv service to be able to watch the best of sky exclusives / specific channels - however I was greatly disappointed to find it wasn’t hd and it’s basic stereo (no Dolby at all!).

In this day and age it’s quite galling that basic 5.1 / hd is not available on a modern streaming service.

In fact I think sky are missing a trick - yes it could be viewed as detrimental to their other products to offer this basic standard for steaming only, but equally people like me don’t need all the extra channels and happily would subscribe to Now Tv en mass if the process were slightly better!

As it is I may be forced to look elsewhere if the product isn’t improved! (Once my initial period has ended).

[Anonymous User]

I was aware that Now TV content isn't in 5.1, but I was shocked to find that I can't get 5.1 on the freeview HD channels through the box.

I heard that the box supports surround sound. So if not Now TV content, and not freeview, what exactly does work in surround sound?

[ukbobboy]

@Anonymous User

Hi 5

You asked, "I heard that the box supports surround sound. So if not Now TV content, and not freeview, what exactly does work in surround sound?". OK, the Now TV boxes actually support "Digital over HDMI (7.1 and 5.1 surround pass through)", which translates to the following:-

Audio passthrough allows you to connect a source device to a TV and have the TV pass the source’s surround sound signal through to a receiver or soundbar.

In other words, as long as your TV supports passthrough then you have to supply the media with 7.1 or 5.1 audio source.  However, this may not be possible because attaching other devices to a Now TV box is prohibited.

Consequently, this is my interpretation based on what I have found out beforehand, especially as no UK TV station regularly broadcasts in either 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound. However, I do understand that the BBC makes unannounced 5.1 broadcasts from time to time.

UK Bob

[Anonymous User]

@ukbobboy

Many thanks for your response.

This seems a rather convoluted implementation, having to go [Now Tv Box]→[TV]→[Receiver] instead of [Now Tv Box]→[Receiver].

Do you know why this is? Does the box rely on the tv to transcode from HE-AAC to DD? If this is the case , it is pretty pathetic, if it can receive Freeview HD it should be able to output 5.1 audio, my 7 year old telly can output the surround signal!

Unfortunately though my TV doesn't have 5.1 passthrough, it can only output 5.1 from the built-in freeview, so I won't be able to test this out.

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Consequently, this is my interpretation based on what I have found out beforehand, especially as no UK TV station regularly broadcasts in either 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound. However, I do understand that the BBC makes unannounced 5.1 broadcasts from time to time.

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I think Channel 4 (and also 4seven) also broadcast some things in 5.1.

[ukbobboy]

@Anonymous User

You know 5

It is convoluted and, TBH, I have no idea why. OK, you have asked the following questions:-

1) Does the box rely on the tv to transcode from HE-AAC to DD?

A) I have no idea but passthrough, to me, indicates there is no conversion or transcoding of any sort between the Now TV box and the TV, i.e. the signal source goes through without any changes whatsoever.

2)  ...if it can receive Freeview HD it should be able to output 5.1 audio, my 7 year old telly can output the surround signal...

A) Now TV boxes, both black and Smart, can both receive Internet signals with 5.1 or 7.1 audio and pass that to your TV and if your TV can pass that signal through to your audio system then your golden.

The problem is that there are no regular terrestrial sources of 5.1 and 7.1 audio, but I understand that Netflix and Amazon from time to time stream programmes using 5.1,  and possibly 7.1, surround sound but those apps are not available on Now TV boxes but you can get them on Roku devices.

UK Bob