Help required with Atmos

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mactheripper
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2016 3:22 pm

Help required with Atmos

Post by mactheripper »

Hi - I have tried to find the answer to my question but can't. I am using the latest version of MakeMKV, registered and up to date. I have ripped numerous Blu-ray titles to hard disk using makeMKV and they all play perfectly, with the HD 5.1 or 7.1 soundtrack being correctly played back.

However, when I rip a Blu-ray which has an Atmos soundtrack (Dolby 7.1 TrueHD core) I do not get proper sound and certainly not Atmos.

What am I doing wrong? I am using a Mac computer running the latest OS (10.11). I open my original Blu-ray disc, select the main program file, tick the sound codec box for TrueHD and rip to hard disk. But the sound is intermittent and unlistenable obviously.

Is there some setting I need to change? Any help gratefully received. Many thanks.

EDIT: I perhaps should add that I am trying to play the MKV files from a hard drive attached to an Oppo 103 Blu-ray player. The non-Atmos files play back perfectly. I have also tried playing the files using VLC on my Mac desktop computer but have the same problem.
Last edited by mactheripper on Mon Jan 04, 2016 4:39 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Woodstock
Posts: 9914
Joined: Sun Jul 24, 2011 11:21 pm

Re: Help required with Atmos

Post by Woodstock »

Are you using an advanced profile that converts the audio to a different format, or simply using the normal copy-through settings in MakeMKV?

If you are copying through, then you are dependent upon what your playback software/hardware supports. There have been reports on other forums of problems with 7.1 audio on AppleTV, but that should not apply to an up-to-date player on the Mac.
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mactheripper
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2016 3:22 pm

Re: Help required with Atmos

Post by mactheripper »

Woodstock wrote:Are you using an advanced profile that converts the audio to a different format, or simply using the normal copy-through settings in MakeMKV?
Just the normal settings. I am not massively computer literate, as you may have realized ;) I just select DTS-HD MA or True-HD for the audio codec in the normal MKV window.
Woodstock wrote: If you are copying through, then you are dependent upon what your playback software/hardware supports. There have been reports on other forums of problems with 7.1 audio on AppleTV, but that should not apply to an up-to-date player on the Mac.
See my edit above - I can't get Atmos tracks to play either from my Mac or via my Oppo 103. Regular DTS-HS MA and TrueHD tracks play perfectly, which is what puzzles me since Atmos is just metadata markers in the TrueHD bitstream, so I'd have thought that so long as the bitstream was OK then Atmos would be too, but apparently not.
Woodstock
Posts: 9914
Joined: Sun Jul 24, 2011 11:21 pm

Re: Help required with Atmos

Post by Woodstock »

Atmos is a problem for a lot of players. I don't know the details, because I have NOTHING that is Atmos-compatible, but I do know that handbrake does not like Atmos, and it should not be the default track when dealing with some other software.

There are others here with a LOT more experience with it than me, though!
MakeMKV Frequently Asked Questions
How to aid in finding the answer to your problem: Activating Debug Logging
mactheripper
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2016 3:22 pm

Re: Help required with Atmos

Post by mactheripper »

Woodstock wrote:Atmos is a problem for a lot of players. I don't know the details, because I have NOTHING that is Atmos-compatible, but I do know that handbrake does not like Atmos, and it should not be the default track when dealing with some other software.

There are others here with a LOT more experience with it than me, though!
I'm not using Handbrake or anything - just ripping to MKV and creating one MKV file with the main movie in it. Normally when I do this everything works as expected and it is only on Atmos soundtracks that I have a problem. I just don't understand why, since Atmos is carried in the core TrueHD 7.1 bitstream along with metadata which the Atmos AVR can read. If you play an Atmos soundtrack in a non-Atmos AVR, then just the 7.1 TrueHD core is played, so it's odd (to me) that MakeMKV would have a problem. I can understand if it wouldn't play in Atmos, but not why it won't play in straight TrueHD.
spl147
Posts: 295
Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2012 4:59 pm

Re: Help required with Atmos

Post by spl147 »

The mede8er X3D players play MVC MKV and atmos tracks flawlessly
mactheripper
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2016 3:22 pm

Re: Help required with Atmos

Post by mactheripper »

spl147 wrote:The mede8er X3D players play MVC MKV and atmos tracks flawlessly
What would be the problem do you think with playing Atmos tracks via my Oppo 103 or via my iMac? I really can't understand why TrueHD plays OK but not Atmos since it is the AVR that has to decode the Atmos data - once it is in the TrueHD bitstream I am struggling to understand how Atmos can't be played by a compatible AVR.
Devore
Posts: 28
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2013 2:56 am

Re: Help required with Atmos

Post by Devore »

Specifically regarding Handbrake, yes, it does not currently handle Atmos. You can still rip it from the disk, and use eac3to to recode/downsample it, then mux it back in.
multit
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Nov 06, 2015 12:21 pm

Re: Help required with Atmos

Post by multit »

Oppo changed the way of playing TrueHD/Atmos in the new firmware. Formerly it was possible to play an Atmos track, even when there were some small issues at the beginning of a movie. But now, the Oppo's output rather PCM than Bitstream while playing an Atmos track, so no decoding in AVR is possible. Reason is a flaw in the Matroska container, because it doesn't include the Dolby Digital Core in a TrueHD track.

Solution is to mux with m2ts only (e.g. with tsMuxerGUI)... take the largest m2ts-file from a BDMV folder, choose the soundtracks and tick "m2ts-muxing"... that's it. Those files are not larger, than a comparable remuxed mkv. Oppo plays fine m2ts files either from USB or network share... Atmos is working again. :)
Wondercow
Posts: 25
Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2012 1:33 am

Re: Help required with Atmos

Post by Wondercow »

I have also tried playing the files using VLC on my Mac desktop computer but have the same problem
I know this is probably no help for your current issue, but it’s worth mentioning that Macs can’t pass HD audio unless it’s PCM, i.e. no DTS-HD or Dolby TrueHD. When played back on a Mac VLC, or whatever player is used, will either output the standard 5.1 core, or transcode on-the-fly to PCM. VLC does the former.
Batiatus
Posts: 74
Joined: Thu Jun 20, 2013 9:15 am

Re: Help required with Atmos

Post by Batiatus »

VLC can not playback Atmos audio tracks. So that solves the second issue. VLC had not updated their codecs to deal with Atmos. No idea if/when they might. Odd because ffmpeg updated fairly quickly and I have no issues with Atmos in Kodi.

The first issue sounds like the Oppo won't play Atmos tracks either. So you have 2 choices, get a player that will play Atmos trakcs or don't rip the TrueHD track and just rip the lossy DD.
Endymion
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2016 6:16 pm

Re: Help required with Atmos

Post by Endymion »

Both MakeMKV and Handbrake do handle Atmos tracks flawless. In almost any cases the player is the problem.

I've enjoyed about 6-7 Atmos movies perfectly. The Men from U.N.C.L.E. has the best Atmos track so far, imho.
Cap7517
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Jun 20, 2017 3:20 pm

Re: Help required with Atmos

Post by Cap7517 »

I am having trouble figuring out how to duplicate BD Dolby Atmos discs with the MPLS feature in m2ts not MKV format. When I try the m2ts method for USB hard drive playback on pnasonic/Sony player the m2ts works fine but the MKV file has no audio from the Atmos track. The mpls featyrevgives me more than one title duplicated in full disc mode-makemkv or main movie mode-dvdfab.
How can I convert MKV file backed up for Great Wall into one playable m2ts file for Dolby Atmos playavk? Sometimes the Panasonic player would play the Dolby Atmos track in MKV but now it won't at all. Please advise. I am using a Mac for blue ray ripping and don't intend to use Windows is for a long time.
Panasonic BD player model: http://panasonic.factoryoutletstore.com ... mid=151902
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