4K receiver

[moreira85]

I haven’t upgraded to 4K yet. I have a 4K Samsung TV. Currently I am using Amazon 4K fire cube for streaming pretty much everything. I have the HDMI going from the Amazon fire cube into my older receiver which is a Yamaha rxv 667 (this receiver says 1080p upscaling) and then to the TV.
I just switched things up to test something…..
I just took the HDMI and ran it from the fire cube directly to the TV to see how it would look so that I bypassed the receiver and the colors look noticeably better and brighter? Is that possible ? I wasn’t playing 4K content

 

[PHANofPHUNK]

You were definitely, 100% not playing 4k. You were passing a 1080p signal.

Your work around for this is to plug your device into the TV, then use a digital audio output into your receiver.

 

[Trebdp83]

Yes, it's possible. The receiver was the weak link in the video chain and gimped the Cube. Depending on the model of tv and hdmi cable in use, you could pass HDR10+ from the Cube to the TV. Use at least a premium certified 18gbps cable to get full HDR to the TV. Using HDMI-CEC and ARC to get audio back to the receiver will give you DD+ from streaming apps. Using an optical cable will get you Dolby Digital and in some cases now may get you Dolby DD+ depending on the streaming service used for playback.

For full HDR to makes its way to the TV from the Fire Cube, you must set the TV accordingly. For pre 2018 Samsung TVs, this means turning on “HDMI UHD Color” in the HDMI port connected to the Fire Cube. For later models, one would turn on “Input Signal Plus.” If it’s a non HDR model, don’t worry about it. Enjoy!

 

[moreira85]

Thanks for taking the time to write back! Just wanted to point out that the content I was testing was not hdr. I was playing playing a 1080 movie. I understand my receiver is not 4K. But I am saying I don’t understand why the picture would be better running the HDMI directly to the TV when I was playing a 1080 source. It is a new Samsung TV it does have a ARC but I would have to run another wire through the wall and up to the TV to use ARC. I assume upgrading my receiver is also another option instead of using ARC from the TV?

regarding the TV I do have the TVhdr Ugd color set to on.

 

[Trebdp83]

The Fire Cube is simply newer with better capabilities for video output than the older receiver. Can you not simply plug the Fire Cube into another port on the TV and use the existing cable connecting the TV to the receiver for ARC? Is the TV wall mounted and the Fire Cube too big to set behind or near it?

 

[moreira85]

Tv is wall mounted. I could put the cube behind the TV and directly plug it in. But audio would then not come through my receiver home theater speakers.

 

[moreira85]

The Fire Cube is simply newer with better capabilities for video output than the older receiver. Can you not simply plug the Fire Cube into another port on the TV and use the existing cable connecting the TV to the receiver for ARC? Is the TV wall mounted and the Fire Cube too big to set behind or near it?

So if I put the fire cube directly into the back of the TV with another hdmi cable you’re saying the existing HDMI that I have in the wall I can plug that into the ARC And get audio back to the receiver?

 

[Trebdp83]

Yes. The sound will make its way to the Yamaha after a few settings changes. You must turn on “Anynet+” in the TV. This is Samsung’s designation for HDMI-CEC. Turn on HDMI-CEC and ARC in the receiver. Turn on HDMI-CEC in the Fire Cube as well. Once done, the TV remote control should be able to control the Fire Cube and the receiver. If audio is not output to the receiver, check Settings tile in TV Smart Hub. Quick Settings should show Sound Output. If it shows TV speaker, switch it to Receiver.

 

[moreira85]

I was able to get it to work thanks so much. Getting ultra hdr it says. Also getting audio through my receiver However the audio is much lower than before and doesn’t have the key lifelike sound like before. I’m assuming because the sound isn’t being decoded by the receiver like it was before?? It’s coming through as pcm

 

[Trebdp83]

You are almost there. Now, go into the TV Settings. Select the Sound settings and go into Expert Settings. Change the HDMI Audio Input setting from PCM to bitstream. Then, go to the Digital Audio Output settings and see the options there. Streaming audio codecs are all over the place. If DTS Neo 2:5 is an output option, it is the preferable one to select as it will convert the incoming signal to DTS 5.1 and send it to the receiver as such. If not an option, select Dolby Digital. Dolby Digital+ will be available based on content.

 

[moreira85]

Got it! Thank you so much! I’m sure I’ll have a few more questions. I did select DTS as an option but it was still very low volume I put it on Dolby digital plus and it’s much better

 

[Trebdp83]

Joy! Yes, Dolby Digital+ usually comes in loud. Unfortunately, it is not always available for selection and the Samsung TVs don't automatically go back to it after switching to Dolby Digital for those tracks. I leave mine on DTS Neo 2:5 as my Apple TV 4K and Roku Ultra are connected directly to my receiver and they do handle most of the streaming duties. I occasionally use the TV's Youtube app and like having it change the audio to DTS 5.1 to send to the receiver as everything in that app is 2.0.

 

[moreira85]

Thanks so much for the help, I do have an Xbox connected to my receiver. I didn’t think my Xbox was going to be able to work anymore since I was using the ARC from the tv for the fire cube. but I was pleasantly surprised when I change the HDMI setting on the TV I was able to play the Xbox and still get audio. What would be the advantage of upgrading to a 4K receiver? I’m assuming the only benefit I would get is easier switching between devices and maybe master audio

 

[Trebdp83]

Updating the receiver to a new 4K model will add quite a few features depending on the mode chosen for the job. All devices could be connected directly to the receiver. If considering a Yamaha model, they feature Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization for 5.1 setups and have Yamaha’s own virtual surround back speakers feature as well. You can stream music over your network using Yamaha’s MusicCast app.

 

[moreira85]

I tried to do the same thing in the basement. have a Yamaha receiver and a 75 inch hisense tv. Did the same thing plugged the fire cube into the TV then ran an HDMI from The ARC port of the TV to the receiver. Turned on ARC and control. Change the audio out in the TV to Dolby digital and works. I didn’t see a setting for bitstream in the TV . The sound is much lower and almost no audio at surround. When I select Dolby digital plus in the TV setting I get no sound.

 

[Trebdp83]

What are the output settings of the Cube? What are the speaker level settings in the receiver?

 

[moreira85]

In the basement iSpeaker levels are set to the standard 0 setting. The cube i have audio set to Dolby digital plus. Even if I go to you tube and watch a 4K video it comes up as 1080p. But it says I’m getting hdr

If I go upstairs and watch the same video on the tv you helped me w last week it comes up as 2160.

 

[moreira85]

I’m thinking it’s a setting on my TV, I have digital audio out in the TV selected as Dolby Digital. , if I select auto, pass-through, or Dolby digital plus, I get no audio. If I disconnect the fire cube HDMI and run the HDMI through the receiver then I do get DD plus. But when I run the cube directly to the TV I can’t get Dolby digital plus.I don’t think this tv supports DD+ through ARC

 

[Trebdp83]

It looks like you have it sorted out. What is the model number of the TV and receiver in the basement?

 

[moreira85]

Yamaharxv375 and highsense 75a6G
I am getting all 4K content and hdr.
still can’t get DD+. If I select DD+ then no audio.
for HDR I am getting 5.1 but if I’m watching you tube tv or a movie on kodi then not getting 5.1. The receiver is saying 5.1 is activated but no sound from surround. Only certain sources will play the surrounds. Strange
If I switch the HDMI back to the old set up where I run it through the receiver I have no issues with 5.1 with the same sources