Newbie advice required re Codec / set up

[CodecConfused]

Set-up
1. PS5 to Samsung 4k TV via HDMI 2.1 (HDMI ARC port)
2. TV to Bose Lifestyle System 38 via optical cable

Issue
According to Bose I've optimised the set up cable-wise but clearly would appreciate any thoughts if not. I think it'd have been better if I could've connected the PS5 to the Bose amplifier directly but Sony dropped the optical output so have to go via the TV.

My issue is that I am stuck in DTS Neo 2.5 which I understand is a glorified stereo codec and I don't know how to fix it. I know people here aren't too fond of Bose but that's all I got and while old the system does support DTS surround / Dolby Digital - I just can't seem to make it work!

I've tried everything I can think of e.g. changing PS5 output from PCM to Dolby to DTS, trying different sources including Netflix, Disney+, Blue Ray and Amazon Prime - all very recent movies, playing with all settings in the TV.

But my TV only gives me the choice of PCM2.0 or DTS 2.5 Neo with other options (DTS and Dolby Digital) greyed out.

Did I mess up the set up or is my TV unable to channel through the higher grade codecs?

Any advise hugely appreciated - been going at it for hours and Bose support is useless...

 

[Trebdp83]

Hello and welcome! What is the model of the Samsung TV?

 

[Trebdp83]

Without knowing the model, I'll suggest looking into the TV Smart Hub and going to the Sound Settings. Scroll down to expert settings. Make sure the "HDMI Audio Input Format" is set to "Bitstream" not "PCM." The PS5 should be set to bitstream as well. When setup this way, play something in dolby and then go back into your Sound Expert Settings and click on "Digital Audio Output For..." to see if Dolby is now available and not greyed out. If you still cannot get it, DTS Neo 2:5 is not bad as it converts the incoming signal to 5.1 even if it is only PCM 2.0.

 

[CodecConfused]

Hello and welcome! What is the model of the Samsung TV?

It's called UE55hu7500txxu. Couldn't find anything useful in the manual...

 

[CodecConfused]

Without knowing the model, I'll suggest looking into the TV Smart Hub and going to the Sound Settings. Scroll down to expert settings. Make sure the "HDMI Audio Input Format" is set to "Bitstream" not "PCM." The PS5 should be set to bitstream as well. When setup this way, play something in dolby and then go back into your Sound Expert Settings and click on "Digital Audio Output For..." to see if Dolby is now available and not greyed out. If you still cannot get it, DTS Neo 2:5 is not bad as it converts the incoming signal to 5.1 even if it is only PCM 2.0.

Thank you @Trebdp83 - the PS5 output settings I can chose from are PCM, DTS or Doly Digital. There is no 'Audio input' setting in my TV. Guess that may explain the issue?

 

[CodecConfused]

There's also no reference to 'Bitstream' in the manual... surprised as it does have HDMI ARC

 

[Trebdp83]

Looks like a 2014 model. On that one, you’d go to Sound > Advanced Settings > Audio Format to make changes to the audio sent out of the optical port. But, on that model, anything coming in from an external device via an HDMI may very well be converted to PCM 2.0 when output over ARC or optical. It does state that dolby audio is converted for the TV speakers and may just be converting everything no matter the output.

Had a good look into the PS5 audio settings, Yikes! I’d set it to bitstream Dolby and then play something with a dolby multichannel track and look into the Audio Format setting in the TV to see if dolby is now available as an option. If not, change the HDMI output setting in the PS5 to AV Receiver and set it for 5.1. Then, play a Dolby track and check the output settings in the TV for available Dolby Digital option. If still unavailable, leave it at DTS Neo 2:5. Again, it is converting a PCM 2.0 to a DTS 5.1 track so you will get five discreet channels and an LFE signal to the bass module.

As an aside, shame on Sony for not putting two HDMI ports and a coaxial or optical port on their PS5. They figure everybody is working with new eARC capable TVs and AVRs. That simply is not the case for many and some are compromising video with older TVs and new AVRs and some are compromising audio with older AVRS and new TVs. Some are still working with older TVs AND AVRs and Sony doesn’t seem to give a s#%t.

Just for reference, the Sony UBP-X700, UBP-X800 and UBP-X800M2 offer two HDMI outputs and a coaxial digital output. The Sony UBP-X1100ES offers the same AND includes an optical output as well as analog outputs. The PS5? Just one HDMI output. F#%k you Sony! That is some bulls#%t!

 

[snakeeyes]

2 hdmi outputs would have been nice on these gaming consoles. I have zero trust in TVs as the home theater hub.

 

[Trebdp83]

It is a shame because one is forced to make a choice that will diminish the audio or video quality of the console when mixing older devices. In this particular case, Samsung says this model supports Dolby Digital Plus(ARC) and DTS so I'm sure it can be done. You just have to crack the code. Wait, now that I look at the original post, I see an optical connection was made but did not see a mention of turning the TV Speakers OFF and switching the sound output to optical. The TV will convert all of the audio to PCM if the TV Speakers are on.
"Connecting a device using an optical cable does not automatically turn off the TV speakers. To turn off the TV's speakers, set TV Sound Output (Sound > Speaker Settings > TV Sound Output) to something other than TV Speaker." For this setup, set to optical. See if that does it. Good luck.

 

[j_garcia]

Not every TV has the ability to pass the original CODEC through. In those cases, it won't matter what the source format is, it will relay a downconverted version of it that is supported by the TV. You are in the same boat with optical, it cannot pass the higher formats so they will also be downconverted to something it is capable of handling like DTS NEO.

 

[Trebdp83]

Right, and different older TVs will do it differently. I think PCM is going out of that particular TV because the TV Speakers may still be active. I hope that is the case or they are stuck with PCM 2.0 converted to DTS 5.1 using DTS Neo 2:5 which is not bad at all.

Now, I'm going to go back on some things I said earlier as I just experimented on my 2017 Samsung TV and found something interesting there. Yes, Dolby TrueHD/atmos tracks from a disc player connected directly to the TV are converted and output as Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS HD Master Audio/X tracks are converted to DTS 5.1 when audio is output from the TV's optical port to the AVR. BUT, when using the Smart apps from the TV and streaming a Dolby Digital Plus/atmos track from Amazon Prime Video, the only app supporting atmos on this TV, I do in fact get atmos metadata from a Dolby Digital Plus stream to my AVR from the optical cable! Not sure what kind of compression is going on to make that possible but it works. F@#k Me!

 

[j_garcia]

Hmm, I guess I need to know what connections are there on the Bose. Does it not have an HDMI in or out to TV?

 

[Trebdp83]

The Bose in question does not have HDMI ports. It supports dolby and DTS from the optical input. But, something is lost in transit when going from the PS5 to the TV and then out of an optical cable to the Bose.

 

[j_garcia]

The Bose in question does not have HDMI ports. It supports dolby and DTS from the optical input. But, something is lost in transit when going from the PS5 to the TV and then out of an optical cable to the Bose.

That's going to be one of the big limiting factors then.

 

[Trebdp83]

The Bose would be fine if the TV would just pass Dolby Digital 5.1 from the optical output. We'll see if they can find the magic setting or if it can do it at all. These older Samsung TVs are annoying as the sound output does not change automatically with a change in codec. So, if one left the thing on DTS 2:5 output, it would stay there no matter the codec being played back. You have to manually change the Digital Output Format and the selection will be limited by the incoming signal. I leave my TV on DTS 2:5 as I use the Apple TV 4K connected to my receiver for most of my streaming but use the TV now and again. If I play something with an Atmos track from the TV's Prime Video app, I have to go back into the Sound Output settings and change it from DTS 2:5 to Dolby Digital+ to get Atmos to the receiver and not DTS 5.1. But, I just noticed this ol' TV was just updated with the Apple TV+ app. So, there's that. Though, I did have to put a USB stick in the thing because the app storage is so limited.

 

[CodecConfused]

The Bose would be fine if the TV would just pass Dolby Digital 5.1 from the optical output. We'll see if they can find the magic setting or if it can do it at all. These older Samsung TVs are annoying as the sound output does not change automatically with a change in codec. So, if one left the thing on DTS 2:5 output, it would stay there no matter the codec being played back. You have to manually change the Digital Output Format and the selection will be limited by the incoming signal. I leave my TV on DTS 2:5 as I use the Apple TV 4K connected to my receiver for most of my streaming but use the TV now and again. If I play something with an Atmos track from the TV's Prime Video app, I have to go back into the Sound Output settings and change it from DTS 2:5 to Dolby Digital+ to get Atmos to the receiver and not DTS 5.1. But, I just noticed this ol' TV was just updated with the Apple TV+ app. So, there's that. Though, I did have to put a USB stick in the thing because the app storage is so limited.

Okay wow firstly thank you @Trebdp83 for the detailed responses and effort! And apologies for the delay in my responses - was off at a wedding for a few days...

(Un?)fortunately it's not because I forgot to turn off the TV speakers.

BUT I just tried your suggestion of playing a movie with the internal TV Smart Apps (Prime) and for the first time ever I got Dolby Digital! It may be my excitement speaking but I swear I hear a noticeable and amazing difference :-D

But as soon as I go back to PS5 it defaults back to PCM2.0... :-(

I'm gonna attach some screenshots of my settings - anything else you could suggest?

Don't want to go for a splitter if I can avoid as the video will be worse

 

[CodecConfused]

Screenshots as promised

 

[CodecConfused]

Also don't want to watch all on TV apps as need games in Dolby plus other apps which the Samsung won't support

 

[Trebdp83]

Had a look at the E-Manual for your model. The issue is that it will pass Dolby 5.1 from broadcasts and apparently apps as you have seen. But, 5.1 passthrough is not possible from externally connected devices and they recommend connecting the optical cable from the device directly to the receiver. Unfortunately, the PS5 has no optical output.

I also noticed that Samsung has ended support for at least two of the apps in that model and more will be dropped in the future for sure. So, DTS Neo 2:5 for the extrrnally connected devices seems to be as good as it will get for you. Later models support multichannel audio from external devices and Samsung killed the DTS Neo 2:5 feature after the 2019 models.

If you like the bose system, I’d look into a new TV before a new AVR to get 4K HDR and 4K@120 from the PS5. A new TV will support multichannel audio output from externally connected devices from the optical port. I'd start by looking at Sony models as they are designed for use with the PS5 and support Dolby Vision.

 

[CodecConfused]

Okay got it - thanks again for the help. Appreciate it, especially as I can now tell the Missus that an Audioholic Samurai told us to buy a new TV ;-)