Does WD TV Live Hub support Audio Passthrough 7.1CH - Dolby TrueHD , DTS HD-MA

**bleep**,

I have WD TV Live and it does support only DTS 5.1

Does WD TV Live Hub support Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channel via HDMI or Optical cable?

Thank you

No.

How to read\understand this from WD TV Hub user manual:

Digital Pass Through via HDMI Only (HDMI) - Select this option if you are only
using an HDMI connection to output multichannel surround sound to a receiver.
After selecting Digital Pass Through via HDMI Only, select Auto to have the
media center detect receiver settings automatically. Or, select Manual (Except
DVD), then select one or more of the following options that describe your
receiver. Select Finish when complete.

  • AAC capable receiver
  • Dolby Digital capable receiver
  • Dolby Digital Plus capable receiver
  • DTS capable receiver
  • Dolby TrueHD capable receiver
  • WMA Pro capable receiver

Dolby TrueHD should be 7.1

Thank you

You originally asked about DTS, not Dolby TrueHD.   TrueHD is supported.   Sorry, I misunderstood the later question.

Ok If I have DVD or Blu-ray rip with DTS stream on it, can it play on my 7.1 Receiver  or WD TV Live and WD TV Hub are  support only DTS 5.1

Is it possible 5.1 content to expand to 7.1?

Use Neo6 on the receiver for example?

Thank you

TonyPh12345 wrote:

You originally asked about DTS, not Dolby TrueHD.   TrueHD is supported.   Sorry, I misunderstood the later question.

 

If it’s in pass-through mode, what difference does it make what format the audio stream is in? It should merely pass the signal as-is onto the receiver for decoding. I don’t understand why it can’t do this simple task?

I have found that this device (Xtreamer Pro) support 

Audio Passthrough 5.1 CH : DTS, DTS-HD MA, DTS-HD HR 5.1 CH
Audio Passthrough 7.1CH - Dolby TrueHD , DTS HD-MA

does it true for WD TV Live and WD TV Hub?

DTS-HD MA (or HR) is not supported due to lack of licensing.  The hardware supports it; it’s just not enabled in the firmware.  Any DTS-HD tracks will only output their DTS 5.1 “core”.

DTS don’t offer a specific license for media streamers (try filling out their license application form: you can choose from AVR, BD player, games console or software).

DTS and WD’s position seems to be that they cannot add DTS-HD support without a license.

Almost every other media player manufacturer on the market seems to have found a way around it.  I haven’t seen a good explanation for how anywhere yet, other than in some cases the manufacturers might have submitted a licence application for a BD player (device supports external BDROM and / or BD ISO files I guess?).

The WD players now support lossless multichannel PCM in up to 7.1, I believe, so you could convert your DTS-HD tracks to multichannel PCM without loss of quality and get it working that way (yes, that IS a lot of hassle).

Alternatively, look into buying another media player that can meet most of your needs.  There doesn’t seem to be anything short of an HTPC that can do everything for everyone (I’ve pretty much given up looking for now)…

I still believe (without any evidence to back it up, admittedly) that licensing is *not* required for PASSTHROUGH bitsreaming, only for DECODING.

I think that’s how all the other vendors that do DTS-MA are interpreting it.

WD’s legal department has (obviously) a different opinion.

TonyPh12345 wrote:

I still believe (without any evidence to back it up, admittedly) that licensing is *not* required for PASSTHROUGH bitsreaming, only for DECODING.

 

I think that’s how all the other vendors that do DTS-MA are interpreting it.

 

WD’s legal department has (obviously) a different opinion.

 

 

This is what I don’t understand. If it truly is just pass-through then why would a license be needed? Only the end device doing the decoding and actually touching the signal needs a license and my Onkyo receiver has them already. No one is being screwed out of anything because the final device in the chain actually decoding the signal is licensed. If this is a matter of WD just being overly cautious is it something they can eventually fix in firmware to allow all audio signals to be passed through untouched?

I have found model with 

Audio Passthrough 5.1 CH : DTS, DTS-HD MA, DTS-HD HR 5.1 CH
Audio Passthrough 7.1CH - Dolby TrueHD , DTS HD-MA

I belive. it is Xtreamer Pro

or may be you can recommend good one.

Thank you

TonyPh12345 wrote:

I still believe (without any evidence to back it up, admittedly) that licensing is *not* required for PASSTHROUGH bitsreaming, only for DECODING.

 

I think that’s how all the other vendors that do DTS-MA are interpreting it.

I’d thought of that, and it makes perfect sense.  But the fact seems to remain that most of the other MA-capable players have the same DTS logos that WD does, so they seem to be under the same licence.

Presumably WD could just forget about downmixing DTS to stereo, and avoid licencing DTS altogether, and then I personally don’t see any legal impediment to bitstreaming the signal.

Just took a look at the Xtreamer. Make me love my WD Live TV Plus all the more. The Xtreamer has combined the NAS and the streamer TOGETHER. I don’t like the idea of having something of this size adjacent to the TV. Fan noise, blinking lights, heat, etc…  all in the same room with the TV and me.

Centralizing a SINGLE NAS, and having MULTIPLE tiny inexpensive WD Live TV Plus boxes in each room with a TV is a much more elegant solution.

For someone finicky enough to be so uncompromising when it comes to demanding DTS-HD vs Dolby True HD, you sure are willing to make a LOT of other compromises on the points I made above.