Lost AC3 after upgrade to 4.1.1

[AdamUpNorth]

Hi there.
Has anyone else lost AC3 5.1 after the upgrade to 4.1.1.

I noticed that both my htpc using the Next PVR client and streaming to Kodi on an Nvidia shield that I'm only getting stereo. I used to get AC3 no problem.

I'm using the Hauppauge AC3 decoder that I've always used.
Any ideas?

[ATTACHMENT NOT FOUND]

[sub]

NextPVR doesn't play any role in the actual decoding of AC3. If you're getting any audio, then it's likely NextPVR is doing it's thing correctly, and the audio stream is making it as far as the decoder. Whether you're getting stereo or 5.1 is going to come down to what the decoder is doing with the audio stream (and outside of the direct control of NextPVR). You can press Ctrl-I to confirm it's playing an AC3 audio stream, not MPEG2. Maybe try the LAV Audio Decoder.

The NextPVR decoder settings don't matter when playing back in Kodi. It has it's own decoders. NextPVR just sends it a copy of the broadcast stream, and it does it's own playback. Given you're getting audio and video in Kodi, then we can see it's receiving the stream.

If both appear to be stereo now, maybe your broadcaster has changed something?

[AdamUpNorth]

NextPVR doesn't play any role in the actual decoding of AC3. If you're getting any audio, then it's likely NextPVR is doing it's thing correctly, and the audio stream is making it as far as the decoder. Whether you're getting stereo or 5.1 is going to come down to what the decoder is doing with the audio stream (and outside of the direct control of NextPVR). You can press Ctrl-I to confirm it's playing an AC3 audio stream, not MPEG2. Maybe try the LAV Audio Decoder.

The NextPVR decoder settings don't matter when playing back in Kodi. It has it's own decoders. NextPVR just sends it a copy of the broadcast stream, and it does it's own playback. Given you're getting audio and video in Kodi, then we can see it's receiving the stream.

If both appear to be stereo now, maybe your broadcaster has changed something?

Well, I made a little progress. I have the PC playing AC3 properly now. I changed the decoder to Microsoft DTV and then told windows that I have a 5.1 system. My amp now properly recognises the AC3 stream. I don't use the PC as my primary player so I don't really know if that had ever worked properly until now.

But in Kodi on the Nvidia Shield, it's only seeing it as a stereo PCM stream. And I know that the AC3 was working in the past. The funny thing is, if I playback a TV recording that was recorded from Next PVR in Kodi, it's plays the AC3 properly (my amp sees it as AC3 Dolby Digital). Only live playback through the NextPVR plugin seems to be wrong. All other content ( DD, all the way up to DTS HD MA) plays fine.

[sub]

Well, I made a little progress. I have the PC playing AC3 properly now. I changed the decoder to Microsoft DTV and then told windows that I have a 5.1 system. My amp now properly recognises the AC3 stream. I don't use the PC as my primary player so I don't really know if that had ever worked properly until now.

Ok, great.

But in Kodi on the Nvidia Shield, it's only seeing it as a stereo PCM stream. And I know that the AC3 was working in the past. The funny thing is, if I playback a TV recording that was recorded from Next PVR in Kodi, it's plays the AC3 properly (my amp sees it as AC3 Dolby Digital). Only live playback through the NextPVR plugin seems to be wrong. All other content ( DD, all the way up to DTS HD MA) plays fine.

I'm pretty sure you'll find it's nothing to do with the NextPVR addon. The addon isn't telling Kodi anything about the stream, or manipulating it in any way - it's just passing it a full copy of the original broadcast, and Kodi takes care of the rest. I do remember seeing several posts on the kodi forums discussing AC3 pass through limitations with their PVR implementation. ie, posts like these:
https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=285391
https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=284580
These were basically saying they've intentionally disabled AC3 pass-through with PVR Live TV in Kodi 17/18, due to issues with rate matching.

[AdamUpNorth]

Ok, great.

I'm pretty sure you'll find it's nothing to do with the NextPVR addon. The addon isn't telling Kodi anything about the stream, or manipulating it in any way - it's just passing it a full copy of the original broadcast, and Kodi takes care of the rest. I do remember seeing several posts on the kodi forums discussing AC3 pass through limitations with their PVR implementation. ie, posts like these:
https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=285391
https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=284580
These were basically saying they've intentionally disabled AC3 pass-through with PVR Live TV in Kodi 17/18, due to issues with rate matching.

Well, don't I feel silly. I swear that I've had ac3 working this entire time when I guess I haven't since v17 of Kodi. That's just annoying. Sub, thanks for doing the searching...I should have done that. I just honestly thought it was a new problem. Thanks again for everything.

[sub]

No worries - I'm just glad I haven't broken anything

[Handy.Man]