Dolby Atmos with Yamaha RX-A2080

rdebolt

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Hello,

I am new to this forum so I hope this is the right place to post? I have a Yamaha RX-A2080 receiver with a 5.1.4 speaker set up. To be honest I really have no idea what I am doing except that I want to take advantage of 4K video and Dolby Atmos surround. Last weekend I purchased a Sony UBP X700 dvd player. I am using Atmos test videos downloaded to a usb and playing through the dvd player. They sound good, but no matter what I have tried I cannot get my Yamaha display to say that it is playing Dolby. Using straight through receiver, but I feel like I am missing something somewhere! There are so many setting that I honestly have no idea what half of them do. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Roger
 
To get Dolby Atmos you have to have the Sony set to output bitstream. Using the Straight option on the Yamaha will give you to exact audio that is on the USB input. If it doesn't say Dolby them you're got getting it if you have bitstream set up correctly. If the audio coming through the USB was Dolby TrueHD then that is what is shown. I'm not too sure that the USB port is capable of Atmos as I'm not a Yamaha owner.

The best way for you to enjoy Atmos is to get a blu ray or 4K disc that is encoded by Atmos or DTS:X. Sometimes those Atmos trials are a double edged sword showing off what's capable but then you may be disappointed with the content of the Atmos film as it bears no resemblance to the trials.

There are plenty of good Atmos encoded discs available, Mad Max, Unbroken, Pacific Rim to name but a few. If you have Netflix or Amazon Prime then there are several Atmos programmes on those services.

Speaker positioning is very important with Atmos. All the base speakers need to be at a seated head height, the surrounds may be set a little higher.
 
To get Dolby Atmos you have to have the Sony set to output bitstream. Using the Straight option on the Yamaha will give you to exact audio that is on the USB input. If it doesn't say Dolby them you're got getting it if you have bitstream set up correctly. If the audio coming through the USB was Dolby TrueHD then that is what is shown. I'm not too sure that the USB port is capable of Atmos as I'm not a Yamaha owner.

The best way for you to enjoy Atmos is to get a blu ray or 4K disc that is encoded by Atmos or DTS:X. Sometimes those Atmos trials are a double edged sword showing off what's capable but then you may be disappointed with the content of the Atmos film as it bears no resemblance to the trials.

There are plenty of good Atmos encoded discs available, Mad Max, Unbroken, Pacific Rim to name but a few. If you have Netflix or Amazon Prime then there are several Atmos programmes on those services.

Speaker positioning is very important with Atmos. All the base speakers need to be at a seated head height, the surrounds may be set a little higher.
Thanks. I do have Netfix. Any suggestions on what to try? Did not realize that Netflix had anything in Atmos. I believe that I do have the Sony set to Bitstream. I am using the Sony dvd player with the USB as the Yamaha won't decode it. So if the receiver is in straight mode when Atmos is played will it say Dolby Atmos in the display? Are there bitstream settings in the receiver that I should concern myself about? Sorry for the stupid questions, Like I said I have no idea what I am doing! Thanks for the help!
 
Thanks. I do have Netfix. Any suggestions on what to try? Did not realize that Netflix had anything in Atmos. I believe that I do have the Sony set to Bitstream. I am using the Sony dvd player with the USB as the Yamaha won't decode it. So if the receiver is in straight mode when Atmos is played will it say Dolby Atmos in the display? Are there bitstream settings in the receiver that I should concern myself about? Sorry for the stupid questions, Like I said I have no idea what I am doing! Thanks for the help!
What ever is on the disc will be decoded even if in Straight. It should be noted that in the Straight mode you are by-passing the bass management system. Dolby Atmos will be displayed. Scroll through your audio options on your remote.

I'll tag a member who is more versed on Yamaha than I am, I'm a Denon owner. @dante01
 
What ever is on the disc will be decoded even if in Straight. It should be noted that in the Straight mode you are by-passing the bass management system. Dolby Atmos will be displayed. Scroll through your audio options on your remote.

I'll tag a member who is more versed on Yamaha than I am, I'm a Denon owner. @dante01

Bass management and YPAO curves are still in effect while using the STRAIGHT mode. It would be the PURE DIRECT mode that bypasses the bass management and the PEQ filters as opposed to the STRAIGHT mode.

If the audio being streamed to the AV receiver is inclusive of Atmos metadata while the AV receiver is set to STRAIGHT then you'd see Atmos on the display. You may need to change the display mode by using the INFO button on the remote to see this though.

The STRAIGHT mode bypasses any DSP Program or Surrround Decoder upmixing. This would negate such processing effecting the receiver's abilities to decode and portray Atmos so is the fastest and easiest means by which to disengage such processing. If not receiving Atmos while in STRAIGHT mode then the source isn't outputting anything inclusive of Atmos metadata.

It should be noted that many disc players will not and cannot output Atmos in association with files that have been encoded with such audio and anything played via the player's media player may not result in you getting Atmos even if the file being played by it includes it. I've no idea as the capabilities of the Sony player and if you can access Atmos in association with content sourced via files using that player's inbuilt media player? For this rreason, I'd tend to suggest using disc based media for testing purposes as opposed to using the player's media player to play files stored on a USB drive to test your setup with.
 
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The following goes some way to confirm what I've suggested the problem to be:

It looks as though the player is unable to output Atmos if using its own media player to play MKV containers inclusive of an Atmos soundtrack.

You'd be advised to try use M2TS formatted files as opposed to MKV containers if wanting to access Atmos while using the plyer's own integral media player.
 
The following goes some way to confirm what I've suggested the problem to be:

It looks as though the player is unable to output Atmos if using its own media player to play MKV containers inclusive of an Atmos soundtrack.

You'd be advised to try use M2TS formatted files as opposed to MKV containers if wanting to access Atmos while using the plyer's own integral media player.
OK. Thank you very much for all of the information. Is there a DVD player that you would recommend as the Sony that I got was definitely not high end. Or is the M2TS a common format now?
 
I'd just stick with your Sony player and see no reason to change it.

If wanting to play files or MKV containers inclusive of Atmos then I'd suggest you look at using a more dedicated media player as opposed to using the media player onboard a disc spinner.

Your player will access and bitstream Atmos or DTS:X accessed via Blu-ray or UHD discs without issue. Spinning and playing discs is its primary purpose.
 
OK. Thank you very much for all of the information. Is there a DVD player that you would recommend as the Sony that I got was definitely not high end. Or is the M2TS a common format now?
At the moment there doesn't seem to be many good 4K players available at the top end. Oppo has left the market and Covid is playing havoc with Pioneer that has taken up Oppo's mantle as the top players. The Panasonic UB9000 is currently the best available but there's a big difference in price between that and your current Sony. Only you can decide if it's worth the difference for you.

The Pioneer LX800 is, or rather will be when it returns to production, is the most expensive player followed by the LX500. The LX500 is a superb SACD player.

If I were you I'd stick with your Sony certainly for the remainder of this year.
 
At the moment there doesn't seem to be many good 4K players available at the top end. Oppo has left the market and Covid is playing havoc with Pioneer that has taken up Oppo's mantle as the top players. The Panasonic UB9000 is currently the best available but there's a big difference in price between that and your current Sony. Only you can decide if it's worth the difference for you.

The Pioneer LX800 is, or rather will be when it returns to production, is the most expensive player followed by the LX500. The LX500 is a superb SACD player.

If I were you I'd stick with your Sony certainly for the remainder of this year.
Ok Thank you very much!
 
Hello Roger, I have an RX-A2080 also, and could not get Dolby Atmos to work.
With an AppleTV 4k I wanted to watch in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.
AppleTV 4k streams standard at 60hz but the Yamaha would not accept 60hz or 50hz I got the Yamaha RX-A2080 only to work with Dolby Vision and Atmos if I selected 4K 30Hz or 25Hz.
I also found out, (with the AppleTV 4k) all the movies from Apple & Disney+ are streaming Dolby Atmos but Netflix doesn't. :-(

I must say, its pretty awesome when dolby atmos is at work, I like it.
 
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For details on how to correctly configure the ATV 4K to output HDR without forcing it then see here:

Note that you want the native frame rate and don't scale this to anything other than that native frame rate.


For details of how to correctly configure the ATV to output Atmos, see here:

Note that you should be getting Atmos via the Netflix app if and when available. The app does provide access to Atmos on the ATV.
 
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For details on how to correctly configure the ATV 4K to output HDR without forcing it then see here:

Note that you want the native drame rate and don't scale this to anything other than that native frame rate.


For details of how to correctly configure the ATV to output Atmos, see here:

Note that you should be getting Atmos via the Netflix app if and when available. The app does provide access to Atmos on the ATV.
Excellent info... Thanks, especially 'match content' and 'match dynamic range'
Why I missed this I dont know ;-)
 
Hello @dante01, you appear to be the resident expert here with Yamaha RX-A2080 and this thread very similarly describes the problems I'm experiencing.

I have a new home theater setup with the RX-A2080 and a Roku Ultra (2020/4800X model). I've set the audio output to auto passthrough and the Roku interface shows that it detects Dolby Atmos as well as most titles (like Captain America Civil War) show Dolby Atmos. So my guess is that when I play that title, it's pushing the Atmos metadata.

Reading the above posts, the AVS should recognize the Atmos metadata and subsequently play Atmos sound, correct? I've turned off AI, and pressed the "Straight" button on the remote.

I saw in post #5 above you mentioned pressing "info" on the remote would change the display on the AVS. Unfortunately I cannot find any "info" button on my remote, nor on the front panel of the 2080.

Beyond that, it very much appears I'm only getting 5.1 sound through my 5.1.4 setup. (4 ceiling speakers connected to the front/rear presence jacks on the back of the receiver).

I've confirmed the speaker setup in the settings menu on the 2080 and the Surround AI setting sounds really good... but I purchased the 2080 specifically for its ability to play in Dolby Atmos and I'm not having any luck trying to get it to work.

I apologize for digging up an older thread, but this is very similar to what I'm experiencing. I'm also quite ignorant with these things so I somewhat need the "explain it like I'm five" explanation...

Thank you for your time and assistance!
 
The INFO button is unfortunayely omitted from the newer remotes includes with the newer models. The INFO button on the AV receiver itself can however be used to alter the display on the AV receiver. The INFO button is located under the flap.

AS to the AV receiver only outputting 5.1 as opposed to Atmos. I can only assume this is an issue with how the source device has been configured if you are positive that the AV receiver itself is setup coorrectly? I don't own a Roku so I cannot give you a detailed rundown of how to configure it.
 
Looking at page 21 of the owners manual it specifies that I can "... have full effect of Dolby Atmos contents..." utilizing a 5.2.4 (denoted by a "*", and goes onto say "When using front presence and rear presence speakers installed to the ceiling or when using the Dolby Enabled speakers as the presence speakers, configure the layout (Front Presence/Rear Presence) setting in the setup menu before performing YPAO."

I have confirmed that my setup is configured with my ceiling FP and RP speakers.

I've found the info button... my old eyes are tired.

I just tested again via the Roku & Disney+, Captain America Civil War... There's a scene about midway through where there's a helicopter. I could definitely hear sound coming from my ceiling speakers, but it was quiet (which I think it should have been much louder). I also noticed the front display is indicating Atmos/DD+, which according to what I've read is a limitation of the Roku (as opposed to TrueHD).

So I guess it is working and it's a matter of fine tuning at this point.

Thanks very much for your time in responding!
 
Dolby Enabled speakers is a reference to upward firing Dolby enabled speakers and not a reference to ceiling mounted downwatd firing speakers. If you've ceiling speakers as presence speakers then use the ceiling speaker configuration options as opposed to selecting the Dolby Enabled speaker options.

Use the INFO button the set the display to "AUDIO DECODER" mode. In this mode, the display will catagorically state ATMOS if the receiver is detecting and portraying Atmos sopundtracks. If the display simply indicates DD+ or TrueHD with no mention of Atmos then it isn't portraying Atmos. You can also invoke the Auso info onscreen menu which will tell you exactly the audio format being received from the source.

Note that streaming services that include Atmos package the Atmos metadata with Dolby Digital Plus (DD+) so the front panel display will alternate between Dolby Atmos and DD+ rather than constantly stating ATMOS.

You'd only get Atmos included with HD formatted TrueHD on disc based media or via files ripped from such discs. Streaming services don't encode their audio using HD formats regardless of the device you use to access them.
 
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Hello @dante01, you appear to be the resident expert here with Yamaha RX-A2080 and this thread very similarly describes the problems I'm experiencing.

I have a new home theater setup with the RX-A2080 and a Roku Ultra (2020/4800X model). I've set the audio output to auto passthrough and the Roku interface shows that it detects Dolby Atmos as well as most titles (like Captain America Civil War) show Dolby Atmos. So my guess is that when I play that title, it's pushing the Atmos metadata.

Reading the above posts, the AVS should recognize the Atmos metadata and subsequently play Atmos sound, correct? I've turned off AI, and pressed the "Straight" button on the remote.

I saw in post #5 above you mentioned pressing "info" on the remote would change the display on the AVS. Unfortunately I cannot find any "info" button on my remote, nor on the front panel of the 2080.

Beyond that, it very much appears I'm only getting 5.1 sound through my 5.1.4 setup. (4 ceiling speakers connected to the front/rear presence jacks on the back of the receiver).

I've confirmed the speaker setup in the settings menu on the 2080 and the Surround AI setting sounds really good... but I purchased the 2080 specifically for its ability to play in Dolby Atmos and I'm not having any luck trying to get it to work.

I apologize for digging up an older thread, but this is very similar to what I'm experiencing. I'm also quite ignorant with these things so I somewhat need the "explain it like I'm five" explanation...

Thank you for your time and assistance!
Hello Newbcakes,
My troubles went away with new 8k hdmi cables, which support arc-e signal. Since then the system act's like it should... (at least how I want it :) to act) give me dolby Atmos.
Only extra thing I needed to do was, give lypsync a couple of milliseconds
Greetings
 
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You' don't need anything more that a HIGH SPEED 18Gbps cable inclusive of ethernet channel support in order to be able to utilise eARC. Its the ethernet channel capabilities of an HDMI cable that gives the cable eARC compliance and not the higher video bandwidth. Almost any HDMI cable you buy will now be ethernet channel enabled despite the original intended purpose for this channel never actually being utilised by any of the hardware manufacturers.
 
You' don't need anything more that a HIGH SPEED 18Gbps cable inclusive of ethernet channel support in order to be able to utilise eARC. Its the ethernet channel capabilities of an HDMI cable that gives the cable eARC compliance and not the higher video bandwidth. Almost any HDMI cable you buy will now be ethernet channel enabled despite the original intended purpose for this channel never actually being utilised by any of the hardware manufacturers.
I thought, I already had a fast hdmi cable (bought last year), but I just wanted to rule things out... bought a new hdmi cable and now it works like a charm.
 
HIGH SPEED sand or PREMIUM is the official categorisation given to 18Gbps cables:

All you need from a HIGH SPEED cable in order to enable you to utilise eARC is for the cable to be ethernet channel enabled. The cable doesn't need to be an ULTRA category cable in order for you to be able to use eARC.


Will this work with any HDMI cable?

This works with HDMI High Speed Cables with Ethernet and the new Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable.


 
You'd only get Atmos included with HD formatted TrueHD on disc based media or via files ripped from such discs. Streaming services don't encode their audio using HD formats regardless of the device you use to access them.
For some reason I missed this part when I read it a few days ago.

I'm super disappointed with deciphering the audio settings. The bottom line is that I think I have one of the most robust streaming devices (when it comes to audio formatting) in the AppleTV 4k version, but when I start a movie that shows as delivering "Dolby Atmos" sound, I first disable SurroundAI then toggle the Straight DSP mode, which then shows "CD" and "Dolby Atmos/PCM" on the front panel display. Something doesn't seem right here and I'm just plain old failing to grasp these concepts. First, I don't understand why it says "CD" and second, I don't understand the PCM part. Further complicating the matter is that my AVS is in a closet and I can't see the on screen display when I need to press buttons on the AVS!

Ugh... It would appear I'm out of luck anyway if there isn't a streaming device that delivers HD audio.
 
For some reason I missed this part when I read it a few days ago.

I'm super disappointed with deciphering the audio settings. The bottom line is that I think I have one of the most robust streaming devices (when it comes to audio formatting) in the AppleTV 4k version, but when I start a movie that shows as delivering "Dolby Atmos" sound, I first disable SurroundAI then toggle the Straight DSP mode, which then shows "CD" and "Dolby Atmos/PCM" on the front panel display. Something doesn't seem right here and I'm just plain old failing to grasp these concepts. First, I don't understand why it says "CD" and second, I don't understand the PCM part. Further complicating the matter is that my AVS is in a closet and I can't see the on screen display when I need to press buttons on the AVS!

Ugh... It would appear I'm out of luck anyway if there isn't a streaming device that delivers HD audio.


I'd suggest the CD is simply indicatibe to what the input was named? You can manually rename this to whatevever you want. I'd suggest you rename it "ATV" or "Apple TV".

You get the PCM indicator alongside the indication that you are receiving Atmos because the AppleTV uses Dolby MAT to enable it to convevey the Atmos metadata with multichannel PCM from the ATV. Only the ATV, Windows PCs and XBoxes uses Dolby MAT and Dolby MAT simply enables the saource to decode the multichannel formeateed element of the audio poackaged and decode it as PCM for output with the Atmos matadata.

TAll the film audio yiou access via Apple will be DD+ in nature. All the ATV is doing to decoding it. hence the multichannel PCM. You cannot gbitstream Atmos via an Apple TV anf you have to let the devoce use Dolby MAT if you want Atmos.

You will not get HD audio in association with any of the streaming services. They all use Dolby Digital PLus (DD+). None of the films you rent or buy via Apple with include HD formatted audio.

You only get HD formatted audio via disc based media.

Besides which, the AppleTV has no ability to handle HD formatted audio anyway.
 
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I'd suggest the CD is simply indicatibe to what the input was named? You can manually rename this to whatevever you want. I'd suggest you rename it "ATV" or "Apple TV".

You get the PCM indicator alongside the indication that you are receiving Atmos because the AppleTV uses Dolby MAT to enable it to convevey the Atmos metadata with multichannel PCM from the ATV. Only the ATV, Windows PCs and XBoxes uses Dolby MAT and Dolby MAT simply enables the saource to decode the multichannel formeateed element of the audio poackaged and decode it as PCM for output with the Atmos matadata.

TAll the film audio yiou access via Apple will be DD+ in nature. All the ATV is doing to decoding it. hence the multichannel PCM. You cannot gbitstream Atmos via an Apple TV anf you have to let the devoce use Dolby MAT if you want Atmos.

You will not get HD audio in association with any of the streaming services. They all use Dolby Digital PLus (DD+). None of the films you rent or buy via Apple with include HD formatted audio.

You only get HD formatted audio via disc based media.

Besides which, the AppleTV has no ability to handle HD formatted audio anyway.
@dante01 you're a wealth of knowledge. Thanks much for taking the time to reply.
 
Since the last update on my AppleTV 4K (late april 2021) the AppleTV is not responding to my Yamaha RX-A2080 or to my TV Sony AH8.
The AppleTV 4k goes with hdmi to my RX-A2080 which outputs to the Sony AH8.
It seems it is not responding right with SDR settings... I tried 4k SDR, 4kHDR, 4k Dolby Vision, match frame rate and match dynamic range are set enabled.
When I select my appletv on the tv the screen stays black and its 1 out of 10 times it will get the signal through. Real pita... setting match frame rate an dynamic range off will get the whole thing alive but thats not how I want to watch the movies. Before the last update it was working like charm... anyone a solution, or idea what I could try?
 

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