Playing download files without an AVR or BluRay

[austinsignal]

Hi there - it's probably out there somewhere, but I can't find it...is there a software player that will let me play files downloaded from IAA, for instance - using my studio rig? I don't have an AVR or a BluRay player.. Thanks! Jon

 

[jimfisheye]

Decoding Atmos is the ringer right now. They are currently refusing to license their decoder to any media player app. Every other format is golden and the computer/interface system is the easy way to go!

A simple player like VOX.app works well for me. It even plays 12 channel wavpack files I decode from Atmos.mlp. I just drop files from a file browser window and use it simply that way.

Other people go for apps like Kodi that more take over your computer and duplicate their own file browser functions and splash GUI madness over the screen.

For Atmos, you have to have a corporate email Dolby recognizes and has already vetted for them to even talk to you. If you don't have that, it comes to a full stop here. Then you can buy a $400 subscription to their media encoder software (subscription only). Then you can download their Reference Player app for "free". The app DOES run forever and doesn't use the subscription codes. Now you can play Atmos encoded .mlp files and/or rip them to normal audio files.

 

[SeeMoreDigital]

....is there a software player that will let me play files downloaded from IAA, for instance - using my studio rig?

What's IAA?

 

[austinsignal]

What's IAA?

Immersive Audio Album

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Hi there - it's probably out there somewhere, but I can't find it...is there a software player that will let me play files downloaded from IAA, for instance - using my studio rig? I don't have an AVR or a BluRay player.. Thanks! Jon

Try VLC media player.

 

[humprof]

https://immersiveaudioalbum.com/how-to-listen-to-dolby-atmos-music/

If you have a Windows machine, then as Kal said, you should be able to use VLC Media Player, but also Kodi, Plex, MPC-HC, or Windows Movies & TV. Each has some advantages & drawbacks, depending upon your preferences, and each will require a little tweaking of the player's advanced settings (and Windows sound settings). I don't know of a comprehensive, step-by-step guide for doing that.

If you're running Mac, then it could be a little more complicated, as Macs won't passthrough an Atmos signal, and HDMI limits you to eight channels of uncompressed PCM audio. There are a couple of threads discussing workarounds.

That said: all of the above assume you're connecting a computer to an AVR. I'm not sure how either scenario will be complicated by connecting to a studio rig instead.

 

[jimfisheye]

The only way to decode and play .mlp Atmos files is with the Dolby Reference Player app. Mac or Windows. What I said above about trying to pry that out of their hands!

Atmos needs the reference player.
SACD needs to be ripped from a select handful of stand alone disc players.
These are the two ringers. Both Mac and Windows.

Dolby is pushing hard for Atmos to remain unavailable to software media players to push hardware sales. The hardware pass through method is what they want consumers to do. Playback without decoding results in an 8 channel output with both Mac and Windows with media players and hardware pass through. Depending on the software/hardware combo with non decoded Atmos, you might get the height channels folded into those 8 channels or you might have them omitted. The mix will not sound as intended either way. VLC player might swap channels 5/6 and 7/8 as well.

Everything but Atmos playback and SACD ripping is golden with the computer -> audio interface setup. You need a contact working at Dolby or "some way" to get their reference player and then Atmos is golden on the computer as well.

The modified optical drive used for SACD is not allowed to license to computer accessories. That's the deal there.

Mac user here with audio since forever. MacOS isn't quite that broken yet! It's close though. They lie and software spoof now and it's not OK. The hardware pass through is tied to white listed products. They mute height channels for 12 channel output with every media player except Dolby. (There's a workaround solution!)

 

[sjcorne]

I've tried playing consumer-encoded Atmos files over HDMI to legacy (Pre-Atmos) AVRs from both Mac and PC, and the height information is never omitted. The resultant 8-channel playback sounds essentially identical to a 7.1 re-render from the ADM master.

 

[jimfisheye]

I've tried playing consumer-encoded Atmos files over HDMI to legacy (Pre-Atmos) AVRs from both Mac and PC, and the height information is never omitted. The resultant 8-channel playback sounds essentially identical to a 7.1 re-render from the ADM master.

The output from the Dolby decoder (via their reference player app here) attenuates some of the height and surround channels as you downmix to smaller speaker arrays and finally to stereo. Using a legacy app on the computer (Dolby Reference Player being literally the only non-legacy player option at present) you don't get the down mix attenuations.

I thought there are older legacy apps that don't see the height channels. I might have crossed paths with the white list business and muting height channels on MacOS with some of that. The current versions of VLC player fold all the channels down. (But with the 5/6 and 7/8 pairs reversed!)

At any rate, Dolby clearly doesn't intend for this to be a legacy option! They want to drive hardware sales with this. I'm starting to think we're kind of lucky someone involved strong-armed new extended surround sound features into this at all at this point!

 

[SeeMoreDigital]

The only way to decode and play .mlp Atmos files is with the Dolby Reference Player app. Mac or Windows. What I said above about trying to pry that out of their hands!

Atmos needs the reference player.

To clarify... You can 'play' Atmos files using many software players, however in order to 'hear' Atmos you need to send the bitstream via HDMI to a suitable AVR

If you haven't got an suitable AVR then yes you need the Dolby Reference Player app...

EDIT: A few days ago I noticed that my new ASUS Zenbook laptop has a Dolby Atmos logo on it... Gowd knows how this is supposed to work!

 

[jimfisheye]

Well, I generally intend to hear what I play! Haha

I mean, unless I'm doing a null test.
(Pretty proud of this one. Have to say myself. )

 

[somethingcleveridunno]

Foobar2000 is pretty great. The FreeSurround plugin does a very good job decoding SQ, QS, Dolby Surround and related matrix formats, and you can make preset DSP chains that allow you to quickly switch between quad and 5.1 decoding (this matters a lot, I've had elements of the record completely change sides of the room by changing that), as well as upmixing chains. And it's not intended as an upmixer, but it sounds really good with some albums (Boston, BOC's Fire of Unknown Origin, and Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe all sound very good through it). Lots of other reasons to run the program. Worth trying out.

If you don't have height channels for Atmos, you can play the 5.1 bed of an Atmos stream/file without issue. Most I've tried that sound good in a full Atmos setup, sound good in 5.1 as well. A/B'd Abbey Road between the Atmos and 5.1 mixes on 5.1 just yesterday and I can't notice anything missing when I play the Atmos back in 5.1, but the I do think I hear elements balanced a little differently.

 

[humprof]

EDIT: A few days ago I noticed that my new ASUS Zenbook laptop has a Dolby Atmos logo on it... Gowd knows how this is supposed to work!

View attachment 104159

https://www.asus.com/support/faq/1042583/

 

[HomerJAU]

using my studio rig?

Please define ‘studio rig’:
Do you have a PC or Mac?
How do you play multichannel audio files now?

 

[SeeMoreDigital]

https://www.asus.com/support/faq/1042583/

Thanks for the link... But I'm still none the wiser about why Dolby Atmos is on a laptop that has 2-channel/stereo speakers!

 

[humprof]

Thanks for the link... But I'm still none the wiser about why Dolby Atmos is on a laptop that has 2-channel/stereo speakers!

I would have guessed that, as a gaming computer(?), it might have a similar array of speakers to those on recent MacBooks, which actually manage to do interesting ambisonic-y things with Atmos and really do create the illusion of sounds coming from many different locations in space. But I could be wrong about any or all of those assumptions!

 

[JediJoker]

If macOS can decode DD+ Atmos from Apple Music streaming for playback via an audio interface, it stands to reason that it ought to be able to decode THD Atmos from local files.

Is it possible to load THD-encoded Atmos file into an Atmos-capable DAW like Avid Pro Tools | Ultimate or Apple Logic Pro?

 

[SeeMoreDigital]

I would have guessed that, as a gaming computer(?), it might have a similar array of speakers to those on recent MacBooks,

Aw... Personally I'm not into gaming, along with their computers that have loads of flashing coloured led lights!

 

[madscot]

Thanks for the link... But I'm still none the wiser about why Dolby Atmos is on a laptop that has 2-channel/stereo speakers!

Does the laptop have HDMI out?

 

[mkt]

If macOS can decode DD+ Atmos from Apple Music streaming for playback via an audio interface, it stands to reason that it ought to be able to decode THD Atmos from local files.

From your lips to Tim Apple's ear.