How many of you can play MC flac files directly?

[wrat]

Curious, are you able to play an Atmos file with JRiver MC26? I would love to learn how to do that.

I have abbey road atmos plays fine
J Lennon Gimme some truth atmos plays fine

 

[riskylogic]

FLAC is limited to 8 channels. So if you converted an Atmos file (7.1.4 and however many object elements) to FLAC, you would only get the core 7.1 channels. That's assuming you had a decoder codec in that format conversion. If you don't have the codec, only the 7.1 core stream component is preserved and you lose the height and all the object data. That's likely what happened with the FLAC conversion.

Anyway...

Do you actually have a decoder codec?!
When you're playing an Atmos file successfully from a m4a file, are you decoding that with a media player and getting all the channels? And specifically, you are NOT decoding with an AVR by doing pass through mode with your media player and using the AVR hardware to decode?

Again, we're not interested in pass through to an AVR here! We need the decoder codec in the media player app.

The 7.1 FLAC files I get with DVDAE won't play at all - the players report (Oppos and Sony) that the file is corrupted. But, the video (*.m2ts) files generated with MakeMXV play fine on the Sony - with Atmos. Yes, it's pass through to the player (not the AVR), but I'm OK with that. It's the same as playing the disc.

 

[jimfisheye]

I suspected that was pass through, thanks for confirming.

Yeah, we need the codec. Let's stop feeding the grifters by buying hardware (and duplicating equipment) to get access to restricted software! (To the Atmos people) Deliver on your product or shut the hell up!

 

[ssully]

FWIW I learned something this week about playing MC files via computer/laptop out, using foobar2000 + HDMI that I didn't know before.

For playing surround files (and everything else), I have always -- for years and years now -- used the WASAPI plugin to bypass the Windows mixer.

It turns out that if you *only* play PCM/DSD* files (i.e., no raw DTS or Dolby Digital files) , you don't need the WASAPI plugin, you can use the standard foobar output (Windows direct sound) to play surround files.

All you need to do is go into the Windows control panel (the old style one), Sound options, and configure your playback device (i.e., your AVR) to be a 5.1 (or 7.1) device. When you do, be sure to set all speakers to LARGE in the Control Panel so that your AVR's bass management works properly. Turn off all the 'enhancements' etc that Windows offers. NB, the mixer resamples based on whatever output quality you set it to.

If like me you do play raw DTS/DD files, you still need WASAPI (or ASIO, which I abandoned a long time ago) to bypass the mixer... playing these files requires bit perfect output, and Windows mixer resampling messes with that.

Apologies if this is old 'duh' news!


*I don't really know if this works with DSD files...I don't know if raw DSD streams to a DSD-decoding AVR survive the Windows mixer intact. DSD is a silly format I never use in its native form, I always convert rips to PCM.

 

[MagnumX]

...

Again, we're not interested in pass through to an AVR here! We need the decoder codec in the media player app.

I've never seen a receiver that could take 11+ channel analog inputs. Even if you could decode, what good would it do you?

In other words, how would you get the signals to an actual Atmos speaker layout? The software decoder would still need a bare minimum of 8+ RCA outputs. HDMI might handle more than 8 in newer cables, but I don't know of any official support for it.

You still need amps or self -powered speakers too. These are all best handled by an Atmos receiver. Heck, you can get a brand new 11+ channel one for $800 around August each year as the new D&M models come out and the previous year models go on sale.

 

[jaybird100]

My OPPO BDP-95 plays flac files off USB drives, but I never had a multi-channel flac file to try. Nothing else in my universe of audio will even play flacs. I would love to try a multi.

If you're on Facebook, join the Quad Traders group. People are sharing their favorite quad recordings, including flac files. You can download them and put them on a USB flash drive. I'm on that group, and there are a lot of great people there. Check it out!

 

[jimfisheye]

I've never seen a receiver that could take 11+ channel analog inputs. Even if you could decode, what good would it do you?

There are plenty of audio interfaces available to get the channel count you need. And you can aggregate interfaces together and do it that way if you wish. I have 34 channels of DA available at the moment in a few interfaces. 10 of them are in Apogee units. (The rest are MOTU. Still not bad and better than average consumer AVRs.)

What good what it do? I'd connect amps and speakers, point the OS to an aggregate device of enough outputs, and hit play on a media player app. But they're not delivering on their codec and it appears they want to sell me more hardware DA stages and make those companies money instead. Converters are a big ticket item and I'm good. See the problem?

I'm pretty good at connecting amps to speakers and/or using combo powered speakers too. There's no mystery or issue here. I prefer modular gear to all in one combo products like AVRs.

 

[HomerJAU]

Here’s a well regarded Denon AVR with 11.2 analog outputs that will decode Atmos and DTS:X for 7.2.4 so you could run 11 external amps or connect 5 channels to an external multichannel amp and use the Denon for the other 6 channels:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/denon-avr-x3700h-avr-review.15031/

 

[wrat]

Anthem 15.2 processor / 11 channel amp
Anthem® | A/V Receiver | MRX 1140 | Overview

16 channel from emotiva
RMC-1 16 Channel Dolby Atmos & DTS:X Cinema Processor – Emotiva Audio Corporation

 

[Kal Rubinson]

FLAC is limited to 8 channels.

Is that so? Or is it that there are limits on what will play it?

There are plenty of audio interfaces available to get the channel count you need. And you can aggregate interfaces together and do it that way if you wish. I have 34 channels of DA available at the moment in a few interfaces. 10 of them are in Apogee units. (The rest are MOTU. Still not bad and better than average consumer AVRs.)

I have a 40 channel WAV file which I can play on JRMC but, of course, it converts it on-the-fly to the 5.1 channels that I do have.

 

[himey]

So I guess the decoding happens on the PC? Why go through the Oppo at all?

The Oppo beats any PC sound cards I have owned and I have had some decent ones over the past 20+ years of using a HTPC. What do you suggest I replace the Oppo with?

 

[jimfisheye]

Is that so? Or is it that there are limits on what will play it?

I have a 40 channel WAV file which I can play on JRMC but, of course, it converts it on-the-fly to the 5.1 channels that I do have.

Yep, 8 channels. It's the format limitation. This Free Lossless Audio Codec came along first. It turned into not just the consumer format of choice but also the studio archiving and sharing format of choice. (Half the size of the full wav file and a built in checksum.) The "official" Wavpack format came later. Wavpack supports up to 256 channels as well as 32 bit floating point audio. It kind of came along too late and everyone from consumer to studio engineer uses FLAC.

Atmos could actually be a force to change that perhaps? But they'd have to, you know, release the decoder codec and make their new format 'real'.

 

[himey]

That got me thinking - I can play individual video files in Atmos (the mt2s') from a server, but not the 7.1 FLACs.

FLAC doesn't support the metadata that Atmos needs for 3D audio.

 

[jimfisheye]

The Oppo beats any PC sound cards I have owned and I have had some decent ones over the past 20+ years of using a HTPC. What do you suggest I replace the Oppo with?

PCI connecting audio interfaces have a reputation of cheapness in general. There ARE a lot of ratty cheap 'sound cards' that are little more than dictation quality. There are a handful of more professionally aimed ones though. Not as many nowadays with USB2, firewire, and thunderbolt ports available. I believe the Oppo units have much better than average DA converters to be fair. Their products stand very far away from the usual restrictions, format war stuff, and consumer electronics cheapness often found in the wild. Something like an Apogee unit (or RME or Weiss or Prism) would better it. I'm guessing but I suspect interfaces from MOTU or Focusrite probably line up with the DA quality in Oppo.

Again, I like modular stuff so this is how I shop.

 

[jimfisheye]

FLAC doesn't support the metadata that Atmos needs for 3D audio.

Or enough channels!

 

[himey]

Or enough channels!

7.1 is enough channels for 3D audio!

 

[himey]

PCI connecting audio interfaces have a reputation of cheapness in general. There ARE a lot of ratty cheap 'sound cards' that are little more than dictation quality. There are a handful of more professionally aimed ones though. Not as many nowadays with USB2, firewire, and thunderbolt ports available. I believe the Oppo units have much better than average DA converters to be fair. Their products stand very far away from the usual restrictions, format war stuff, and consumer electronics cheapness often found in the wild. Something like an Apogee unit (or RME or Weiss or Prism) would better it. I'm guessing but I suspect interfaces from MOTU or Focusrite probably line up with the DA quality in Oppo.

Again, I like modular stuff so this is how I shop.

If Oppo was still in business they would have dumped the disc drive and focused on the LAN/WiFi and USB connections with 11.1 analog, 3D format, outputs.

 

[HomerJAU]

7.1 is enough channels for 3D audio!

Well, 7.1 is still 2D. All speakers are at the same level, no heights.

 

[riskylogic]

The Oppo beats any PC sound cards I have owned and I have had some decent ones over the past 20+ years of using a HTPC. What do you suggest I replace the Oppo with?

If you are connecting with HDMI can't you just go straight to the AVR? Maybe you are using the Oppo as a preamp.

 

[riskylogic]

7.1 is enough channels for 3D audio!

Yes, I have both a 7.1 and a 5.2.2 system. The 7.1 flacs I've ripped from Atmos discs won't play on either one of them.