Explora Ultra apps only output sound on 2 stereo channels

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Ikoon

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I recently bought a new Explora Ultra decoder . Overall I am satisfied with the quality and working of this device except for one small problem.
The Explora Ultra is connected directly to my AV Amp (Onkyo) via HDMI. Sound on the Explora Ultra is set to "Fixed". The sound on normal satellite broadcasts from the Explora plays without problem - discrete sound on all 5.1 speakers. However, sound from any of the apps on the decoder (Youtube, Disney+ etc) is received by the amp as 5.1, but but the only sound is from the 2 front stereo speakers. The source material is typically a Youtube 5.1 sound test which works perfectly from other devices through the same amp. It's as if the Explora mixes all the signals from the other channels (center, surrounds, LFE) into the 2 stereo channels and sends "empty" signals on the other channels. To reiterate: this is only from the apps on the Explora. Normal Dstv satellite broadcasts works fine.
Has anyone experienced the same problem with their Explora Ultra? I suspect that his is a bug in their software.
 
Last edited:
Pak Fa Fui said:
Try changing the hdmi from decoder to tv in another port
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply, but the current setup (decoder connected via HDMI to amp) works perfectly for satellite broadcasts where it is using the same device (decoder), cable and the same HDMI port on the amp.
 
Ikoon said:
I recently bought a new Explora Ultra decoder . Overall I am satisfied with the quality and working of this device except for one small problem.
The Explora Ultra is connected directly to my AV Amp (Onkyo) via HDMI. Sound on the Explora Ultra is set to "Fixed". The sound on normal satellite broadcasts from the Explora plays without problem - discrete sound on all 5.1 speakers. However, sound from any of the apps on the decoder (Netflix, Youtube, Disney+ etc) is received by the amp as 5.1, but but the only sound is from the 2 front stereo speakers. The source material is typically a Youtube 5.1 sound test which works perfectly from other devices through the same amp. It's as if the Explora mixes all the signals from the other channels (center, surrounds, LFE) into the 2 stereo channels and sends "empty" signals on the other channels. To reiterate: this is only from the apps on the Explora. Normal Dstv satellite broadcasts works fine.
Has anyone experienced the same problem with their Explora Ultra? I suspect that his is a bug in their software.
Click to expand...
Working fine for me on broadcast and apps. I have mine plugged into the TV though and use ARC out HDMI to my soundbar.

What apps did you test? You mentioned Youtube, but Youtube doesn't have 5.1 output, so too the DSTV app, Showmax app and Disney app. Prime and Netflix the only ones that support 5.1 and/or Atmos on the Ultra though Atmos don't work on Prime app.
 
Tector said:
Working fine for me on broadcast and apps. I have mine plugged into the TV though and use ARC out HDMI to my soundbar.

What apps did you test? You mentioned Youtube, but Youtube doesn't have 5.1 output, so too the DSTV app, Showmax app and Disney app. Prime and Netflix the only ones that support 5.1 and/or Atmos on the Ultra though Atmos don't work on Prime app.
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Thanks for your reply. This actually helped me to narrow down the problem. I only tested the Youtube, Showmax and Disney+ apps and from the Explora Ultra they all do output 5.1, but the actual sound is only on the 2 front stereo speakers. The Netflix app works 100%.
I'm not sure if Dstv knows that these apps' sound is not working correctly!
 
Ikoon said:
Thanks for your reply. This actually helped me to narrow down the problem. I only tested the Youtube, Showmax and Disney+ apps and from the Explora Ultra they all do output 5.1, but the actual sound is only on the 2 front stereo speakers. The Netflix app works 100%.
I'm not sure if Dstv knows that these apps' sound is not working correctly!
Click to expand...
There is no problem. Youtube and Showmax don't support 5.1 at all on any device. Disney+ only currently supports it on Android TV, Apple TV and Amazon Fire. This is because we get the Hotpoo version of Disney+ here in good ol' SA. You can enable virtual surround on some amps or soundbars though which will give you fake surround on all of them.

You can confirm this on the Ultra Disney+ app by playing something that shows 5.1 or Atmos support and then pausing, highlight quality and hold the OK button until it brings up the stats page. There you will notice stereo and aac only.

Hope this explanation helps.
 
Tector said:
There is no problem. Youtube and Showmax don't support 5.1 at all on any device. Disney+ only currently supports it on Android TV, Apple TV and Amazon Fire. This is because we get the Hotpoo version of Disney+ here in good ol' SA. You can enable virtual surround on some amps or soundbars though which will give you fake surround on all of them.

You can confirm this on the Ultra Disney+ app by playing something that shows 5.1 or Atmos support and then pausing, highlight quality and hold the OK button until it brings up the stats page. There you will notice stereo and aac only.

Hope this explanation helps.
Click to expand...
I do not agree. The Youtube and Sowmax apps on my smart TV (LG) have perfect 5.1 sound - discrete sound on all 6 channels, no upmixing from my amp - it is set to direct mode. On Youtube you can search for "5.1 test sound" for sources with 5.1 sound.
 
Ikoon said:
I do not agree. The Youtube and Sowmax apps on my smart TV (LG) have perfect 5.1 sound - discrete sound on all 6 channels, no upmixing from my amp - it is set to direct mode. On Youtube you can search for "5.1 test sound" for sources with 5.1 sound.
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I am just trying to save you the trouble of researching this yourself. I wouldn't answer if I wasn't sure but you are welcome to go down that rabbit hole of researching, kept me busy for a loooong time. Your TV must have an audio upmix setting enabled or something. To save the most time start with researching Youtube 5.1 - remember Youtube TV is different to normal Youtube
 
I appreciate your help, but you are wrong.
There is no way that any upmixing by any device is able to play discrete sounds on every one of the six speakers, if the source was not 5.1 to start with. Try this Youtube for example. It plays the sound on each speaker exactly as the video shows. You unfortunately won't be able to simulate that with your soundbar.
But let's forget about Youtube. Showmax from my TV's app is fully 5.1, but playing the exact same movie from my Explora Ultra, the sound is only from the main front speakers (no center or surround). Again, it will be difficult for you to hear the difference on your soundbar.
 
Ikoon said:
I appreciate your help, but you are wrong.
There is no way that any upmixing by any device is able to play discrete sounds on every one of the six speakers, if the source was not 5.1 to start with. Try this Youtube for example. It plays the sound on each speaker exactly as the video shows. You unfortunately won't be able to simulate that with your soundbar.
But let's forget about Youtube. Showmax from my TV's app is fully 5.1, but playing the exact same movie from my Explora Ultra, the sound is only from the main front speakers (no center or surround). Again, it will be difficult for you to hear the difference on your soundbar.
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Okay I am going to entertain this and test it later as I am off-sick. Maybe Showmax recently got 5.1 sound support. You never know. You said you have an LG TV? Web OS version? I have a 2021 LG so should be the same result from the apps.

What movie on Showmax did you specifically test?

I would actually be able to hear on my sound bar, as I have a 5.1.2 bar with seperate rear speakers (which are close to my ears). I also have it set up so that it will only use the rear speakers and the center channel when the source is 5.1. It is connected via HDMI Arc to the TV and set to passthrough so that the source original track gets delivered.

Will report back.
 
Tector said:
Okay I am going to entertain this and test it later as I am off-sick. Maybe Showmax recently got 5.1 sound support. You never know. You said you have an LG TV? Web OS version? I have a 2021 LG so should be the same result from the apps.

What movie on Showmax did you specifically test?

I would actually be able to hear on my sound bar, as I have a 5.1.2 bar with seperate rear speakers (which are close to my ears). I also have it set up so that it will only use the rear speakers and the center channel when the source is 5.1. It is connected via HDMI Arc to the TV and set to passthrough so that the source original track gets delivered.

Will report back.
Click to expand...
Thanks! I'm not at my TV right now, so I can't tell you the Web OS version, but it's much older than yours. Probably a 2016 version - model number 65uh770v.

I tested the Showmax sound with The Handmaid's Tale (s01e01).
 
Ikoon said:
Thanks! I'm not at my TV right now, so I can't tell you the Web OS version, but it's much older than yours. Probably a 2016 version - model number 65uh770v.

I tested the Showmax sound with The Handmaid's Tale (s01e01).
Click to expand...
I checked out Showmax on the show you said - no 5.1 on LG app or Ultra. But...I discovered that Youtube actually did add 5.1 surround support about 3 weeks ago, see attached pic. This happened quite under the radar though, thought there would be more hype. This is on my LG TV app. Watched the same video on Ultra Youtube app but couldn't get the setting or it showing ac3 on stats for nerds which means that the Ultra Youtube app does not, or not yet support surround sound.
d5a5869ce0e5c449757f8ea2fb6e0e9f.jpg
 
Tector said:
I checked out Showmax on the show you said - no 5.1 on LG app or Ultra. But...I discovered that Youtube actually did add 5.1 surround support about 3 weeks ago, see attached pic. This happened quite under the radar though, thought there would be more hype. This is on my LG TV app. Watched the same video on Ultra Youtube app but couldn't get the setting or it showing ac3 on stats for nerds which means that the Ultra Youtube app does not, or not yet support surround sound.
d5a5869ce0e5c449757f8ea2fb6e0e9f.jpg
Click to expand...
Thanks again for helping me test this.
I'm surprised that you did not have 5.1 sound from that title on Showmax. The only explanation is that my TV's Showmax app is doing the upmixing....or maybe the TV itself. You did mention that as a possibility. Unfortunately there is no "5.1 test" title on Showmax playing discrete sounds on every speaker as that one on Youtube, so I can't test this.
Back to the Ultra: when my amp is set to direct mode (no upmixing), it displays the speakers which it receives signal from as little icons on the front panel. All the apps on the Ultra shows all 6 speakers on my amp. This means, the apps outputs a 5.1 signal, but, except for Netflix, only output actual sound on the 2 stereo channels. This has the effect that even if I let my amp do upmixing, it can't, because the algorithm sees that it is receiving a 5.1 signal and there should only be sound on the 2 stereo speakers. If the apps on the Ultra which are not capable of 5.1, outputted a stereo signal, the amp would have been able to upmix it.
I simulated this by changing the sound setting on the Ultra from Fixed to Variable. Then everything from the Ultra is received as stereo on my amp, Upmixing is then not a problem.
So after all this rambling, the bug on the Ultra is that the apps which only support stereo, should output a stereo signal and not a 5.1 signal with sound on just 2 channels.
 
Ikoon said:
Thanks again for helping me test this.
I'm surprised that you did not have 5.1 sound from that title on Showmax. The only explanation is that my TV's Showmax app is doing the upmixing....or maybe the TV itself. You did mention that as a possibility. Unfortunately there is no "5.1 test" title on Showmax playing discrete sounds on every speaker as that one on Youtube, so I can't test this.
Back to the Ultra: when my amp is set to direct mode (no upmixing), it displays the speakers which it receives signal from as little icons on the front panel. All the apps on the Ultra shows all 6 speakers on my amp. This means, the apps outputs a 5.1 signal, but, except for Netflix, only output actual sound on the 2 stereo channels. This has the effect that even if I let my amp do upmixing, it can't, because the algorithm sees that it is receiving a 5.1 signal and there should only be sound on the 2 stereo speakers. If the apps on the Ultra which are not capable of 5.1, outputted a stereo signal, the amp would have been able to upmix it.
I simulated this by changing the sound setting on the Ultra from Fixed to Variable. Then everything from the Ultra is received as stereo on my amp, Upmixing is then not a problem.
So after all this rambling, the bug on the Ultra is that the apps which only support stereo, should output a stereo signal and not a 5.1 signal with sound on just 2 channels.
Click to expand...
That sounds like you said, maybe a bug in the sense that it forces 5.1 Dolby like it forces HDR on everything.

Couple of possibilities for the Showmax on TV app mystery:

1. Do you perhaps have Showmax Pro? As I know they will broadcast the Fifa cup in 4K, HDR and 5.1. Maybe they enabled it if you have Pro. I only have normal Showmax.
2. Check on your TV sound output if it is maybe set to Auto / Dolby Digital instead of Passthrough.
3. Also, I have a setting AI sound, which when enabled upmixes everything to 5.1.2 - see if you have the same setting.
 
Tector said:
That sounds like you said, maybe a bug in the sense that it forces 5.1 Dolby like it forces HDR on everything.

Couple of possibilities for the Showmax on TV app mystery:

1. Do you perhaps have Showmax Pro? As I know they will broadcast the Fifa cup in 4K, HDR and 5.1. Maybe they enabled it if you have Pro. I only have normal Showmax.
2. Check on your TV sound output if it is maybe set to Auto / Dolby Digital instead of Passthrough.
3. Also, I have a setting AI sound, which when enabled upmixes everything to 5.1.2 - see if you have the same setting.
Click to expand...
There was no mystery! Showmax is only stereo from my TV's app as well. I must have changed the amp to upmix by mistake while I was testing. Sorry for the confusion.
But I've got some good news in my next post....
 
Update:
After my query was escalated to the relevant department at Multichoice and I described the problem in detail, I received the following reply by email:

"You’re absolutely correct. Your understanding is spot on. If audio elementary stream is carrying 5.1 dolby signaling there should be an equally 5.1 audio stream as well. I’ll discuss with our QC team tomorrow to see if we can test all permutation to try simulate the problem. The details below do help a lot in understanding the problem. I’ll keep you posted on our findings."

Not bad, Multichoice!
 
Ikoon said:
There was no mystery! Showmax is only stereo from my TV's app as well. I must have changed the amp to upmix by mistake while I was testing. Sorry for the confusion.
But I've got some good news in my next post....
Click to expand...
Glad that it is cleared up then. Good news? Always happy for good news
 
Ikoon said:
Update:
After my query was escalated to the relevant department at Multichoice and I described the problem in detail, I received the following reply by email:

"You’re absolutely correct. Your understanding is spot on. If audio elementary stream is carrying 5.1 dolby signaling there should be an equally 5.1 audio stream as well. I’ll discuss with our QC team tomorrow to see if we can test all permutation to try simulate the problem. The details below do help a lot in understanding the problem. I’ll keep you posted on our findings."

Not bad, Multichoice!
Click to expand...
Great! That is an unusual response coming from them. So are they saying that the Showmax app on the Ultra should output in 5.1? What about the app on other platforms? Would be great if it can work everywhere. I don't particularly like using the Ultra's apps...
 
Tector said:
Great! That is an unusual response coming from them. So are they saying that the Showmax app on the Ultra should output in 5.1? What about the app on other platforms? Would be great if it can work everywhere. I don't particularly like using the Ultra's apps...
Click to expand...
I think all they are saying is that the Ultra should not output 5.1 if there is only sound on 2 channels.
The only app on the Ultra I will be using is Disney+ as it is the only media device I own supporting it.
 
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