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[tbng]

I have always used WASAPI, and the setting "open device for exclusive mode" has always been checked in my setup.  It is not the issue.

[thecrow]

Pretty sure the Inner and Height channels are not typically stored in a 7.1 file.  The are usually generated within the receiver. They can be stored in a higher level file format.

Here is the normal order in a file for a 7.1 file


 1   Front Left - FL
 2   Front Right - FR
 3   Front Center - FC
 4   Low Frequency - LF
 5   Surround Left - SL
 6   Surround Right - SR
 7   Back Left - BL
 8   Back Right - BR

Note that the terms Surround (or Side) and Back sometimes get interchanged. But the 5/6 positions are for the speakers in a typically 5.1 setup and the 7/8 positions are for the additional speakers in a 7.1 setup, which are typically behind the listener.

Although not very common the Sony SDDS format used the inner front speakers in its file format, which is what I was thinking of.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Dynamic_Digital_Sound

[dtc]

Although not very common the Sony SDDS format used the inner front speakers in its file format, which is what I was thinking of.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Dynamic_Digital_Sound

According to the Wikipedia article, there was never a home-theater version of SDDS. It was a commercial only product.

[thecrow]

OK here is another example then 4.0.
Is that LF, RF, LS, RS or is it L, C, R, S?

[RD James]

I have always used WASAPI, and the setting "open device for exclusive mode" has always been checked in my setup.  It is not the issue.

So if you manually select 2.0 in DSP Studio your processor receives a 2 channel input, and if you select 5.1 it receives a 5.1 input, but when you select "source number of channels" it always receives a 5.1 signal?

OK here is another example then 4.0.
Is that LF, RF, LS, RS or is it L, C, R, S?

That's 4.0 and 3.1.
I don't think I've ever seen a 3.1 source in a 4 channel container; always inside a 5.1 signal (6 channels) with empty rear channels.
I have a couple of 3.0 Blu-rays which are stored in a 3 channel DTS-HD container, but no 4 channel discs.

[dtc]

OK here is another example then 4.0.
Is that LF, RF, LS, RS or is it L, C, R, S?

This example seems like it is as much a receiver/DAC issue a anything else. It is not an order issue.  As Kal says above, putting 4.0 into a 5.1 wrapper is a solution that avoids such issues.

This has gotten too far off topic to be useful, at least for me.

EDIT : IF S stands for Sub, I agree with RDJames. If it stands for Surround (Side) then it is a very unusual format.  S is usually Surround or Side in these discussions. Sub should be called LFE or Sub for clarity.

[tbng]

For R D James

You wrote, "So if you manually select 2.0 in DSP Studio your processor receives a 2 channel input, and if you select 5.1 it receives a 5.1 input, but when you select "source number of channels" it always receives a 5.1 signal?"

1. If I use source number of channels, two-channel sources play as expected but multi-channel records will not.  When I try playing a multi-channel recording with source number of channels engaged, JRiver demands I change to a two-channel zone configuration and offers to do it for me if I click yes but never does it send out a 5.1 package.

[kr4]

This seems to be the issue here. I am not currently set up to test this, but do others see the same thing? That Source Number of Channels will not play back a multi-channel source?  This does not seem right to me. Could it be an HDMI issue with the Meridian HD621 HDMI interface?

Not in my experience.  I no longer have an HD621, so I cannot refresh and confirm.

[Hendrik]

For video playback, LAV Audio automatically puts any "odd" layouts into a standard layout container by adding empty channels, which should avoid such issues, would such an option for audio help?
ie. 3.0/4.0/4.1/5.0/etc would all become 5.1, and 6.0 would become 6.1 or 7.1 (6.1 is sometimes badly supported as well, and very few people actually have a rear/surround center).

Of course this might still prevent an external processor to process a 3.0 signal as it was 3.0, instead it would see a 5.1 signal, but most processors would likely not be able to do anything with 3.0 or 4.0 anyway, but only stereo.

Another possibility would be having an option to disable re-mixing of stereo streams, and only mix anything with more channel into the selected output format - which should also achieve what people seem to be asking for here.

[thecrow]

EDIT : IF S stands for Sub, I agree with RDJames. If it stands for Surround (Side) then it is a very unusual format.  S is usually Surround or Side in these discussions. Sub should be called LFE or Sub for clarity.

S stands for mono surround and is NOT an unusual format at all it is the original Dolby Surround format and was used on movies before Dolby 5.1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolby_Pro_Logic

A list of standard speaker layouts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surround_sound#Standard_speaker_channels

[RD James]

For R D James

You wrote, "So if you manually select 2.0 in DSP Studio your processor receives a 2 channel input, and if you select 5.1 it receives a 5.1 input, but when you select "source number of channels" it always receives a 5.1 signal?"

1. If I use source number of channels, two-channel sources play as expected but multi-channel records will not.  When I try playing a multi-channel recording with source number of channels engaged, JRiver demands I change to a two-channel zone configuration and offers to do it for me if I click yes but never does it send out a 5.1 package.

That sounds like your issue is that you haven't got 5.1 playback working at all via Media Center, not that anything else is the problem.
You need to get that working first. I'd start by checking that your device is configured to the maximum number of channels that it supports in Windows' Sound Settings. (right-click the speaker in the system tray and select playback devices)
 

For video playback, LAV Audio automatically puts any "odd" layouts into a standard layout container by adding empty channels, which should avoid such issues, would such an option for audio help?
ie. 3.0/4.0/4.1/5.0/etc would all become 5.1, and 6.0 would become 6.1 or 7.1 (6.1 is sometimes badly supported as well, and very few people actually have a rear/surround center).

Of course this might still prevent an external processor to process a 3.0 signal as it was 3.0, instead it would see a 5.1 signal, but most processors would likely not be able to do anything with 3.0 or 4.0 anyway, but only stereo.

If I understand this correctly, this would be a new option in addition to "Source Number of Channels" which would be something like "Source Number of Channels (common formats only)" which would basically see Media Center change the output between 2.0, 5.1, and 7.1 where appropriate?
That could work well without making the configuration overly complicated.
 
Thinking about the problem some more though, do most people actually want "Source Channels" or are they really only looking for stereo sources to be output as 2.0 and multichannel sources to match their speaker layout?
The easier solution for this may be a checkbox below the mixing options which is "Output a 2.0 signal for stereo sources" which would then let you specify whether the system is 5.1, 7.1, or anything else, in the "Channels" selection.

EDIT: I see that you added a similar comment to your post. That's probably what people are actually asking for.

S stands for mono surround and is NOT an unusual format at all it is the original Dolby Surround format and was used on movies before Dolby 5.1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolby_Pro_Logic

Aren't these matrixed formats which present themselves as a 2 channel signal?

[tbng]

For R. D. James

You wrote:

"That sounds like your issue is that you haven't got 5.1 playback working at all via Media Center."

That is incorrect.  As I have stated on several occasions throughout this thread:

1. Multi-channel playback from JRiver works PERFECTLY on my system but ONLY if I first select a zone in JRiver defined with 5.1 channels out.  If I try to play a multi-channel recording using a zone defined with "source number of channels," JRiver refuses to do it and demands I (or it) switch to a two-channel zone.

2. Two-channel playback from JRiver works PERFECTLY in my system but ONLY if I first select a two-channel output zone either configured with two channels or "source number of channels.

3. Playing two-channel recordings via a 5.1 zone setting does work but is unacceptable because JRiver still outputs a 5.1 package with three channels containing no data.  That limits me to stereo playback because my surround processor still sees a 5.1 package and therefore will not engage two-channel DSP processing.  Regardless of the brand, this is how all DSP surround processors function.

4. Ergo, JRiver works PERFECTLY in my system.  The problem is that JRiver cannot play two- and multi-channel recordings consecutively without manual intervention to change the output zone.  "Source number of channels" does not function as its title implies it should.

I just want JRiver to keep playing music sans manual intervention with the desired results and keep playing until I tell it to stop whether the recordings are all two-channel, all multi-channel, or a mixture of the two.  That is, after all, the working definition of a playlist.

My suggestion is that if the output zone is defined as multi-channel and the source is only two channels, JRiver should dynamically switch the output to two channels.  This could either be by default as Roon has chosen to do or by an optional setting.  I would be happy to beta test this.

[RD James]

1. Multi-channel playback from JRiver works PERFECTLY on my system but ONLY if I first select a zone in JRiver defined with 5.1 channels out.  If I try to play a multi-channel recording using a zone defined with "source number of channels," JRiver refuses to do it and demands I (or it) switch to a two-channel zone.

So if you disable Zone Switch, and change that zone from "5.1 channels" to "Source Number of Channels" in DSP Studio without making any other changes you are no longer able to play 5.1 files in it?

[tbng]

That is correct.  Source number of channels has never worked with multi-channel sources.

[tbng]

Before we go further, please clarify what you mean by "disable zone switch."

[Fitzcaraldo215]

Then the issue is that your DAC does not handle the unmapped input correctly, not that Media Center is doing anything wrong.
As I explained earlier in this topic, this is because DACs are typically 'dumb' devices that map channels 1:1 while AVRs and Sound Cards will remap channels automatically based on the input format.
Media Center will do that remapping itself if your playback device does not support it, if you select a specific output format such as 5.1 or 7.1 rather than "source channels".

I don't think so, and it is not a question of right or wrong.  There is no sense arguing that JR is right by literal, textbook definition if many users are having a problem.  It is a question of compatibility with most files and with most user Mch setups.  Those setups might use HDMI, USB, Wasapi Exclusive mode, ASIO drivers or something else.

JR is in fact mapping the channels, but doing so incorrectly under certain circumstances, as with the file Channels tag value on Mch SACD = variably 5 or 6, which is being used in Source Number of Channels.  This assumes, of course, that one is not bitstreaming Mch codecs from video files, like DTS HDMA, which any DAC could not handle anyway.  Those would not be mapped physically to channels until they are decoded in a processor.

There may be rare, unusual Mch formats, some hypothetical rather than real.  I don't think formats on video media have been the source of many user difficulties. I think the Mch SACD issue is probably the most prevalent because both 5.0 and 5.1 are about equally common.

But, I no longer have a problem myself as a result of using Zoneswitch between 5.1 and 7.1 zones and forgetting about Source Number of Channels.  The effect on playlists is irrelevant to me, since I never include 7.1 videos in my music =  FLAC and SACD playlists.  And, stereo works fine for me too within both of my zones as 2.1, even comingled with Mch in the playlist. 

[dtc]

I do not have a multi-channel setup, but just tried a Windows 8 laptop with HDMI with a Yamaha receiver.  I put 5.1 and 2.0 PCM files into playing now and played them, with Source Number of Channels set. Each time playback switched cleanly between the different formats with no errors. And I got appropriate 2 channel or 5.1 in the speakers. The files were both PCM files.  I did have to use Direct Sound rather than WASAPI but I think that is an issue with my laptop.

So, it seems, that switching between 2.0 and 5.1 using Source Number of Channels is not a general problem and is probably specific to your setup.

[RD James]

Before we go further, please clarify what you mean by "disable zone switch."

Right-click any of your zones, bring up the Zone Switch configuration, and disable it so that it does not route any of your files to another zone.

That is correct.  Source number of channels has never worked with multi-channel sources.

The only thing you should be doing is:
1) Play a 5.1 (6-channel) file in your desired zone.
2) Stop playback, open DSP Studio, and change the output from "5.1 channels" to "source number of channels".
3) Hit the play button again.

The output being sent to your device should not be changing at all.

• 5.1 Channels
  
• Source Channels
  

If that still isn't working, please upload a screenshot showing the Audio Path when a 5.1 track is playing.
I can't think of a reason why a zone would be able to play 5.1 tracks when DSP Studio has the Output Format set to "5.1 channels", but cannot play those same 5.1 tracks when it is set to "Source Number of Channels".

JR is in fact mapping the channels, but doing so incorrectly under certain circumstances, as with the file Channels tag value on Mch SACD = variably 5 or 6, which is being used in Source Number of Channels.

When you select "source number of channels" you are telling Media Center not to do any channel mapping. It passes that task on to the playback device.
If you send that to a 'dumb' device like a DAC, the channel mapping will be wrong because a DAC typically will not do any remapping. Media Center isn't getting the channel mapping wrong, the playback device is.
When playing to a device like a DAC you need to specify the output format in DSP Studio so that Media Center does the channel mapping instead.
 
This is why I think that Hendrik's suggestion to add a checkbox that outputs stereo files as a 2.0 signal may be the best solution.
That way you can have Media Center remap multichannel formats, but pass through stereo formats, rather than having to pass through everything to the playback device.

[tbng]

Same problem.  Works fine in 5.1, but when I change to source number of channels, JRiver will not play it and demands I change to a two-channel output.  ZoneSwitch was on but is now off.

Where do I find the Audio Path of which you wanted a screen shot?

[RoderickGI]

1. If I use source number of channels, two-channel sources play as expected but multi-channel records will not.  When I try playing a multi-channel recording with source number of channels engaged, JRiver demands I change to a two-channel zone configuration and offers to do it for me if I click yes but never does it send out a 5.1 package.

Could this scenario be happening here?

Source number of channels set in Zone being used.
A two channel track is played by the user.
The Meridian 861V8 detects the Stereo signal, switches to stereo, and performs its DSP.
Playback of stereo is stopped by the user, or the track finishes.
A Mch track is played by the user.
MC detects a Mch track, but knows that the output device, a  "HD621 (Intel(R) Display Audio [WASPI]" is a stereo device. MC can't play a 5.1 track to a stereo device, so offers to change the track to 2 channel for playback.


Basically, could the Meridian 861V8 be telling MC what channel count it is set to, rather than the channel count it is capable of?

If the example above were reversed and a Mch track was played first, say 5.1, then a 2.0, MC would be happy to play a 2.0 track to a 5.1 device in a zone set to Source number of channels. The Meridian 861V8 should then detect the 2.0 channel track from MC and switch to 2.0 channels for playback, also turning on DSP.


Just a thought to explore.

[Fitzcaraldo215]

Meridians are rare birds.  But, even there, I think you are way off the mark of what is happening.  A Meridian just absolutely does not stop play by JRiver in order to do DSP.

[tbng]

The Meridian HD621 is an HDMI switch with multiple inputs and one digital output.  It does no DSP but transmits the digital signal via a single set of non-HDMI cables to the 861V8 (or other Meridian processor) where the DSP audio processing is accomplished.  Based on how it acts with other sources, it sees any number of channels passed to it.  I believe blaming the HD621 for any of this is going down the wrong path.

[RoderickGI]

Sorry guys, I Copy/Pasted the wrong Meridian component when I wrote that, and I wrote it in a hurry. I have updated my post above. Re-read it and see what you think.

This is nothing to do with blame. It is about understanding what is happening, and hence resolving your issue.

My understanding, and what Hendrik has written above, is that MC needs to know the capability of the target audio device. If it is asked to send 5.1 channel audio to a device that it believes only has stereo capability, then MC will offer to send it as stereo, which is exactly what you have reported as the observed behaviour.

1. Configured with "source number of channels," JRiver cannot and will not playback a multi-channel source but demand that the user change to a two-channel output configuration to continue.  The name implies that it functions as an automatic channel selection setting, but it does not.

MC won't switch to the source 5.1 channels when it believes it is playing to a stereo device.

In fact, having the Meridian HD621 between the MC PC and the Meridian 861V8 may have an influence on MC's capability to determine what the target audio device is capable of. Because tbng, you did say;

P.S.  In both zone configurations, the output device used in my JRiver setup is "HD621 (Intel(R) Display Audio [WASPI]".  "HD621" refers to a Meridian HD621 HDMI interface that acts as the DAC in this case, although it sends the signal still in digital format to a Meridian 861V8 where the actual D-to-A conversion is accomplished.

So MC doesn't see the Meridian 861V8 as the output device it is playing to, but in fact, sees the Meridian HD621 as the target device. HDMI connections are fickle things, and adding in an HDMI switch could well be confusing MC.

Because it is the Meridian 861V8 processor that must communicate its capabilities when the source number of channels changes, and it must detect a stereo signal and engage DSP processing.

I do not want to listen to two-channel recordings merely in stereo but want to engage DSP processing to create virtual surround.  To do that, the processor must see a two-channel input.  If the processor sees a 5.1 input, even if three of the channels contain zero data, it will assume discrete multi-channel input and not engage applicable DSP processing.

Is the Meridian 861V8 communicating its capabilities correctly to MC via the Meridian HD621 when the source number of channels changes?

[RD James]

I believe blaming the HD621 for any of this is going down the wrong path.

You should remove it and connect to your AVR directly. Process of elimination.

[BillT]

The 861 doesn't have HDMI inputs so can't be directly connected. That's what the HD621 is for.

[RD James]

The 861 doesn't have HDMI inputs so can't be directly connected. That's what the HD621 is for.

Ah, I didn't realize that.
 
I would try playing a track with 5.1 channels selected, and make note of the output in Audio Path; e.g. 24-bit (Padded).
Then use those settings manually in Tools > Options > Audio > Device Settings and see if that gets "Source Number of Channels" working.
 
If it still isn't working, try disabling WASAPI Event Style.
I wouldn't expect that to be the problem, since it works when a 5.1 output is selected, but it's already strange that selecting 5.1 works, when playing a 5.1 track and selecting "Source Number of Channels" does not.

[kr4]

The 861 doesn't have HDMI inputs so can't be directly connected. That's what the HD621 is for.

That is true but the connections between the 861 and the 621 are software-based and their nature is determined by the Meridian set-up program.  In effect, then, the HD621 "knows" the features of the 861 connections.

[RoderickGI]

The Meridian 861V8 does have a USB input though, so the Meridian HD621 could be eliminated from the audio chain for testing by using that, direct connecting the MC PC to the Meridian 861V8. I have to assume that there is a USB driver for the Meridian 861V8 if it has a USB input, or more likely that it would be detected as a USB Audio device if connected. It might need some configuration using MConfig though.

Of course, the issue could be with the Meridian 861V8 itself, selecting an input profile and sticking to it, or telling MC it is a Stereo device even though it could change to a Mch device.


Or if you are not willing to try a USB connection and you have another device connected to the Meridian HD621 via a second HDMI port:

1. Set MC to use "Source number of channels".
2. Play a stereo file and check that the Meridian 861V8 recognises the input and switches on its DSP. Stop playback or wait until it finishes.
3. With the other HDMI turned on, switch the HD621 to the input for that device.
4. Wait one minute to ensure that the HDMI connection completes its handshake correctly.
5. Switch the HD621 back to the MC PC HDMI input.
6. Wait one minute to ensure that the HDMI connection completes its handshake correctly.
7. Play a Mch file from MC to the HD621 and check if the Meridian 861V8 recognises the input and plays the file without trying to activate its DSP.

Did that work? Or did you see the MC message about selecting stereo output?

[kr4]

The Meridian 861V8 does have a USB input though, so the Meridian HD621 could be eliminated from the audio chain for testing by using that, direct connecting the MC PC to the Meridian 861V8. I have to assume that there is a USB driver for the Meridian 861V8 if it has a USB input, or more likely that it would be detected as a USB Audio device if connected. It might need some configuration using MConfig though.

The USB input will not support multichannel.  If it had, I would probably have kept it.

Of course, the issue could be with the Meridian 861V8 itself, selecting an input profile and sticking to it, or telling MC it is a Stereo device even though it could change to a Mch device.

Not if all is working as it should.  I used the 861v8/HD621 (HDMI) for years with my PC-based server running MC.  It distinguished stereo from MCH all the time without any change in connection or configuration.

[RoderickGI]

If it worked for you with Mch files, and without MC asking to switch 5.1 audio to stereo, then maybe there is a problem with the setup of tbng's Meridian 861V8. There does seem to be a lot of options and settings in MConfig.

MC doesn't ask to switch to stereo unless it thinks the output device is a stereo only device.

In fact I tried to create the error tbng has reported, which I'm sure I have seen before and specifically asks a user if MC can switch to stereo output, and I couldn't on my stereo system. Windows kept taking my 5.1 output and downmixing it to stereo, or just playing the first two channels only, without any message from MC. Even though I had Exclusive Access turned on for my motherboard soundcard connected to stereo speakers and set as stereo in Windows Playback Devices configuration.

The best I could do was to get the "Something went wrong with playback" message, which only occurred with;
In Media Center:
Source Number of channels (No upmixing or downmixing).
No output encoding.
Open Device for Exclusive Access turned on.
EDIT: "Options > Audio > Advanced > Auto configure output settings on playback error" set to: Ask. (Maybe that function isn't working at the moment? I should be prompted to changed settings on the error below.)

In the Windows Playback device:
Configured as a Stereo device.
Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device off. (So MC tries to take control and can't.)

I then get the error below. Note that I was using a 5.1 Movie file to test, as I don't have a 5.1 audio file on my stereo workstation here.





So tbng, could you produce the error message you get when you try to play a Mch file to the Meridian HD621 and post an image of it here? Ta.

[RD James]

I think we need to see images of Audio Path when a 5.1 file is playing correctly, and an image of the error received when the output is changed from "5.1 channels" to "source number of channels".

The best I could do was to get the "Something went wrong with playback" message, which only occurred with;
In Media Center:
Open Device for Exclusive Access turned on.

In the Windows Playback device:
Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device off. (So MC tries to take control and can't.)

That should prevent playback on any audio device.
If you disable exclusive access, you can't play back audio using exclusive access.

[tbng]

The Meridian 861V8 does have a USB input though, so the Meridian HD621 could be eliminated from the audio chain for testing by using that, direct connecting the MC PC to the Meridian 861V8. I have to assume that there is a USB driver for the Meridian 861V8 if it has a USB input, or more likely that it would be detected as a USB Audio device if connected. It might need some configuration using MConfig though.

Of course, the issue could be with the Meridian 861V8 itself, selecting an input profile and sticking to it, or telling MC it is a Stereo device even though it could change to a Mch device.

The USB input on the 861v8 is only two-channel.  How I wish it were multi-channel.

[RoderickGI]

I think we need to see images of Audio Path when a 5.1 file is playing correctly, and an image of the error received when the output is changed from "5.1 channels" to "source number of channels".

I agree.

Where do I find the Audio Path of which you wanted a screen shot?

tbng, have you found the Audio Path in MC now? https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Audio_Path

That should prevent playback on any audio device.

Yeah, I know. I was trying to get MC to propose changing a 5.1 file output to 2.0. I'm sure I've seen that message before, when the "Auto configure output" setting was set to Ask. Couldn't produce it with a Video file. Need to get a 5.1 FLAC onto this PC to see if I can make it happen. I believe I need to have Exclusive Access turned on for the whole audio path, or Windows will step in and ruin things.

[dejanm]

I have a similar problem. In some playlists I have a mixture od SACD 2CH and SACD 6 CH files. In a DSP settings I set the output to 2 Channel as my DAC (using ASIO driver) is only a 2 channel DAC. I am also using JMRSS Mixing (recommended). My intention is clear: I would like that JRiver passes 2 channel DSD signal to the output as it is but in case of 6 channel signal to downmix it to a 2 channel. The later does not work and I get an error saying that my DAC does not support 6 channel output (which I know).

My question is: how to activate downmixing of the 6 channel DSD stream to a 2 channel DSD stream ?

[RoderickGI]

Set the Output Format for the Zone to 2xDSD in Native Format?

This is an old thread that I'm not going to read back through. Describe your environment here at least, or start a new thread and do so there.

Answer the question in my signature if they are relevant.

[Awesome Donkey]

Also worth noting that if you're bitstreaming DSD, downmixing won't work while bitstreaming either.

The best way around this that I can think of is to create a new zone and use the ZoneSwitch feature (which you can set it up to detect multichannel DSD content using something like [Compression]=[DSD] [Channels]=>2 for the search). From there set Output Format up like Rod mentioned above using Output Encoding set to whichever DSD option you want to use and set Channels set to 2. Do note that any conversion (which downmixing would be) goes through a PCM conversion step, so in that case it'd be DSD > PCM > DSD, and it's always a lossy conversion.

The alternatives would be letting MC convert the multichannel DSD content to PCM and playing that back (since it goes through a PCM conversion step anyways if doing the above) or just not playing back multichannel content completely to avoid this issue.

[dejanm]

These proposed solutions are not very practical. I would rather live with this error than to have to switch between different zones in the middle of the playlist. But if I understood it correctly, the claim is that in the case of DSD it is not possible to do any downmixing ... ?

By the way the environment is:

Windows 10 1909 (Build 18363.720)
MC26 - 56

[Awesome Donkey]

Can't downmix DSD without doing any conversions and it's not possible to downmix while bitstreaming DSD.

Using ZoneSwitch with a special zone setup for converting/downmixing multichannel DSD would make things easy and automatic. Like I said, the DSD conversion/downmix is a lossy conversion and it has to go through a PCM step regardless if you're converting DSD to DSD (so DSD > PCM > DSD) or DSD to PCM.

So it's up to you whether or not doing that would be worth it or not. If not it'd probably be best to avoid multichannel DSD content.

[rec head]

If you aren't familiar with Zones in MC vs Zones in an AVR they aren't anything alike. I have a Bitstream Zone setup so that anything I have tagged as Atmos/DTS:X will bitstream so my AVR can decode them. Everything else (audio and video) plays through my "normal" Zone where everything is converted by MC and sent LPCM to the AVR. All switching is done automatically. What is mentioned above is basically the same but you will have a 2ch and a 6ch Zone setup and a Zone Switch rule on when to do the auto-switching.

Zones are more like groups of settings for outputs than different locations.

[dtc]

I believe it is still the case that ZoneSwitch does not work in playlists.