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[lightsout]

Hi I just got a NUC to replace a Sony blu ray player. My main intention is to stream High Res audio in FLAC format from another PC.

I have that working but the files on the NUC when played are coming out as stereo. I would like JRiver to keep the sample rate the same but just convert to PCM so that my Denon x1400 can accept them. This is what the Sony did and they played fine.

I am not sure what to change and where on the NUC to have it playback as I would like. Please advise

[RoderickGI]

Are you using a JRiver Id NUC? You might find answers in this forum: https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/board,42.0.html

If you are using a Windows NUC with MC for Windows on it, how are you outputting the audio? HDMI? USB? TOSLink?
Also if a Windows based NUC, and if you have MC24, better to post in this forum: https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/board,56.0.html

A search of the forum might find the answers as well.

Disclaimer: I don't have a NUC, so I'm just throwing out ideas and bumping your thread for you. 

[lightsout]

Are you using a JRiver Id NUC? You might find answers in this forum: https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/board,42.0.html

If you are using a Windows NUC with MC for Windows on it, how are you outputting the audio? HDMI? USB? TOSLink?
Also if a Windows based NUC, and if you have MC24, better to post in this forum: https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/board,56.0.html

A search of the forum might find the answers as well.

Disclaimer: I don't have a NUC, so I'm just throwing out ideas and bumping your thread for you. 

Sorry its a windows NUC and I am using HDMI, basically I'm trying to figure out how in windows to output mulit channel FLAC to PCM, keeping the audio otherwise untouched.

And I have searched a lot and can't seem to find this specific answer.

[RD James]

I don't know if it still applies to the current models, but I seem to recall that many NUCs don't support multichannel audio via HDMI?
Open up the Windows' Sound Control Panel and select "Configure Device" on your HDMI output.
You should have the option to set it to 5.1 or 7.1 if the device supports it.
If that option is missing I would try updating the drivers, but it's likely that it's unsupported.

[lightsout]

I don't know if it still applies to the current models, but I seem to recall that many NUCs don't support multichannel audio via HDMI?
Open up the Windows' Sound Control Panel and select "Configure Device" on your HDMI output.
You should have the option to set it to 5.1 or 7.1 if the device supports it.
If that option is missing I would try updating the drivers, but it's likely that it's unsupported.

What? No way. It has Intel Iris graphics which definitely support it. Would JRiver be selling these devices if it couldn't do it (for the record I am using a standard windows based NUC).

I always forget about the speaker layout thing because I am used to bitstreaming everything. I will have to try that when I get home.

[lightsout]

I would think that this would be a common use for JRiver since many folks don't have an amp that can play some flac directly. I hope the problem is just my speaker setup.

[BillT]

Multi channel audio over HDMI is a potential nightmare. If the receiving device doesn't give the right handshake the source will only output 2 channels, however many it is capable of. Had this problem with the Mac mini which I use for video playback. HDMI would only allow 2 channel output, in the end I had to get an expensive Meridian 621 which fixed the issue for me when other options didn't.

Of course, this is probably a red herring, as any good receiver should be giving the right handshakes.

[RoderickGI]

RD James is correct that it does seem to be an issue with a NUC playing multichannel audio over HDMI. Checking the Sound Control Panel is sound advice. (Pun intended!)

A quick search of the forum for "HDMI Audio Intel" found this: https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,115807.0.html
With the linked thread here: https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,115706.0.html

This post and it's associated thread shines some light on Intel's issues with audio via HDMI on an iGPU: https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,114843.msg794487.html#msg794487

It seems to be a driver problem, which isn't surprising. Intel seem to be having trouble creating good drivers for their iGPUs that support the latest audio and video formats.

It could be that the driver isn't seeing the capabilities of the Denon correctly, so it defaults back to stereo. One solution might be to insert one of those "HDMI Healer" type products between your PC and the Denon, so that the driver always sees what you define it to see, such as 5.1 or 7.1. That would be a bit experimental though, and would have a cost involved if your don't have and can't beg/borrow/steal such a device.

Frustrating isn't it? Multichannel audio over HDMI should just work. In fact, HDMI should just work, but it often doesn't.

Maybe there is more information elsewhere on the internet somewhere.

[lightsout]

RD James is correct that it does seem to be an issue with a NUC playing multichannel audio over HDMI. Checking the Sound Control Panel is sound advice. (Pun intended!)

A quick search of the forum for "HDMI Audio Intel" found this: https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,115807.0.html
With the linked thread here: https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,115706.0.html

This post and it's associated thread shines some light on Intel's issues with audio via HDMI on an iGPU: https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,114843.msg794487.html#msg794487

It seems to be a driver problem, which isn't surprising. Intel seem to be having trouble creating good drivers for their iGPUs that support the latest audio and video formats.

It could be that the driver isn't seeing the capabilities of the Denon correctly, so it defaults back to stereo. One solution might be to insert one of those "HDMI Healer" type products between your PC and the Denon, so that the driver always sees what you define it to see, such as 5.1 or 7.1. That would be a bit experimental though, and would have a cost involved if your don't have and can't beg/borrow/steal such a device.

Frustrating isn't it? Multichannel audio over HDMI should just work. In fact, HDMI should just work, but it often doesn't.

Maybe there is more information elsewhere on the internet somewhere.

Thank you, like I said most of my experience has been bitstreaming for home theater usage, so that has been easy for years. Finally have a decent audio setup to care about how the sound is output.

Another thing I am seeing is that the sample rate is being changed to 48hz. (I think thats what it was) Regardless of what the song actually is. I may have to check those settings as well.

[RoderickGI]

I just found and ran the Entech Monitor Asset Manager 2.9 utility, and while it must be a little out of date because it didn't report my TV screen resolution capabilities correctly, missing the 4K resolutions, it did report the audio information below.

As you can see, my Sony TV supports 6 channels over HDMI. I have a direct connection to the TV for video display, so it is reading the TV data directly. My audio is sent to a Receiver via a TOSLink connection, encoded as 5.1 DD, but that shouldn't matter in this analysis.

I just set up a MC Zone to play to the TV via HDMI, turned off "Output Format" in DSP settings so it will play PCM, played a 6 channel movie and the MC Audio Path showed 6 channel in, 6 channel out. That was expected because I am using a nVidia 1060 video card, but it shows that the utility reports the TV's capability correctly.

See what the utility, or something similar, reports for your TV. (Assuming you also have a TV connected.) It may also report the Denon x1400 capabilities if you have the HDMI going via the Denon x1400. i.e. PC > Denon x1400 > TV. You had a Blu-ray player, so I assume there is a TV in the mix somewhere. If not, you may be able to find a HDMI analyser somewhere that isn't specific to monitors.


CE audio data (formats supported)
  LPCM    6-channel, 16/20/24 bit depths at 32/44/48/88/96/176/192 kHz
  AC-3    6-channel,  640k max. bit rate at 32/44/48 kHz
  DTS     6-channel, 1504k max. bit rate at 32/44/48 kHz

CE speaker allocation data
  Channel configuration.... 5.1
  Front left/right......... Yes
  Front LFE................ Yes
  Front center............. Yes
  Rear left/right.......... Yes
  Rear center.............. No
  Front left/right center.. No
  Rear left/right center... No
  Rear LFE................. No

[lightsout]

Sorry folks I just needed to set the sound settings to 5.1 and set the sample rate to 192. It now sends both accurately!