[Shasoosh]

Hey there,

I've noticed ongoing discussions here regarding cutouts in audio, particularly concerning atoms and builds aimed at addressing these issues. However, to my understanding, these issues should have already been resolved in the latest stable version 21.

I'm a Shield Pro owner with a SONOS Beam 2.0 and two SONOS ONE speakers. My current dilemma revolves around specific Atmos scenes where the sound cuts out for about half a second. Disabling "TrueHD capable receiver" resolves the cutouts, albeit at the expense of losing Atmos capabilities.
An illustrative example of this issue occurs in the movie "Avengers Infinity War TrueHD Atmos 7.1 - FraMeSToR" at the timestamp 22:43.

With Kodi 18.9 on the same hardware, this and other problematic scenes are played as they should when using Atmos.

Sample File: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16ga7zTX...sp=sharing
Debug Log: https://pastebin.com/fqSLsRp4

* The log is from a fresh installation of the MAT Packer version (i have this problem also with the regular public omega version) with one add-on installed - PlexKodiConnect for easy access to my files. The problematic file was also tested locally regardless of Plex.

Appreciate any insights or solutions you might have!

[Hitcher]

Can you provide a sort sample based around that point?

[MrMagic]

Try putting this in your advancedsettings.xml:
 

Code:

<advancedsettings>
  <audio>
    <maxpassthroughoffsyncduration>96</maxpassthroughoffsyncduration>
  </audio>
</advancedsettings>

Alternatively, you could try a build with the new MAT Packer:

https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=377117

[jogal]

Depending on the source of the problem, you may need to make changes in Shield advanced audio settings:

Dolby processing: OFF
Match content resolution: ON
Audio video sync: 0 ms
Play comfort noise on HDMI: OFF

This is Shield specific.


For cuts due audio gaps related directly or indirectly to seamless branching Blu-Ray's or tools to convert these to MVKs you could try this build with new TrueHD packer:

https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=377117


For cuts due your specific setup: HDMI chain, HDMI bandwidth limitation etc.

It's recommended this setup:

Shield ---> AVR/Soundbar ---> TV

instead of:

Shield ---> TV --> AVR/Soundbar

 

With Kodi 18.9 on the same hardware, this and other problematic scenes are played as they should when using Atmos.

Kodi 18.9 has much worse problems related to TrueHD high bitrate spikes. If you think it works well it's because you haven't come across streams that contains TrueHD/Atmos high bitrates e.g. "Free Guy", "Zootopia" and almost all Disney movies...

[Shasoosh]

Thanks for the help.

Sample File: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16ga7zTX...sp=sharing
Debug Log: https://pastebin.com/fqSLsRp4

I'm still experiencing the problem with the MAT Packer version.

The debug log corresponds to the MAT Packer version with the <maxpassthroughoffsyncduration>96</maxpassthroughoffsyncduration>, as suggested earlier. I noticed in your thread that someone mentioned the absence of the term CPackerMAT:: in the logs, which is also missing in mine. However, the log indicates that the file is in TrueHD format. As mentioned in the initial post, disabling 'TrueHD capable receiver' seems to 'fix' the issue, providing 5.1 instead of Atmos. I will review the recommended settings, although I recall confirming them not long ago. I'm uncertain if the problem is related to synchronization, as it consistently occurs at the same time.

Regarding my setup, my Sonos Beam is connected via eARC and has only one HDMI port. I'm unsure how to connect it as follows: Shield ---> AVR/Soundbar ---> TV.

* The log is from a fresh installation with one add-on installed - PlexKodiConnect for easy access to my files. The problematic file was also tested locally regardless of Plex.

Thanks for the help.

[Hitcher]

Sample File: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16ga7zTX...drive_link

Sorry, the file you have requested does not exist.

[Shasoosh]

Sorry. Should be okay now.

[Hitcher]

No dropouts playing it from my NAS connected using NFS. Shield TV Pro > Denon AVR-X2500H > LG CX TV.

[jogal]

Regarding my setup, my Sonos Beam is connected via eARC and has only one HDMI port. I'm unsure how to connect it as follows: Shield ---> AVR/Soundbar ---> TV.

So this is almost certainly the cause of your problem. The TrueHD bitstream is being re-processed by the TV and it is possible that the TV firmware does not understand the new MAT packaging that allows for higher bitrates.

When you use Kodi 18.9, which already limits the TrueHD bitrate, then it works fine (obviously only with files that do not have a higher TrueHD bitrate).

[Shasoosh]

So no way around this?

Do you have sample file with higher bitrate TrueHD that should fail on 18.9? (A release name and a timestamp is fine too.)

[jogal]

"Free Guy" at 0:00:50, 1:34:22 and many others

for more info see this closed issue --> https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/issues/16704 (initially was a crash)

https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/issues/1670...-937170727

And the fix implementation --> https://github.com/xbmc/xbmc/pull/20339

And users confirming that the fix is working and the dropouts are gone --> https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid...pid3065548

[Shasoosh]

Appreciate the insight, @jogal. I tested it again on the 18.9 version with 'Free Guy', and indeed experienced dropouts. However, when I switched to the 21 version, the file played flawlessly. (Both stable and Mat packer versions worked)

What perplexes me is how my TV manages the repackaging with 'Free Guy' but encounters issues with the 'Avengers' sample while using Kodi 21. What sets these two apart?

Are there any alternatives available to me besides replacing my TV or incorporating an AVR into my setup?

[jogal]

• Soundbar with 2 HDMI input/output.
  
• an HDMI audio extractor (may have same issue that TV if it's a bad one).
  
• https://hdfury.com/product/4k-arcana-18gbps/
  

[Shasoosh]

Thanks for the insight. I'll need to look into recommendations for an HDMI audio extractor; it's a new concept for me.

The problem is occurring with an LG NANO90 TV. I also have LG CX and LG C2 models around the house. Have you come across any evidence suggesting that these OLEDs might handle the MAT packaging better? (being such popular models)

Perhaps rearranging the hardware could be a more cost-effective solution.

[jogal]

The only reliable way is:

Shield ---> AVR/Soundbar ---> TV