No bitstreaming support on the Xbox one S ? Really ?

[DavidinCT]

Hey all,

I heard the rumor when they were going to release it but, a few sites have confirmed it. This is mainly for the 4K Blu-ray drive and a major disappointment for people who plan to use the "S" for a home theater setup.

Bitstreaming enables getting direct audio off the discs, this would allow for HD audio formats, like DTS-X, DTS-HD, Dolby Atmos, and TrueHD.

A $320 4K Blu-ray drive supports this, but, the Xbox one "S does not support Bitstreaming, meaning you WONT get HD audio formats, just the down mixed DTS or DD sound tracks.

Watching a Blu-ray or 4K drive is about the experience of it, if your not getting the FULL AUDIO your getting 1/2 of it...

Just a FYI if your getting the Xbox one for the 4K Blu-ray drive mainly...

What a big disappointment....

 

[Maurizio Troso]

Guess you need a 5000 $ surround audio system for listening any difference btwn DTS and DTS-X / Master Audio.

And I'm used to listen to them....

 

[DavidinCT]

Guess you need a 5000 $ surround audio system for listening any difference btwn DTS and DTS-X / Master Audio.

And I'm used to listen to them....

You don't need a $5000 system to listen to it. Do some homework before posting and there is a difference between DTS and DTS:X master....

If Microsoft claims it supports 4K Blu-ray, they don't really, if they don't support all the specs according to the spec sheet for the format.

Stick up for it all you want. Still it's a problem if you have a system that supports it. When a $300 off the shelf 4K Blu-ray player DOES support it.

It's not a good of a deal as I thought...

 

[Chad Bobik]

Totally agree. This is a serious problem that blows my mind. They should have fixed this a long time ago. Almost all blu ray players have been playing these lossless audio tracks for years but not a new xbox one offering an ultra hd player? If you go to Microsoft Xbox forums you can vote against this. There has to be a software update for this.

 

[Krystianpants]

I was playing around with the settings and I could have sworn I saw bitstreaming in the settings.

 

[buzzard75]

So if I understand correctly, Xbox One S doesn't bitstream DTS-HD, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-X or Dolby Atmos. From my research, I also don't believe it supports DTS-X or Dolby Atmos at all. However, it can still decode DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD and send them to your receiver as PCM. Your receiver should be put in some sort of Direct or PCM mode, otherwise you're receiver will most likely be taking the audio and transcoding it into plain DTS or Dolby Surround or whatever mode it's set to. I ran into the same issue with my PS3 a couple years ago not bitstreaming DTS-HD or Dolby TrueHD.

I would prefer my receiver do the decoding rather than a set top box or a console, however, that's personal preference and there is no difference in one doing it over the other as the chipsets are most likely the same. Other devices I have are capable of bitstreaming the HD audio to my receiver. There's no reason why the Xbox One or the S shouldn't be capable of the same. However, is it a question of what's cheaper or what's necessary? I can't imagine hardware and software for one being much cheaper than the other, decoding vs. bitstreaming, in the grand scheme. However, given the Xbox produces more audio than just game or video sounds, i.e. voice chat, notifications, etc., is decoding a requirement so that everything can be mixed properly before being sent to a receiver or TV? That's not something I can answer myself.

 

[buzzard75]

And there you have it! Guess it's coming in a future update as talked about in the Microsoft Surface Event. Supposedly not just for Xbox One S, but all Xbox One's are supposed to get bitstreaming capability. I was debating between a standalone UHD player or an Xbox One S for the living room. I already had a Sony upscaling blu-ray player, which does an excellent job by the way, but with 4k discs now coming out, I figured it was time to start looking into an upgrade. The dilemma was, do I get something that will do Dolby Atmos or do I get something that I can occasionally (rarely) game on? Based on this news, now I can do both.

I have an AVR that's capable, but it's currently setup in a 7.1 configuration. Not having experienced Dolby Atmos before, I wasn't sure if going to a 5.1.2 configuration was even worth it. In-ceiling or enabled/add-on speakers? I have a faux ceiling that's angled and vaulted rather than the recommended 12' flat ceiling, how much of a difference is that going to make if I go with in-ceiling? Do they make wireless in-ceiling speakers so I don't have to run wires? These are the questions I ask myself.

 

[psurob55]

so is this update giving us just atmos? Or complete bitstreaming of audio? Will it get us DTS-HD, True HD, etc?

I am leaning towards a sound bar in our family room for various reasons and I'm still not sure what to get.

 

[buzzard75]

so is this update giving us just atmos? Or complete bitstreaming of audio? Will it get us DTS-HD, True HD, etc?

I am leaning towards a sound bar in our family room for various reasons and I'm still not sure what to get.

I think that's the question everyone is asking. My guess, it will be a setting to bitstream all audio or send PCM. To me, it wouldn't make much sense to only bitstream one type of audio. If you can bitstream Atmos, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to bitstream the others.

 

[buzzard75]

Just watched This Week on Xbox with Major Nelson and he said "bitstream audio pass through including Dolby Atmos support" is coming this spring. I take that to mean bitstreamimg all audio formats.

 

[psurob55]

Since most of the people in this thread are concerned about sound....

Any of you running a soundbar? I listened to a Bose SoundTouch 300 the other day and it sounded good to me. Admittedly, I am not an audiophile. Either way, the price point seemed a bit much, $700 for the bar and $700 for the sub.

The Yamaha Musicast YSP-2700 is a bit less and getting amazing reviews so far.

For the record, the decision to go sound bar is for ease of setup and the presence of small kiddos.

 

[DavidinCT]

so is this update giving us just atmos? Or complete bitstreaming of audio? Will it get us DTS-HD, True HD, etc?

I am leaning towards a sound bar in our family room for various reasons and I'm still not sure what to get.

If they are opening up bit streaming and claim that it will support Atmos, it should open up everything. So we should get all the formats that 4K Blu-ray supports. The People have spoken (this has been an issue on the fourms (AVS)) and Microsoft finally listened.

Cant wait for this update, I'll do some testing with my Day one Xbox one and if all goes I will finally upgrade to an "S" to get 4K Blu-ray.

And for the record... I am not running a sound bar, full 7.1 setup and will upgrade the speakers for Atmos when I can, my AVR supports it fully.

 

[buzzard75]

And for the record... I am not running a sound bar, full 7.1 setup and will upgrade the speakers for Atmos when I can, my AVR supports it fully.

Is going from a 7.1 to a 5.1.2 setup worth it? I have yet to experience true Atmos sound myself.

 

[DavidinCT]

Is going from a 7.1 to a 5.1.2 setup worth it? I have yet to experience true Atmos sound myself.

I don't have it setup in my home right now. A friend of mine has a full Atmos setup with over 10 speakers (I forget the full layout, it's been a little while). We tried a few demos and I was very impressed. A very nice sound field and a really nice effect.

I guess to each their own but, when I have the full support from sources, No question, I will be upgrading, as budget permits of course.

 

[Kathy Shaw]

Xbox One S supported audio formats including Vorbis, Opus, AC-3, DTS, PCM, LPCM, FLAC, ALAC, MLP/Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD, DTS-HD Master Audio is not supported.