No Dolby Digital Option on Netflix

[Red Ice Player]

I use a PC to stream Netflix to my receiver through an AMD graphics card using an HDMI cable. When I set the receiver to auto surround, no matter what content I'm watching on Netflix, I get stereo sound. If I want to utilize my center channel and surrounds I have to manually select an analog format such as Dolby Pro Logic. I know that a series such as Marco Polo has Dolby Digital sound encoded, yet I cannot get this format or even an option to select it. Auto Surround works perfectly if I'm using my Shaw box, and most content is in Dolby Digital. I'm wondering if the problem is with my graphics card, which is an AMD Radeon HD 6570, not a high end device, but it claims to deliver HD sound. Definitely a first world problem, but can anyone tell me what I might be doing wrong?

[ricosuave]

If you log in to your account on a PC, go into the settings.

I know that there is an option that rates vid quality based on your internet speed, maybe there is something in there about the sound settings too?

[Red Ice Player]

Thanks. I couldn't find anything in the settings regarding sound, only picture quality. I have the video set for highest quality picture, and have tried the auto setting for picture quality, but this does nothing to the sound. Quite a head scratcher, as the picture quality is fantastic. The sound is great too, but the lack of Dolby Digital is puzzling. I'm running Windows 8.1, which supports Dolby 5.1, yet my sound preferences in Control Panel offer only stereo as an option for my system. Perhaps this isn't merely a Netflix issue.

[RW99]

Are you using the website or app? My understanding the app is the only way on a PC to get 5.1 from Netflix.

[Vulcan]

If you have a smart Blu-ray player, I'd try that as your source as it will feed the highest quality audio available.

[Red Ice Player]

I actually upgraded the driver on my graphics card today. Control panel audio device management now showed 5.1 and 7.1 support and I could send test tones to all my speakers. But when I connected to my receiver, the auto surround setting showed PCM and I could no longer manually select Dolby Pro Logic, making the situation worse. The only manual selection left was stereo. I ended up getting rid of the new driver using system restore. Now I'm back to square one, but at least I can use all my speakers. I have a smart blu-ray player, but I always hated the interface on it. I suppose I could do browsing and searching on my PC and just use the blu-ray player for playback.

[accord1999]

Originally Posted by Red Ice Player

I actually upgraded the driver on my graphics card today. Control panel audio device management now showed 5.1 and 7.1 support and I could send test tones to all my speakers. But when I connected to my receiver, the auto surround setting showed PCM and I could no longer manually select Dolby Pro Logic, making the situation worse.

It may not be what happened with your situation, but HDMI is capable of carry 5.1 over PCM. In theory what could happen is that your computer decodes the audio back to PCM and sends the 5.1 audio as PCM over HDMI to the receiver. The receiver disallows you using Pro Logic because it's meant to process stereo audio into surround audio whiule the audio sent by the computer is already 5.1.

[Red Ice Player]

Originally Posted by accord1999

It may not be what happened with your situation, but HDMI is capable of carry 5.1 over PCM. In theory what could happen is that your computer decodes the audio back to PCM and sends the 5.1 audio as PCM over HDMI to the receiver. The receiver disallows you using Pro Logic because it's meant to process stereo audio into surround audio whiule the audio sent by the computer is already 5.1.

I could see it being something like that. I use the PC mainly as a music server, so being able to run DD is secondary. I used the Blu-Ray as my player last night, and it has no problem with any digital audio format, as Vulcan said. I'll probably continue to tinker though, as I hate being defeated by computers.

[Vulcan]

I tried a couple of times to get DD on both a Nvidia and an AMD card. Never worked but they say it will do HD audio. Maybe something simple but I don't know how it's done.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by RW99

Are you using the website or app? My understanding the app is the only way on a PC to get 5.1 from Netflix.

This is the answer. DD/5.1/DTS etc only works with the Netflix Windows 8 app.

[Igster]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

This is the answer. DD/5.1/DTS etc only works with the Netflix Windows 8 app.

Is there an app for Windows 7? Or will this app run on Windows 7?

I noticed too, streaming will not get you high end audio, regardless of your setup which sucks. I really don't want to go back to the Netflix interface on my BD player which sucks.

[Red Ice Player]

[QUOTE=PsYcNeT;5085387]This is the answer. DD/5.1/DTS etc only works with the Netflix Windows 8 app.[/QUOTE

Have you been able to stream from your PC to a receiver in DD? I would be interested in what kind of card you're using if using HDMI. I thought Netflix was the problem, but it would seem its my PC.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by Igster

Is there an app for Windows 7? Or will this app run on Windows 7?

I noticed too, streaming will not get you high end audio, regardless of your setup which sucks. I really don't want to go back to the Netflix interface on my BD player which sucks.

Nope Windows 8 only, because Win 7 doesn't support Apps and no browser is capable of 5.1/DD out.

Originally Posted by Red Ice Player

Have you been able to stream from your PC to a receiver in DD? I would be interested in what kind of card you're using if using HDMI. I thought Netflix was the problem, but it would seem its my PC.

I do all the time. I have a GTX 980 with HDMI out to my receiver, but it worked fine with a 680 previously as well. You also have to ensure you are selecting the 5.1 audio from the audio options for the movie/show you are streaming in Netflix. As well, you have to ensure in Windows that the Playback Device is set to your TV/receiver, and Configure Speakers is set to 5.1.