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[Q] Use Nexus Q as an external amplifier?

My Nexus Q is slowly collecting dust on my entertainment center. It looks pretty, but being limited to Google Play or YouTube content only just bites. I've already got an iOS device and a receiver that supports Airplay (which quite frankly works much more reliably), so I don't have a reason to leave it plugged in beyond the novelty of it.
What I'd love to do, however, is use for the "audiophile quality" amp it supposedly has in another room with some vintage Bose 301 speakers I have and my desktop PC. Is there any way to get audio in on this thing? It's got optical audio out, would installing CM10 allow me to change that port to optical input instead? Or how about USB, would any hack or rom allow me to plug it into my PC and use it as a USB-Audio device?

splitpea said:
My Nexus Q is slowly collecting dust on my entertainment center. It looks pretty, but being limited to Google Play or YouTube content only just bites. I've already got an iOS device and a receiver that supports Airplay (which quite frankly works much more reliably), so I don't have a reason to leave it plugged in beyond the novelty of it.
What I'd love to do, however, is use for the "audiophile quality" amp it supposedly has in another room with some vintage Bose 301 speakers I have and my desktop PC. Is there any way to get audio in on this thing? It's got optical audio out, would installing CM10 allow me to change that port to optical input instead? Or how about USB, would any hack or rom allow me to plug it into my PC and use it as a USB-Audio device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only thing I could think of would be an app that makes it a Bluetooth audio reciever. But it doesn't appear to have one. Last I tried cm10.1 the amp didn't work. Just HDMI. You could sell it

DVI and USB Audio?

Well, since I don't have a TV with HDMI, I was really hoping I could run my OUYA on my computer monitor with an HDMI to DVI cable. I do get picture, but the resolution is horrible. I've contacted support about this, but have not received a reply in over a month. Apparently I am not the only one with this issue as it can be found all over the support forums. Not sure if it's a resolution issue or HDCP issue or something else, but I'm hoping some enterprising dev can figure it out.
On the same note, since my monitor doesn't have speakers and an HDMI audio extractor is about the same price as the OUYA, it'd be nice to be able to use a USB DAC to output audio to my desktop speakers. Apparently the SGS3 has it enabled, it just isn't in the stock android kernel yet: See Android Issue 24614
Anybody working on this or heard directly from OUYA support?

TopherBarnett said:
Well, since I don't have a TV with HDMI, I was really hoping I could run my OUYA on my computer monitor with an HDMI to DVI cable. I do get picture, but the resolution is horrible. I've contacted support about this, but have not received a reply in over a month. Apparently I am not the only one with this issue as it can be found all over the support forums. Not sure if it's a resolution issue or HDCP issue or something else, but I'm hoping some enterprising dev can figure it out.
Anybody working on this or heard directly from OUYA support?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The resolution isn't an OUYA specific problem, it's the same on many devices. I believe it does have to do with HDCP. I know there are some people out there with similar situations as you that have a converter cable that works, but it's not very common. IMO this is something I believe they never thought would come up was a problem that seems to be more common than not.
And yes, any type of converter box or audio splitter is going to cost you. the HDMI to Component box that I was looking at that I heard works costs 150, so it's not really worth it.
As for the sound over USB, I haven't heard of that yet for OUYA, but I know it was actually part of android starting with 4.1. That does not mean it works with the OUYA, however, as it seems only a few phones/tablets actually have the ability. If you have a micro USB to USB adapter, you might try it through that, but other than that not sure if there's any options.
I was really hoping this thing would have a AUX port, but it doesn't. I know there's some devs working on pushing sound and video from android over a network, but it's still in early stages and as far as I know no one has it working yet.

Really hope someone finds a good workaround. I don't particularly want to buy a TV just for this little box.

Well this is interesting...I just installed CWM, and while in recovery it shows full screen and looks rather nice. This must mean that it's not an inherent problem with my screen or connection, but is something do do with the software. This makes a work-around seem feasible, no?

Just found a reply in the StockPlus thread in the Dev section, but thought I'd repost here since I don't have 10 posts yet and can't reply there:
KyleK29 said:
http://www.amazon.com/Syba-SD-CM-UAU...Syba+USB+Audio
This one, from what I understand it's Android compliant, so it just needs the standard USB Audio modules. I know the Nexus 7 got it working with certain kernels that had the necessary modules loaded. Jellybean was supposed to make this easy, but it's been hit or miss on which ROMs have the files.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same USB audio adapter and it's not working for me either. Really hoping someone cracks this nut.

TopherBarnett said:
Well, since I don't have a TV with HDMI, I was really hoping I could run my OUYA on my computer monitor with an HDMI to DVI cable. I do get picture, but the resolution is horrible. I've contacted support about this, but have not received a reply in over a month. Apparently I am not the only one with this issue as it can be found all over the support forums. Not sure if it's a resolution issue or HDCP issue or something else, but I'm hoping some enterprising dev can figure it out.
On the same note, since my monitor doesn't have speakers and an HDMI audio extractor is about the same price as the OUYA, it'd be nice to be able to use a USB DAC to output audio to my desktop speakers. Apparently the SGS3 has it enabled, it just isn't in the stock android kernel yet: See Android Issue 24614
Anybody working on this or heard directly from OUYA support?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The issue with this is that the Ouya looks for screenmodes of 1920x1080p and 1280x720p in the monitor EDID.
Failing this, it reverts back to a letterboxed 640x480 screenmode.
There's a thread here with more info.

I have an old monitor that runs 1600x900 I use it on next to my computer just to root. If I could make it use 1280x720 and my logitech usb sound card I'd get more use from the ouya as it's now hooked to a shaerd TV. I can run my PS3 and xbox on the monitor at 1280x720 and get sound from the av outputs.
Sent from my rooted Nook HD+

muriani said:
The issue with this is that the Ouya looks for screenmodes of 1920x1080p and 1280x720p in the monitor EDID.
Failing this, it reverts back to a letterboxed 640x480 screenmode.
There's a thread here with more info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good info on that thread, too bad nobody has seemed to make much progress though. My monitor is capable of up to 1920x1200 and supports 1280p and 720p resolutions. Sounds like the solution is either to get the EDID talking correctly, or hack in a way to override the OUYA settings and change the resolution manually.

I am running a HDMI Audio Switch (Ligawo HDMI Audio Switch ~35€) using a hdmi-cable between ouya and switch and a hdmi-dvi cable to connect the switch with my computer monitor. The switch comes with a cinch-output that is connected with my 2.0 Amplifier.
Funnily enough the switch also solves the resolution problem, I still have when connecting the ouya with my monitor via hdmi-dvi cable. Now my monitor runs brilliant on 720p.

shaDNfro said:
I am running a HDMI Audio Switch (Ligawo HDMI Audio Switch ~35€) using a hdmi-cable between ouya and switch and a hdmi-dvi cable to connect the switch with my computer monitor. The switch comes with a cinch-output that is connected with my 2.0 Amplifier.
Funnily enough the switch also solves the resolution problem, I still have when connecting the ouya with my monitor via hdmi-dvi cable. Now my monitor runs brilliant on 720p.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bet the switch provides some EDID spoofing. Most do in order to keep display sources from freaking out when the display is disconnected and reconnected.

Glad to hear it works...hopefully that means it's less of an issue with HDCP and more to do with EDID. I'd rather not have to buy a switch that is almost as expensive as the console itself when DVI and USB audio (in my opinion) should work out of the box. Hopefully the OUYA devs get around to adding support, but I have more hope for the XDA chefs.

Hi.
shaDNfro said:
I am running a HDMI Audio Switch (Ligawo HDMI Audio Switch ~35€) using a hdmi-cable between ouya and switch and a hdmi-dvi cable to connect the switch with my computer monitor. The switch comes with a cinch-output that is connected with my 2.0 Amplifier.
Funnily enough the switch also solves the resolution problem, I still have when connecting the ouya with my monitor via hdmi-dvi cable. Now my monitor runs brilliant on 720p.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just bought such a Ligawo device, and whenever I plug in the HDMI-DVI cable, the OUYA seems to turn off sound via HDMI, seemingly because al that digital stuff is so "clever" it knows that DVI doesn't do sound. At least that's what I think, and one of the customer reviews on the device on Amazon (the link I cannot -yet- post here, grmbl) confirms it, kind of.
You don't have that problem?
Regards,
Karsten

How to get 5.1 audio from Nexus Player

Hello everyone
I have Nexus Player, Tv, And Denon 1508 audio receiver
For now I have such seturp- the HDMI from Nexus goes to tv, and then with 2 cords goes to receiver
Is there any way to get 5 chanel audio out of hdmi? Maybe some splitter to get sound out of hdmi to optical / coaxial inputs? Any other ideas?

myshyak said:
Hello everyone
I have Nexus Player, Tv, And Denon 1508 audio receiver
For now I have such seturp- the HDMI from Nexus goes to tv, and then with 2 cords goes to receiver
Is there any way to get 5 chanel audio out of hdmi? Maybe some splitter to get sound out of hdmi to optical / coaxial inputs? Any other ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your receiver has no HDMI inputs, you'll have to convert/split the HDMI signal. Monoprice sells just such a box for around $35:
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=101&cp_id=10114&cs_id=1011412&p_id=10251&seq=1&format=2
Good luck.
edit: I looked up your receiver and it seems to have 2 HDMI inputs (and one monitor/output to send to your TV). Is there any reason why you don't have the Nexus Player hooked up to your Denon via HDMI so it can decode your 5.1 audio directly?

It has hdmi imputs, but only as the switch, it can't take audio from there, unfortunately
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Free mobile app

Thanks for link, it is exactly what I need
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Free mobile app

Does your TV not have optical outs? I plug my np into TV and take optical outs to receiver and works great.

volwrath said:
Does your TV not have optical outs? I plug my np into TV and take optical outs to receiver and works great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most TV optical outs will only give you 2.0 PCM stereo. With the above box, it'll passthrough the original Dolby Digital and/or DTS 5.1/7.1 signal to your receiver for it to decode. Due to bandwidth limitations, optical cannot support PCM 5.1, so DTS-HD Master Audio or DD TrueHD would be out, but it'd pass the embedded DTS and DD signal from those.

i havent had the chance to pick up the player yet, as it is not out in the uk, but i hope that 5.0 support for USB DAC's will make it work with one of these and an otg cable
http://www.turtlebeach.com/product-detail/sound-cards-accessories/audio-advantage-micro-ii/31

Elrondolio said:
Most TV optical outs will only give you 2.0 PCM stereo. With the above box, it'll passthrough the original Dolby Digital and/or DTS 5.1/7.1 signal to your receiver for it to decode. Due to bandwidth limitations, optical cannot support PCM 5.1, so DTS-HD Master Audio or DD TrueHD would be out, but it'd pass the embedded DTS and DD signal from those.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good points. My receiver is old and doesn't do dts-hd or truehd.

Same Issue
I am having a similar issue, I have the nexus player connected to an hdmi to spdif splitter. HDMI continues onto the TV, the spdif cable goes to a Sonos Playbar. I tried the same setup with my xbox 360 and was able to get 5.1 surround out of the sonos. But with the Nexus Player I am having no luck, I am just getting stereo audio. Anyone have any ideas?

XBMC will convert 5.1 signals to Dolby Pro Logic 2 which you can decode with your receiver for 5.1 sound.
Let's just hope that you're playing local media.

I made another thread, didnt see this before hand. Anyways my np is connected hdmi to the tv (so is everything else) and then optical out from tv to receiver . and surround is not working from np.
Everything else (xbox and what not) 5.1 works just fine

Giroyac said:
I made another thread, didnt see this before hand. Anyways my np is connected hdmi to the tv (so is everything else) and then optical out from tv to receiver . and surround is not working from np.
Everything else (xbox and what not) 5.1 works just fine
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is a pretty rare TV that will output anything but 2.0 LPCM from sources connected to it via HDMI, even if those HDMI sources were passed DD and DTS - almost all TVs will decode and mix those streams down to stereo 2.0 LPCM for optical out to receiver. Internal TV sources are usually broadcast in Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1 over optical (such as Samsung Hub apps, etc), but external HDMI devices are almost always another story. However there are a few select TV sets that will indeed passthrough DD and DTS signals via external HDMI over its optical out, so maybe you have one.
One thing for absolute sure: the SPDIF standard (both optical and coaxial) does NOT has the bandwidth to pass 5.1 LPCM, no matter what the source (internal or HDMI). That is most likely the issue you are having with the Nexus as many apps will be transmitting uncompressed 5.1 LPCM over HDMI to receiver/TV.
One way to verify your set for sure is to install kodi on the Nexus. In kodi settings, make sure you select 5.1 channel output and enable passthrough for both Dolby Digital and DTS. The HDMI will then pass both of those signals unmolested to your TV, assuming your source DD and DTS in mkv's etc. If your TV is indeed a rare set that passes HDMI DD and DTS to its optical out, you should get the Dolby Digital and DTS signals from kodi at your receiver (with the optical connection from your TV). If kodi-hdmi-optical-receiver is receiving LPCM 2.0, it is indeed like most and downmixing internally.
Good luck.

Elrondolio said:
It is a pretty rare TV that will output anything but 2.0 LPCM from sources connected to it via HDMI, even if those HDMI sources were passed DD and DTS - almost all TVs will decode and mix those streams down to stereo 2.0 LPCM for optical out to receiver. Internal TV sources are usually broadcast in Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1 over optical (such as Samsung Hub apps, etc), but external HDMI devices are almost always another story. However there are a few select TV sets that will indeed passthrough DD and DTS signals via external HDMI over its optical out, so maybe you have one.
One thing for absolute sure: the SPDIF standard (both optical and coaxial) does NOT has the bandwidth to pass 5.1 LPCM, no matter what the source (internal or HDMI). That is most likely the issue you are having with the Nexus as many apps will be transmitting uncompressed 5.1 LPCM over HDMI to receiver/TV.
One way to verify your set for sure is to install kodi on the Nexus. In kodi settings, make sure you select 5.1 channel output and enable passthrough for both Dolby Digital and DTS. The HDMI will then pass both of those signals unmolested to your TV, assuming your source DD and DTS in mkv's etc. If your TV is indeed a rare set that passes HDMI DD and DTS to its optical out, you should get the Dolby Digital and DTS signals from kodi at your receiver (with the optical connection from your TV). If kodi-hdmi-optical-receiver is receiving LPCM 2.0, it is indeed like most and downmixing internally.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the informative reply, so what it is the best way to connect this to get 5.1 surround ?my surround system is basically a home theater blue ray player, is it even possible ?
---------- Post added at 09:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:07 AM ----------
Elrondolio said:
It is a pretty rare TV that will output anything but 2.0 LPCM from sources connected to it via HDMI, even if those HDMI sources were passed DD and DTS - almost all TVs will decode and mix those streams down to stereo 2.0 LPCM for optical out to receiver. Internal TV sources are usually broadcast in Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1 over optical (such as Samsung Hub apps, etc), but external HDMI devices are almost always another story. However there are a few select TV sets that will indeed passthrough DD and DTS signals via external HDMI over its optical out, so maybe you have one.
One thing for absolute sure: the SPDIF standard (both optical and coaxial) does NOT has the bandwidth to pass 5.1 LPCM, no matter what the source (internal or HDMI). That is most likely the issue you are having with the Nexus as many apps will be transmitting uncompressed 5.1 LPCM over HDMI to receiver/TV.
One way to verify your set for sure is to install kodi on the Nexus. In kodi settings, make sure you select 5.1 channel output and enable passthrough for both Dolby Digital and DTS. The HDMI will then pass both of those signals unmolested to your TV, assuming your source DD and DTS in mkv's etc. If your TV is indeed a rare set that passes HDMI DD and DTS to its optical out, you should get the Dolby Digital and DTS signals from kodi at your receiver (with the optical connection from your TV). If kodi-hdmi-optical-receiver is receiving LPCM 2.0, it is indeed like most and downmixing internally.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh and in xbmc i chose 5.1 but theres nothing in regards to passthrough setting or what not.

Elrondolio said:
It is a pretty rare TV that will output anything but 2.0 LPCM from sources connected to it via HDMI, even if those HDMI sources were passed DD and DTS - almost all TVs will decode and mix those streams down to stereo 2.0 LPCM for optical out to receiver. Internal TV sources are usually broadcast in Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1 over optical (such as Samsung Hub apps, etc), but external HDMI devices are almost always another story. However there are a few select TV sets that will indeed passthrough DD and DTS signals via external HDMI over its optical out, so maybe you have one.
One thing for absolute sure: the SPDIF standard (both optical and coaxial) does NOT has the bandwidth to pass 5.1 LPCM, no matter what the source (internal or HDMI). That is most likely the issue you are having with the Nexus as many apps will be transmitting uncompressed 5.1 LPCM over HDMI to receiver/TV.
One way to verify your set for sure is to install kodi on the Nexus. In kodi settings, make sure you select 5.1 channel output and enable passthrough for both Dolby Digital and DTS. The HDMI will then pass both of those signals unmolested to your TV, assuming your source DD and DTS in mkv's etc. If your TV is indeed a rare set that passes HDMI DD and DTS to its optical out, you should get the Dolby Digital and DTS signals from kodi at your receiver (with the optical connection from your TV). If kodi-hdmi-optical-receiver is receiving LPCM 2.0, it is indeed like most and downmixing internally.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks alot. You caused me to research my Samsung TV and I have found that I am only received prologic over my tv now i am going to have to buy an receiver.

Giroyac said:
Thanks for the informative reply, so what it is the best way to connect this to get 5.1 surround ?my surround system is basically a home theater blue ray player, is it even possible ?
Oh and in xbmc i chose 5.1 but theres nothing in regards to passthrough setting or what not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In XBMC/kodi, you need to select either the advanced or expert option at the bottom of the settings dialog before you can see more setting options on each page. I believe the DD and DTS passthrough setting is revealed when you choose advanced.
As for getting 5.1 (compressed DD or DTS) to an older receiver that only has SPDIF optical or coaxial inputs: as posted above there are inexpensive $35 intermediate boxes that can split the DD and DTS signals from an HDMI input and send those along to an additional SPDIF output, as well as sending the original HDMI video/audio along via HDMI out to your TV.
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=101&cp_id=10114&cs_id=1011412&p_id=10251&seq=1&format=2
Or, if you have multiple HDMI sources and want one HDMI out to TV as well as one SPDIF output to your receiver:
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=101&cp_id=10110&cs_id=1011002&p_id=7974&seq=1&format=2
If your original sources are guaranteed to only be sending 2.0-5.1 Dolby Digital and/or DTS (as well as up to 2.1 LPCM), such a box will work great. This includes streaming most local or NAS sources via mkv's, etc through Plex or XBMC/kodi. If you are feeding any HDMI sources that contain uncompressed 5.1 LPCM or Dolby Digital Plus, etc, it'd only pass 2.0 LPCM from those sources over optical/coaxial. You'd need a more expensive box that can do the same as above but additionally re-encode all signals to 5.1 Dolby Digital before sending out over optical/coaxial if you needed/wanted 5.1 LPCM, AAC, DD+, etc sources to be in 5.1 over optical.
tl;dr: you don't have to replace your older receiver if you are streaming local media sources of up to 5.1 Dolby Digital or DTS. If you want to support online sources that may stream DD+ or uncompressed 5.1 LPCM, however, a more expensive converter box will be needed than above or, in most cases a better idea, you'd need to upgrade your receiver.
---------- Post added at 09:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:15 AM ----------
volwrath said:
Thanks alot. You caused me to research my Samsung TV and I have found that I am only received prologic over my tv now i am going to have to buy an receiver.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See above post... you may not need a new receiver depending on your needs.

Elrondolio said:
In XBMC/kodi, you need to select either the advanced or expert option at the bottom of the settings dialog before you can see more setting options on each page. I believe the DD and DTS passthrough setting is revealed when you choose advanced.
As for getting 5.1 (compressed DD or DTS) to an older receiver that only has SPDIF optical or coaxial inputs: as posted above there are inexpensive $35 intermediate boxes that can split the DD and DTS signals from an HDMI input and send those along to an additional SPDIF output, as well as sending the original HDMI video/audio along via HDMI out to your TV.
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=101&cp_id=10114&cs_id=1011412&p_id=10251&seq=1&format=2
Or, if you have multiple HDMI sources and want one HDMI out to TV as well as one SPDIF output to your receiver:
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=101&cp_id=10110&cs_id=1011002&p_id=7974&seq=1&format=2
If your original sources are guaranteed to only be sending 2.0-5.1 Dolby Digital and/or DTS (as well as up to 2.1 LPCM), such a box will work great. This includes streaming most local or NAS sources via mkv's, etc through Plex or XBMC/kodi. If you are feeding any HDMI sources that contain uncompressed 5.1 LPCM or Dolby Digital Plus, etc, it'd only pass 2.0 LPCM from those sources over optical/coaxial. You'd need a more expensive box that can do the same as above but additionally re-encode all signals to 5.1 Dolby Digital before sending out over optical/coaxial if you needed/wanted 5.1 LPCM, AAC, DD+, etc sources to be in 5.1 over optical.
tl;dr: you don't have to replace your older receiver if you are streaming local media sources of up to 5.1 Dolby Digital or DTS. If you want to support online sources that may stream DD+ or uncompressed 5.1 LPCM, however, a more expensive converter box will be needed than above or, in most cases a better idea, you'd need to upgrade your receiver.
---------- Post added at 09:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:15 AM ----------
See above post... you may not need a new receiver depending on your needs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Holly crap dude, that must've been the best response I've got on any thread on any forum.
Thanks a lot.
So since from your previous replies you mentioned the nexus player uses 5.1 lpcm in many of the apps (which im assuming includes google play, netflix and what not) im either stuck buying the expensive splitter thing or a new receiver.
To be honest, i dont think either would help, since my main concern was watching show box movies with surround. Which i recently learned doesnt have 5.1 audio regardless. I guess same applies to xbmc (depending on what is streaming and if it does 5.1 or not)
Does what i said kind of makes sense to you ? I apologize for my noobness

Giroyac said:
Holly crap dude, that must've been the best response I've got on any thread on any forum.
Thanks a lot.
So since from your previous replies you mentioned the nexus player uses 5.1 lpcm in many of the apps (which im assuming includes google play, netflix and what not) im either stuck buying the expensive splitter thing or a new receiver.
To be honest, i dont think either would help, since my main concern was watching show box movies with surround. Which i recently learned doesnt have 5.1 audio regardless. I guess same applies to xbmc (depending on what is streaming and if it does 5.1 or not)
Does what i said kind of makes sense to you ? I apologize for my noobness
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Yes, what you wrote makes sense and isn't noobie at all. There are some addon streams that XBMC/kodi can pass 5.1 from to your receiver, but you are correct that the vast majority of streams are indeed only in stereo or, at best, Pro Logic. As for Netflix and Google Play over the NP: I'm not sure what it streams as I've been on the road so much and haven't had the time with the NP to check it out. Some on these boards are saying that Netflix is only sending 2.0 LPCM on the Nexus right now. I'm sure someone else can chime in with more direct NP testing. If your main concern is getting a ripped media collection in 5.1 over an older receiver, the converter box applies. Otherwise, it does not.
Take care.

Elrondolio said:
Thanks. Yes, what you wrote makes sense and isn't noobie at all. There are some addon streams that XBMC/kodi can pass 5.1 from to your receiver, but you are correct that the vast majority of streams are indeed only in stereo or, at best, Pro Logic. As for Netflix and Google Play over the NP: I'm not sure what it streams as I've been on the road so much and haven't had the time with the NP to check it out. Some on these boards are saying that Netflix is only sending 2.0 LPCM on the Nexus right now. I'm sure someone else can chime in with more direct NP testing. If your main concern is getting a ripped media collection in 5.1 over an older receiver, the converter box applies. Otherwise, it does not.
Take care.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went to my TV manual, and confirmed that it does not send DD over optical from external HDMI, and none of the apps will give DD..... except Kodi. On the .mkvs I have that are encoded DD, Kodi appears to be passing 5.1 DD just fine through my TVs toslink. It is lighting up the DD light and coming through in surround, but so far its the only app I have found to do this. Neither netflix nor google movies nor any games I have found will light up DD.
Any thoughts on how further to test it or do you have any apps that should be DD? Can you confirm Google movies is in DD? I bought an HDMI converter tonight but cancelled the order until I figure out what is going on. Its not very impressive that Google left a lot of apps without DD.

volwrath said:
I went to my TV manual, and confirmed that it does not send DD over optical from external HDMI, and none of the apps will give DD..... except Kodi. On the .mkvs I have that are encoded DD, Kodi appears to be passing 5.1 DD just fine through my TVs toslink. It is lighting up the DD light and coming through in surround, but so far its the only app I have found to do this. Neither netflix nor google movies nor any games I have found will light up DD.
Any thoughts on how further to test it or do you have any apps that should be DD? Can you confirm Google movies is in DD? I bought an HDMI converter tonight but cancelled the order until I figure out what is going on. Its not very impressive that Google left a lot of apps without DD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The same here Kodi is the only app passing DD and DTS everything else including plex does stereo only.

WhiteWidows said:
The same here Kodi is the only app passing DD and DTS everything else including plex does stereo only.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This may be the biggest issue with the NP to date! Even the older GoogleTV passed DD.

Use Nexus Player in Car?

So I was thinking I would like to use a nexus Player or raspberry pi in my car as my current cars music player is crap (I cant stream music through my Bluetooth)..So a couple questions for you smart guys. One my car uses rca for the aux screen input, if i use a HDTV Mini Composite 1080P HDMI to RCA Audio Video AV CVBS Adapter Converter would this play nice with the nexus screen size?
Also I have a nexus 5x can I use my phone as a hotspot tether for the player?
Thanks for the input guys

dillyoee said:
So I was thinking I would like to use a nexus Player or raspberry pi in my car as my current cars music player is crap (I cant stream music through my Bluetooth)..So a couple questions for you smart guys. One my car uses rca for the aux screen input, if i use a HDTV Mini Composite 1080P HDMI to RCA Audio Video AV CVBS Adapter Converter would this play nice with the nexus screen size?
Also I have a nexus 5x can I use my phone as a hotspot tether for the player?
Thanks for the input guys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The NP will be able to run fine while tethered... I've used my G4 to give my NP internet access and watched 1080p movies just fine. The NP is just like any other android device in regards to connecting to an available WiFi network(in this case provided by your hotspot)
As for using a NP in a car setup rather than a Pi? I'm not sure you are going to enjoy either to be honest. I've tried some creative car audio/visual installs but learned it is not ideal(or safe) to rely on a remote for control. Touch/voice controlled configuration is best for day to day use.
As for will down-converting your digital video output to use with rca cables work?
Probably.... But the NP is still going to think its outputting digital, and you will surely experience some issues. The NP already has some over-scanning issues on older hdtv's. Not to mention the androidTV launcher isn't designed for a car sized display......
Just my 2 cents I guess. Try it and please report your experience with it:thumbup:

Thanks Bud...Not worried about safety I dont even look at my phone when I drive. Its more to have a decent media player for music and have google maps on display when I need it. My display is a 7" no touch....If I did a root and did something like a cm mod could I fix re-sizing issues with the display?
Thanks again
Just trying to find out options for my car with the crap oem nissan media

They are starting to make stereo's that will mirrorcast your phone... but that doesn't seem as fun lol. I'm not opposed to the NP as a car computer idea. You might want a small bluetooth keyboard with trackpad to use in conjunction as the remote.. or maybe not.

What is the best a/v receiver for the nvidia shield tv?

Hi there. I have the Nvidia Shield TV Pro and have been having trouble finding the right receiver.
First I purchased a Sony STRDH550 5.2 Channel 4K AV Receiver, and found out that it cannot handle 4K upscaling (which the Nvidia Shield TV does according to Sony) Technically it worked, but what would happen is the screen goes black then will show the input on tv. Almost like someone unplugs the HDMI and then reconnects. Best way I have thought of naming this is an HDMI Blink. It happens numerous (10 to 15 times) per day. So according to Sony this receiver was only 4K passthrough capable, which actually didn't even work, I had to connect shield directly to TV and use ARC for sound.
Second, I purchased an Onkyo Thank you-NR636 7.2 Ch -- which is advertised as 4K passthrough and 4K upscale capable. I still have the HDMI blink, but now it is not as often (2-3 times) per day.
The TV I'm using is a Vizio M50-C1 and is 4K HDMI 2.0 HDCP 2.2.
It has 4 30Hz HDMI ports and 1 60Hz HDMI port.
The only way I can get ULTRA 4K to play from Netflix is to connect it to the 60Hz port.
The other 30Hz ports are labeled 4K, and when connected will play with audio/video but will not broadcast in 4K. I do not understand this, so if anyone could shed some light that would be great. (I've tried every troubleshooting step I could think of) ie. unplugging all cables and plugging them back in sequence. After connection unplugging the power on the Shield TV and re plug. (Same with receiver and TV) I've tried other sources on the receiver and tried every HDMI port/input.
So I'm thinking of returning this Onkyo Receiver and purchasing a better/more expensive one. I would appreciate anyones feedback on their experience with the Nvidia Shield TV and 4K Receiver/TV.
Has anyone been able to get full 60Hz 4K and 720/1080 Upscaling from Receiver to TV to operate without any problems?
Are there any Receivers you could recommend to me that can handle this properly? Thanks for your help.

I cant answer your question directly as I haven't used 4k receivers, but have you considered that the HDMI cable could be faulty?

Unfortunately I already replaced both the HDMI cables with brand new gold plated HDMI 2.0 4K cables.

I might be able to shed some light.
Firstly it doesn't sound like your HDMI cable. There's actually no such thing as a HDMI 2.0 cable. It's the devices that are HDMI 2.0, and will work with any high speed HDMI cable.
Always plug a 4K device into a 60hz HDMI if possible. That way if any of the apps, or even the home screen want to run at 50hz or 60hz you won't experience a problem. Obviously if it's plugged into the 30hz port, the picture will disappear when the device outputs anything above 30hz.
You don't actually want your AVR to upscale your picture. Your 4K TV will do it automatically, and TV's generally do a better job than AVR's.
As for the HDMI blink, I'm not entirely sure (I've not actually plugged my shield into my 4K TV yet) it could be when the system switches resolutions, eg 4K to 1080p. The screen needs a little time to process the new source. My TV does that when my PC is hooked up, and I switch between a 4K desktop environment and a 1080p game.
If it's any help my AVR has no problem with any 4K material I've thrown at it. I use a Pioneer VSX 930.

The Shield TV, like all modern Nvidia devices, has a built in upscaler. No need for an external one and in fact, extra processing is likely to degrade gaming experience.
Using ARC is actually a good solution although that has the disadvantage of requiring the TV to be on just to listen to music.

martyn3000 said:
I might be able to shed some light.
Firstly it doesn't sound like your HDMI cable. There's actually no such thing as a HDMI 2.0 cable. It's the devices that are HDMI 2.0, and will work with any high speed HDMI cable.
Always plug a 4K device into a 60hz HDMI if possible. That way if any of the apps, or even the home screen want to run at 50hz or 60hz you won't experience a problem. Obviously if it's plugged into the 30hz port, the picture will disappear when the device outputs anything above 30hz.
You don't actually want your AVR to upscale your picture. Your 4K TV will do it automatically, and TV's generally do a better job than AVR's.
As for the HDMI blink, I'm not entirely sure (I've not actually plugged my shield into my 4K TV yet) it could be when the system switches resolutions, eg 4K to 1080p. The screen needs a little time to process the new source. My TV does that when my PC is hooked up, and I switch between a 4K desktop environment and a 1080p game.
If it's any help my AVR has no problem with any 4K material I've thrown at it. I use a Pioneer VSX 930.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the information. It's actually really helpful. Those were all things I was wondering but not sure. Another question for you; I primarily use the shield remote and not the controller. If I have the shield connected to the receiver with pass through, and I try to adjust the volume with the shield remote it does not work. It says this app is set for surround sound please use the tv remote to adjust the volume. Is this normal? On my previous receiver that didn't happen. I could adjust the volume with the shield remote. Any thoughts?

NiHaoMike said:
The Shield TV, like all modern Nvidia devices, has a built in upscaler. No need for an external one and in fact, extra processing is likely to degrade gaming experience.
Using ARC is actually a good solution although that has the disadvantage of requiring the TV to be on just to listen to music.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The arc solution does work. I get 4K video etc. but it still has the HDMI blink when playing non 4K content. The only solution so far I have found us to use the 30hz input on the TV, which eliminates the HDMI blink. Then when I way to watch 4K content, switch it back to the 60hz port.
I haven't tried changing the Nvidia HDMI settings to use the (less than 60hz) option. I think it's 27hz or something like that.

Does the TV work fine with another 4K source like a PC? You might also want to try a shorter and/or different brand of HDMI cable.

I have t tried another source. I'm not even sure my PC does 4K. Would I need a 4K graphics card? I will definitive try a different cable. I had previously used a gold plated cable that was a few years old, and that's when I noticed the HDMI blink. So I purchased two new ones from Amazon. I'm pretty sure they are the right ones, but would like to reassure if anyone knows.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NQ9OQU2/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

those should work, but if you are looking for a great AV receiver to use with this, I just bought a yamaha 2050, and everything works great!
http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-RX-A2050-9-2-Channel-MusicCast-Bluetooth/dp/B00YMN6E7O

mikie00mike said:
Thank you for the information. It's actually really helpful. Those were all things I was wondering but not sure. Another question for you; I primarily use the shield remote and not the controller. If I have the shield connected to the receiver with pass through, and I try to adjust the volume with the shield remote it does not work. It says this app is set for surround sound please use the tv remote to adjust the volume. Is this normal? On my previous receiver that didn't happen. I could adjust the volume with the shield remote. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HDMI control is a fickle beast. I find it works with some devices and not others. It could just be the combination of Shield and AVR you currently have.
I wouldn't be changing your AVR primarily on it's ability to function with your Shield though.

mikie00mike said:
I have t tried another source. I'm not even sure my PC does 4K. Would I need a 4K graphics card? I will definitive try a different cable. I had previously used a gold plated cable that was a few years old, and that's when I noticed the HDMI blink. So I purchased two new ones from Amazon. I'm pretty sure they are the right ones, but would like to reassure if anyone knows.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NQ9OQU2/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have a 650 or above GPU (Kepler), it supports 4K output.

I have just overcome some 4k UHD issues with my Shield TV which are similar to the ones you described.
The main problem is HDCP 2.2....
This is what I found out.
Some time last year the HDCP standards were changed to require any 4K 60hz display to only accept a 4K 60hz UHD signal if it was wrapped in HDCP 2.2. Put simply - this means if any device in the connectivity chain is not HDCP 2.2 compatable you will not get a 4K 60hz UHD picture on your display.
For me this was a problem because my HDMI 4K UHD switch was not HDCP 2.2, and my LG 55EG960v refused the non-hdcp2.2 signal, so the shield TV would auto re-connect @ 1080p beacuse the connectivity chain was incompatible....
4K UHD Netflix requires HDCP 2.2, which is why it will only connect/work on the single HDMI input on your TV rated for 4k 60hz hdcp2.2...
The only way to guarantee a working 4K 60hz UHD signal is to ensure all your equipment is HDCP2.2 certified, or do some clever duplex routing.
Unitl this year HDCP2.2 equipment at reasonable prices was very scarce, but LIGAWO is a german manufactuer who seems to have just released a whole range of HDCP2.2 routers/switches/splitters etc (at reasonable consumer level prices).... I am sure there will be many more suppliers soon.
The rule of thumb I would use is - Unless the specification clearly states the device/equipment is HDCP2.2 compatable - don't go near it.....
I really, really hate DRM....
PS: It sounds like may not need to replace your expensive AV reciever, and what you want to achieve could be done through duplex routing. Happy to have a PM discussion if that would help. I currently run 5 consoles, 1 STB, 1Shield TV, 1 PC, and Chromecast audio, all with a Yamaha DSP Soundbar/Reciever (which is only HDMI 1.4 compatable), into 1 TV, and still can get 4k UHD 60hz + 7.1 HD audio.... So it can be done without replacing your AV reciever.

THIS IS AWESOME!! Thanks so much for this. Would you mind if I PM you later tonight when I get home from work? So would I also need a new router? Right now I have an Asus RTAC66U dual band. I also have a WD My Cloud EX4 that I stream videos from, would that need to be replaced also? I will PM you later if ok. Thanks again.
MintyTrebor said:
I have just overcome some 4k UHD issues with my Shield TV which are similar to the ones you described.
The main problem is HDCP 2.2....
This is what I found out.
Some time last year the HDCP standards were changed to require any 4K 60hz display to only accept a 4K 60hz UHD signal if it was wrapped in HDCP 2.2. Put simply - this means if any device in the connectivity chain is not HDCP 2.2 compatable you will not get a 4K 60hz UHD picture on your display.
For me this was a problem because my HDMI 4K UHD switch was not HDCP 2.2, and my LG 55EG960v refused the non-hdcp2.2 signal, so the shield TV would auto re-connect @ 1080p beacuse the connectivity chain was incompatible....
4K UHD Netflix requires HDCP 2.2, which is why it will only connect/work on the single HDMI input on your TV rated for 4k 60hz hdcp2.2...
The only way to guarantee a working 4K 60hz UHD signal is to ensure all your equipment is HDCP2.2 certified, or do some clever duplex routing.
Unitl this year HDCP2.2 equipment at reasonable prices was very scarce, but LIGAWO is a german manufactuer who seems to have just released a whole range of HDCP2.2 routers/switches/splitters etc (at reasonable consumer level prices).... I am sure there will be many more suppliers soon.
The rule of thumb I would use is - Unless the specification clearly states the device/equipment is HDCP2.2 compatable - don't go near it.....
I really, really hate DRM....
PS: It sounds like may not need to replace your expensive AV reciever, and what you want to achieve could be done through duplex routing. Happy to have a PM discussion if that would help. I currently run 5 consoles, 1 STB, 1Shield TV, 1 PC, and Chromecast audio, all with a Yamaha DSP Soundbar/Reciever (which is only HDMI 1.4 compatable), into 1 TV, and still can get 4k UHD 60hz + 7.1 HD audio.... So it can be done without replacing your AV reciever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

So does this mean 650 or above GPU is for the receiver or media player? When you say 650 does that handle 4K passthrough, as well as full 4K upscaling from 480/720/1080p content?
NiHaoMike said:
If you have a 650 or above GPU (Kepler), it supports 4K output.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

In the PC you're using as a source, to rule out the Shield as the problem. And yes, any Kepler or newer GPU (including the one built into the Shield) will upscale all the way to 4K, although the smaller ones won't be able to handle the most advanced algorithms. But unless you're a hardcore videophile, you'll be hard pressed to tell the difference between how well a high end GPU upscales as opposed to how well a smaller GPU upscales. Not surprising given that image scaling is just one of the most fundamental parts of 3D rendering.

mikie00mike said:
THIS IS AWESOME!! Thanks so much for this. Would you mind if I PM you later tonight when I get home from work? So would I also need a new router? Right now I have an Asus RTAC66U dual band. I also have a WD My Cloud EX4 that I stream videos from, would that need to be replaced also? I will PM you later if ok. Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I pm'd you some stuff.

Minty or Mike may I get a copy also please?
Minty I PMd you
Thanks!
mikie00mike said:
THIS IS AWESOME!! Thanks so much for this. Would you mind if I PM you later tonight when I get home from work? So would I also need a new router? Right now I have an Asus RTAC66U dual band. I also have a WD My Cloud EX4 that I stream videos from, would that need to be replaced also? I will PM you later if ok. Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

thruster999 said:
Minty or Mike may I get a copy also please?
Minty I PMd you
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have updated my config since I sent the details last, but I still duplex (or send multiple signals of the same HDMI source) to bypass the HDCP restrictions so I can continue to use my older soundbar. Picture with notes attached. Shout if you need anything more.