DirecTV Stream Audio

[Dr. Venkman]

We’re considering switching from U-verse to DirecTV Stream and are trying out one of DTV’s streaming devices.

For several reasons (mostly channel numbers and regional sports network) DTV Stream, with their Android TV streaming device, is the best option for us.

Our dealer has it added, and it’s running through our LU862 (non-downmixing). The only issue we have is with the audio.

The LU862 is connected to our Triad audio matrix, and when the audio on the streaming device is set to surround, it plays just fine on TV speakers/soundbars, but it won’t play through ceiling speakers. In order to get it to play through ceiling speakers, it must be set to stereo. That all makes sense to me.

But when it’s set to stereo, it is incredibly loud through the TV soundbars (a reasonable volume level is like 4% instead of the normal 25%).

Without the downmixing Leaf, is there a way to either convert the audio to stereo for use in the ceiling speakers (while using surround to the TVs) or lower the level of the stereo output so the volume doesn’t have to be turned down to 4%?

EDIT TO ADD: The audio output options on the device are “Surround when available” and “Stereo only.” It doesn’t mention PCM, or disclose how the surround is formatted.

Worst case, I could program the room’s volume level to set to be 4% whenever the device is selected, but I’d rather not have the useable volume range be like 2-6%.

Thanks for any ideas. 

[TFlury]

Get an HDMI audio extractor with down mixing. Run it between the DTV streaming device and the Leaf matrix. Take the audio directly from the audio extractor and route it into your triad. In C4 either make the binding directly from the DTV device to the triad or put in a dumb driver that has "Can convert signals" checked with HDMI in, HDMI and analog audio out. Make bindings on it just as I described for the physical connections. I do this very frequently for newer Apple TVs when the HDMI matrix does not have down mix and or audio extraction. 

Side note this is intended if your simply using the Leaf for audio extraction and not using the leaf to route Audio.

[Dr. Venkman]

58 minutes ago, TFlury said:

Side note this is intended if your simply using the Leaf for audio extraction and not using the leaf to route Audio.

Thanks.

The HDMI goes into the Leaf, and the RCA audio matrix outputs on the Leaf go into the Triad matrix. Not sure if that’s extraction or routing of audio.

With a setup like you describe:

• There would essentially be two audio streams available to the Triad Matrix. Would the system just choose the stream from the converter over the stream from the leaf (for non-HDMI zones)? Maybe I’m misunderstanding that part.
• If going directly from the streaming device to the audio matrix (via the extractor), I would lose the ability to delay the audio, right? Most of my video sources require a modest delay when playing on ceiling speakers through the audio matrix, and that delay is controlled by the Leaf.

Thanks a bunch. 

[TFlury]

42 minutes ago, Dr. Venkman said:

The HDMI goes into the Leaf, and the RCA audio matrix outputs on the Leaf go into the Triad matrix. Not sure if that’s extraction or routing of audio.

Yes the leaf is currently extracting the audio. I only installed 2 of them but they could extract, matrix and do volume control.

44 minutes ago, Dr. Venkman said:

• There would essentially be two audio streams available to the Triad Matrix. Would the system just choose the stream from the converter over the stream from the leaf (for non-HDMI zones)? Maybe I’m misunderstanding that part.
• If going directly from the streaming device to the matrix (via the extractor), I would lose the ability to delay the audio, right? Most of my video sources require a modest delay when playing on ceiling speakers through the audio matrix, and that delay is controlled by the Leaf.

You would no longer have that connection from the leaf. Only the connection from the Audio extractor. This is assuming the leaf is extracting audio based on HDMI input and not output. If it is based on HDMI output the extractor would go between the Leaf and Triad but the Leaf matrixes I installed were both HDBaseT output.

I know the new triad v2 audio matrixes can do audio delay but not the v1 units. 

A lot of it does have to do with what devices are doing what in your system. Most of the time you can find a spot where the extractor will work.