5.1 / AC3 surround sound with Tablo

At 50-70% CPU usage for transcoding 1 stream, if you were using the HDHomeRun DVR and had to do playback on 2 devices, say 2 Rokus, the conversion of MPEG2 to h.264 video would likely be too CPU intensive to let you watch on 2 devices without issues. So playback would be limited to 1 Roku device at a time.

My whole point was using a NAS running PMS to get playback on a Roku for HDHomeRun is likely not feasible or worth while.

The Roku device does not need to transcode at all. Every single one of my video files plays natively as a Direct Play.

I was specifically talking about using the PMS as a front-end to get playback on Roku devices when using the new HDHomeRun DVR software. The HDHomeRun DVR records in MPEG2 video and does not have native Roku support.

So connect the NAS directly to the TV using HDMI and stream the native MPEG 2 video directly. All current generation NAS from QNPA include the ability to connect to a TV and run apps directly like Kodi or Plex. Then there is NO transcoding still as the stream goes direct to television. There are ten (slight exaggeration) ways to skin this cat.

No argument there.

Just wanted to add my name to the list. 5.1 is the feature that has been holding me back for I’d guess around 2 years now. For me it’s a very important feature! If it was added I would purchase immediately.

Just wanted to mention that I’ve been waiting for Tablo AC3 support for years now… It’s crazy that they still don’t support this…

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You will have surround sound as long as your receiver can decode Dolby Pro Logic, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, or DTS Neo 6. Tablo doesn’t have AC3 support yet, but does an excellent job of downmixing the discreet channels into a matrixed surround format that sounds nearly as good. I really want AC3 support as well, but have been enjoying really nice 7.1 surround using Pro Logic IIx with the matrix encoded signal Tablo currently provides.

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Glad to hear you don’t have any low volume issues with the re-muxed 2.0 audio. Glad to hear that even though you have a workaround, you would still really want AC3 support as well. Hopefully Tablo can eventually provide us with an alternate/non-native AC3 support option.

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Hi, I’m brand new here. So I have a Samsung HT in a box, just a bluray with 5.1 surround speakers. I’m not trying to mess about here, or complain. I am just curious what sound I’m going to get out of TabloTV if I buy one for Christmas this year. My OTA channels now are mostly 720p and have surround sound. However, if I switch back to just using my TV speakers I still get great sound on those channels. However… CBC (I’m in Canada) is very confused, and half of there shows are broadcast in stereo, half in surround. So the stereo broadcasts are so quiet I have to crank up my BR HT volume and the sound still sucks. Is this terrible audio, like CBC sends me, all I’m going to get from TabloTV? Or does the TabloTV somehow at least make it palatable? I don’t care much if it’s real 5.1, I just want to hear what’s going on when I watch TV without having to crank up the volume and only hear voice and no background sounds. Cuz that sucks, really sucks. That CBC broadcast alone, makes me want to just go buy some 2.1 computer speakers for my TV and ditch my Samsung HT.

This is exactly the reason I set my TV to stereo.
Surround sound is great, but sucks if the broadcast is stereo.
TV’s auto volume control also reaks havoc on sound volume from program to program.

Yes, so true. This volume issue happens only when a program comes on that is broadcast in stereo. When the next program comes on and it’s broadcast in 5.1, the volume comes back and it’s no problem.
So if I buy a TabloTV, will all my channels be volume deprived as long as I’m using the Samsung Blu Ray HT?
And if that is the case, would buying a 2.1 speaker system for my TV help in any way? And then just use the TV for sound instead of my Blu Ray?
And lastly, if going with TV for audio does that mean I’ll still get another auto-volume control problem you mention?
Thanks for replying so fast. I’m totally in love with the “idea” of what a TableTV can do for our living room.

Most likely, yes, because the Tablo’s audio is stereo only.

Any stereo speakers for the Tablo is the way to go.
External stereo speakers will probably be better than the built-in TV ones, though.

Undetermined, because it doesn’t seem to affect everyone, and auto volume tends to be the default for TVs that have that feature.
At least, everyone’s not complaining about it.
You should be able to turn off auto volume on your TV, though.
And if you do turn off auto volume, you’ll notice you’ll need to increase your TV volume significantly more than when auto volume was on.

I actually use auto volume on my TV, because it does tend to keep the volume at reasonable levels most of the time.
However, I use this trick that helps my TV volume issues.
Once a program starts, I go to my TV’s audio setup, turn off auto volume, and then turn it back on.
The volume increases.
It’s not like just increasing the volume using your TV remote.
It seems to tune the volume to the device that’s actively connected to the TV.
In my case, a Roku 4.
After the volume is tuned, every TV streaming app I use has better volume levels.
At least, until the next time the TV is turned on again.

Another audio feature some TVs have is a voice volume booster.
On my TV it’s called Clear Voice.
I set Clear Voice to the maximum, and can hear characters’ voices more distinctly, even when loud action sounds occur at the same time.

One last thing, I noticed some programs have much lower sound than you’d expect, even if it’s an episode of a TV series broadcast on the same channel.
For example, older Judge Judy episodes have a much lower volume than later ones.
I always crank up the volume on the older episodes, even after tuning my volume the way I described above.

Thanks for the voice tip. I had never noticed the Clear Voice option. Since we tend to watch programming that is voice intensive rather than action oriented, that is a nice feature. PBS\British programming (even mysteries) that we enjoy through Acorn tend to be speech dominated (conversational in nature).

If your TV does have the Clear Voice option, it can only be enabled when the TV is set to stereo mode.
So, again, stereo mode, wins for me.

Thanks for that awesome response Radojevic. That’s some GOOD advice. I’m going to evaluate changing to a 2.1 external speaker setup for my TV. If I can do that and maintain good volumes, than TabloTV for Christmas may still happen.
And I really appreciate Clear Voice tip. I’m going to look for that as well.
I enjoy watching movies with 5.1 surround, but not at the expense of ruining the rest of my TV experience. 2.1 is great for music and regular television programming anyway.
Thanks

Just putting my 2 cents in here. Wehave a Tablo 4-tuner, Roku 3, and a7.1 LG blu-ray DVD player/tuner from 2007 and we have had no problem with the sound. Now I am not saying it is the best , but we get surround sound. We run the Roku 3 to the tv , then the the tv to the tuner and sound is awesome.

Is there any chance this gets implemented within the next year or two? I was just about to purchase a Tablo until I saw 5.1 was not supported. Huge deal breaker for me.

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I don’t have the heart to tell you. :disappointed:

Not happening. They couldn’t care less about this feature. Sorry to break it to you, I held on for over a year waiting with no progress.

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