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Roughly Drafted: 5.1 audio on Apple TV

Submitted by Merlin on March 30, 2007 - 4:40am.

Ten Myths of the Apple TV: 5.1 Audio

Via my internet puppetmaster, Brian Hogg, comes another very good (and very long) piece from Daniel Eran on the Apple TV that runs down some of the details on 5.1 audio and attempts to clear up some ongoing confusion about what works, what doesn’t, and why.

So really, the Apple TV doesn’t need to decode 5.1 audio, it only needs to hand the surround audio stream to a receiver than can decode those formats. Can it do this…?

In addition to stereo cables, Apple TV also features a Toslink digital optical port. Since we can send raw digital audio data over the Apple TV’s optical output, can’t we send DTS digitally encoded 5.1 as well?

Of course we can. Download a DTS sample file in WAV format, drop it into iTunes, and Apple TV will happily sync it and play it. Unlike Pro Logic audio, it will sound like static over regular stereo speakers, but hooked up to a DTS receiver, it is decoded into 5.1 channels of sound and played back in real DTS 5.1 surround.

I don’t personally have a 5.1 setup so I have no way of verifying this, but I’m curious what you audiophiles are discovering – especially given that some of the Scott Bournes out there have cited lack of 5.1 audio as one reason for holding out on an TV purchase.

Any luck getting 5.1 working satisfactorily with your Apple TV? Is the lack of 5.1 content on iTS a dealbreaker for you?

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Right, so it can play...

Submitted by Al (not verified) on April 1, 2007 - 11:07am.

Right, so it can play 5.1 audio, but just not in a way that’s compatible with 99% of the other content people have (DVDs). And that’s the fault of the receiver manufacturers (who should immediately whip themselves and start supporting AAC 5.1 despite the fact that the aforementioned 99% of the content people will use with their receivers uses DTS or AC3), not Apple. Okayyyyy…. To suggest that people should have to buy a new receiver to get surround sound out of their Apple TV is, frankly, daft.