Windows 10: Spatial sound windows sonic and dolby atmos for headphones/home theater settings are not...

cSir someone has tampered my windows 10 PC's spatial sound coding feature... Since yesterday I am unable to upscale any Dolby digital; Dolby digital plus; Dolby true HD content into full Dolby atmos. Even though I have enabled Dolby atmos for headphones via the Dolby Access app, the thing it is decoding is only content created in Dolby Atmos. For example, when I play the given demo content in Dolby access app, I can see a message that "Dolby Atmos for headphones in use" and rest of the time when I play any normal 5.1 or 7.1 content outside of the Dolby access app, I can't see that message and the output is only stereo without any spatial sound rendering. When I download Dolby atmos or Dolby vision trailers or buy a Dolby cinema movie from Microsoft films and tv Store, in that case, Dolby atmos is actively decoding but in the rest of the times, I'm getting only stereo. Same problem with Dolby atmos for home theatre too... When I used HDMI 1.5 and connected my pc with Onkyo Dolby atmos AVR, I can apply Dolby Atmos for home theater option in spatial sounds tab in windows 10 similar to that of Dolby atmos for headphones that I applied but the input signal in the receiver is reading only as stereo when I play ac3, eac3 files. Again if I play a Dolby atmos 5.1.4 file, then the input signal is reading as Dolby atmos. What to do sir? Why the up scaler not working in my win 10 pc, in spatial sound settings? IMP this problem persists even with generic Microsoft audio drivers. Dolby access version 3.2.169.0

By the way TX-RZ920 Onkyo is my AV receiver. Now when I play a 5.1 or 7.1 movie and pass it through HDMI cable from my pc, it shows the incoming signal as “stereo” But when I played test tone file for 5.1.4 then it shows the incoming signal as ” Dolby atmos” But when I have played the same 5.1 or 7.1 movies on my pc, 1 week earlier it was been upscaled to full Dolby atmos 7.1.4 regardless of whether it is created in it or not and In my AV receiver it showed as “Dolby Atmos” as the incoming signal. Now that feature is lost. Even when I screencast my android phone to my pc, I used to get full Dolby atmos but now it is not. Also when I used apps like Microsoft connect; Microsoft edge legacy; Netflix ...immediately I have seen the message “Dolby Atmos For Headphones in Use” in the taskbar in the case of headphones but now it is not... Sir, I am sure that if we doesn’t get that message in the taskbar means we are getting the only stereo as output because I have seen in Dolby developer portal that Dolby access in windows 10 can decode Dolby atmos metadata as well as encode normal surround sound to 7.1.4 provided u need to give 5.1 or 7.1 files for it to do that and if you feed it with 2.1 or 2.0 it just sends it as it is without virtualization which is called as “direct to ears” feature it seems implemented by Dolby itself to support stereo files that are created for binaural headphone mix because atmos mix released in stereo binaural format should not be upscaled since they are not channel based loudspeaker mixes. So if we want to take advantage of channel-based Dolby atmos processing to most of our audio the only way is to play a Dolby atmos original files or provide it a 5.1 or 7.1 files...Since I liked the concept and understand also its limitations I used a secret trick to even take advantage of a 2.1 audio that is available still in most media providers. For example I enjoyed Dolby atmos out of my android phone just by screencasting it to my pc because the “connect” app in windows 10 is based on Mira cast principle and it encodes stereo to Dolby digital plus 5.1 before sending it. Similarly I enjoyed FM radio and youtube in full Dolby atmos by simply watching them in a media container that can encode stereo to basic 5.1. Apps like CyberLink power DVD pro can do that and from there the rest of the upscaling i.e from 5.1 to 7.1.4 is well handled by the Dolby access app. Now that the upscaling feature is lost.


Sir most of my movie files are only limited in 5.1 and now its too frustrating to hear them in stereo. It was expected to be mixed to 7.1.4 but it is being downmixed to stereo by this windows 10 spatial sound. I am unable to locate the source of this malfunction. Whether my win 10 PC's spatial sound itself or this Dolby access app’s inbuilt mixer is inactive?
Technical Details :


Sir my audio card doesn't support any hardware acceleration feature and the "turn of hardware acceleration" checkbox is not present and even the enhancements tab is absent in first place. I am using a generic Microsoft audio driver. The problem is with spatial sound API I think because when I enabled "windows sonic for headphones" there is no sound signature change that u can feel and one more thing I need to tell about windows sonic is I am not even seeing the message near the taskbar telling me " windows sonic for headphones in use " whether u play a 5.1/7.1 content that can be upscalable or Dolby atmos content windows sonic effects aren't being applied and it's strange. Its almost like, we can assume that "spatial sound is not supported by this device/ spatial sound isn't available right now / windows encountered a problem while turning on spatial sound / spatial sound tab is greyed out" .....all these bugs in different forms lead to a common source and I had seen many consumers complaining about those above mentioned 4 cases in different scenarios and the all of them has a common root.

Now that a new bug discovered by me with my system is.... windows will not let its users know that it encountered a problem while turning on spatial sounds rather ... it would simply allow users the option to enable spatial sound effect by scrolling to the either windows sonic or Dolby atmos while still actually it is not applying any DSP effects to sounds. It like you can turn on spatial sound but you may or may not get the effects and for this, you need to analyze audio by yourself either by hearing it or simply by watching down at sound icon towards the taskbar for any message that tells you, " windows sonic / Dolby atmos for headphones in use". Unless it tells you that way .... make sure you may not get any spatial sound effects.

One interesting thing that you need to know about Dolby Atmos is ....unlike windows sonic, Dolby atmos processor is inbuilt inside the Dolby access app itself whereas windows sonic processor is present inside the core of windows os somewhere. Though Dolby atmos audio processor is present within the Dolby Access app i.e outside of windows os, it's been linked with windows sonic audio processor in such a way that the workflow is mentioned below

Digital audio first arrives at the windows audio processer where it checks for user's input, if the input is "windows sonic" then it processes the sound there itself and that processed spatial audio signal comes out as a bitstream to the endpoint headphone jack\ HDMI without going to Dolby atmos audio processor ...Now if you enable "Dolby Atmos for headphones"...the digital audio signal arrives at windows audio processer and there it will get bypassed automatically by Dolby hence the signal is now bypassed the windows sonic audio processor as a bitstream and arrives Dolby atmos audio processor where it gets it's effects applied by Dolby and ejects out to headphone.....What happened here with my laptop or anyone who is suffering spatial sound issue is their windows sonic audio processor stopped functioning completely therefore the audio signal has only one way left out, i.e the Dolby atmos processor and so we are seeing results in such as the following scenarios.


Dolby Atmos processor is a DSP that has Dolby ProLogic 2 z coding inside the Dolby access app of win 10 and it can send the audio signal as it is unprocessed if it is a Dolby Atmos signal. It identifies such a Dolby atmos signal simply by reading the Dolby metadata encryption. IF any audio signal that doesn't have Dolby metadata encryption that means it is a non-dolby atmos signal and therefore Prologic will logically upscale and encode it to Dolby atmos and then outputs it to headphone/home theatre. And Dolby company till now only provided its ProLogic 2 z processor to upscale only the content if it is a 5.1 or 7.1 signal only to full 7.1.4. Dolby ProLogic 2 z processor doesn't upscale 2.0 / 2.1 audio signal and send it as it is, this is a limitation set by Dolby on it ... That is why whenever you play 2.1/2.0 media files on your pc you don't get any message at the taskbar telling you "Dolby Atmos for headphones/home theatre in use" But when you play a 5.1/7.1 non-dolby atmos files...you WILL get the message in this case because it is being upscaled to 7.1.4. On the other hand, as you know, if you play a media file that is encoded in native Dolby atmos 2.1.2/2.1.4/5.1.2/5.1.4/7.1.2/7.1.4, obviously you will get the message telling you Dolby atmos for headphones/home theatre in use"

Therefore now as you understood how Dolby atmos audio processor is outside of core windows but still linked with windows sonic audio processor and the Dolby ProLogic 2 z processor's limitation with 2.1/2.0 files you can now easily conclude what's going wrong with many win 10 users facing the issue with their spatial sound. So lets come back to the root cause, when the windows sonic audio processor is silent / non-funtional means it can't read an audio file and cant conclude if the incoming signal is 2.1 or 5.1 or 7.1 file, therefore, it handovers the signal as a 2.1-standard only to the endpoint that is headphone or home theatre irrespective of the signal being a 5.1 /7.1 ..so if the spatial sound is not functional or even if you successfully enabled it somehow, the output signal will be only stereo. This is the case with windows sonic for headphones. OK now coming to Dolby atmos for headphones as we discussed earlier since the Dolby atmos processer solely rely on the input to arrive and wait for it from windows sonic audio processor, Now if you enable Dolby Atmos for headphone/home theatre, the failed windows sonic processor will bypass the signal to Dolby ProLogic 2 z processor as the above discussed standard stereo-only signal. And now u can expect the rest....i.e the signal will not be upscaled because Prologic thinks it is a 2.1 signal. In this way you will be at loss even with the content you play maybe a 5.1/7.1 file and your either headphone or receiver reads the signal as stereo only. The only advantage that you may get by using Dolby Atmos for headphones in such a failed spatial sound scenario is still you can get Dolby atmos limited only with content created in it or if you send a pure Dolby atmos signal...

This is what happened with me and any other users like me with their failed spatial sound features. Means they will get Dolby atmos if and only if the content is available in Dolby Atmos and if and only if they apply Dolby atmos for headphones/home theatre in the settings. And if they enable windows sonic instead they won't even get that small advantage also.Actually, according to the Dolby×Microsoft, users shall enjoy Dolby atmos on win 10 for the native Dolby atmos media that they stream and also for non-Dolby atmos audio like normal 5.1/7.1 files encoded in DTS or Dolby digital plus, etc to full Dolby atmos and this is what for we are paying to get the Dolby atmos experience via Dolby access purchase


Why did I say all this to you? because we must be aware of this new bug yet an old one that is "something went wrong while turning on spatial sound" issue and its been yet unresolved by Microsoft that originally started in 2019 May from win 10, 1809 build onwards... Microsoft recommended its users who ever complain about it is to "update their drivers from the manufacturer site" without actually fixing the windows sonic audio possessor coding.....What's more this issue arrived again this April 2020 but people are unable to recognize it innocently .... sounds ok good right... why? According to the above explanation, this new bug will not let its users know that "something went wrong with their spatial sound" and doesn't log any errors to the Microsoft to report it ...instead, it misleads and even allows users to enable spatial sound effects either windows sonic or Dolby while still not doing the actual job..... Now this issue must be urgently addressed by Microsoft and resolve it. You can even check by yourself.......... Go to any pc that is having a problem with turning on spatial sounds because of its incompatible audio driver and just update it to the 1909 version and this April cumulative update released 1 week ago and there you go ...this time you may not get an error message and you can turn on spatial sound but again please cross-check with demo files and test tones either with headphones or AV receivers from that pc and you may easily discover the bug.

:)

 

dolby atmos for headphones vs windows sonic

Hi,

With regards to your concern about having to pay $15 for Dolby Atmos for Headphones, we suggest that you contact the publisher of the application as we have limited information about their product.

Secondly, to compare Windows Sonic/ Spatial Sound with Dolby Atmos for Headphones, click
here. You'll be able to get the information or specifications about Spatial Sound and compare it with Dolby Atmos
for Headphones.

Let us know if you have any other concerns.

 

dolby atmos for headphones vs windows sonic

Thanks for your reply. as the pay of $15 is to windows store not publisher. The source you provided is programming parameters still not explain in detail difference windows sonic and dolby atom for headphone.

The dolby atom for earphone states it can turn any set of earphone into dolby atom experience, that means it convert existing audio source into dolby atom channels then output to earphones?

also, I searched all over the web cannot find any information from Microsoft about windows sonic and dolby atom for earphone.

 

Dolby Atmos for headphones not selectable in spatial sound

I recently installed Dolby Access from the Microsoft store to trial Dolby Atmos for headphones. During the trial I was able select Dolby Atmos for headphones in spacial sound settings but after purchasing the license the option is now gone, I am only able
to select Off and Windows Sonic for Headphones in the spatial sound settings. I have tried updating sound drivers to latest, rolling back to generic windows drivers and reinstalling Dolby access with restarts inbetween with no luck. Have also updated windows

Edition Windows 10 Pro

Version 1903

OS build 18362.239