DTS audio channels are incorrectly routed

[Audio Geek]

Here are the results I got using several different configurations (all w/ HDMI output from Boxee Box to Yamaha HTR-6250 receiver):

ALL 6 OPTIONS SELECTED:

FL -> FL
FR -> FC
FC -> RR
LF -> LF
RL -> FR
RR -> RR

ONLY DD, DTS, LPCM SELECTED:

FL -> FL
FR -> FC
FC -> RR
LF -> LF
RL -> FR
RR -> RL

ONLY LPCM SELECTED:

FL -> FL
FR -> FC
FC -> RR
LF -> LF
RL -> FR
RR -> RL

ALL 6 OPTIONS SELECTED EXCEPT LPCM:

FL -> FL
FR -> FC
FC -> FR
LF -> (NONE)
RL -> FR
RR -> FL

ONLY DD & DTS SELECTED (FIRST 2 OPTIONS):

FL -> FL
FR -> FC
FC -> FR
LF -> (NONE)
RL -> FR
RR -> FL

ALL 6 UNCHECKED:

FL -> FL
FR -> FC
FC -> FR
LF -> (NONE)
RL -> FR
RR -> FL

On all tests where something played back in the rear speakers, the receiver recognized the stream as 5.1 surround (i.e. all speakers lit up on the display). On the tests where everything went to the front speakers, only the 2 front speakers lit up on the display. Yamaha was tested in "direct" and "straight" modes only (no weird decoding or DSP settings were used at all).

The exact same audio file encoded as AC3 worked as expected (all channels routed correctly).

[pjk]

Have you created a Jira Issue for this? Otherwise the likelihood of this bug getting fixed will be 0% for sure.

[spacholka]

Jira? Why Bother. Its not like they've fixed any issues in the last several months anyway. It doesn't seem like this company is offering much support at all anymore for the Box. I believe they have their focus on developing their next bottle of snake oil. If they have any decency whatsoever they will give you dedicated users a free boxee 2 when they come out. I sold mine and nearly broke even. Couldn't be happier without it.

[pjk]

Look, if you dislike your Boxee experience that much spacholka , please sell/dump the Box and switch to something else. For those of us who feel that the Boxee Box isn't a completely lost cause and still want to help improve the thing by at least filing issue reports in the hope that these bugs will be seriously treated by Boxee, it would be useful if major flaws like these are reported to Boxee so that they might be tackled.

I really don't understand the vitriolic posting that some people seem to feel obliged to make every time someone posts a bug discovery or asks for help. It doesn't help the people seeking help or advice and it makes the poster look like someone who can't stop spouting vitriol.

Make your point and exit gracefully, you'll feel better in the long run.

[twistybox]

It sounds to me like something may be wrong with your source file. You aren't getting DTS passthrough at all, but only decoding. This can be seen by the fact you're getting STEREO output when you disable LPCM. Put aside for a moment that the stereo mix seems to have been created incorrectly and let's deal with the fact you're not seeing any bit streaming of DTS first.

Please post the test file so someone else can also test it. I might be able to make some time to check it out.

[MikeW]

Look, if you dislike your Boxee experience that much spacholka , please sell/dump the Box and switch to something else. For those of us who feel that the Boxee Box isn't a completely lost cause and still want to help improve the thing by at least filing issue reports in the hope that these bugs will be seriously treated by Boxee, it would be useful if major flaws like these are reported to Boxee so that they might be tackled.

I really don't understand the vitriolic posting that some people seem to feel obliged to make every time someone posts a bug discovery or asks for help. It doesn't help the people seeking help or advice and it makes the poster look like someone who can't stop spouting vitriol.

Make your point and exit gracefully, you'll feel better in the long run.

If it's a major flaw then Boxee's decision to fix it or not doesn't depend on whether or not an end-user submitted a JIRA ticket. Boxee employees are constantly monitoring these forums, they already know what the major bugs are.

[darcilicious]

If it's a major flaw then Boxee's decision to fix it or not doesn't depend on whether or not an end-user submitted a JIRA ticket. Boxee employees are constantly monitoring these forums, they already know what the major bugs are.

Boxee has officially asked that bugs be submitted via JIRA. In the end, no one can make a user do it or not, but that's the recommended, official process. Every post is NOT read by a Boxee employee, I can guarantee that. If you have a bug you want reported, use JIRA to be sure it is read.

[MikeW]

Boxee has officially asked that bugs be submitted via JIRA. In the end, no one can make a user do it or not, but that's the recommended, official process. Every post is NOT read by a Boxee employee, I can guarantee that. If you have a bug you want reported, use JIRA to be sure it is read.

I generally agree. The point I was trying to make is that for major bugs they will know about it whether or not it's in JIRA.

[Audio Geek]

Please let me know how I can "officially" report this bug to the powers that be. I have no idea what "jira" is.

Also, I would be happy to upload a copy of the source file. Just let me know how to do it (it's a 20MB 2-minute file, not sure if file attachments that size are allowed here).

It's an industry standard DTS 5.1 encoded WAV file. The same kind that are burned to CD for use in commercially released "DTS audio" releases. I created it using Minnetonka SurCode DTS CD Professional software. But that's beside the point... the same playback problems are present in EVERY DTS-encoded file I have attempted to play from my network file server and other computers through the Boxee Box.

Thanks everyone for the feedback on this. It sure would be nice to hear from someone in the Boxee organization and to hear that this problem is being fixed, or at least that it has been recognized.

It is a MAJOR flaw from my perspective. Like I said before, one of the main reasons I bought the Box was to play back and monitor DTS audio mixes without the need to burn to disc. (the other "feature" is MLB.tv, which is also pretty much worthless on the Boxee Box. Strange, since it seems to work just fine on every other device I own (ipad, droid phone, Roku, computers. But that's another story)

[darcilicious]

Please let me know how I can "officially" report this bug to the powers that be. I have no idea what "jira" is.

Jira is the software/site that Boxee uses to manage issues/bugs: http://jira.boxee.tv.

Also, I would be happy to upload a copy of the source file. Just let me know how to do it (it's a 20MB 2-minute file, not sure if file attachments that size are allowed here).

Dropbox or other online sharing tools are perfect for these kind of situations. http://dropbox.com/