Audio from Plex on PS4 quite different from Plex on tv

[Jecht_Sin]

The subject doesn't explain it very well. If I play a video from Plex in the PS4 I get a quite different sound than playing the same video from the Plex app in the tv. Basically from the tv it feels much more "flat" (especially the low tones). The tv gets the PS4 audio input from HDMI and the audio output is optical in both cases.

Is it something to do with the app, the PS4 improving the audio output or Android is somehow changing the audio coming from its apps? I mean, is it how it should work?

[Kuschelmonschter]

So you got a PS4 which connects to the TV directly via HDMI and each connects to some AVR via optical?

What is that AVR connected via optical and can you read the audio format that arrives? PS4 might output multi-channel audio as raw bitstream (Dolby AC3 or DTS) while it gets decoded to stereo PCM on the TV. Some 2.0 downmix will of course be much flatter compared to something with a .1 LFE channel...

[Jecht_Sin]

Yeah, it seems to be something like that. I just noticed that those videos have just a 2 channels audio. It's like if the PS4 enhances the audio via some kind of post processing.

[Anonymous]

Hi there

After having a look at your other thread, has given me an idea about this one.

When you are comparing audio from one device to the next, you will need to disable all post audio processing.  I know you like ClearAudio+ and other sound fields, but all of these should be disabled.  I am also including any additional processing on your old HT system too. 

On the PS4, set Audio Format (Priority) to Bitstream(dolby). 

On the TV (as well as the PS4's HDMI connection):

• Turn OFF ClearAudio+
• Sound Mode = Standard
• Dolby Dynamic Range = Standard

On your HT System, remove all other soundfields and set audio to standards etc.

Now test to see if there is much difference from Plex on PS4 to Plex on TV.

Cheers

[Jecht_Sin]

All right, I did as you wrote, in both HDMI (for PS4) and App Sound settings (the PS4 aduio output format was alreadt DTS surrond) and the difference seems less remarkable indeed. Via tv it seems to sound better today, I don't understand.

Although it's a pain to test, switching back and forth from the PS4 to the tv. Also it's a very differene scene than the one were I first noticed the difference (by mistake).

Ahhh!!! Wait! I have also downgraded the Plex app yesterday to version 5.10, because the UHD HDR video reproduction is broken in the last release. I wonder if that affected the sound as well.

Hmm.. No, it still sounds a bit better from the PS4. Oh well, it isn't really that important. This video doesn;t have a great audio track anyway.

[sticklebricks]

Could it be on 5.1 audio sources?

From looking at the audio source in my sonos app as I have a Playbase and two play 1's to make surround, I noticed it recognises 5.1 audio on plex through the ps4 but not when played through the tv app. It's strange because other apps on the tv are recognised on 5.1.

[Jecht_Sin]

No, in my case it is a 2 channels audio track. I've just noticed it by mistake, I was actually checking something about the graphics.

And I am not sure how it works either. Messing with the tv's audio settings (no matter if for the PS4 or any Android app) I get all kind of results. Sometime with no differences at all between the various modes.