Can't get 5.1 to output to the surround speakers

Hi Darkstar,

The Xbox is working 100% as it should be. If the Xbox source signal is 5.1 i.e a game, then the audio stream to the receiver is 5.1 and the receiver will output 5.1 audio to the speakers. However if the Xbox audio source signal is 2.0 i.e music, then the
stream to the receiver is 2.0 and the receiver will not magically output 5.1 audio to the speakers.

This situation will happen for HDMI or optical using DTS or Dolby decoding etc. The Xbox will not simulate 2.0 up to 5.1. You will need to use one of the surround effects (simulation) on your receiver to scale the 2.0 audio to 5.1 audio. Sorry its not what
you want to hear, but this is how it works

No, the Xbox One S does not simulate ATMOS from a 5.1 source.

However, since the Xbox One can run multiple sound applications at any given time (for example you run an Atmos enabled game, while having a music app running in the background), the console will ALWAYS output an ATMOS signal to your receiver, since the
game sound is in spatial surround.

Into that ATMOS spatial surround sound track, the stereo music track will be mixed in. But since the music track does not have surround or height information in it's stereo signal, you won't get the music in ATMOS spatial surround, even if your receiver
shows ATMOS coming in.

If you watch a 5.1 video in VUDU, the Xbox will distribute the 5.1 sound information to the front, center, back surround and subwoofer channels for the ATMOS signal, and your ceiling speakers for example won't get sound.

So even if your receiver shows ATMOS, and you have twenty speakers mounted in your home cinema, only the standard 5.1 speakers will produce sound, if you watch a 5.1 sound source.

I'll, put up words & indications of the problem, for you then IceStorm III & see if you can piece it together & see, if you really need any more information on the issue or subject...

"(3/2.1)" "Anyway, my xbox is set up to output 5.1 audio in the menu." "A.F.D." "Enhanced Surround Mode" "Neural-THX" "AVR Stripping HDCP Multi-Channel Audio" "5.1 into 2.1 Neural-THX" "The AVR Would say 5.1 & use all 5 surround Speakers if it was set to
the right setting" "(3/2.1) isn't 5.1 BUT 2.1 Enhanced as 5.1 over 2 Speakers = 3/2.1" or adding 3 discrete channels to 2.1 = 3/2.1 after decoding = Enhanced 5.1 over Two speakers (FL/FR only).....

To everyone out there with any kind of surround sound setup: do your satellite speakers kick out sound when playing media not output in 5.1? I'm wondering if it's a limitation of my soundbar or the xbox. Thanks

Many games will output music and some sound effects only from the left and right channels, even though the output stream remains 5.1. The center and surrounds will be quiet. The same goes for music playback on the Xbox 360, it keeps the left and right inputs
in the corresponding outputs but leaves the center and surrounds silent.

TV commercials and promos may be produced in anything from 2.0 to 5.1, so if the sound comes only from the front left and right, it's probably just the way it was mixed. Broadcasters are wary of applying expansion on 2.0 sound to 5.1 in advance since it may
compromise downmixing back to 2.0 in the TV or set-top box. Switching the channel configuration on the fly depending on content in turn may cause a short moment of silence, so it's usually only done at the start and end of programs.

So the channel indicators on the receiver only indicates that those channels are present in the stream.

When you enable Dolby Pro Logic II to 2.0 input, if it's surround encoded those sounds will be dominant in the surrounds. But naturally occuring differences between left and right will also come out partially from the surrounds, whether the content is surround
encoded or not. This is called "magic surround". In the Movie and Game modes of Pro Logic II the magic surround is partially masked by delaying the surround outputs relative to the front outputs (by about 10 milliseconds), but it's still fairly audible. The
main purpose of the delay is to mask dialog sibilants that have leaked into the surrounds in processing.

There are three flavors of Pro Logic II. The basic version supports expanding 2.0 input into 5.1. Pro Logic IIx adds back surround support for 7.1 output. Pro Logic IIz adds height surround support for up to 9.1 output. The method for achieving the expansion
into the additional channels varies depending on the input (2.0, 5.1, 7.1). With 5.1 and 7.1 input the processing is done only on the surrounds.

Preferrably the receiver should indicate which one is used based on the speaker outputs you have enabled. If you have back surrounds but no height speakers, it should indicate Pro Logic IIx rather than Pro Logic IIz. But I'm not sure if all manufacturers do
that.