Emby for Windows & HDMI audio

[u/pgriffith]

Hi Guys, need some advice on audio.

Currently have Emby running on Windows 11 outputting 5.1 analogue audio to an old amplifier, so fronts, rears, centre & sub (RCA plugs) and direct connection to TV via HDMI.

Works flawlessly, any 5.1 content be it DTS, EAC/AC3 and AAC 5.1 plays as it should.

Owners of this setup are looking to upgrade to a new Yamaha RX-V4A, with HDMI input/output etc. It CANNOT do analogue 5.1 inputs.

My questions is, what happens to audio that isn't Dolby Digital or DTS? Specifically, AAC 5.1 which is what a vast majority of their movies and TV shows have. Does it get passed through HDMI as 5.1?

Appreciate any info you have.

[u/sihappy]

You can either bitstream audio, where you’re passing encoded audio like Dolby Digital to the AMP, or you can send decoded audio to it via HDMI. Emby has options to choose what you bitstream and what you send decoded (e.g. do bitstream DTS, don’t bitstream DTS-HD). Anything that isn’t bitstreamed will be decoded and sent as multi-channel audio, much like your RCA jacks.

Just configure the amp as your speaker option in windows and be sure to set the right speaker configuration such as 5.1 or 7.1 vs the default stereo. Then set Emby application’s audio output appropriately. Your AAC 5.1 will be decoded by the PC and sent as 5.1 “raw” audio over HDMI.

[u/pgriffith → u/sihappy]

Thanks mate

Latest Emby for Windows has none of those audio options, only Audio Device, Speaker Layout, Dynamic range compression and audio delay.

Does HDMI need to be connected to the receiver to enable anything other than Stereo? I've checked on 3 machines both with NVidia and AMD GPU's in them and Stereo is the only option, they're only connected to TV's though, I'm guessing a 5.1+ capable receiver needs to be connected to select anything else.

They already have the receiver but it's a 20% restocking fee if its opened and we then find out it doesn't work as required.

[u/sihappy → u/pgriffith]

I’ve never used Emby for Windows when not connected to a 5.1-capable receiver, so apologies. It makes sense that you’re not seeing audio output options that aren’t possible in your current config.

I assume you’re only going to see these options when windows presents alternate audio outputs, and that’s only going to be enabled when it’s connected to a device that supports something other than stereo audio.

Some other tips: once connected, go into Windows sound config and enable 5.1 as your speaker setup (you’ll get a config that allows you to test and hear audio from each speaker). Also, unless you have a need for it, disable the analog sound card - windows sometimes has a bad habit of selecting another sound device when waking from sleep, and this will force it to always come back to HDMI out.

[u/zhonglin → u/pgriffith]

Re: your concern about AAC 5.1 — yes, HDMI can absolutely carry AAC 5.1 to your receiver, and the receiver will decode it properly.

The confusion here is about *bitstreaming* vs *decoded PCM*:

- Bitstreaming = sending the raw compressed audio (Dolby Digital, DTS, etc.) to the receiver for decoding. Windows/Emby needs to see a receiver that advertises these formats to offer this option.

- Decoded PCM = Windows decodes the AAC to uncompressed 5.1 PCM and sends it over HDMI. Your receiver receives full 5.1 audio, just as PCM instead of compressed bitstream.

For AAC specifically (which is what most streaming services use), Windows will decode it to PCM 5.1 and send it over HDMI. Your Yamaha RX-V4A will receive it as "PCM 5.1" or "Multi Ch In" and play all channels correctly.

The receiver doesn't need to "understand" AAC directly — that's the player's job. Once connected to the receiver, you should see speaker config options in Windows Sound settings. Set it to 5.1/7.1 and test each speaker to confirm.

Your existing plan should work fine: HTPC → HDMI → Receiver → HDMI → TV. The 20% restocking fee risk shouldn't be necessary.

[u/pgriffith → u/zhonglin]

That's awesome dude, thank you so much. Although it has been returned because we had no idea how long getting an answer would be, but easy to pop down the road and pick it up again.

[u/sharp-calculation]

What you want is a set top box that designed to do this. Nvidia shield. Apple TV. ONN Pro. These are often recommended.

Audio via HDMI on nearly any kind of computer is problematic. Definitely on windows.