[Macworld]

Post your comments for Play 5.1 audio in iTunes here

[RexRay]

This is an unnecessarily onerous process to go through, and so un-Mac-like, especially for such a media-focused platform.

Make it easier, Apple!

[FredBockmann]

Or, you can just use an Airport Express connected to your stereo via optical cable.

5.1 is supported by the MacBook, iTunes, and Airport Express. This is how I have my system set up at home - movies play in wonderful surround sound.

[MikeOrozco]

Or you can use PLEX. This has been the best way for me to play movies in 5.1. It took a little while to understand how to set it up, but once I did, it makes a great media center program.

It looks so good when people come over to watch movies and usually plays without a hitch. It allows you to stream to your other computers and it can play itunes librarys, photos etc.

I really like this program. I used to use VLC, but 5.1 was hit or miss.

[hillstones]

RexRay, on 12 April 2010 - 11:30 AM, said:

This is an unnecessarily onerous process to go through, and so un-Mac-like, especially for such a media-focused platform.

Make it easier, Apple!

Not many people watch movies on their Macs, and if they do, the Mac isn't hooked up to a 5.1 system. Apple would prefer you to buy an AppleTV and watch iTunes video purchases on your HDTV. In that set up, it is very Mac-like. The steps described in the article are not that hard to follow.

[mcseufer]

Another vote for Plex, here.

I have it running on a Mac Mini as a media server. Agree with MikeOrozco, people come over and love using it. It's a neat set-up.

M.

[bsteels]

I am using my optical output from my MBP to play 5.1 regularly using iTunes. Unless I'm missing something, you can simply play your compatible video file with iTunes in full screen mode and beside the timeline there is a bubble that allows you to select the correct audio track, with an option for surround sound.... I have not yet figured out an easy way to do this using Front Row, however.

[Chris Breen]

bsteels, on 12 April 2010 - 01:40 PM, said:

I am using my optical output from my MBP to play 5.1 regularly using iTunes. Unless I'm missing something, you can simply play your compatible video file with iTunes in full screen mode and beside the timeline there is a bubble that allows you to select the correct audio track, with an option for surround sound.... I have not yet figured out an easy way to do this using Front Row, however.

Unfortunately it doesn't work with all videos. Without this method I was unable to get a Handbrake-ripped video to play 5.1. As for Front Row, try the steps outlined here. It should bring 5.1 to Front Row too.

[jsarsero]

Thanks for the article, Chris.

I've had various Mac Mini's hooked up to my HDTV and receiver since 2005. I stumbled across Graham Booker's Record and Reverie blog a few years ago and it solved all of my surround sound issues when using Front Row.

The information regarding Channel Layout on his blog is crucial for those that rip DVDs using Handbrake. The channel layout must be manually altered and the file re-saved in order to achieve surround sound using Front Row.

You have written some excellent Hanbrake how-to articles, but the channel layout issue is not mentioned in them.

[bsteels]

Chris Breen, on 12 April 2010 - 02:17 PM, said:

bsteels, on 12 April 2010 - 01:40 PM, said:

I am using my optical output from my MBP to play 5.1 regularly using iTunes. Unless I'm missing something, you can simply play your compatible video file with iTunes in full screen mode and beside the timeline there is a bubble that allows you to select the correct audio track, with an option for surround sound.... I have not yet figured out an easy way to do this using Front Row, however.

Unfortunately it doesn't work with all videos. Without this method I was unable to get a Handbrake-ripped video to play 5.1. As for Front Row, try the steps outlined here. It should bring 5.1 to Front Row too.

It works fine with Handbrake files as long as you set one channel to AC3 passthrough using a 5.1 source. Now, with files other than MP4 there may be issues... I'm not sure.

[zzipp]

MikeOrozco, on 12 April 2010 - 12:49 PM, said:

Or you can use PLEX. This has been the best way for me to play movies in 5.1. It took a little while to understand how to set it up, but once I did, it makes a great media center program.

It looks so good when people come over to watch movies and usually plays without a hitch. It allows you to stream to your other computers and it can play itunes librarys, photos etc.

I really like this program. I used to use VLC, but 5.1 was hit or miss.

I also put in my vote for PLEX.

Apple's Quicktime will only ever fully support Apple's preferred codecs for audio & video, best wrapped in an mp4 container.

To be able to watch other codecs & containers, Quicktime must be extended through plug-ins such as Perian, but the truth is that they often have to deal with other codecs and containers by pre-converting them into an intermediary format, which can slow down playback and makes the whole quicktime experience.

As for playing 5.1, if you are using anything other than Apple iTunes Store purchased movies, then you're on your own. This is why I suggest looking at another media player that can deal with all of these other codecs and containers on their own terms, plus seamlessly pass through AC3 (Dolby Digital 5.1) and DTS via your Mac's optical out, and even convert AAC 5.1 soundtracks to AC3 format for your surround amplifier to deal with it properly (since the AAC format never took off with being supported by companies making amplifiers.)

PLEX does all of this very easily, and is not very difficult to set up. If it seems too complicated, you could also try the latest version of XBMC for Mac (which PLEX was originally based on,) or Movist or even MP Player OSX Extended. The later two attempt to follow the model of the Quicktime Player (play one file at a time,) which the former two work much more like FrontRow on steroids.

As a last plug for Plex, which is completely free, by the way - the developers are hard at work on a complete interface reworking that should give it a seemingly easier, more AppleTV-like interface. In any event, the software has improved by leaps and bounds in the last year or so while Quicktime seems to be pretty well the same - save the new Snow Leopard "windowless" treatment.

This post has been edited by zzipp: 13 April 2010 - 04:41 AM

[consumer_x]

Hello,

There are some additonal issues with regards to audio files that have not been addressed in the article or comments that has impact on iTunes play of DTS files. There are also known bugs with Plex too which will (maybe?) be fixed in the 0.9 release.

Plex does not play .dts or DTS .wav files directly, whereas iTunes will play DTS .wav files ( http://support.apple...iewlocale=en_US ). However, iTunes will only play 48kHz surround files if the MIDI setting is at 48kHz, and will only play 44.1kHz surround files if the MIDI setting is at 44.1kHz. iTunes can only play one kind or the other, with the Audio MIDI Setup defining which type will play (i.e., static will be heard if the MIDI setting does not match the file sample rate).

There is an annoyance in Plex that upon launch of the application the MIDI setting is set to 48kHz, but the setting does not reset to the default after quit. This of course means that if you have 44.1kHz surround music files in iTunes they will not play correctly while Plex is running, and so the MIDI setting will need to be adjusted again after quitting Plex.

And finally, DTS music files extracted from DVD sources probably require a cleanup through a python script called spdifconvert ( http://wiki.slimdevi..._0.4.29_Utility ). Without applying this to my files, they do not play correctly on iTunes or FrontRow.

[michaelb]

Here is a related tip if you are getting an annoying MACHINE GUN CHATTER from your amp instead of the correct sound.

There is a CoreAudio mismatch which occurs where QuickTime expects the six AC3 channels to be in a different order. Often this happens when transcoding using Handbrake.

The order expected by QuickTime is:

1 Left
2 Right
3 Center
4 LFE Screen
5 Left Surround
6 Right Surround

When using Handbrake, audio transferred using the "AC3 Passthru" option from .avi or .mkv files containing AC3 may come out in a different order (specifically L,C,R,Ls,Rs,LFE).

To fix this and banish the machine gun chatter:

- Open up the transcoded file using QuickTime Player 7 (not Snow Leopard's QuickTime Player)
- Bring up the properties window (command-J)
- Select the Surround track (AC3 format)
- Choose the Audio Settings tab
- Use the popups in the Channel / Assignment list to change to the order: 1 Left, 2 Right, 3 Center, 4 LFE Screen, 5 Left Surround, 6 Right Surround
- Save the file as a .mov (iTunes will still happily import it).

[NC16002]

Hi Chris,

Help! I have a mid 2010 MacBook Pro with Mini DisplayPort. I can't seem to get 5.1 surround audio through the Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter playing rented iTunes movies.

I don't think it's the adapter because it plays flawlessly in stereo. When I switch to "Surround Audio" however, I hear this rattling noise coming from the speakers. I tried changing all the configurations such as the MIDI Setup and chose Digital Audio and it still didn't work.

Thank you so much for helping because it's driving me crazy trying to figure out a solution!

Regards
John