Powernode 2025 Dolby Digital
Answered
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Official comment
Since the Powernode 2025 only decodes DD 5.1 AC3 for surround, it depends on devices connected to it for converting the sound to AC3 DD.
Most tv's detect the capability of the Powernode through eARC and provide (convert) source audio to a a compatible AC3 sound, using for example the Dolby Multistream Decoder MS12 chip.
Chances are passthrough DTS bitstream will result in no sound. In those cases you need to rely on videoplayers like Kodi to convert the DTS stream in the source to a compatible DD stream on-the-fly.
This is how I use my Powernode 2025.
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Is it really true that most TV's transcode (convert), for example, a DTS to a AC3 DD via its HDMI eArc? can you name a brand & model that can do it? I find it hard to believe (but I admit that I would like to see that in my TV).
Is the Powernode 2025 really able to receive 5.1 multichannel PCM via HDM arc? or only AC3DD?
By the way, after some weeks with my brand new powernode N331, I am very dissapointed it cannot do any type fo DTS decoding. I have so many titles in this format...it is a missed opportunity.
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DTS to AC3 probably not. The Dolby MS12 chip converts only Dolby sources. DTS will probably be passed through as bitatream, resulting in no audio on the N331.
I use Kodi videoplayer on my Google Streamer to play movies, also DTS and Kodi will convert those streams to multichannel PCM while the Google Streamer convert that using ms12 chip into n331 compatibel AC3
I agree not supporting more surround formats like DTS is a huge missed opportunity
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Thanks, that makes sense. Can you share the settings details for Kodi and the Google Streamer ?
I assume you use the google streamer 4k which has only one HDMI output. How do you connect it to your TV and N331? I am trying to do the same with an Nvida Shield pro, but I have not found the right settings so far.
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Yep Google Streamer 4k. It's connected to my LG G4 tv using HDMI 2.1 cable. My tv is connected to the N331 also using HDMI 2.1 eARC . The tv hdmi audio settings I've set to "passthrough" so my tv is not doing anything to the sound.
In the Google Streamer settings:
- Display & Sound -> Audio options -> Output format -> Automatic
- Surround sound settings -> Manual -> Enable only "Dolby Digital"
In Kodi, go to settings -> System -> Audio (make sure you are on "expert" view to show all the available options in menu, you can switch to that in left lower corner)
- Number of channels -> set to 3.1 or 5.1 or whatever speaker setup you use
- Allow passthrough -> Disable
That way Kodi will decode/map surround audio to 3.1 or 5.1 PCM which the Shield/Google streamer will convert to DD AC3
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Very much appreciated. Many thanks!
I will try again (when free time allows me) fiddling with my settins and I will report on the progress.
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I was wondering the same thing. I have listened to Dolby Digital bluray 5.1 surround on N331 with left/center/front speakers, Bluesound pulse subwoofer and 2 flex 2i surround speakers with the home theater setup. It sounds great. For DTS I have been trying different settings on my Sony bluray and Sony Tv. For now I get the best sound using grouped speakers and the stereo surround button. I am still trying different settings and will post here. Let me know what is working best for you.
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Maybe your blurayplayer or tv supports transcoding DTS to Dolby, or decoding DTS to multichannel PCM and see if the N331 accepts multichannel PCM as surround source?
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Thank you. I have a Sony ultra HD Blu-ray player model UBP-X700. Could you help me choose the best options to convert DTS 5.1 Surround to play on N331 Powernode.
Digital Audio Output
1. outputs audio signals according to the status of the connected devices.
2. outputs PCM signals from the digital out / hdmi out jack. Select this if there is no output from the connected device.
DSD Output Mode
1. outputs DSD signals or LPCM signal.
2. outputs PCM signals from hdmi jack when playing super audio cd and DSD format file.
BD Secondary Audio
1. outputs the audio obtained by mixing the interactive and secondary audio to the primary audio.
2. outputs the primary audio only.
Tip to enjoy bitstream (dolby / dts) signals, set BD Secondary Audio to off and digital audio output to auto.
Digital Music Enhancer
1. sets the sound effect when playing internet content or USB content
2. turns off the function
DTS NEO:6
1. outputs the simulated multi-channel sound from 2 channel sources via the hdmi out jack according to the capability of the connected device using mode.
2. outputs the sound with its original number of channels via the hdmi out jack.
48 kHz / 96 kHz / 192 kHz PCM
1. 48 kHz for PCM signals from the Digital out (coaxial) jack
2. 96 kHz for PCM signals from the Digital out (coaxial) jack
3. 192 kHz for PCM signals from the Digital out (coaxial) jack
Audio DRC
1. performs playback at a standard compression level.
2. no compression works. A more dynamic sound is produced.
Downmix
1. outputs audio signals with surround effects. Select this when connecting an audio device that supports Dolby Surround (Pro Logic) or DTS Neo:6
2. ouputs audio signals without surround effects. Select this when connecting an audio device that does not support Dolby Surround (Pro Logic) or DTS Neo:6.0 -
It seems the UBP-X700 can not transcode DTS to Dolby AC-3 5.1
Your best hope is the UBP-X700 can output multichannel PCM (not just stereo PCM) by changing "Digital Audio Output" to PCM in the settings of the UBP-X700.
Then DTS audio will be decoded and sent as (hopefully) multichannel PCM to your TV. Your tv probably has Dolby MS12 chip that will encode the multichannel PCM to AC-3 5.1 for the Powernode. In your tv settings, you have to check settings for the HDMI audio output, change that to "Auto" if available.
What's the model of the TV?
If you did this and get just stereo sound when playing DTS bluray, the UBP-X700 does probably not output multichannel PCM, but just stereo PCM.
In this case you can try to change the "Digital Audio Output" settings on the UBP-X700 to "Auto" and hope that the TV can somehow transcode the incoming bitstream DTS to AC-3, but I think you've already tried this.
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Thank you so much. Maybe I will luck out and my tv converts DTS to AC-3. It is a Sony Bravia 4K Android tv, model KD-55X85J. The tv sound processing specifications support DTS Digital surround, Dolby Audio and Dolby Atmos. The tv audio choices are
eARC mode
1. [Auto]
2. [off]
Digital Audio Out
1. PCM
2. outputs compressed audio without change.
3. outputs only compressed audio for multi-channel content without change
Dolby Digital Plus or Dolby Digital
Select Dolby Digital Plus for audio systems supporting Dolby Digital Plus and ARC.
If you use ARC and optical audio output, select Dolby Digital. (Dolby Digital Plus will be muted over optical audio output.)
Pass Through Mode
1. passes through intended audio signals automatically. Select this setting when you want to output signals like DTS, etc.
2. Off
Do you know of a bluray player that converts DTS 5.1 to AC-3 5.1?0 -
Kodi has been always for me a miss and hit experience. Depending on the device output hardware I works or it does not, no matter what I configure on the kodi settings.
The most reliable way for me has been to use an Apple TV and extract the audio with an hdmi audio\video splitter and then feeding the powernode with the toslink cable.
Also on Apple TV to setup to send always Dolby 5.1. It works always and powernode always detect Dolby contentIm just eager to get Dirac on the powernode (please bluesound team do it) because then the bass management will be absolutely overkill…
I do have in the same room another amplifier feed with a MiniDSP with Dírac and the difference specially on the lower frequencies once you do the room correction is quite amazing.
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Hello folks. I would like to report what I discovered after several weeks/months experimenting and testing changes with my TV+Blu-Ray player/android TV set up. And by the way, I also learned a lot about multichannel audio lately.
Thank you again to Fabian for his useful comments which inspired me.
My initial set-up:
- TV PHILIPS 55PUS7909 from 2014. Pretty old TV but it still works fine and picture quality is quite decent, even today. As far as I am aware, it does not do any transcoding whatsoever to the audio signal. I also make sure all audio possible enhancements are off (like sound EQ, or night modes). It was top of the line TV at the time. 4K, and 4 HDMI ports which are ARC. Interestingly, they didn’t call these “HDMI ARC” at the time, for some reason, they used another commercial name (EasyLink), but I made sure this option was active on the settings.
- Nvidia Shield Pro. One of the best android TV you can buy today.
- Sony UBP-X800 M2 Blu-Ray player. One of the top UHD 4K BR player available until not so long ago.
- And of course, our star of the show, the brand new Bluesound Powernode N331 from late 2025 (at the day of this post, BLUOS 4.14.17 version). In addition, I also own the wireless subwoofer and 2 units of the wireless Bluesound Pulse Flex 2i speakers which I set up as rear speakers.
All my set up is connected using high quality, certified 2.1 HDMI cables.
My goal was to experience real 5.1 sound in my living room with a small compact device and minimizing wiring thanks to the wireless speakers for the SUB and rear channels.
History of events:
- First disappointment: I quickly realized that while testing some UHD 4K BR titles, that the POWERNODE was not compatible with DTS soundtracks. Any of them. Which meant that I would have to watch many of my favourite titles in another language, or if I was lucky, in lower quality Dolby Digital (DD) or just stereo (2.0). I also realized that POWERNODE was only compatible with only one multichannel format: Dolby Digital (aka DD or AC-3), which is a format that started to be used in consumer products back in the mid 80’s. I just couldn’t believe that a brand-new product released in 2025, explicitly targeted for multichannel audio use, could only handle one single format, and one of the oldest!!! What a disappointment, and missed opportunity for this great product. Bluesound team, I love you, but I feel a bit cheated honestly.
- Second disappointment: I thought I could solve the problem if I could find a way to transcode DTS to DD as suggested in this post. And of course, I thought I could do it with my “flagship” blu-ray player. But I only managed to transcode to stereo 2.0 PCM. Alright, I thought, I will get another blu-ray player and I try to make it work. I bought a brand new Panasonic DP-UB820 blu ray-player this year, one of the best in their line-up that you can still find brand-net. And I must say this upfront, it beats my older Sony player in almost all fields, I really like it and I am going to keep it. However, in terms of transcoding audio, I got similar results. I could only get stereo PCM (2.0) out my multichannel DTS soundtracks in my collection of UHD 4k discs.
- Third disappointment. I thought my TV was too old and maybe the ARC didn’t work well with the POWERNODE or BLU-RAY Player. I bought an external HDMI audio extractor! After some research, I bought this one: The EZCOO HDMI Audio Extractor which on paper, was exactly what I was looking for. However, no matter what settings I tried, I got similar results as before, or even worse. It was not transcoding anything in my opinion. I decided to make a pause, and temporarily gave up trying to transcode DTS from my UHD 4k Blu ray discs in my set-up.
- Fourth disappointment: NVIDIA SHIELD PRO ANDROID TV. I of course have ripped some of my DVDs, and regular BLU-RAY discs at home for convenience, including their multichannel soundtracks. I thought I could of course send 5.1 Dolby Digital to the POWERNODE using the mighty NVIDIA SHIELD PRO which is powerful enough to make any real-time transcoding. Because in fact, it does Dolby Processing. However, after trying dozens of combinations on the settings, I could transcode DTS to DD, but again, only to 2.0 stereo Dolby Digital.
- My only hope: After being inspired by Fabian’s comments, I bought the Google streamer 4k, and decided to try the settings he recommended, and it worked! This android TV device, was transcoding all DTS to DD keeping multichannel formats. That was a relief. I tested this with KODI, but also other player apps like DS Video (I could not make it work with VLC yet). I was so happy with this hopeful result that decided to sell my Nvidia Shield PRO, and my Sony Blu Ray player.
CONCLUSIONS
- POWERNODE is a great compact powerful device, targeted for multichannel audio set-ups: 2.1, 3.1, 5.1. (Certainly, you can use it in a stereo 2.0 setup as well, but you have way cheaper options out there which are equally good). However, the POWERNODE is very limited to one single multichannel format: Dolby Digital, a format that dates back to the 80’s. Yep, it doesn’t even accept multichannel PCM audio through the ARC input (at least in as far as I have experienced), and I am pretty sure about this, but feel free to disagree.
- I could not find anything in the consumer market, capable of real-time transcoding multichannel DTS to multichannel DD when using my 4K Blu-Ray player and titles. Why is such a device does not exist?
- I really do not understand why the industry has created this mess (several multichannel and legacy audio codecs and configurations: 2.0, 2.1,3.1,5.1,etc) and why they keep messing this up after so many decades! No wonder why most consumers do not give a damn about multichannel audio and are more than happy with 2.0 or 2.1 setups. Overall, I feel very dissapointed with my multichannel experience.
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Glad you got it working, using the Google Streamer and Kodi or DS player!
I agree it kinda sucks the n331 only decodes AC-3, especially and mostly for compatibility reasons playing recent movies. But don't worry too much and enjoy your movies. There's not too much wrong qualitywise with AC-3 5.1 for movieentertainment surround sound in my opinion.
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Thank you Motoret. Very good documentation. I tried tv settings, bluray settings, purchased another bluray player, purchased a dolby to 5.1 signal converter and I don’t remember what else anymore. Nothing worked for me either. It is disappointing. Maybe one day 5.1 will be directly available on the Powernode 2025. That would be nice.
I have been happy using dolby digital on home theater and cutting out the announcers/commentators on live sports programs by reducing the center channel volume.
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Dolby Digital 5.1 AC-3 is supported on the Powernode 2025
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Unfortunately many of my favorite bluray audio discs are DTS HD Master Audio 5.1
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