Cannot play DTS or EAC3 audio format on Video Station

Last updated on 07 Jan 2022 📧 Subscribe
Contents hide
1 Why can’t I play videos with DTS or EAC3 audio format on Video Station?
1.1 Diagnosis
1.2 Resolution
2 What media formats are supported on PLEX?
2.1 Media Support
2.1.1 General Video Support
2.1.2 Music Support
2.2 Formats

Why can’t I play videos with DTS or EAC3 audio format on Video Station?

Diagnosis

Video Station currently does not support the playback of the audio formats below owing to patent licensing issues:

  • All DTS audio formats, including but not limited to DTS and DTS-HD
  • Partial Dolby Digital audio formats, including but not limited to Dolby Digital Plus (EAC3) and Dolby TrueHD

Resolution

Try the following solutions when you encounter problems playing videos with the above-mentioned audio formats:

  • Move to PLEX
  • Convert the unsupported tracks: With third-party audio converters on your computer, such as XMedia Recode for Windows and Remux for Mac, convert the audio tracks to supported formats like AC3 or AAC.
  • Play the videos with a third-party media player
    • For mobile devices: Download a third-party player and play the videos on DS video; VLC media player is available on both iOS and Android devices.
    • For computers: Map a network drive that contains the videos and play them with media players such as VLC media player. Refer to our knowledge base articles for mapping a network drive on Windows or Mac.

 

What media formats are supported on PLEX?

Media Support

General Video Support

Content matching the following can usually be Direct Played:

  • ASF container
    • Video Encoding: vc1, wmv2
    • Audio Encoding: wmav2
  • AVI container
    • Video Encoding: mpeg4, msmpeg4, msmpeg4v2, msmpeg4v3, vc1, wmv3
    • Audio Encoding: aac, ac3, mp3
  • MOV container
    • Video Encoding: H.264
    • Audio Encoding: aac
  • MP4 container
    • Video Encoding: H.264, hevc (H.265), mpeg4, mpeg2video, vc1, wmv3
    • Audio Encoding: aac, ac3, eac3, mp2, mp3
  • MPEG container
    • Video Encoding: mpeg2video
    • Audio Encoding: mp2
  • MPEGTS, TS containers
    • Video Encoding: H.264, mpeg2video
    • Audio Encoding: aac, ac3, mp2
  • MKV container
    • Video Encoding: H.264, hevc (H.265), mpeg4, msmpeg4v2, msmpeg4v3, vc1, vp9, wmv3
    • Audio Encoding: aac, ac3, alac, e-ac3,flac, mp2, mp3
  • WMV container
    • Video Encoding: wmv2, vc1
    • Audio Encoding: wmav2

Other content will need to be either Direct Streamed or transcoded. We’re working with Microsoft to bring support for more native formats.

Music Support

The following audio formats are currently supported for music playback:

  • aac
  • alac
  • e-ac3
  • flac
  • mp3
  • m4a
  • wav

Formats

There are many digital audio formats. The most common are:

  • MP3: Only carries 2 channels and is relatively low bitrate. Not that common in more recent files.
  • AAC: The closest thing we can get to a universal standard these days. The drawback with AAC is that while it can carry 6-channel sound, not many receivers handle it natively and it’s not designed for it.
  • Dolby Digital / AC3: Probably the most common multi-channel format. It handles at most 6 channels (5.1) and has very wide native support in televisions and receivers. However, it’s relatively low bitrate, so it might not give the best fidelity. Most TV shows have AC3 tracks.
  • DTS: Most common for movies, handles 6 channels at most, and is widely supported in mid-range equipment and up. Low end equipment usually does not support DTS natively since there are licensing fees involved. The Apple TV, for example, supports AC3 but not DTS.
  • TrueHD: TrueHD is Dolby’s successor to AC3. This codec is lossless and supports 8 channels. High end equipment is needed to get native TrueHD support.
  • DTS-HD MA: The successor to DTS. It is backwards compatible with DTS. DTS-HD MA is lossless and supports 8 channels.
  • Vorbis, FLAC: While these are not as common, both support multiple channels, but few receivers natively support them. FLAC is becoming more popular.

 



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One thought on “Cannot play DTS or EAC3 audio format on Video Station”

  1. https://github.com/darknebular/Wrapper_VideoStation
    With this wrapper you will be able to play these audio format: DTS, EAC3 and TrueHD.

    Reply