XG1v4 box Dolby processing problems

Just "upgraded" to a new XG1v4 4k box and immediately started experiencing the same intermittent center channel audio problems numerous other people have reported on several other threads.

In all cases the info button shows the signal is supposedly DD 5.1+, but on some channels it's clearly only PCM stereo, and in others it changes from literally one minute to the next. Tonight watching Late Night with Seth Meyers the center channel processing was fine whenever the studio mic was on, but when Seth would play a news clip the audio instantly reverted to two-channel stereo.

This didn't happen on my previous legacy Xfinity box, so it's quite clearly a problem in the 4k boxes themselves.

Extremely disappointed. I guess I have to deal with worse video to get my sound to work correctly again. The XG1v4 box goes back tomorrow.

Ps, I read all of the other threads, and I never did see anyone at Xfinity with an answer, or even indicate they understand the problem. Do you not even employ engineers these days??

Responses

user_89ccc8

Contributor

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32 Messages

3 years ago

See this post for exactly what I'm talking about: https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r33108442-X1-Cloud-recordings-now-5-1

user_89ccc8

Contributor

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32 Messages

3 years ago

After a lot of reading on various sites, it seems clear that the XG1v4 box sends out all audio inside a DD5.1 wrapper rather than a changing one that indicates what the actual audio format is. Thus a stereo only signal is sent without indicating it's only two channels worth of audio. This prevents AV receivers/sound bars from knowing what the actual audio is and applying the appropriate processing to generate a center channel signal.

The real question is why did this get broken in the new boxes, since it wasn't a problem in the legacy DVR boxes? And the second real question is why isn't it fixed by now?

(edited)

Andyr1

Gold Problem Solver

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7.9K Messages

3 years ago

It used to work properly on the XG1v4, but a firmware update caused the bug whenever using anything IP-based. I haven't noticed any issues with QAM-based channels or DVR recordings from QAM channels. If you are watching using OnDemand, that is typically IP-based now. Also, even if QAM, it could be an issue with your local station on how it passes on signals. It could even be the Seth Meyers show not properly doing 5.1, and the station passes it on as-is. Here in Chicago, I can tell the local news and Colbert is actually plain stereo being passed on as 5.1 by WBBM, but other CBS network shows are true 5.1 and sound correct.

user_89ccc8

Contributor

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32 Messages

3 years ago

It's so frustrating, because everything worked perfectly on my old DVR box, and I know they won't give it back to me. Given that Xfinity is pushing almost all content to IP/cloud access, the sound is corrupted on most everything we watch.

Given that our local channels (and the Late Night show) also worked fine on the other box I don't think it's them messing up the processing.

I can't wait for Xfinity to tell me the workaround is to go into the settings and force stereo only on a show-by-show basis. 🙄

Given that it seems to have been a firmware update that broke it, where's the fix?

XfinityDilary

Official Employee

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2.1K Messages

Hey, @user_89ccc8! Thanks for posting on our Community Forums to let us know of this situation. Definitely not the experience we would like you to have with our new DVR boxes. Have you attempted any troubleshooting steps on your end? Such as rebooting the box manually or through our Xfinity My Account App.

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3 years ago

user_89ccc8

Contributor

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32 Messages

Seriously? Please don't try the typical "have you tried unplugging it" script with me. The issue lies with the firmware Xfinity pushed to these boxes. As I and others have noted, stereo audio programming is falsely carrying the marker that it is actually 5.1+, despite only having two channels of actual audio. This prevents many (if not most) current AV receivers/processors from being able to recognize the actual audio format so that they can apply algorithms like Dolby Pro Logic (or others) that synthesize a proper center channel signal to carry the dialog. I realize some programming only contains a stereo audio signal, but it's falsely being sent as full 5.1 content.

What's worse is that it appears even when content originally contained multichannel audio, your processing actually strips it out anytime the programming is streamed over ip, in favor of sending only the front left and right channels.

I realize that anyone using a basic soundbar or just their TV speakers is unlikely to notice these issues, but you're billing these 4k Xfinity boxes as state of the art home theater products, and a lot of your customers are paying you not only for high quality video, but reference audio as well. You already don't carry Dolby Atmos content, despite implying that you do, and now you don't even deliver any decent surround audio on streaming (ip based) programming--which is more and more of your content by the day.

Unfortunately I got the XG1v4 after your firmware update apparently broke the audio processing, but others here have reported that it used to work correctly. Maybe check with your engineers on what they "fixed" in the update. As I've said multiple times now, my old legacy Xfinity DVR box didn't have these problems.

3 years ago

user_35a8bb

Visitor

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1 Message

I have this very same issue. Commercials that are in "stereo" are pretty much silent as nothing comes out of the center channel, then the next commercial that's in 5.1 sound find. If I switch to an old TV show on a non HD channel it has the same issue and have to turn the volume way up. Really annoying!

3 years ago

user_89ccc8

XG1v4 box Dolby processing problems

user_89ccc8

user_89ccc8

Andyr1

user_89ccc8

XfinityDilary

user_89ccc8

user_35a8bb

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