I don't see any news from Dolby to say they are going to support Atmos on PC... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PowerDirector 365

This is a non issue. Either you have an AVR with all the heights speakers connected to it, and you only need to bitstream the Dolby Atmos track to get it decoded by the AVR, or you don't have an AVR with the heights speakers connected and in that case Atmos will play as a standard Dolby True HD in 5.1 or 7.1.

Even if PDVD decoded Atmos, you wouldn't be able to connect the heights speakers on the PC as you only have a maximum of 8 analog channels on PC cards, and none are for heights channels.

Atmos is fully back compatible with Dolby TrueHD.

If you do have an Atmos compatible AVR, just make sure PDVD is set to "do not decode original sound" or similar to make sure it bitstreams the TrueHD track which contains the Atmos metadata as well.

I have a Denon X5200 and PDVD plays my Atmos tracks fine in 7.1.4 or 9.1.2 because it simply bitstreams the Atmos (Dolby TrueHD including the Atmos metadata) track to the AVR.

If PDVD decodes the Atmos track and sends PCM, the Atmos metadata is lost and your AVR only gets PCM without the heights/objects information.

Thanks for the reply but I think you've missed the point.
I use an RME Fireface audio interface that has support for as many outputs as I want (for atmos at least) via ADAT.
Decoding to analogue works fine for my current 7.1 setup and was hoping for powerdvd 15 to do the same with atmos.
I know lots of people who have ditched the AVR 'jumping through upgrade hoops' chicken feeding trail and have similar setups.
There was even a post to enquiring about it for powerdvd 14 9 months ago on this very forum!
If it doesn't support features like atmos decoding I honestly don't see the point I buying the software just for pass through.
Haswell 4770k watercooled @4.6 ghz. 16GB RAM,
Nvidia 980TI GTX, Marantz AV7702mk2, Apogee Duet, 3x Adam A77X, 4x Mackie MR5's, 4X Mackie CR4
Panasonic PT-AT6000e projector, 120" fixed projector screen, Panasonic ST30 50" TV.

In that case I agree it makes sense, but I doubt PowerDVD will ever support it as it's probably an issue for only 0.0000001% of its customer base. You might know a lot of people who have ditched AVRs, but I doubt this market is even on Cyberlink's radar.

I hardly think that this is a crucial selling point for them, given that you need dedicated hardware to handle this, so I wouldn't hold my breath on that one.

It would take them about 1000 years to recoup the investment in development time compared to the number of licenses they would sell for this feature only.

This is why this type of use tends to be in the realm of custom install and $$$$$ setups, not a $99 piece of software.

Maybe jRiver would support this, as it's more up their street?

Anyway, sorry for the misunderstanding, and good luck.

I can see your point but every free player has pass through.
That's why I (and many others) are interested in powerdvd. 3D bluray support and decoding DRM ridden consumer formats to analogue.
It's these unique selling points (albeit not crucial) that give customers a reason to buy it in the first place.
Otherwise what's the point? You might as well buy a bluray player with USB or networking support for mkv.
It's a shame. Surely it can't cost a lot to implement.
It's definitely more important that cloud streaming and all the other pointless features cyberlink seem to be adopting at the moment.
Looks like ill have to have a look for a atmos decoder.
An external sound card isn't exactly niche dedicated hardware these days. Most home recording setups and prosumer sound cards have enough outputs to do it.
Anyone wanting to watch a film on their computer will have a half decent setup in the first place.
Powerdvd is designed to play movies at full quality on your PC (in software). Passing through (bit streaming) to a £1000+ DVR is missing the point entirely. If they have read their forum in the last 9 months they would know this already from the atmos thread.
Sounds like they are out of touch with their customers.
Cut the bumf and get the cutting edge feature support implemented.
I'm assuming windows would have to support atmos too as all it supports at the moment is 7.1 by the looks of it.
Haswell 4770k watercooled @4.6 ghz. 16GB RAM,
Nvidia 980TI GTX, Marantz AV7702mk2, Apogee Duet, 3x Adam A77X, 4x Mackie MR5's, 4X Mackie CR4
Panasonic PT-AT6000e projector, 120" fixed projector screen, Panasonic ST30 50" TV.

That's the whole point. Nothing mainstream will support Atmos because you don't have too. You just bitstream Dolby TrueHD to the AVR and you're done. Same for DTS:X (bitstream DTS:HD).

Either you care about sound and you have a full setup with an AVR (I have a X5200W with 10.2.11 speakers) or you don't and Dolby TrueHD/DTS-HD is probably more than enough already.

This is why I don't see any return on investment for them.

They might do this if/when they decide to support UHD Bluray playback, but I'm not even sure this will happen because the market is too small.

But I could be wrong, and I wish you luck (genuinely).

I only use PowerDVD to play 3D Bluray and whenever I need full menus, otherwise I use MPC-BE with LAV and MadVR which offers much better quality.

<p>Yeah I'm just trying to keep it all in the box. Which is what I thought powerdvd would allow me to do (and what I believed to be the primary function of powerdvd) evidently this isn't the case. IMO They need reasons for people to buy it and it atmos would have been a great addition. Hopefully a company will make a 4k software player when 4k drops that'll support features like atmos and hardware video decoding, rather than cloud based fluff and silly apps etc. Cyberlink have left some very big holes that'll need plugging for home theatre enthusiasts. They own the market now, with no competition they should be trying to keep it that way rather than resting on their laurels and leaving opportunities for competing companies looking at entering the market. Saying atmos is a niche feature is the whole point in buying powerdvd in the first place. It is a niche piece of software. All they have to get right is picture and sound. They've sacrificed sound for cloud and apps and extra bumf I bet hardly anyone uses.</p> Haswell 4770k watercooled @4.6 ghz. 16GB RAM,
Nvidia 980TI GTX, Marantz AV7702mk2, Apogee Duet, 3x Adam A77X, 4x Mackie MR5's, 4X Mackie CR4
Panasonic PT-AT6000e projector, 120" fixed projector screen, Panasonic ST30 50" TV.

Is there an update on this yet?
On The 24th of August the Blu-ray Disc association are starting to license its ultra HD bluray format. This means people can start making hardware and software that supports the new 4k bluray.
http://www.kitguru.net/components/optical-drive/anton-shilov/blu-ray-disc-association-begins-to-license-ultra-hd-blu-ray-technology/
Hopefully this means cyberlink will add Dolby Atmos and DTSX decoding to analogue. We've only been asking for a year already! Give your customers what they want!
If powerdvd just bit streams the new formats to an AVR, there is no reason to have powerdvd in the first place IMO. Haswell 4770k watercooled @4.6 ghz. 16GB RAM,
Nvidia 980TI GTX, Marantz AV7702mk2, Apogee Duet, 3x Adam A77X, 4x Mackie MR5's, 4X Mackie CR4
Panasonic PT-AT6000e projector, 120" fixed projector screen, Panasonic ST30 50" TV.

"the Ultra HD Blu-ray standard is compatible with emerging object-based sound formats, including DTX: X and Dolby Atmos"

Not sure if they are mandatory for UHDBD... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PowerDirector 365

I'm sure they won't be mandatory but cyberlink supporting the formats properly should be.
Cyberlink have Dolby and DTS licenses already. If they don't support this someone else will! There's not many options these days for HTPC users but that doesn't mean cyberlink should be complacent.
Powerdvd could be the best/only option for huge Atmos/DTSX setups.
A Soundcard with adat could support the 32 channels of Atmos!
Haswell 4770k watercooled @4.6 ghz. 16GB RAM,
Nvidia 980TI GTX, Marantz AV7702mk2, Apogee Duet, 3x Adam A77X, 4x Mackie MR5's, 4X Mackie CR4
Panasonic PT-AT6000e projector, 120" fixed projector screen, Panasonic ST30 50" TV.

Sorry guys, but PDVD 15 already supports Atmos and DTS:X on bluray. The market for decoding these is simply two small compared to the complexity:
You're asking PDVD to not only decode but also render these sound formats according to each specific speaker layout (which can be anything within the 34 supported atmos locations).
Decoding was possible with 7.1 because it was limited to one single speaker layout (7.1, or possibly 5.1) with identified speaker locations.
Decoding Atmos or DTS:X will only happen in processors/AVRs, so bitstream is the only way forward.
It will be the same with UHD Bluray, although no one knows if PDVD will ever support this new format, as again the market is likely to be very small, provided they can get a license.
I don't want to rain on your parade, but you're tried to solve a problem that doesn't exist, except for a handful of enthusiasts.
The bulk of the market for Atmos/DTS:X/UHD Bluray is high end users who spend thousands in high end AVRs and processors. Not HTPC users using a PC to decode sound formats.

The main reason for a licensed player like PDVD is full BD menus and 3D Bluray playback, not analog audio decoding.

I disagree. I remember people saying the same thing about 7.1 but Cyberlink supported analogue decoding of that eventually.
Seriously what is the point in powerdvd if you're bit streaming?
You might as well just buy a bluray player.
You say it's too complex of a thing to program?!?
Games have been making realtime panning positions in surround sound for decades and I'm sure my PC's CPU has a lot more processing power than any AVR out there!
The game star wars battlefront is coming out in a few months which is the first game to support Dolby Atmos.
Powerdvd is there to replace standalone bluray players and decoders and the like.
That's the sole purpose of this software, it's the unique selling point, it's primary function to keep it all in the box!
Picture and sound is all they need to support. Drop the apps and cloud fluff that nobody wants and give the enthusiast a legal method of playing back the latest formats in the way they want to do it.
I find it hard to believe it will be hard to implement when the Dolby Atmos and DTSX mixes for films on made on PC's using said soundcards in the first place. If I can buy Dolby Atmos plugins for protocols why can't I buy software to play it back? Your argument is illogical.
If cyberlink don't someone else will. They could hit the ground running with this and clean up if they pull their finger out!
Saying it's only good for a handful of enthusiasts is also illogical. It's only the handful of enthusiasts who buy powerdvd in the first place. Otherwise they'll use plenty of the free players like MPC or a bluray player as powerdvd would be pointless.
You support it all or don't bother at all. Otherwise your product is not a viable solution for said enthusiast.

Haswell 4770k watercooled @4.6 ghz. 16GB RAM,
Nvidia 980TI GTX, Marantz AV7702mk2, Apogee Duet, 3x Adam A77X, 4x Mackie MR5's, 4X Mackie CR4
Panasonic PT-AT6000e projector, 120" fixed projector screen, Panasonic ST30 50" TV.

Quote: I disagree. I remember people saying the same thing about 7.1 but Cyberlink supported analogue decoding of that eventually.
Seriously what is the point in powerdvd if you're bit streaming?
You might as well just buy a bluray player.
You say it's too complex of a thing to program?!?
Games have been making realtime panning positions in surround sound for decades and I'm sure my PC's CPU has a lot more processing power than any AVR out there!
The game star wars battlefront is coming out in a few months which is the first game to support Dolby Atmos.
Powerdvd is there to replace standalone bluray players and decoders and the like.
That's the sole purpose of this software, it's the unique selling point, it's primary function to keep it all in the box!
Picture and sound is all they need to support. Drop the apps and cloud fluff that nobody wants and give the enthusiast a legal method of playing back the latest formats in the way they want to do it.
I find it hard to believe it will be hard to implement when the Dolby Atmos and DTSX mixes for films on made on PC's using said soundcards in the first place. If I can buy Dolby Atmos plugins for protocols why can't I buy software to play it back? Your argument is illogical.
If cyberlink don't someone else will. They could hit the ground running with this and clean up if they pull their finger out!
Saying it's only good for a handful of enthusiasts is also illogical. It's only the handful of enthusiasts who buy powerdvd in the first place. Otherwise they'll use plenty of the free players like MPC or a bluray player as powerdvd would be pointless.
You support it all or don't bother at all. Otherwise your product is not a viable solution for said enthusiast.

You don't understand the difference between channel based formats (up to 7.1 TrueHD and DTS-HD MA) and object based formats (like Atmos / DTS:X).

In channel-based formats, you only have to decode the PCM streams and send them to each speaker. One channel = one speaker.

In object-based formats, the objects are not in any given channel. They are positioned in 3D space, and the processor/AVR - which is the only one to know the number / position of the speakers, as the layouts vary between 5.1.2, 5.1.4, 7.1.2, 7.1.4, 9.1.2 and so on - renders the objects IN REAL TIME according to each specific speaker layout. The same Atmos track will not be rendered the same way in 5.1.2 and 7.1.4 or 9.1.2.

This is why you need to send the channel-based core and the object metadata via bitstream to an AVR or processor which knows how many speakers are connected and will send the channels to the base layer (ear layer) and will RENDER the object, in real time, using all the available speakers, including the wide and height speakers when present.

This is why PDVD will never handle that, especially when it fully supports the new standards with bitstream.

Analog outs were handle for 7.1 channel based formats because most motherboards and mainstream soundcards had 7.1 analog out.

The vast majority of PDVD users are using it to play DVDs on their laptop or computer in stereo.

A small minority is playing bluray.

A small minority has a 5.1 setup.

An even smaller minority has a 7.1 setup.

An even smaller minority has legacy matrix format setup with wides or heights, like Neo:X, Dolby PLz or Audyssey DSX.

An even smaller minority has an Atmos or DTS:X layout with heights.

Out of these users, most of those with a 5.1 or better set up will use an external AVR to playback the soundtracks.

The amount of users who are going to install a dedicated sound card to handle 11+ Atmos/DTS:X speakers is counted in hundreds, and I'm generous. Definitely not enough to warrant the huge development time and licensing cost that decoding Atmos and DTS:X natively would incur, with the need of additional hardware costing many times the cost of the software for the user on top.

jRiver is your best bet, but then you lose full BD menu and 3B bluray playback, which again is the main reason why people with HTPCs and more advanced configurations are still using PDVD. Otherwise, they use jRiver or MPC/LAV/MadVR and gett much better playback quality.

Also many users replace a standalone player with PDVD because they stream files, or their DVD/bluray rips from hard drives r servers. They don't want to have to look for a disc everytime they want to play a movie. That's another part of the market, and it's bigger than the audio enthusiasts who would want to decode Atmos or DTS:X on a PC, simply because they tend to want dedicated high end hardware to do that.

I don't think you realise 1) how small the market you represent is compare to PDVD bulk market and 2) how complex what you are asking Cyberlink to implement is compared to legacy, channel-based formats.

Please look into how Atmos and DTS;X work, and look into the bulk of Cyberlink's user base, and you'll understand what I mean.

Again, I'd be delighted if Cyberlink was to support this, just like I'd be delighted if they were to support MadVR or at least its 3D LUT capability, but this is simply never going to happen. It's not for nothing that high end processors like Trinnov or Datasat sell for tens of thousands. It's not easy to do it.

You're barking at the wrong tree. This is a feature request for jRiver, maybe Kodi. Not PowerDVD. It's too mainstream for that, at least until you get 11+ analog outs in mainstream motherboards or soundcards and they come with a microphone to measure the distance/delay/levels of each speaker present in the system.

Let's get one thing straight. I fully understand how Dolby Atmos and DTSX works.
I find your post extremely patronising whilst at the same time highly amusing.
I have a degree is music production, composed music for games and films and have created many surround sound mixes encoded to DTS and the likes.
You clearly have been taken in by the marketing lingo.
How do you think games provide surround sound in real time exactly? I'll tell you how, in exactly the same way (near enough as Atmos, see here if you care.
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=0TAE5me0GhwC&pg=PA306&lpg=PA306&dq=sound+in+games+object+based&source=bl&ots=_7HBI-0SHY&sig=LLh41J5f5pXk9-GM_my2MkDpovk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCAQ6AEwAWoVChMI2ZXM1JiXxwIVRA4sCh2GygJw#v=onepage&q=sound%20in%20games%20object%20based&f=false
These object based sounds are created in real time and can also add effects in real time (for example footsteps on metal or carpet using the same audio object sample source with real time effects)
This is all going on whilst rendering the gfx, physics, AI, etc but you reckon it'll be impossible for powerdvd to come up with a way of panning simple audio objects without effects, gfx, AI, physics whilst playing a video file?
That did make me laugh I have to admit.
Do you really think that an AVR/processor is the only way to know how many speakers are connected to a source? Youve never plugged a mini jack cable into a PC and been asked what it's used for?
You've clearly just read a few paragraphs on Dolby Atmos and now consider yourself an expert.
You think it'll take a lot of work for motherboard manufactures to provide one or two extra mini jacks for front and/or rear height speakers? Do you think the extra mini jacks should be added before suitable methods of playing back said source are available?
Exactly the same thing happened with 5.1 and 7.1.
You think software can't have a diagram of the speaker layout where you can move the positions to what matched your setup? Just like windows can have a 5.1 setup with sides or rears in the windows configuration.
You think that "audio objects rendered in 3D space" is some amazing feat of technology that isn't just panning and volume between the speakers you have?
Last time I checked every PC from the last 10 years has a mic input.
People that take sound 'seriously' (as you call them that apparently need an AVR) won't even consider using the mic method. Room treatment and speaker placement will always sound better than cutting and boosting frequencies resulting in a phasing, wishy washy mess that only sounds good if you put your head in the exact position of the mic!
I remember this 'tech' being pushed to recording studios over 10 years ago. It was laughed out of the controls room world wide and put into these consumer AVR's we see today.
It doesn't work well basically, but that's another thread.
Do you work for cyberlink? How do you know it's only hundreds of customers that would use this tech?
You don't, you just assume and assumption is the mother of all cock ups as I'm sure you know.
People have been asking for Atmos since powerdvd 14. There are threads on this very forum from users asking for it. Maybe if you tried searching you will see all that.
It sounds to me like your trying to justify a purchase of your overpriced AVR and don't want to see it being made redundant by a piece of software that is capable of doing exactly the same thing for a fraction of the cost.
Microsoft has also paid for Dolby licensing in windows 10 which should include Atmos.
You can buy tablets and phones that have Dolby Atmos (albeit cut down) Star Wars battlefront game is coming out with Dolby Atmos support this year.
Atmos is everywhere, apart from the PC.
I think I see a niche here, apparently I'm the only one who can)
Windows 10 have dropped media player so consumers will be looking for an alternative.
It's this kind of support that is required to differentiate powerdvd from the rest of the market, the market of free players that'll do bitstreaming for nothing!
If they don't someone else will.
I can't get over how you think your AVR will decode Atmos but it'll be impossible for cyberlink to achieve.
You are truly an idiot who can't see past his own opinions and can't see the wood for the trees.
Can someone from cyberlink please tell me if they are looking into/are/are going to look at Dolby Atmos decoding to analogue please so I don't have to educate patronising fools that always seem to pop in with their misinformed nonsense and try and hijack a thread.
ARE CYBERLINK WORKING/GOING TO WORK ON DOLBY ATMOS OR SHOULD I LOOK ELSEWHERE?

EDIT: if no one is bothered about Atmos why is this thread the most viewed on the powerdvd 15 forum apart from the stickies?

why are there articles all over the web about people trying to find ways getting it working?!? Haswell 4770k watercooled @4.6 ghz. 16GB RAM,
Nvidia 980TI GTX, Marantz AV7702mk2, Apogee Duet, 3x Adam A77X, 4x Mackie MR5's, 4X Mackie CR4
Panasonic PT-AT6000e projector, 120" fixed projector screen, Panasonic ST30 50" TV.

Quote: Let's get one thing straight. I fully understand how Dolby Atmos and DTSX works.
I find your post extremely patronising whilst at the same time highly amusing.
I have a degree is music production, composed music for games and films and have created many surround sound mixes encoded to DTS and the likes.
You clearly have been taken in by the marketing lingo.
How do you think games provide surround sound in real time exactly? I'll tell you how, in exactly the same way (near enough as Atmos, see here if you care.
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=0TAE5me0GhwC&pg=PA306&lpg=PA306&dq=sound+in+games+object+based&source=bl&ots=_7HBI-0SHY&sig=LLh41J5f5pXk9-GM_my2MkDpovk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCAQ6AEwAWoVChMI2ZXM1JiXxwIVRA4sCh2GygJw#v=onepage&q=sound%20in%20games%20object%20based&f=false
These object based sounds are created in real time and can also add effects in real time (for example footsteps on metal or carpet using the same audio object sample source with real time effects)
This is all going on whilst rendering the gfx, physics, AI, etc but you reckon it'll be impossible for powerdvd to come up with a way of panning simple audio objects without effects, gfx, AI, physics whilst playing a video file?
That did make me laugh I have to admit.
Do you really think that an AVR/processor is the only way to know how many speakers are connected to a source? Youve never plugged a mini jack cable into a PC and been asked what it's used for?
You've clearly just read a few paragraphs on Dolby Atmos and now consider yourself an expert.
You think it'll take a lot of work for motherboard manufactures to provide one or two extra mini jacks for front and/or rear height speakers? Do you think the extra mini jacks should be added before suitable methods of playing back said source are available?
Exactly the same thing happened with 5.1 and 7.1.
You think software can't have a diagram of the speaker layout where you can move the positions to what matched your setup? Just like windows can have a 5.1 setup with sides or rears in the windows configuration.
You think that "audio objects rendered in 3D space" is some amazing feat of technology that isn't just panning and volume between the speakers you have?
Last time I checked every PC from the last 10 years has a mic input.
People that take sound 'seriously' (as you call them that apparently need an AVR) won't even consider using the mic method. Room treatment and speaker placement will always sound better than cutting and boosting frequencies resulting in a phasing, wishy washy mess that only sounds good if you put your head in the exact position of the mic!
I remember this 'tech' being pushed to recording studios over 10 years ago. It was laughed out of the controls room world wide and put into these consumer AVR's we see today.
It doesn't work well basically, but that's another thread.
Do you work for cyberlink? How do you know it's only hundreds of customers that would use this tech?
You don't, you just assume and assumption is the mother of all cock ups as I'm sure you know.
People have been asking for Atmos since powerdvd 14. There are threads on this very forum from users asking for it. Maybe if you tried searching you will see all that.
It sounds to me like your trying to justify a purchase of your overpriced AVR and don't want to see it being made redundant by a piece of software that is capable of doing exactly the same thing for a fraction of the cost.
Microsoft has also paid for Dolby licensing in windows 10 which should include Atmos.
You can buy tablets and phones that have Dolby Atmos (albeit cut down) Star Wars battlefront game is coming out with Dolby Atmos support this year.
Atmos is everywhere, apart from the PC.
I think I see a niche here, apparently I'm the only one who can)
Windows 10 have dropped media player so consumers will be looking for an alternative.
It's this kind of support that is required to differentiate powerdvd from the rest of the market, the market of free players that'll do bitstreaming for nothing!
If they don't someone else will.
I can't get over how you think your AVR will decode Atmos but it'll be impossible for cyberlink to achieve.
You are truly an idiot who can't see past his own opinions and can't see the wood for the trees.
Can someone from cyberlink please tell me if they are looking into/are/are going to look at Dolby Atmos decoding to analogue please so I don't have to educate patronising fools that always seem to pop in with their misinformed nonsense and try and hijack a thread.
ARE CYBERLINK WORKING/GOING TO WORK ON DOLBY ATMOS OR SHOULD I LOOK ELSEWHERE?

Now it's your turn to be funny. I work in film, and used to be a programmer, so I know both of these worlds very well. One of my best friends works for Dolby and unlike you I have read all the available documentation about Atmos, including their white papers for home cinema installation and commercial cinema installation. I have a 10.2.11 speaker layout, using Atmos and Auro 3D with a Denon X5200W and more amplifiers for additional channels allowing me to support up to 7.1.4 or 9.1.2 channels. What are you using right now to play Atmos or any kind of immersive sound?

Anyway, back to the silly game comparison. Who has invested the development time to render these games using Atmos? Cyberlink or the game company, which has a huge user base potentially caring about this feature?

I never said it wasn't possible technically to use a PC to decode Atmos. Of course it its. Trinnov and Datasat are already doing it. Game companies are doing it, although I'm curious to know how they support more than 8 channels/speakers in a PC, because Datasat or Trinnov do have additional hardware (quite a lot in fact, which partially explains the astronomic price of their solution).

Do they require the gamers to buy additional hardware? Which models do they support? How much do they cost? How many gamers have done so if it's the case?

Or are they, most likely, simulating Atmos in a pair of stereo headphones, which is what the majority of gamers are using anyway, and what DTS:X headphone does brilliantly?

In a real Atmos setup, you don't only need to tell what each speaker is used for. You also need the AVR/processor to calculate the distance, level and crossover for each speaker, or you get garbage. Nothing that a PC with a microphone couldn't do, but you really see the Cyberlink development team spending time on something for which they have zero competence?

I'm only saying there is NO MARKET significant enough for Cyberlink to justify the cost of that development, when bitstreaming covers the needs of 99.99999999999% of their users.

If you can't see that, keep waiting for something that isn't going to happen. The only reason you're waiting is because you're too cheap to spend a few hundred to buy an Atmos AVR. Do this and your problem is solved. Intead, you want Cyberlink to invest hundreds of thousands in development cost that they will never recoup. Sure, makes complete business sense.

Try to come up with a number or a percentage of PDVD users who actually care about this. That is, within the super small minority which is using bluray and is ready to install more than 8 speakers in their living room (because those with a dedicated room, again, don't care about this and have dedicated hardware to achieve this with PDVD or without).

I can count two or three in this thread. It's not as if this is going to send Cyberlink out of business if they are unhappy (or rather have unrealistic expectations).

Then, out of this minuscule, microscopic potential user base, count how many would be ready to pay more (the only way to recoup the investment for Cyberlink, as the vast majority of their user base couldn't care less about this) for the software and also for additional, non standard hardware.

Come on, put yourself in the shoes of Cyberlink's CEO. Will you assign significant resources to develop a feature which is never, ever going to recoup its cost?

If you believe so, I'm glad you're not running my company

Quote: Now it's your turn to be funny. I work in film, and blah blah blah much ego massaging and purchase justification

I don't care for what you do, who you know or what you have. I'm not getting into a pissing contest when all I want to know is a one word answer to a very simple question from someone in the know.

Quote: What are you using right now to play Atmos or any kind of immersive sound?

Not that it has anyting to do with the question I asked but if you are referring to my home cinema setup I'll enlighten you.

(you obviously can't read the information in my signature)

I use an RME fireface UC. It features some of the best DAC's in the world (That's digital to analogue conversion just incase you didnt know) and the word clock is fantastic (look it up)

DAC's are the main reason why all music sounds TERRIBLE on AVR's. They use cheap DACS which aren't even in the same universe, never mind league, compared to the likes of my RME Fireface, my mobile Apogee Duet and my studio favourite the Prism Orpheus.

http://www.prismsound.com/music_recording/products_subs/orpheus/orpheus_home.php

I then go through BALANCED XLR/TRS (thats right, pro connectors with no noise or signal loss, who wants ground loops, you must know all about that from your cinema installations im sure) to a 7.1 active Mackie reference speaker monitors consisting of 3x Mackie MR8 and 4x Mackie MR5's and a Tannoy TS10 Sub. These are perfectly matched active biamped speakers with a real crossover (i.e not a crappy AVR one). I also use a Octava HDMI matrix to output HDMI inputs from bluray players xbox wii U etc) into 7.1 analogue and be able to switch HDMI outputs to either my 4k screen or my Panasonic PTAT8000e projector.

I watch all this sat on my D-box ready Fortress Matinee chair I imported from America.

I've got to say it sounds really good. A lot better than any high end consumer home theatre setup I've listened to and i've listened to a lot in my time.

Where were you going again with this? I don't see your point?

Quote: Anyway, back to the silly game comparison. Who has invested the development time to render these games using Atmos? Cyberlink or the game company, which has a huge user base potentially caring about this feature?

Is this a serious question? No one has made one yet. Obviously the game developer will do in the future, starting with Dice and Star Wars battlefront. Is this your way of avoiding admitting that i'm right in that games have been using object based audio very similar to atmos for over a decade? I'll presume so. Why would Cyberlink invest development time 'rendering' games anyway?

Quote:
I never said it wasn't possible technically to use a PC to decode Atmos. Of course it its.

Something we agree on and something cyberlink should implement.

Quote: Do they require the gamers to buy additional hardware? Which models do they support? How much do they cost? How many gamers have done so if it's the case?

I don't know what you are talking about, youre not making any sense.

Quote: Or are they, most likely, simulating Atmos in a pair of stereo headphones, which is what the majority of gamers are using anyway, and what DTS:X headphone does brilliantly?

No ones got a game with atmos out yet, like I said in my previous post. A lot of gamers use pseudo stereo, phase canceling fake surround yes but thats not what we are taking about here. You're getting confused.

Quote: In a real Atmos setup, you don't only need to tell what each speaker is used for. You also need the AVR/processor to calculate the distance, level and crossover for each speaker, or you get garbage. Nothing that a PC with a microphone couldn't do, but you really see the Cyberlink development team spending time on something for which they have zero competence?

You assume (again) Cyberlink have zero competence at what is essentially fundamental and the essence of what they do. I would hope that they can do it as I would find this more plausible than them knowing about cloud storage and the ios apps they are churning out, Why wouldn't they know their craft? Your statement is ridiculous and stop it with the mics already.

You think that companies that make AVR's dont just license the mic tech they use? You think they write the code from scratch?

Quote: I'm only saying there is NO MARKET significant enough for Cyberlink to justify the cost of that development, when bitstreaming covers the needs of 99.99999999999% of their users.

How do you know this, more assumptions again?

Why has this thread had the most views apart from the sticked threads if no one wants it? (seeing you ignored my question last time) PowereDVD is there to keep everything in the box, it supports decoding of 5.1 and 7.1 to analogue, it's not much work to add atmos support you clearly should know this as a programmer. It's probably a license reason more than a technical reason this hasn't happened yet.

As I said earlier windows 10 has the dolby license included for 3rd party apps needing to using dolby's patented tech so this removes the limitation.

If cyberlink won't, someone else will.

Quote: If you can't see that, keep waiting for something that isn't going to happen. The only reason you're waiting is because you're too cheap to spend a few hundred to buy an Atmos AVR. Do this and your problem is solved. Instead, you want Cyberlink to invest hundreds of thousands in development cost that they will never recoup. Sure, makes complete business sense.

I'm too cheap to pay a few hundred on an AVR?!? You are using consumer equipment and have the audacity to scoff at me? you really are insecure, I've got an audio interface that probably cost more than your entire setup for crying out loud!

Price me up a pre processor oh great system installer, it needs at least 11 outputs that are balanced and supports dolby atmos, DTS X HDMI 2.0, Must be HDCP 2.2 compliant and have 4:4:4 Chroma subsampling support for a few hundred quid and i'll buy it.

I like things to sound good, the best they can be. AVR's are cheap all in one solutions that break all the time and keep you upgrading evey few years by forcing you to jump through upgrade hoops.

In AVR's the DAC's are bad, the amps are bad, there's crosstalk from components being close together, unbalanced noisy connectors I could go on......

I can't be bothered wasting my time on the rest of your drivel. You clearly don't know what you are talking about, you are so far off the mark.

I just want an answer to my original question from someone who preferbly works for cyberlink. I've sent support questions and posted on here god knows how many times but to no avail.

Food for thought:

Windows 10 has no media player but a license for Dolby that 3rd party apps can use for free.

Dolby Atmos is availble on tablets and phones and AVR's right now. Atmos supported games are out in a few months, atmos movies are out now.

Cyberlinks main competitor has gone out of business (due to dolby licensing court cases i believe) and you can't see the benefit of powerDVD, a touted all in one, all in the box solution to HD playback, supporting said atmos?

Your comments are all hyperboyle and assumptious, based on your biased opinion and purchase justifications and are no help or are of benefit to anyone interested in analogue conversion of dolby atmos within powerDVD. Haswell 4770k watercooled @4.6 ghz. 16GB RAM,
Nvidia 980TI GTX, Marantz AV7702mk2, Apogee Duet, 3x Adam A77X, 4x Mackie MR5's, 4X Mackie CR4
Panasonic PT-AT6000e projector, 120" fixed projector screen, Panasonic ST30 50" TV.

Wow. No need to keep discussing indeed. Good luck in your quest, I'm sure a Cyberlink representative will invite you in a private meeting room any time now to discuss the custom development you would like to commission for your special needs. I can now see that the market is you, and that you have the financial means to finance this with your own funds.

Apologies for underestimating you and your purchasing power.

Over and out, this is getting nowhere.

I apologise if I came across harsh but I don't like being patronised much.
I am in no way rich financially, but spend my money on things I use a lot and/or things I use for my work.
I like your witty sarcasm but I bet by this time next year we'll have cheap logitech atmos setups for PC's like we do for 7.1 at the moment and it wouldn't surprise me if motherboard manufacturers did put an extra stereo minijack or two on their boards in the near future.
There's Virtual Reality supporting atmos (albeit probably fake) and then there's the steam boxes and Mini ITX PC's etc.
Dolby Atmos DTS X to analogue is a needed feature and should be implemented by cyberlink IMO.


Haswell 4770k watercooled @4.6 ghz. 16GB RAM,
Nvidia 980TI GTX, Marantz AV7702mk2, Apogee Duet, 3x Adam A77X, 4x Mackie MR5's, 4X Mackie CR4
Panasonic PT-AT6000e projector, 120" fixed projector screen, Panasonic ST30 50" TV.

These posts about Atmos really annoy me, so I'm going to jump in and give it my 2c.

A receiver with Dolby Atmos is able to upscale standard non ATMOS tracks to be able to utilise the overhead and extra speakers as it is in some cases a Replacement for Dolby Prologic IIx/z.

So if PDVD is able to support a prologic renderer why would it then not be able to read and distribute the minimal data included in a THD7.1 audio track to upmix to atmos?

What I'm not quite understanding is why people are going on about a PC only being able to support up to 8 channels. What does that matter?

Right there is a 5.1.2 ATMOS Set up.

Sure its not the most desired format, but it would still give a decent 3D Audio Space.

And to be able to tell your computer that you are sacrificing your Rear Left and rights for Height Left and Rights should be a cake walk for mostly any PC and Prosumer Media player such as Power DVD.

The other thing I don't understand, and if someone can please educate me on this (Please). What makes a Dolby Atmos game any different to the object based audio games that we already have? Height? And if that is it, surely it will make its way to the PC soon anyway, yea?