DTS is not a relevant example. It is a 25+ year old codec that always has been S/PDIF compatible because it is encapsulated as PCM. Roon sees a ripped DTS CD as 16 bit 44.1 kHz audio, the same as any other CD. Roon does not support Dolby Digital Plus or DTS-HD High Resolution, for example, because those lossy codecs extend beyond the PCM encapsulated, S/PDIF compatible model.
AJ
It is relevant in that it is a format that Roon can output but can not decode. Which is the minimum we should have for Atmos.
No, Nick, you are ignoring the important details. DTS support in Roon is not intentional, it is a so called happy accident. The same as in the original Apple AirPlay (AirPort Express), DTS works in Roon purely because the PCM pipeline is or can be set as bit perfect.
Roon does not recognize DTS at all ā it just appears to Roon to be bog standard 16 bit 44.1 kHz PCM. Thus, Roon did not have to change anything in its PCM pipeline to pass through DTS. On the other hand, Roon would have to reengineer part or all of its audio pipeline first to recognize and second to pass through Dolby Atmos Music, hence Dolby Digital Plus.
AJ
Iām not ignoring any details; Iām requesting a new feature. The implementation details are up to Roon. They are very competent engineers, Iām sure they can figure out how to do it without us second guessing them or making assumptions about the challenges. Frankly, arguing against someone elseās feature request, based on the technical challenges, is unkind and uninformed unless you have access to the code base. If you have an issue with the feature request, make your arguments based on how it impacts your user experience, not how challenging it is for the devs. If there is a technical reason this can not be done, I want to hear it from Roon, not from someone who does not know their code base. Lots of apps decode Atmos, it can be done, but you have to pay license fees. As far as outputting an undecoded bit stream on HDMI, Iām an engineer like you and I donāt see it as a big deal. If it is a big deal, I want to hear that from Roon.
Nick, you are misconstruing my words. Neither for nor against, my position on Roon supporting Dolby Atmos Music is neutral. I am offering valid technical reasons why the feature request for Roon decoding or passthrough faces architectural hurdles (and possibly financial obstacles), thus seems unlikely to happen. If you want to hear that from Roon staff, you may be waiting and waiting. As a longtime user, you should know by now that Roon generally does not comment on feature requests anymore. Would you prefer that silence to my insight?
AJ
Here is the thing AJ, Iām trying not to be rude, but why do I care about your opinion about ātechnical obstaclesā? Even if you are correct, it is no relevance. Iām requesting a feature that I think is important. Just because something is difficult doesnāt mean it is not worthwhile.
can almost guarantee we wont get it before tidal adds atmos support to their desktop app so lets watch for that first. I would be shocked if they never implement it
DD+ JOC is CoreAudio built-in function and can decode DD+ Atmos up to 7.1.4 on macOS. Roon just simply call that API, let macOS decode, and send to multichannel DAC. If you donāt have multichannel DAC itās okay, macOS can aggregate all your 2ch DACs as one multichannel DAC (this aggregate DAC also supports multichannel DSD DoP playback!). Itās not the technical issue reallyā¦
Why āditchā surround? Most people I know are doing exactly the opposite.
Exactly. It sucks to have to use my Amazon Firestick to decode Atmos on Tidal to listen to the new Def Leppard.
With Qobuz working on offering Atmos encoded tracks, I hope Roon is taking another look at offering decoding to its members. For me, the hold up buying Atmos 7.1.4 gear is knowing I can use it for movies AND music. Would love to see this categorized as ā[On Roadmap]ā.
Atmos would be a GREAT addition to Roon!
Remember to vote for this feature on the top!
Sounds like immersive 3D audio is here to stay and will become mainstream in a few years. Iāve got to believe if Roon doesnāt provide an Atmos streaming capability, someone else will, and will start stealing their customers.
Yep, Atmos support is nothing fancy anymore. If you donĀ“t support it, youĀ“ll lose users to other platforms that do.
Iād say Atmos support is common in hardware based devices, such as AVRs, Apple TV and Apple Music decoded by a Mac. But, the only software based solution Iām aware of to decode Atmos is the Dolby Reference Player. Itās expensive. Even at large volumes ā and I bet a large volume to Dolby is more than the entire Roon community ā I canāt see how Roon could afford to license the Dolby software (assuming Dolby would do so) and make it universally available to the Roon community while still keeping Roon affordable.
I hope Iām wrong because, Iād enjoy Atmos support through Roon as well. I just donāt see it in the cards.
That kind of Atmos support isnāt necessary and I donāt see where it would be beneficial anyway. Aside from AVRs what devices support true Atmos decoding and processing? We only need Roon to support Atmos in the most basic sense - the sending of an Atmos stream (from a local file or Tidal) to an audio device with an HDMI output connected to an AVR. In that scenario Roon isnāt decoding Atmos (the AVR is) so no license is needed.
I would prefer Roon to enable sending Atmos stream over the network to a Roon Ready endpoint. Still no decoding required. Some of us avoid having Roon core in the listening room, hence HDMI is one option - but not the preferred one for me.
I would suggest skipping all DSP in Roon for Atmos.
If you use the Dolby Reference Player, you can play full resolution Dolby Atmos files and send them through into HQP for DSP and upsampling, just like traditional stereo files can do so from Roon now. Roon couldnāt offer this without licensing the Dolby codec.
Has Qobuz started streaming Atmos and if so, has anyone compared it to Apple Music ā I assume it is similarly lossy. JCR
I have the same preference, wanting the ability to stream Atmos. I do have a PC as my endpoint, sending audio thru a Bifrost to my AVR. If I installed Tidal on that PC and ran a USB-to-HDMI cable to the AVR I assume I could experience Atmos (the AVR decodes Atmos). I would rather use Roon but that is a nonstarter for now. Now if ROKU ever decided to support Tidal Atmosā¦ 
Anyway at this point itās all a just a wish since I have moved to a new house and only have a 3.2 setup. But dreaming is fun!