No Dolby Digital sound through optical out (again) after 1.08.17 update

[#1]

I am using WD TV live from December 2011.

 An optical cable sends multichannel sound to a sony STR-DB 840 cabable of decoding DTS and Dolby Digital.

When playing mkv files, all firmware updates after 1.04 fail to deliver dolby digital 5.1 sound.

Innstead, the sound is either downmixed to stereo, or nothing comes out.

DTS plays correct.

Yes i have tried reset to default and have also bought a second new unit, tested to another amplifier.

So many users the past 4months report  they have the same problem (i have also reported it before)yet we have no answer.

Why is so difficult to just answer if there is no cure to the problem and we should stick to 1.04

 never using the new features every firmware update is supposesd to cover.

Even my cheap 30$ alternative media player plays DTS & Dolby Digital with no effort.

Why doesnt WD gives no answer how is it possible to decode multichannel sound with 1.04 firmware only;

The device can play it, newer firmares cut it out along with the company's after sales support.

[#2]

Yep...just flashed mine to 1.08.17 and my optical out is a no-go again. My problem is the exact opposite through. DD5.1 works fine but no DTS. Fortunately I still have my USB stick lying here with 1.04 on it. Flashed back and I'm back in business. **bleep**?

[#3]

Both DTS and DD (on MKVs over a NFS share, wired) work just fine over optical for me on 1.08.17.

Just tested yesterday.

I hate to say it, but...could it be your receiver?  Is it old?  Maybe some new feature of DD or DTS that's incompaible with older receivers?  I have some MKVs where the digital audio drops in and out every few seconds on my receiver (when played through the WDTV or a Mac Mini with optical out), maybe the audio bandwidth is too high?  Just a thought.

[#4]

Yes, the amp is 12 years old, but with DTS support. What really puzzles me though is that the same mkv plays with no problems only with 1.04 firmware. Why the same file that deleivers sound correctly is only stereo decoded with the latest updates; Why the media player only supports it with the old firmware? What is "forgotten" or "left out" at al the latest firmwares?

[#5]

I agree that it is the receiver not liking whatever the SMP is bitstreaming over the optical connection.

But.....

My receiver isn't the newest in the world either, but it decodes DD and DTS fine from every other source I throw at it. My MKV files are a mix of DTS and DD played over SMB from my NAS. DD and DTS are both decoded and played correctly with firmware 1.04. I have a Gen2 WDTV Live+ that works fine as well.

As soon as you upgrade to the newer firmwares on the SMP, the optical no longer works correctly. Obviously something in the firmware is changing the way the bitstreamed audio is being sent out over the optical connection, and my receiver doesn't like it.

Flashing back to 1.04 corrects the problem immediately. 

Been waiting since December for WD to fix it. Not holding my breath either....

[#6]

Same here: Sony STR-DE835.

No, the solution is not to upgrade receivers to accomodate a $100 streamer.

[#7]

I just purchased my SMP a week ago, firmware autoupdated to 1.08.17 and no dolby digital when playing avi or mkv through optical to a Kenwood KRF-V7030D year 2000 model, DTS works fine. Strangely enough it did play AC3 when I played a dvd iso.

I then rolled back to 1.07.18 and no go, then 1.06.04 also no go. I was getting tired of this so rolled back to what I purchased 1.04.12 and it works.

Later tried firmware 1.05.18 and some suggestions like factory reset from bottom of unit install latest firmware then factory reset, unplug/replug optical cable and mute on/off, no go.

A lot of people with this problem would have just taken the unit back for refund and I was close, but I like it and i'm hoping WD can sort this problem before they bring out their next SMP.

I'm looking forward to trying some of the new services offered in the lastest updates if this problem can be fixed.

[#8]

At last, 1.09.10 did the job for me! After months of waiting and using 1.04 I can now play EVERYTHING again with AC3 multi channel sound either wired or wirelessly. Let us hope this mistake won't be repeated in any future updates.

[#9]

http://community.wdc.com/t5/WD-TV-Live-Streaming-Issue/No-Dolby-Digital-sound-through-optical-out-ag...