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MiniDSP Flex HTx

This product is so stupid.

Why are commodity priced TV's at Walmart able to do DTS:X and Atmos decode and this expensive product cant? If it's a licensing cost issue why doesn't MiniDSP offer the decode ability as an add on, even if it's an expensive add on? This product could EASILY become everyone's favorite HTP if they just let it..

It would cannibalize the whole HTP market.
Here is the position of minidsp dev team on this topic (from their community forum)
 
That was a complete deflection on their part. Their product only needs to receive LPCM to be able to accept it and work it's magic. Like I said, commodity priced flat screens at Walmart are able to decode anything coming in via HDMI and crap it out in LPCM. To me, that says that there are either one or many vendors offering this all in one decoder chip that could either be added to the HTx, or used as the basis for a new product that MiniDSP makes which solely handles multi channel format decoding. HDMI in, HDMI/Toslink/Coax out.
 
That was a complete deflection on their part. Their product only needs to receive LPCM to be able to accept it and work it's magic. Like I said, commodity priced flat screens at Walmart are able to decode anything coming in via HDMI and crap it out in LPCM. To me, that says that there are either one or many vendors offering this all in one decoder chip that could either be added to the HTx, or used as the basis for a new product that MiniDSP makes which solely handles multi channel format decoding. HDMI in, HDMI/Toslink/Coax out.
I've been having the same thoughts https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...tz-the-end-is-near.58647/page-12#post-2158638
 
why doesn't MiniDSP offer the decode ability as an add on, even if it's an expensive add on? This product could EASILY become everyone's favorite HTP if they just let it.
There is probably a decent amount of software investment needed. You already see a big gap in bitstream detection time between different brands.

That said, it seems like you could take this

And adapt it to the MiniDSP technology. Worst case, even an extra ADC step isn’t bad.
 
Like I said, commodity priced flat screens at Walmart are able to decode anything coming in via HDMI and crap it out in LPCM
Are you sure about that? Sure, plenty of TVs nowadays decode Atmos and/or DTS(x), but not usually the budget models. And even then, it’s questionable if they output the decoded content over HDMI. It makes more sense to decode it for the TVs speakers. The issue with LPCM output is that you’ll need to know the channel layout of the receiver, specifically with object audio. There is no what to tell the TV this, other than to manually set it up, which I doubt the TVs offer.
 
This product is so stupid.

Why are commodity priced TV's at Walmart able to do DTS:X and Atmos decode and this expensive product cant? If it's a licensing cost issue why doesn't MiniDSP offer the decode ability as an add on, even if it's an expensive add on? This product could EASILY become everyone's favorite HTP if they just let it..

It would cannibalize the whole HTP market.
Licensing cost must be one, but also dsp, the whole minidsp lineup uses the same chip.

One thing I can say is, they clearly aim at keeping costs as low as possible and fidelity as high as possible, while sacrificing thing like bitstreaming Atmos, ampling rate>48 kHz. At least they offer the HT models that can take advantage of the latest TVs that have eARC and handle Atmos and other upmixed contents.
 
Licensing cost must be one, but also dsp, the whole minidsp lineup uses the same chip.

One thing I can say is, they clearly aim at keeping costs as low as possible and fidelity as high as possible, while sacrificing thing like bitstreaming Atmos, ampling rate>48 kHz. At least they offer the HT models that can take advantage of the latest TVs that have eARC and handle Atmos and other upmixed contents.
If cheap eARC splitters/extractors can do it, then there must be AIO chips that can do the decode:


If MiniDSP is cost conscious, then add the capability as a drop down add on. They seem to have no problem adding other features as a la carte options.
 
If cheap eARC splitters/extractors can do it, then there must be AIO chips that can do the decode:


If MiniDSP is cost conscious, then add the capability as a drop down add on. They seem to have no problem adding other features as a la carte options.
This product does not perform any decoding nor conversion. This is passthrouh only.
 
FWIW, the only solution I have found to consistently decode or pass through any format to my x3700h is KODI in windows. As long as you use WASAPI exclusive mode for the device and pass through device. But that doesn't get me what I'm asking for, which was a way to pass LPCM To the MiniDSP HTx.

I'd love to not have to use the Denon AVR as an HTP, and I don't like any of the HTP offerings since they're exorbitantly expensive for no reason at all.
 
If cheap eARC splitters/extractors can do it, then there must be AIO chips that can do the decode:


If MiniDSP is cost conscious, then add the capability as a drop down add on. They seem to have no problem adding other features as a la carte options.
For now the TV has to decode, and send it to the Flex HT in pcm. In future, I believe as the necessary dsp ICs prices go low enough, miniDSP would have more options.
 
That said, it seems like you could take this

And adapt it to the MiniDSP technology. Worst case, even an extra ADC step isn’t bad.

These ones work for 5.1, but the quality is a hit or miss:

 
This product is so stupid.

Why are commodity priced TV's at Walmart able to do DTS:X and Atmos decode and this expensive product cant? If it's a licensing cost issue why doesn't MiniDSP offer the decode ability as an add on, even if it's an expensive add on? This product could EASILY become everyone's favorite HTP if they just let it..

It would cannibalize the whole HTP market.

It seems clear that you want this to be something different from what it actually is.

In reality, the HTX is an excellent value! It is an 8 channel DSP processor with balanced inputs and extremely low noise--the closest alternatives will cost you $3k+. Then it has a DAC, eArc capable, etc. An "audiophile" DAC that measures as well as the HTx would cost quite a bit more than this, and it doesn't have eArc or a multi-channel DSP processor.

I understand the frustration with the challenges surrounding affordable decoding of multichannel and Atmos, but you are wrong to blame MiniDSP. If you want to blame someone, blame Dolby!

If you do some research, you'll find recording engineers bellyaching about how their $20k Trinnov processor cannot decode commercial multichannel content! Why? All the same reasons why the MiniDSP doesn't decode multichannel! Imagine, paying $20k for a processor, and then you have to add a $6k consumer processor on top of it, just to establish a playback reference!

So yeah, it sucks right now. Dolby has a proprietary format and they're doing everything they can to make it 1) popular and 2) profitable. Putting the dolby name on cheap TVs makes it popular, and the hefty licensing fees they charge to manufacturers of AV processors is what earns them money.
 
This product is so stupid.

I like it. It's a white whale though, you have to like the chase.

It's a hobbyist device not something for consumers. Minidsp will never ever have the scale.

They explained that licenses for those codecs start in the thousands of units. They have only sold a few hundred HTs in a few years.
 
But there is nuance to the Apple TV 4K in that it will not do lossless multichannel codecs, and discards any spacial metadata. Same with Atmos-embedded non-spacial metadata, like dynamic range adjustments. Such a shame for a device capable of incredibly clean performance to only ever render lossy audio.
 
I like it. It's a white whale though, you have to like the chase.

It's a hobbyist device not something for consumers. Minidsp will never ever have the scale.

They explained that licenses for those codecs start in the thousands of units. They have only sold a few hundred HTs in a few years.
That's interesting. I had no idea how many of these they sold! I had to import mine since no retailers sell them (zero duties charged to USA), so I guess that should have been a clue.

The "white whale" thing. Yeah, I've always felt the "home theater" name gives people the wrong impression. It "can" provide multichannel audio, but only under very specific circumstances. I think the concensus is it works Apple TV, playstation 5, other game consoles (?), and devices that have multichannel pre-outs....

I just use it as an active crossover, and it is hard to beat! I'll buy a real processor when I build more speakers. I'm interested in emotiva's new processor, but the product page is still not published! They promised the new product page this week, so I guess they have a couple days still.
 
Just out of curiosity, since I’m still considering an HTx as HTP, and the only sources that I currently use for Home Theater are a windows 11 PC with KODI (does decode everything including Atmos/DTS:X) and a Xbox One X (which I can choose LPCM as output).

Would I just plug both of the sources into my LG MiniLED 86” and then connect the HTx to the eARC output of the TV?

Does anybody know if the Dirac Live setup for the HTx is still intuitive to use for setting up and calibrating a home theater setup like an AVR would be, or does it require additional steps to assign channels where you need them?
 
Would I just plug both of the sources into my LG MiniLED 86” and then connect the HTx to the eARC output of the TV?

Yes.

(eArc features have to be enabled, and each TV manufacturer has different names for the features. But yes, with eArc enabled, this is how it will work.)

One nice feature of eArc is it can wake the HTx, and then the HTx has a 12v trigger that can turn your amp on. And then everything turns off when you turn the TV off.
 
Would I just plug both of the sources into my LG MiniLED 86” and then connect the HTx to the eARC output of the TV?
Yes

Does anybody know if the Dirac Live setup for the HTx is still intuitive to use for setting up and calibrating a home theater setup like an AVR would be, or does it require additional steps to assign channels where you need them?
It performs the same workflow than classic dirac stereo + speaker type selection and extra sweeps for each channels.
You configure once your speaker types, proceed to the sweeps (number of position up to you depending the scenario) then your revie and optionally modify proposed target curve. You end up by loading resulting filters into presets and you're done.
Very similar process than audissey on AVR.
 
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