Possible solution for DTS/Dolby/Atmos+eARC+HDCP to AES/EBU - via Dante? (for Okto DAC8PRO etc)

[welwynnick]

I believe that will be OK. That gives you a few options:

For some reason I forgot to add the fifth option:

• The SOUND PRO AUDIO HDMI to 5AES by yulen on DIY Audio, mentioned in post 561 above, cheap but maybe a bit flaky.
• A used Meridian HD621 HDMI Audio Processor. 44/48kHz only in non-Meridian systems.
• Audiopraise VanityPRO, quite expensive for what it is, but a very solid performer.
• There is also the low-cost Atmos decoder, the NuprimeX H16-AES. Limited to 48kHz. Capable but appears to be buggy so far.
• Arvus HDMI-2A HDMI LPCM to 4 x AES/EBU at up to 192 kHz

 

[sfogg]

• A used Meridian HD621 HDMI Audio Processor. 44/48kHz only in non-Meridian systems.

Put a HDCP stripper ahead of the Meridian and it will pass 96kHz plain unecrypted S/PDIF just fine.

 

[welwynnick]

The Meridian is S/PDIF. For any HDCP protected HDMI sources it will only output up to 48kHz. If your input doesn't have HDCP it will output 96kHz unencrypted.
It is also 1080p only but can act as a sink. If you use something like a HDFury Vertex you can get around both 1080p only and 48kHz only. Feed the Vertex from your source (can be 4k) then send one output to your display (4k) and the HDFury can send the audio out its second input at 1080p.

Put a HDCP stripper ahead of the Meridian and it will pass 96kHz plain unencrypted S/PDIF just fine.

You can?!?! Have you done it?
I'm sorry, you did say that before and I didn't notice.
I was about to add that the HD621 is 1080p only (which might explain the low prices) so the HDCP stripper would have to handle newer video formats as well.
This puts the HD621 in a different position for me.
Coupled with an Okto DAC8, that offers entry-level 7.1 / 24 / 96k audio.
Then it's a simple choice against an H16AES with 7.1.4 / 24 / 48k. (Or wait a bit for the DPR-16).
My ambition is to use Hang Loose Convolver or similar, running on a cheap PC with an AES3 interface, to handle the speaker and room EQ.
I think I'd like to get a "simple" system running first, as a stepping stone, before going full Atmos.
Thanks,
Nick

 

[sfogg]

Yes, I posted screen shots of it up and running at 96khz earlier in this thread. The HD Fury Vertex v1 (with the request only firmware) solves both 1080p and 96kHz with the HD621. It acts as a splitter,stripper and it downsamples 4k on its second output to 1080p for the Meridian.

 

[dziemian]

Yes, I posted screen shots of it up and running at 96khz earlier in this thread. The HD Fury Vertex v1 (with the request only firmware) solves both 1080p and 96kHz with the HD621. It acts as a splitter,stripper and it downsamples 4k on its second output to 1080p for the Meridian.

Whats the special firmware for hdfury v1 and how you got it?

 

[welwynnick]

Yes, I posted screen shots of it up and running at 96khz earlier in this thread. The HD Fury Vertex v1 (with the request only firmware) solves both 1080p and 96kHz with the HD621. It acts as a splitter,stripper and it downsamples 4k on its second output to 1080p for the Meridian.

I guess you mean this post:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...dante-for-okto-dac8pro-etc.59673/post-2378549
What's the significance of the request only firmware?

Whats the special firmware for hdfury v1 and how you got it?

https://hdfury.com/product/vertex-4k60-444-600mhz/

 

[Mort]

Yes, I posted screen shots of it up and running at 96khz earlier in this thread. The HD Fury Vertex v1 (with the request only firmware) solves both 1080p and 96kHz with the HD621. It acts as a splitter,stripper and it downsamples 4k on its second output to 1080p for the Meridian.

Do other hd fury models work? VRROOM?

 

[welwynnick]

Do other hd fury models work? VRROOM?

I was wondering the same thing:

8K VRROOM 40Gbps 40Gbps VRR Passthru or FRL5 Upscale or TMDS/FRL0 Downscale all up to 120Hz while extracting full audio from ANY HDMI source to feed ANY Audio sound system with the best possible audio formats!

8K Arcana 2 VRR 40Gbps 40Gbps VRR Splitter, Passthru or FRL5 Upscale or Downscale up to 120Hz while extracting full audio from ANY HDMI source to feed ANY Audio sound system with the best possible audio formats!

4K Diva 18Gbps Diva allows any HDMI source (Blu-ray, UHD Blu-ray, media players, satellite receiver, game consoles, PCs, etc.) to be shown on any of the connected displays and any sources Full HDMI audio to be played on ANY AVR.

4K Vertex 2 18Gbps tex² allows any HDMI source (Blu-ray, UHD Blu-ray, media players, satellite receiver, game consoles, PCs, etc.) to be shown on any of the connected displays and any sources Full HDMI audio to be played on ANY AVR.

Integral 2 Integral2 allows any source (Blu-ray, UHD Blu-ray, media players, satellite receiver, game consoles, PCs, etc.) to be shown on any of the connected displays and any sources HDMI audio to be played on any AVR.

Vertex 4K60 4:4:4 600MHz Vertex allows any source (Blu-ray, UHD Blu-ray, media players, satellite receiver, game consoles, PCs, etc.) to be shown on any of the connected displays and any sources HDMI audio to be played on any AVR.

It's not always easy to see at a glance what are the differences between HDFury products, but I think it's mostly in the video (4k, 8k, 120Hz, VRR etc).

 

[sfogg]

Whats the special firmware for hdfury v1 and how you got it?

You have to email support and ask for the firmware that deals with troublesome HDCP connections. For the vertex v1 that was VERTEX-MCU-1.380%288%29.zip

 

[sfogg]

I guess you mean this post:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...dante-for-okto-dac8pro-etc.59673/post-2378549
What's the significance of the request only firmware?

Yes, that post is showing 96kHz being output from the Meridian when using the request only firmware in my Vertex. With the original firmware I would only get 48kHz out of the Meridian.

 

[sfogg]

Do other hd fury models work? VRROOM?

I emailed them about similiar firmware for the Vertex v2 (I have one of them too) and they sent me a link for firmware but I haven't tried it yet. It is almost the same file name as what they have online but doing a hex compare there are a few differences within the file itself. If it works on the v2 Vertex that would be great as it is a more flexible unit compared to v1 (more inputs/outputs and more setup options) and also easier to tweak/setup as it has a web interface.

I do not know about other models.

 

[Zooqu1ko]

I guess you mean this post:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...dante-for-okto-dac8pro-etc.59673/post-2378549
What's the significance of the request only firmware?

It disables HDCP on the outputs, but leaves it enabled on the inputs. It's only available on request to fix very specific problems.

 

[welwynnick]

I emailed them about similiar firmware for the Vertex v2 (I have one of them too) and they sent me a link for firmware but I haven't tried it yet. It is almost the same file name as what they have online but doing a hex compare there are a few differences within the file itself. If it works on the v2 Vertex that would be great as it is a more flexible unit compared to v1 (more inputs/outputs and more setup options) and also easier to tweak/setup as it has a web interface.

Thanks so much. I like the look of the Vertex V2 (more inputs).

So it sounds like other HDMI switches / audio extractors wouldn't work then?

 

[sfogg]

Apparently, a number of HDMI switches/splitters also tend to strip HDCP but I don't know which ones specifically. If the Meridian receives a HDCP protected source it will either encrypt its digital outputs (if you have MHR set to on) or limit the sampling rate to 48kHz if MHR is set to off. If the Meridian receives a signal that is not HDCP protected it doesn't encrypt its outputs and will output at 88.2 or 96kHz if Output Rate 2x is also set to Yes. That setting enables higher sampling rates and also upsamples anything 44.1 or 48kHz to 2x. If you go with the HD621 route you will need a Windows computer with a serial port and a null modem cable to be able to configure the HD621 for your system using their old setup software. There are also a couple of other settings that adjust the EDID of the Meridian. I set mine to 8 channel and LPCM only.

The big plus about the Vertex (either version) is that it also will rescale 4k to 1080p with audio on a separate output which is perfect for the Meridian. Your source can still output 4k and the Vertex will pass that to your display. The v2 actually has 3 outputs, two can be full video and the third one is basically an audio output with a 1080p carrier.

Remember that your source has to decode to LPCM for any of this to work. I'm mostly using PS4/PS5 and an AppleTV. Those go into the Vertex which spits the video to my JVC projector and the LPCM to the HD621 and then on to my BSS stuff and QLI-32.

 

[welwynnick]

I've owned a lot of Meridian gear over the years. I was the one that first replaced the SMPS with LPS in the G61, G68, 861 etc. I vaguely remember how to set them up, and probably still have the cables.

So - it's not just about using the Vertex - it's using the Vertex with the special firmware, then?

 

[sfogg]

If you use the Vertex with the shipped firmware you won't get more than 48kHz LPCM out of the Meridian unencrypted. If you try to get 88.2 or 96kHz output you will just get no audio on the receiving device as it won't know how to deal with MHR encryption.

If you put in the special firmware on the Vertex you can get 88.2kHz or 96kHz LPCM unencrypted out of the Meridian.

Either firmware works around the Meridian being 1080p only. The Meridian will act as a sink so you don't need to plug any display device into it for everything to sync up properly.

 

[welwynnick]

Apparently, a number of HDMI switches/splitters also tend to strip HDCP but I don't know which ones specifically.............
The big plus about the Vertex (either version) is that it also will rescale 4k to 1080p with audio on a separate output which is perfect for the Meridian.
Your source can still output 4k and the Vertex will pass that to your display.............

I found this 4x2 HDMI matrix splitter that has an option to downscale one of the HDMI outputs to 1080p while the other runs pass-through.
This seems readily available and not expensive, but I'm not sure whether it can strip HDCP. I've contacted technical support but haven't had a response yet.

HDMI Matrix 4x2 ARC 4K 60Hz HDR CEC HDMI Matrix Switch 4 In 2 Out IR Remote ezcoo

HDMI 2.0 Matrix 4x2 4K 60Hz 4:4:4 HDR Dolby Vision Dolby Atmos, HDCP 2.2 EDID Audio Video DIP Switch setting for multiple format SPDIF supports ARC only, OPTICAL OUT SELECT must set to ARC HDMI OUT 1 supports CEC, OPTICAL OUT SELECT must set to CEC Supports IR Remote, panel button contorl

www.easycoolav.com

 

[Mort]

Is there a way upstream of the vanitypro to have other sources than Apple TV? Specifically, can I attach a streamer with SPDIF coax out or HDMI like a wiim ultra?

 

[Zooqu1ko]

Is there a way upstream of the vanitypro to have other sources than Apple TV? Specifically, can I attach a streamer with SPDIF coax out or HDMI like a wiim ultra?

Anything with PCM HDMI audio should work. For S/PDIF you can use an HDMI audio embedder/inserter.

 

[darth]

For altitude ci - Dante sample rate auto setting shown around the 14:00 mark of this video https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...pricing-model-from-trinnov.69756/post-2532569

Guessing this is solving issues discussed in this thread from back when we were talking about the nuprime stuff - sample rate switching