PS3 app outputs Dolby Digital; why?

[Sevoflurane]

Spotify music is streamed in Ogg Vorbis, I believe. My PS3 is set to multi output mode and so can output PCM, Dolby Digital, and DTS from the optical out into my amplifier. Why then is the Spotify app forcing the PS3 to output Dolby Digital to my amp? This just means that my music gets converted from one lossy format to another which cannot help the sound quality. Wouldn't it make more sense to output PCM? I can force the PS3 to output PCM by disabling DTS and Dolby Digital, but then I don't get either of those formats if I play a Blu Ray, and repeatedly changing the sound settings is very clumsy.

[TickleMyElmo]

It's also a problem because a receiver will often mix a stereo input to all 5 or 7 speakers, whereas the current Spotify DD or DTS signal will play only on the left and right front speakers.

[mwuk]

My guess would be it's a relatively quick port from the PS4 version, where the app can play simultaneously to games and other apps, which may use DD/DTS, and hence it would need to adhere to a 5.1 output to avoid interfering with gameplay. I realise this doesn't apply to PS3, as there's no backgrounding, but I'd think that PS4 would be the target in development, with it ported to PS3 afterwards (and with little discrete thought on the platform and its (in)abilities).

[MrMagooII]

Hallå, 

First post here. I have set my receiver to play The sound as it comes from PS3. It used to work fine with Music Unlimited, which ment 2.0 and I set My subwoofer to play The lower frequensies. But when using Spotify I notised it was no sound from my subwoofer. Checked all settings I could think of and it seemed ok. Weird thing is that The receiver indicates 5.1 signal from PS3?! Does that mean that it only get sound in front speaker channels but signal to all channels for some reason? Would that explain why the receiver didn't play The bass from The two front channels since it got the LFE signal and thought it was 5.1. 

I can add that it works fine when playing localy stored music from the PS3, which indicates that the problem is the Spotify app.

Any ideal? By the way, sorry for my poor english. 

Tanks, 

Tobias 

[emmet864]

I have exact same problem. Br Emmet

[hiroo916]

Having the same problem on my Fat PS3.  Since the Spotify PS3 app seems to output a 5.1 signal populated with only the Front L and R channels (2.0 in a 5.1 package), I can't hear any bass.  

Apparently the Spotify app provides a 2 channel signal, encoded as 5.1 Dolby Digital. Since the audio receiver thinks it's getting a full 5.1 PCM stream, but only 2.0 channels out of 5.1 are actually being used, it faithfully plays the signal which puts sound on the two front speakers and silence out the center, surrounds, and subwoofer. 

The way to fix this would be if Spotify would modify their app to send a 2.0 PCM stream for their 2.0 actual channels.  If a stereo signal was output then the receiver could process that as desired to use the sub and surround using Dolby Pro Logic IIx.

How can we get any attention from Spotify on this?

[Ruben86]

I still have this issue...

[Psxpak]

Hiroo916 is totaly correct. The signal output is surround but the media is 2.0 so you cant use any settings in the reciever to play through surround speakers or subwoofer. Ps3 and 4.

[Leonerd007]

Hi,i <strong>have the same problem</strong>,my subwoofer cant work on spotify for ps3,the LFE is activated on receiver sony "(dolby digital ex),but the sound is hear only on front /center /surround speakers,the subwoofer cant work !!!

My receiver is a Sony STR DE 897,my PS3 is super slim,i use the optical cable.which exits from PS3 to sony receiver.On other applications like NETFLIX AND youtube,and games the sound works pretty well.

[Psxpak]

Everything is operating corectly, that stupid app just outputs to all 5
channels but it only puts music through 2 of them. The solution is to swith
ur ps3 output to 2ch stereo only so the reciever can do its thing

[Psxpak]

Everything is operating corectly, that stupid app just outputs to all 5
channels but it only puts music through 2 of them. The solution is to swith
ur ps3 output to 2ch stereo only so the reciever can do its thing

[TickleMyElmo]

Why was this accepted as a solution? It's not a solution. You shouldn't have to cripple the audio output of your console just to work around one badly written application.

[emmet864]

I totally agree. There is no solution!

[Lee]

Hey everyone, thanks for all the feedback!

We think this would be best submitted as an idea over at https://community.spotify.com/t5/Idea-Submissions/idb-p/ideas_submissions.

If it gets enough support, it might convince the devs that this is something to look into.

We hope that helps.

Cheers,

Lee