[SOLVED]Can't get 5.1 surround whilst streaming on my Steam Link

[Bramski]

SOLUTION: I connected one HDMI cable from the Steam link to my receiver on HDMI IN, and one cable from my receiver HDMI OUT to my Samsung TV. My Harman/Kardon AVR151s have an option named "HDMI link" all I had to do was turn it off and then on again. Hugh thanks to Vithigar for helping me on the way <3


Hey! I can't get 5.1 surround sound whilst playing games on my steamlink.
I have a H/K 151s AVR connected to my Samsung UE50J5505AK via HDMI cable. I have tried:
-Manually switching on 5.1 via Steam home streaming,
-Manually switching to 5.1 surround before streaming on the steam link (it auto detects stereo)
-I have disabled all the other sound devices on windows sound settings.
-In Windows sound settings I made sure that the "Steam Streaming Speakers" device is set to 5.1.

I googled a lot and read on the steam forums on how to solve this problem but nothing works. By looking at the steaming_log file it doesn't even detect my 5.1 system. I played around with the audio settings on my Samsung TV, switched from PCM to Dolby Digital but nothing works. Neither my games nor whilst watching movies on Kodi works.

taken from streaming_log:
[2017-11-06 23:05:09] Streaming started to Steam Link build 640 at 192.168.10.106:59214, audio channels = 2, MTU = 1468

If I for example watch a movie through the Netflix app on my TV I have to switch to Dolby Digital through the TV Sound settings to get 5.1 surround sound. If I have a computer connected to my receiver via HDMI cable and I start a movie it automatically detects for example Dolby TrueHD or DTS Master Audio.

If you need any more information please ask!

Thank you very much for reading this <3


EDIT: Here's a very poor presentation of the problem https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqoqQ_KUNwc I made an unlisted video of it. I don't know if it will give you anything but I made it just to be clear haha. As you can see the receiver reacts to the TV so they are indeed connected, and the Steam link music plays so it is connected to the receiver. Even tho I had the Steam link powered off and then started it up to see if the handshake would work, it didn't fix the no signal problem.

[Xjph]

The Link outputs PCM sound only, no Dolby or DTS.

How is your Steam Link connected? I would expect PCM surround to work fine as long as it's plugged directly into the receiver.

edit: Just to be sure I checked the manual for your receiver, it should accept a 5.1 PCM signal no problem.

[Bramski]

Thank you very much for taking your time to help me. I have the HDMI cable connected from my link to my TV. I have the receiver connected to the ARC connection on my TV via the ARC connection on my receiver.

Edit: hmm...how do I get the Steam link to send pictures to my TV if I connect it to my receiver? I have 4 HDMI in and 1 out (the Arc one).
One cable on the link to HDMI 1 (in) om my receiver, and one cable from HDMI (out, arc) on my receiver to HDMI (arc) on my TV?

[Xjph]

ARC is a return channel which sends audio back in the reverse direction along an HDMI cable. You should be able to use the very same cable for video to the TV without changing anything. Just select the correct HDMI source on the receiver and correct HDMI source on the TV.

[Bramski]

I'm sorry, I'm not quite sure I get what you mean, how do you suggest that I arrange my cables?

[Xjph]

Exactly as you said. Link to receiver HDMI 1. Receiver HDMI out (arc) to TV HDMI (arc). Should just be a matter of selecting the correct sources at that point.

[Bramski]

I believe that I doubled checked the sources when I tested that arrangement and it didn't work, but I'll try it again and make sure that everything is correct, thanks!
So the Link will send video and audio signals via the HDMI cable to the HDMI (in) slot on my receiver, there the audio gets played but video signals gets sent to TV via the HDMI out port which my TV is connected to?

[Xjph]

Yes, exactly. That is what receivers are for. ARC is pretty new in comparison to other AV tech, and only really became a thing because of embedded media sources in Smart TVs. Needed a way to get audio back to the receiver from whatever the TV was doing. If your media source isn't the TV itself then there should be no need to use ARC, just feed it all through the receiver. It's why your receiver has four HDMI inputs, it's made to be an HDMI switch for the TV and audio splitter for your surround speakers.

edit: Actually, I have a Harman/Kardon receiver as well, and one thing you might want to make sure of is that your audio source is selected properly. Mine has a separate selection for how audio is handled, distinct from which input is selected, either "digital", "analog", or "optical". Choosing "digital" selects the audio from the current HDMI input. On my remote it's the "SIGNAL SEL" button to cycle them.

[Bramski]

Alright thank you for the information!
Sadly I have no such button on my remote. I have now arranged the cables the way we said and I do get audio from the Steam Link but no video. I have a HDMI cable from HDMI out (Arc) on my receiver to HDMI 2 (Arc) om my TV, and one from the Link to my receiver on HDMI 1 in.

I believe that My receiver automatically detects which input it is because when I run with a optical cable and press the "TV" button I get the message "TV / opt" and if I go with HDMI arc it says "TV / arc".

[Xjph]

Weird. And you've selected HDMI 2 as the input source on the TV? I'm at a loss in that case.

[Bramski]

Yeah, my receiver even automatically detects which source it should go to, it went to "HDMI 1 / server", and I noticed that my TV (which is at HDMI 2) reacts to it but after a few seconds it says "no signal". Maybe there is a problem with a setting? something that just doesn't let the video signal through. I have googled for a while now and I have found nothing except that there might be a problem with the handshake.

[Bramski]

Anybody else that might know how to fix this?

[Mathuin]

My television (Samsung Smart TV, just too old for the Steam Link app) has audio out in the form of an optical connection. I route that into my receiver which sends it to the speakers. I honestly haven't checked to see if the Steam Link device outputs 5.1 or just stereo but sound in general does work from the Steam Link device to my speakers.

[Xjph]

Hmm, the title has been edited to say "solved" but no update from OP. is it working now?

edit: Oops, didn't see the update at the top. Cool!

[Bramski]

Mathuin, aslong as you connect the steam link directly to the receiver it should auto-detect 5.1, I didn't want to use an optical cable since people wrote that they had problem outputting 5.1 with it through the steam link, but I haven't tried it myself.