Not sure if this applies, but sounds like it can be defaulted in Accessibilty Settings.
If you want videos to use audio descriptions by default https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205799
I've sent diagnostics.
Here are some photos of the screen.
When I untick "Descriptive Video Service" I get no sound whatsover. Both the regular audio and the descriptive video stops.
What is your location and what kind of hdhomerun? What channel(s) is this issue occurring on?
@tmm1 I’m seeing same problem, exactly as described by @Maximus.
I’m in Sydney Australia and so far I’ve seen the issue on a couple of programs on our two public broadcasters, that is ABC and SBS. It’s a little elusive as not all shows have AD (Audio Description) broadcast, only certain shows and usually during prime evening hours (or repeats).
Last night I saw it again on a show called “Backroads” on ABC at 2000-2030 for example.
I’m a longtime Channels user on ATV and this problem only started in a fairly recent update to Channels I think, as I mainly watch ABC and SBS and it was not an issue over last couple of years. I’m mainly using an HDHomerun Quatro (DVB-T) on my ATV 4K, but I also have a couple of legacy HDHR3’s (DVB-T) that I quickly enabled on Channels last night and pretty sure issue is apparent on those as well?
I can confirm the only Audio track shown in pull-down Settings during these broadcasts is the AD one, and thus if you turn it off you get NO Audio at all ...
Please advise how I can capture what you need to trouble-shoot? No Channels DVR here obviously, only live TV.
See:
Thanks @tmm1, will get you a capture when I can. Does it need to be a show with Audio Description or will any show do?
Just realised this is a Channels DVR thread whereas I’m seeing issue on “plain old” Channels but guess that confirms it’s a common issue across the code?
Also confirmed Audio Descriptions is turned OFF in Accessibility settings.
Another clue may be that I see similar issues on my Channels app on iPad - for ABC and SBS the only audio track available now is “English (visual impaired)” which can’t be deselected. Other broadcaster’s channels show “English” as normal.
Thanks for your help!
I need a sample from the time and channel where the issue is present in the player.
@tmm1 Thanks Aman, will do when I can correlate what shows have Audio Description embedded and capture. I have a feeling this may have coincided with update to 3.2.43 a couple of weeks ago perhaps?
I'm in Australia. The channel is ABC in Sydney but also affects SBS from memory.
I'll attempt a recording tonight.
The version info for my HDHomeRuns
HDHomeRun DUAL
Model: HDHR3-DT
Device ID: 11109EFD
Firmware: 20170930
@Maximus thanks, that confirms my observations that it’s ABC and SBS Australia, and that it affects legacy HDHomeruns as well. I do notice your firmware is very old (my HDHR3-DT’s are on 20200225) so you could maybe consider an upgrade, but regardless that is not the issue.
@tmm1, @Maximus found these links to the Audio Description service for ABC and SBS.
Looks like they are both testing with launch imminent ...
@maximus, list of upcoming ABC programs with AD here:-
Hopefully that will help us both capture some clips for Aman.
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Aussie AD is the same thing as American DVS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_description#Descriptive_Video_Service
In Australia and the US it's usually broadcast as the secondary audio track.
Unfortunately in the US it's not always correctly identified in the guide information or the audio stream.
I have heard the DVS track in the US on some programs, but the audio track is identified as Stereo-Spanish, when it's actually DVS/AD.
You can view the audio tracks on a Channels DVR recording in the web UI under recordings. Pick a recording and click the gear dropdown item view details.
Slack of me not to add, but if you don't have Channels DVR, you can also get the same information from a recording you capture from your HDHR using this post Turning off Descriptive Video Service turns off all Audio, by using the free tool MediaInfo which I think is what Channels DVR uses
http://127.0.0.1:8089/dvr/files/2400/mediainfo.json where 2400 is the fileID of the recording.
Actually, I think they're using the data from ffprobe, which is part of Ffmpeg. (Also, Channels distributes a statically-linked copy of ffprobe with the DVR server; you can find it in the same directory as the DVR server binary and Channels' copy of comskip and ffmpeg.)
Will also try to get some samples tonight.
ABC HD is transmitting Audio Description tests from 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM approximately this evening.
"Foreign Correspondent" followed by "Australia's Ocean Odyssey"
SBS HD is transmitting Audio Description tests from 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM approximately this evening.
"Who Do You Think You Are"
Not sure if I'll be able to grab stuff tonight due to family commitments but you may be able to?
Here is analysis of the ABC Aust transmission sample I just took. Although this actual program does not have Audio Description, the 2nd track is active anyway and running same "main" audio as Track 1.
It would appear Channels is defaulting to Track 2 Audio - because Track 1 no longer shows up as selectable for whatever reason. I'll get proper samples when I can or hopefully @Maximus will beat me to it.
| File | |
|---|---|
| Name | ABC Aust AD Bug Prelim Sample.mpg |
| Size | 12.2 MB (12225640 bytes) |
| Kind | MPEG video |
| UTI | public.mpeg |
| Location | /Users/stephenh/Desktop |
| Created | 16 June 2020 at 16:50:44 |
| Modified | 16 June 2020 at 16:51:14 |
| Downloaded From | http://192.168.1.94:5004/auto/v20?duration=30 |
| Container | |
| ID | 545 (0x221) |
| Format | MPEG-TS |
| Duration | 30 s 0 ms |
| Overall bit rate mode | Variable |
| Overall bit rate | 3 260 kb/s |
| FileExtension_Invalid | ts m2t m2s m4t m4s tmf ts tp trp ty |
| Video | |
| ID | 2320 (0x910) |
| Menu ID | 549 (0x225) |
| Format | AVC |
| Format/Info | Advanced Video Codec |
| Format version | Version 2 |
| Format profile | High@L4 |
| Format settings | CABAC / 4 Ref Frames |
| Format settings, CABAC | Yes |
| Format settings, Reference frames | 4 frames |
| Codec ID | 27 |
| Duration | 29 s 520 ms |
| Maximum bit rate | 1 629 kb/s |
| Width | 1 920 pixels |
| Height | 1 080 pixels |
| Pixel aspect ratio | 1.000 |
| Display aspect ratio | 16:9 |
| Frame rate | 25.000 FPS |
| Frame count | 738 |
| Standard | Component |
| Color space | YUV |
| Chroma subsampling | 4:2:0 |
| Bit depth | 8 bits |
| Scan type | MBAFF |
| Scan type, store method | Interleaved fields |
| Scan order | Top Field First |
| Color range | Limited |
| Audio #1 | |
| ID | 2321 (0x911) |
| Menu ID | 549 (0x225) |
| Format | MPEG Audio |
| Format version | Version 1 |
| Format profile | Layer 2 |
| Codec ID | 3 |
| Duration | 30 s 0 ms |
| Bit rate mode | Constant |
| Bit rate | 256 kb/s |
| Maximum bit rate | 272 kb/s |
| Channel(s) | 2 channels |
| Sampling rate | 48.0 kHz |
| Frame rate | 41.667 FPS (1152 SPF) |
| Frame count | 1250 |
| Compression mode | Lossy |
| Delay relative to video | -1 s 571 ms |
| Stream size | 960 KB (7.9%) |
| Language | English |
| Audio #2 | |
| ID | 2421 (0x975) |
| Menu ID | 549 (0x225) |
| Format | AAC LC SBR |
| Format/Info | Advanced Audio Codec Low Complexity with Spectral Band Replication |
| Commercial name | HE-AAC |
| Format version | Version 2 |
| Format settings | Implicit |
| Muxing mode | ADTS |
| Codec ID | 15-2 |
| Duration | 29 s 653 ms |
| Bit rate mode | Variable |
| Maximum bit rate | 0 b/s |
| Channel(s) | 2 channels |
| Channel layout | L R |
| Sampling rate | 48.0 kHz |
| Frame rate | 23.438 FPS (2048 SPF) |
| Compression mode | Lossy |
| Delay relative to video | -1 s 373 ms |
| Language | aus |
| Language, more info | Visual impaired commentary |
| descriptor_tag_extension | 6 |
| Subtitles | |
| ID | 2322 (0x912)-801 |
| Menu ID | 549 (0x225) |
| Format | Teletext Subtitle |
| Language | English |
| Menu/Chapters | |
| ID | 263 (0x107) |
| Menu ID | 549 (0x225) |
| List | 2320 (0x910) (AVC) / 2321 (0x911) (MPEG Audio, English) / 2421 (0x975) (AAC, aus) / 2322 (0x912)-801 (Teletext Subtitle, en) / 5501 (0x157D) () / 5500 (0x157C) () |
| Language | / English / aus / English |
| Maximum bit rate | 44000 |
I'm having trouble identifying the channel number and hence correctly entering a URL to capture a recording 
@Maximus no problem I've captured samples from ABC HD and SBS HD from my Quatro box.
@tmm1 Aman, I'm about to email you samples as requested.
Hope they are what you need to bring back our Track 1 
Thanks @stephenh. Did you try to watch in Channels at the same time and the audio was still missing? When I try to play the recordings you sent on my Apple TV, I see both audio tracks. Is it possible the earlier AD tests had some issues and they're now resolved?