Dolby Atmos does not work in BF1 [ Edited ]

[MrSavageSK]

Product: Battlefield 1
Platform:PC
Summarize your bug Dolby Atmos option in sound is greyed out and does not respond, regardless of setting
How often does the bug occur? Every time (100%)
Steps: How can we find the bug ourselves? run bf1, go to options, select audio, attempt to get Dolby Atmos to ungrey.
What happens when the bug occurs? No Dolby Atmos sound.
Please select your region North America
In what game mode did the bug occur? Conquest
AMD or Nvidia Model Number AMD R9-390
Enter RAM memory size in GB 8Gb

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It happens in ALL game modes and did NOT work during the Trial thru Origin Access either. I have a Dolby Atmos capable receiver, Onkyo NR737,  and this is a software issue thusfar.  

Yes, I have ALL neccesary hardware and cables, HDMI etc. Atmos works fine thru my bluray player to my receiver, so its NOT my system, this is an EA software problem. Dont go and tell me to set it to DVD quality settings like i was instructed for Battlefront, because Atmos doesnt WORK on DVD quality audio, hence why its a 4k UHD audio standard, and NOT a DVD standard. 

Also, if this IS supposed to work on PC, shouldnt there be an option for 5.1.2/ 5.1.4/ 7.1.2/ 7.1.4, speaker configurations? or at least a bitstream option? I am VERY MUCH of the opinion right now that the EA/DICE audio dept REALLY has ZERO clue what they are doing in regards to Atmos currently. Noone has ONE intelligent answer for me in any of your customer support forums whatsoever to date. Also, 2 'advertised' products now that supposedly have Dolby Atmos included with them that do NOT work? Perhaps Dolby needs to be addressing this as well?

At least in Blizzard's 'Overwatch', you can turn it on/off with some difference, with EA products, they let you window-shop, and nothing more. :P

One might say, that they have NOT received everything they have paid for....or were expecting.

UPDATED : I have now changed my main display to DisplayPort and abandoned HDMI as my main display connection, this has in turn changed 'something' that as long as the HDMI connection does NOT go to the main display and to a 2nd moniter *I have 3* of which I dont even turn on, the Atmos metadata is transferred successfully to my receiver and it comes thru, bitstreamed to my receiver. If I plug my HDMI into my main display*currently the only one on* at the same time the DP is plugged in and being used,  it will not send the metadata from the PC to the receiver correctly and PCM is the only audio, however, if plugged into a 2ndary display's hdmi, which I dont even turn on, GG EA, always without a clue, nor any help whatsoever to your own products. QA with EA is just a thing of the past it seems...sigh.*2 new pics posted to show results*

[MrSavageSK · Accepted solution]

yes, yes yes, none of that worked. I bought a new moniter, 34" UW, and used display port for its connection w/freesync, and moved my hdmi to my 2ndary moniter of three, and now Atmos bitstreams to my receiver no problem. You guys really have to get your act together. You're giving me less than beginners instructions and treating me like a moron, seriously. I think I'm a bit past that, anyway's I resolved the probem myself, no thanks to you whatsoever. No clue what is different in the settings other than the primary moniter is no longer HDMI, same cables as before and all, so yeah. 

[EA_Barry]

@MrSavageSK

Have you ever been able to get Dolby atmos to work with your setup outside of this game?

Do you have surround back speakers or height speakers installed?

A quick look at the manual for your Onkyo NR737 suggests this is a requirement:

http://www.eu.onkyo.com/downloads/2/6/7/9/5/Manual_TX-NR737upgspo_BAS_En.pdf

[MrSavageSK]

ok, so you refer to the ENTIRE manual in your link, did you have something specific you were referring to? Yes, I have a 5.1.2 setup that works just fine on every other medium.

to answer your question, Atmos works on pretty much everything other than Battlefield 1. Even with Overwatch, so it seems that native Atmos is a Battlefield 1/EA problem at this point. Blurays run just fine and even metadata their way to the receiver display. 'Dolby Atmos' is displayed, However on EA products, you seem to lose something in the transmission between software to hardware. Perhaps its not being sent to the receiver properly via HDMI? Im using Windows 10, latest updates, newest AMD drivers for my 390, HDMI 2.0 cables from the HDMI 1.4a port on the 390 to my Onkyo 737, so you explain it to me why this refuses to even LIGHT UP in game as my picture shows, and yes, I applied the update from last night, in hopes that it would work, but still, as per usual, it doesnt. The reason I believe its your product, is because it doesnt even give the option in GAME, and asking around in the game, everyone else is having the EXACT SAME PROBLEM, so you'll forgive me if I consider this a YOU problem, not a ME problem. Id love to see ONE picture of the Atmos option lit up, even just one, just to know its perhaps even possible, but at this point, im pretty convinced, it isnt.

I love how your 'customer service' ALWAYS tries to shift blame back to my end. Ive been doing home theatre for a solid 15 years+ and PC tech work for much longer than that. Id be most curious to speak to someone in the Sound Design dept about my issue that has been ongoing since SW:Battlefront and has been completely, obviously, unresolved. As it appears tier 1-2 of your organization has nothing but ' go read the manual' sort of answers, which I am FAR beyond. 

[StanIeh]

Hi I had this issue, I used nvidias drivers released today 25/10./16 and reset my audio via hdmi.

First I left it on default settings so 2 speakers with default quality settings. I then loaded the game and this time I was able to select atmos. I loaded a multiplayer game, played for five minutes then left and went back into control panel and set my speakers to 7.1.

I have checked via my amp and I now get atmos on all 7.2.3 speakers 

If you have any questions let me know. 

[EA_Barry]

Thanks @StanIeh

@MrSavageSK

From the Windows control panel, go to Sound, Playback tab, Select the HDMI output that you want top use for Dolby Atmos audio and then click Set Default, click Apply and OK.

Let us know if this has any effect, thanks.

[StanIeh]

Sigh..... That was too much to hope for, it worked perfectly for two matches and now I cannot get it to work and I didn't change a single setting.....

I have redone the steps that I got it to work with previously and the steps you recommended which are the same thing....

Atmos works perfectly for me in other games including Battlefront........

If I reinstall the nvidia driver and don't reboot it works fine, but I am not reinstalling my driver every time I want to play the game. 

[Shrimpanzeee]

So Dolby Atmos in BF1 is designed only for HDMI and surround speaker setups? I was under the impression we would get headphone functionality like with Overwatch. 

[StanIeh]

I am afraid I can only attest to the hdmi via Denon 6200w amp, which when working is fantastic...

Not tried the atmos via headphones in overwatch so can't comment sorry. 

[QuietKnives]

The Atmos in Overwatch works without any fancy equipment - just stereo headphones and your default sound output on your computer.  The processing happens in the dolby atmos plugin in Overwatch.   I can tell when Pharah is above and behind me, and it's really awesome.  I was stoked to see BF1 have the option in the sound, and perplexed as to why it's not selectable under any circumstance.  I'm assuming it's going to work in a future update?  

Considering that Origin Overlay makes vehicles un-steerable, you often deploy as calvary with no horse, there are no footsteps or sounds when someone is bayonet charging you, you often spawn with people shooting you in the back, etc. etc., I don't know how far up the list that implementing Dolby Atmos is.  *sigh* 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Acxz3N8FRUo

[Ledningen]

I have the exact same problem. If there were some way to force it ON via a config file, it would properly work just fine. Windows is just very bad at detecting these things through HDMI, hence Windows says my reciever is not cabable of Atmos - even when I'm perfectly able to play Atmos soundtracks through Plex and MPC-HC.

Windows...

So: Can you EA guys ask DICE game engineers if there is a flag for this in a config file (which there naturally is) which I can enable?

Thanks.