A build launched for Xbox Insiders this past weekend enabling "miscellaneous fixes." Those updates were to activate bitstream pass-through for the Blu-ray app.
Bitstream pass-through allows audio to be processed by a device external to your Xbox One, enabling features such as Dolby Atmos.
Insider Program members won't need a new build to enable these features. A hard reset should be enough to turn them on. There are still a couple of issues with this new feature, as detailed in the post below from the Insider forum.
Hey Preview Members!
People are always wondering why we say miscellaneous fixes in our builds, well we are able to enable features (hidden and then turn them on with a Live service setting). Therefore you DO not need to download a new build as we had the bits in the build you took over the weekend (1610.161208-1218) - you may just need to REBOOT to see the new setting in Settings.
Well all Preview members can now enjoy a cool new feature on your Xbox One consoles and Xbox One S consoles (yes it works on both!) - We have now turned on a new Blu-ray app feature, Bitstream Pass-through which allows you to experience the best possible audio quality from your movies including Dolby Atmos.
We have now turned on a new Blu-ray app feature, Bitstream Pass-through which allows you to experience the best possible audio quality from your movies including Dolby Atmos. It is currently a beta feature for our Preview users so we're looking for your feedback to improve it before final release!
This is how you can turn it on:
- Make sure your console is plugged in via HDMI to an audio receiver which supports decoding of Blu-ray audio formats. Optical audio does not support pass-through.
- Enable "Let my receiver decode audio (beta)" under the "Disc & Blu-ray" settings page.a. If you do not see the button immediately try rebooting your console. It can take up to 24 hours for our changes to make it to your console without a reboot.
- Make sure you have the latest Blu-ray player by checking the "Updates" tab under "My Games & Apps"
- Insert your favorite DVD or Blu-ray disc
- Kick back and enjoy the highest quality audio from your movies and TV shows
We've created a quest called "Try Pass-through! - Unleash your inner audiophile with Blu-ray Bitstream Pass-through!" to collect your feedback on the feature.
Since this is a beta feature we do have a couple known issues that we're still working on:
- Sometimes videos may play with no sound.a. Workaround:i. Try preforming a rewind or skip back a chapter to re-lock the HDMI connection between your console and your audio device.ii. If you're still experiencing no audio during playback, try opening the Blu-ray movie controls and cycle through the available audio tracks using the speaker icon.iii. If none of these steps work, please file a bug using the Xbox Insider Hub under the Blu-ray app or by completing the quest.
- A pop may be heard when transitioning between chapters or when performing a pause/rewind/fast-forward command.
Thank you for being a Preview member!
The Xbox Insider Program marches forward, and we'll always be here with the latest updates.
