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DTS, TrueHD and Dolby audio on Android TV

On Android, Yonto Player plays AC3, E-AC-3, DTS and Dolby TrueHD sound even when your television or box has no decoder of its own for it: it decodes the sound itself. So a film from your Jellyfin, Plex or Emby server or your NAS plays with its sound instead of silent, in the free app, with nothing to switch on.

Why a film plays without sound

Section titled “Why a film plays without sound”

Some Android televisions and boxes cannot decode one or more of these sound formats. A player that relies on the device’s decoders alone then drops the sound, and the film plays silent, or not at all.

What Yonto Player does

Section titled “What Yonto Player does”
  • It tries your device’s own decoder first. Only when the device has none for a track does Yonto Player decode that track itself, in software.
  • It decodes AC3 (Dolby Digital), E-AC-3 (Dolby Digital Plus), DTS, DTS-HD tracks included, and Dolby TrueHD.
  • It works on the sound as the file stores it. A Jellyfin, Plex or Emby server is told this device plays these four formats, so a file it plays as stored keeps all four; when it converts the picture it keeps AC3 and E-AC-3 and converts DTS and TrueHD to a format the device plays, and a folder, USB drive, SMB or WebDAV share plays the file as stored.
  • It is in the Android TV app and the Android phone and tablet app, from 5.0.16.

On iPhone, iPad and Mac, Apple’s own player decodes AC3 and E-AC-3, and the second player, which plays every MKV there, decodes DTS too, but TrueHD does not play there yet (Video format support). This page is about Android.

Choose another audio track

Section titled “Choose another audio track”

When a film has more than one audio track, for example TrueHD and AC3, you can switch while it plays.

  • On a television, choose Audio in the player’s controls, then the track.
  • On a phone or tablet, tap the subtitles button at the top of the player. Audio and subtitles opens, with the tracks under Audio.

Each track is named as the file names it, or by its language, or as Track 2 when the file says neither. The list shows only the tracks this device can play, and Audio appears only when there is more than one.

If it still does not play

Section titled “If it still does not play”

“This device couldn’t play this video. (code)” Shown under “Playback failed”: the device could not decode the file as it is stored, and nothing converted it. On a Jellyfin, Plex or Emby source, check that Let the server convert videos is on in the source’s editor. Otherwise try another version of the title if it has one.

The film plays, but silent Its sound is in a format neither your device nor Yonto Player can decode, so the sound is left out and the picture plays on. No setting changes that; another version of the title, if it has one, may carry other sound.

Troubleshooting lists every message the app shows.

What it does not do

Section titled “What it does not do”
  • It does not convert the video itself. 4K HDR and Dolby Vision depend on your device, unless a Jellyfin, Plex or Emby server converts them for it (Sources says which files play).
  • It does not have an Emby server without Emby Premiere, or a Plex server without Plex Pass, tone-map HDR for a screen without it; such a file plays as stored unless it needs converting anyway, with its colours left as they are (What Yonto Player does not do).
  • It does not decode TrueHD on iPhone, iPad or Mac yet.

Yonto Player provides no content. Dolby, DTS, Jellyfin, Plex and Emby are trademarks of their owners, and Yonto Player is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.