Troubleshooting

No Sound in a Streaming App: Audio Troubleshooting

Passthrough settings cause more silent streams than broken sources do. What it is, and why the picture keeps working.

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Why passthrough causes silence

With passthrough enabled, the player sends the audio stream untouched to whatever is connected, expecting that device to decode it. If the television, soundbar or receiver does not support the format, nothing decodes it and the result is silence. The picture is unaffected because video is decoded by the player either way.

Matching the silence to its cause

Where the silence appears is as informative as the silence itself.
SymptomLikely causeFirst response
No sound, picture fine, one channelUnsupported audio format on that channelSwitch to a stereo track
No sound on every channelPassthrough or output routingTurn passthrough off
Sound on phone, none on TVThe television cannot decode the formatChange the audio output setting
Sound cuts in and outBitrate or format instabilityLower the quality level

How to restore sound

  1. 1.Turn passthrough off

    Letting the player decode the audio itself removes the dependency on the output device's support.

  2. 2.Select a stereo track where one is offered

    A stereo track uses a format almost every output can decode, which isolates a surround-format problem.

  3. 3.Check the output device

    A television, soundbar or receiver that cannot decode the format will stay silent no matter what the app does.

  4. 4.Test a second channel

    A second channel with sound proves the first channel's audio format is the variable.

What the picture tells you

Frequently asked questions

Why is there no sound on one channel only?
That channel's audio is in a format your output cannot decode. Choosing a stereo track or turning passthrough off usually restores it.
What is audio passthrough?
A setting that sends the raw audio format to another device for decoding, which fails when that device does not support the format.
Sound works on my phone but not my TV. Why?
The television handles a narrower set of audio formats, so a stream the phone decodes can leave a TV silent.
Could the source have no audio?
It is possible and uncommon. If every channel is silent, suspect your output settings before you suspect the sources.

Worth knowing: Most silent streams are caused by audio passthrough being enabled for an output that cannot decode the format, not by broken sources.