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SurroundPod User Manual

Studio Six Digital

SurroundPod

Model SP-001

Professional Audio/Video Media Player

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Features
  3. What’s in the Box
  4. Setup
  5. Connections
  6. Main Interface
  7. Music Player
  8. Test Signal Generator
  9. Sine Wave Generator
  10. Using with AudioTools
  11. Supported Formats
  12. Channel Layout
  13. Signal Types
  14. Technical Specifications
  15. Troubleshooting
  16. FAQ
  17. Support

1. Introduction

The SurroundPod SP-001 is a professional audio/video media player designed for calibrating, testing, and enjoying Dolby Atmos and surround sound systems. Unlike consumer devices that often have channel mapping limitations, SurroundPod delivers discrete test signals to all channels in your system, including the hard-to-test Wide and Top Middle speakers in 9.1.6 configurations.

SurroundPod also serves as a high-quality music player with full bitstream passthrough, allowing audio professionals, Atmos music producers, and audiophiles to play their content exactly as intended through any HDMI-equipped processor or receiver.

Why SurroundPod?

Consumer devices like Apple TV have known issues with channel mapping in advanced Atmos configurations—doubling some channels while leaving others inaccessible. SurroundPod solves this by providing accurate, discrete channel playback for professional calibration work and music listening.

2. Features

3. What’s in the Box

HDMI Connection Options

Use the included short cable for direct connection, or use the adapter with your own full-length HDMI cable for longer runs to your AV processor or receiver.

4. Setup

Step 1: Connect HDMI Connect an HDMI cable from the SurroundPod’s HDMI port to an input on your AV processor or receiver.

Step 2: Connect Ethernet Connect an Ethernet cable from SurroundPod to your network router or switch. SurroundPod requires a wired network connection.

Step 3: Connect Power Connect the included USB-C power supply. SurroundPod will boot automatically—this takes approximately 30-60 seconds.

Step 4: Select Input On your AV processor or receiver, select the HDMI input where SurroundPod is connected.

Step 5: Verify Connection Scan the QR code displayed on your TV, or open a web browser and navigate to http://surroundpod.local:8080 to verify SurroundPod is online.

5. Connections

Port Description
HDMI Audio/video output — connect to your AV processor/receiver
Ethernet Network connection — required for control
USB-C Power input — use included power supply

Important: Use the HDMI port closest to the USB-C power port for best compatibility. SurroundPod does not support WiFi—an Ethernet connection is required.

6. Main Interface

When you access the SurroundPod web interface, you’ll see three main options:

🎵 Music Player

Play Dolby Atmos, DD+, DTS, and PCM audio files with full bitstream passthrough to your processor.

📊 Test Signals

Professional calibration signals for all channels in 5.1, 7.1.4, and 9.1.6 configurations.

〰️ Sine Generator

Real-time tone generator with 7.1 discrete channel output for speaker identification and level testing.

Accessing the Interface

Option 1: Scan the QR code displayed on your TV screen

Option 2: Open a web browser and navigate to:

http://surroundpod.local:8080

7. Music Player

The Music Player allows you to upload and play audio files with full bitstream passthrough, ensuring your AV processor decodes the original format exactly as intended.

Supported Audio Formats

Format Description
Dolby Atmos Up to 9.1.6 via DD+ JOC, full object metadata preserved
Dolby Digital Plus E-AC-3 bitstream passthrough
Dolby Digital AC-3 bitstream passthrough
Dolby TrueHD Lossless bitstream passthrough
DTS Core DTS bitstream passthrough
DTS-HD Master Audio Lossless bitstream passthrough
PCM (WAV) Uncompressed audio
PCM (FLAC) Lossless compressed audio
PCM (MP3) Compressed audio

Supported File Containers

MP4, MKV, M2TS, EC3, AC3, WAV, FLAC, MP3

Using the Music Player

  1. Navigate to Music Player from the main menu
  2. Click Upload to add files, or browse existing files
  3. Click any file to begin playback
  4. Use transport controls for play/pause, seek, and stop
  5. The format badge shows the detected audio format (ATMOS, DD+, DTS, etc.)

Format Detection

SurroundPod automatically detects the audio format and displays:

Tip: For Atmos music production, export your mix from Pro Tools, upload to SurroundPod, and hear it exactly as your audience will through their home systems.

8. Test Signal Generator

The Test Signal Generator provides professional calibration signals for all channels in your surround system.

Web Interface Features

Playing Test Signals

  1. Navigate to Test Signals from the main menu
  2. Select your desired Audio Format (Atmos, 7.1.4, or 5.1)
  3. Choose a Signal Type (Pink Noise, Impulse, etc.)
  4. Click any speaker in the layout to play the test signal
  5. Click the active speaker again to stop playback

9. Sine Wave Generator

The Sine Wave Generator produces real-time test tones with discrete 7.1 channel output, perfect for speaker identification, level matching, and frequency response testing.

Features

Channel Selection

Button Channel Speaker
L 0 Front Left
C 1 Center
LFE 2 Subwoofer
R 5 Front Right
LS 3 Surround Left
RS 4 Surround Right
LRS 6 Rear Surround Left
RRS 7 Rear Surround Right

Frequency Presets

Quick-select buttons are provided for common test frequencies: 60 Hz, 100 Hz, 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1 kHz, 2 kHz, 4 kHz, 8 kHz

Using the Sine Generator

  1. Navigate to Sine Generator from the main menu
  2. Select the output channel (L, C, R, LFE, LS, RS, LRS, RRS)
  3. Adjust frequency using the slider or preset buttons
  4. Set the output level
  5. Press Start to begin tone generation
  6. Change channels in real-time while the tone is playing
  7. Press Stop when finished

Tip: Use the LFE channel with frequencies below 80 Hz to test your subwoofer independently from bass management.

10. Using with AudioTools

SurroundPod integrates directly with AudioTools for iOS, providing seamless control during calibration sessions.

Connecting to SurroundPod

  1. Open AudioTools on your iPhone or iPad, or open HAA CinemaTools
  2. Navigate to HAA PowerCal or TurboCal
  3. Ensure your iOS device is on the same network as SurroundPod
  4. Tap the Generator button
  5. Select SurroundPod from the source menu
  6. Wait for connection confirmation

Playing Test Signals

  1. Select your desired Audio Format (Atmos, 7.1.4, or 5.1)
  2. Choose a Signal Type (Pink Noise, Impulse, etc.)
  3. Tap any speaker in the layout to play the test signal
  4. Tap the active speaker again to stop playback

Tip: Use the LCR button to play Left, Center, and Right channels simultaneously—useful for verifying stereo balance and center channel alignment.

11. Supported Formats

Test Signal Formats

Format Channels Description
Dolby Atmos 9.1.6 16 Full Atmos with Wide and all height channels
7.1.4 12 Standard Atmos configuration
5.1 6 Traditional surround sound

Music Player Formats

Format Type Description
Dolby Atmos Bitstream DD+ JOC with object metadata
Dolby Digital Plus Bitstream E-AC-3
Dolby Digital Bitstream AC-3
Dolby TrueHD Bitstream Lossless
DTS Bitstream Core DTS
DTS-HD MA Bitstream Lossless
WAV/FLAC PCM Uncompressed/Lossless

Sine Generator

Format Channels Description
PCM 7.1 8 Discrete channel output via HDMI

12. Channel Layout

SurroundPod supports all channels in the 9.1.6 Dolby Atmos specification:

Bed Channels (Floor Level)

Abbrev Channel
L Left
C Center
R Right
LW Left Wide
RW Right Wide
LS Left Surround
RS Right Surround
LRS Left Rear Surround
RRS Right Rear Surround
LFE Subwoofer

Height Channels (Ceiling Level)

Abbrev Channel
LTF Left Top Front
RTF Right Top Front
LTM Left Top Middle
RTM Right Top Middle
LTR Left Top Rear
RTR Right Top Rear

13. Signal Types

Signal Use Case
Pink Noise General level calibration, frequency response measurement
Pink Noise (Banded) Band-limited pink noise for room EQ calibration
Impulse Time alignment, delay measurements
Polarity Speaker polarity/phase verification
Sweep (7 sec) Frequency response measurement
LARSA (0.5s) Impulse response measurement
LARSA (Delay) Speaker delay calibration
Sine Wave Speaker identification, level matching, frequency testing

14. Technical Specifications

Specification Value
Audio Output HDMI (Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD, PCM 7.1)
Maximum Channels 16 (9.1.6 Dolby Atmos test signals)
Sine Generator 8 channels (7.1 PCM)
Sample Rate 48 kHz
Network 10/100/1000 Ethernet
Control Interfaces TCP/IP (port 9000), HTTP (port 8080)
Power Input USB-C, 5V/3A
Power Consumption < 15W
Dimensions 3.5″ × 2.4″ × 1.2″ (90 × 60 × 30 mm)
Weight 0.5 lb (230g)
Operating Temperature 32°F to 95°F (0°C to 35°C)

15. Troubleshooting

SurroundPod not found on network

Solution: Verify the Ethernet cable is connected and check that your control device (iPhone, computer) is on the same network. Wait 60 seconds after powering on for SurroundPod to fully boot. Try accessing http://surroundpod.local:8080 in a browser.

No audio output

Solution: Verify HDMI is connected to your processor/receiver and the correct input is selected. Check that your processor is set to decode Dolby Digital Plus or bitstream audio. Ensure volume is not muted.

Wrong channels playing

Solution: Verify your AV processor’s speaker configuration matches the format selected in SurroundPod. Check speaker assignments in your processor’s setup menu.

Music file won’t play / no audio from music player

Solution: Ensure your file format is supported. For Atmos/DD+/DTS content, verify your processor is set to bitstream passthrough mode, not PCM decoding. Try a different file to isolate the issue.

Sine generator silent on some channels

Solution: Some processors may not recognize 7.1 PCM immediately. Try stopping and restarting the sine generator. Verify your processor is configured for 7.1 speaker layout.

Web interface shows “Unauthorized”

Solution: Your SurroundPod unit needs to be registered. Contact Studio Six Digital support with your serial number for assistance.

AudioTools won’t connect

Solution: Ensure your iOS device is on the same WiFi network as SurroundPod’s Ethernet connection. Check that “Local Network” permission is enabled for AudioTools in iOS Settings. Try restarting the AudioTools app.

QR code won’t scan

Solution: Ensure your phone’s camera can clearly see the TV screen. Alternatively, manually enter http://surroundpod.local:8080 in your browser.

16. FAQ

Does SurroundPod require an internet connection?

No. SurroundPod works entirely on your local network. An internet connection is only needed for initial registration verification, and the device will continue to function even if internet is unavailable.

Can I use SurroundPod with WiFi?

No. SurroundPod requires a wired Ethernet connection for reliable operation during professional calibration work.

What makes SurroundPod different from using Apple TV?

Apple TV and other consumer devices have channel mapping limitations in advanced Atmos configurations. They often double certain channels (like Wide speakers) while leaving others inaccessible (like Top Middle). SurroundPod provides accurate, discrete channel playback for all 16 channels in a 9.1.6 system. Additionally, SurroundPod offers professional features like the 7.1 sine generator and full bitstream music playback.

Can I upload my own music files?

Yes! The Music Player accepts uploads via the web interface. Supported formats include Dolby Atmos (MP4), DD+, TrueHD, DTS-HD, WAV, FLAC, and MP3.

Can I add my own test signal files?

The current version includes a comprehensive library of professional test signals. Custom test file support may be available in future firmware updates.

What’s the difference between the Test Signals and Sine Generator?

Test Signals play pre-recorded calibration files (pink noise, sweeps, impulses) with support for up to 9.1.6 Atmos via bitstream. The Sine Generator produces real-time tones with 7.1 PCM output, allowing you to adjust frequency and level on the fly.

How do I update the firmware?

Firmware updates will be provided by Studio Six Digital. Contact support for update instructions when new versions are available.

Can I use SurroundPod to check my Atmos music mixes?

Absolutely! This is one of the key use cases. Export your Atmos mix from Pro Tools or your DAW, upload to SurroundPod, and play it through your processor to hear exactly how it will sound on consumer systems with proper Dolby decoding.

17. Support

For technical support, warranty information, or to register your device:

Contact Studio Six Digital

Website: www.studiosixdigital.com

Email: support@studiosixdigital.com

When contacting support, please have your serial number ready. You can find your serial number in the AudioTools app when connected, or by accessing the web interface at http://surroundpod.local:8080/api/auth.

SurroundPod Model SP-001 • by Studio Six Digital

Dolby, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby TrueHD are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. DTS and DTS-HD are trademarks of DTS, Inc.