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outputting all audio in ac3?
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bob2
Newbie
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6. January 2004 @ 17:25 |
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i know this isn't exactly hardcore audio.. but i wanted to know if it's possible to have my soundcard (audigy2 zs) output everything in ac3 so that my existing home theatre setup would work for playing games and music and the like.. i'd like to think that there is some alternative to buying one of creative's setups.. or some other computer only speaker rig.. input appreciated : D
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bob2
Newbie
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6. January 2004 @ 17:28 |
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oh.. and just to elaborate a bit. currently i'm outputting the digital spdif siginal, but am getting only left and right channels. i think the receiver does this because it assumes a stereo input, rather than the AC3 it gets from dvds and stuff.
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AfterDawn Addict
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6. January 2004 @ 17:35 |
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well if the game, music, etc doesnt have digital audio in it, then it wont work anyways. it will just play in 2 channel like it is already.
V9 PS2, flip top, SMD, DVDLoader
Pioneer 107, ritek g05
DVD Shrink, DVD Decrypter, Nero This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 6. January 2004 @ 17:36
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bob2
Newbie
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6. January 2004 @ 17:36 |
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i guess i should have said please don't post any reply unless you know what you're talking about.
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bob2
Newbie
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6. January 2004 @ 17:39 |
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by default the digital output on the soundblaster is ready to be split up by the computer speakers i'm not about to spend 500 dollars on.. not ready to be read by the reciever adn sent out to the satelite speakers.. that's why i'm only getting stereo.. even when playing 7 channel or 5 channel content i'm still getting stereo sound.
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AfterDawn Addict
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6. January 2004 @ 17:58 |
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sorry, i didn't know you couldn't get digital from digital sources also.
V9 PS2, flip top, SMD, DVDLoader
Pioneer 107, ritek g05
DVD Shrink, DVD Decrypter, Nero
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Admin
9 product reviews
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6. January 2004 @ 18:24 |
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I'm pretty sure there's no (easy) way of getting Audigy to encode Creative's proprietary multi-channel audio to proper AC3-stream.
I'm assuming that you don't have problems playing back DVDs with AC3 sound, right?
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bob2
Newbie
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7. January 2004 @ 15:21 |
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actually.. this is kinda funny .. i don't have a dvdrom in my comp right now.. mine broke and i never got around to replacing it, didn't use it enough : D
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bob2
Newbie
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7. January 2004 @ 15:23 |
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i'm gonna see if i can steal one from another comp and replace it before anyone notices.. wish me luck : D
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bob2
Newbie
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7. January 2004 @ 15:24 |
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ugh.. that didn't work, any suggestions though? i don't care if it's easy.. just as long as it isn't too expensive
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Admin
9 product reviews
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7. January 2004 @ 17:27 |
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Bob,
No need to post a new message for each update. =) You can use the "pen and paper" icon to edit your previous message.
Anyway, I could use a bit more details on your setup to be able to assist. For instance the DVD player software you're using.
If you have hooked the digital output of your PC (optical or coaxial SPDIF) to your home theatre amp, you will still have to enable the output on your sound card and DVD software.
I don't have an Audigy myself, but using nForce2 integrated audio chip and Cyberlink PowerDVD the steps are as follows:
1) Connect your SPDIF output to the amp
2) Enable digital output through NVIDIA nForce control panel (Speaker Setup, check Digital Output, and adjust the settings to suit your needs. nForce is capable of doing Dolby Digital encoding to the output.)
3) Enable SPDIF from PowerDVD (Configuration, Audio, Audio Output: Use SPDIF)
Hope that helps!
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bob2
Newbie
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7. January 2004 @ 17:33 |
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are you saying that you get 5.1 sound with a home theatre setup? well anyways my setup... it's an audigy 2 zs, and its connected through coax spdif to a RCA reciever through the coax digital input. i get sound fine.. and it's clear and digital and the like, but the reciever only uses 5.1 if it's getting an AC3 5.1 signal.. and it's not. i might go pick up a dvd rom later and make sure it's outputting AC3 while playing dvds, i did find an option for that a while back and enabled it... but yeah, do you think there is a way to output ALL audio in ac3?
edit: just to clear up.. that other post about 'it not working' was about my attempt to steal.. lol not the dvd audio
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 7. January 2004 @ 17:40
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Admin
9 product reviews
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7. January 2004 @ 20:22 |
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Actually I haven't tried AC3 output, since I don't have SPDIF connected to anything right now. When I have the time, I'll give it a shot and see what outputs as AC3 and what not.
Of course there's no point in "converting" stereo PCM audio into multichannel AC3.
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bob2
Newbie
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8. January 2004 @ 09:43 |
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yeah, honestly. (i know this is an audio forum...) but i want it for games : D eax4 is supposed to be sexy and all.. but i haven't had a chance to play around with it yet : (
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circeseye
Newbie
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11. January 2004 @ 23:31 |
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interesting??? i'm running onboard sound (soundmax) that came with my ASUS P4s8x-x it has a spdif jack that says it supports 5.1. ok i installed the AC3 filter. bought a 200watt 5.1 digital decoder (for home systems but says its computor compatible) hooked it up threw the spdif jack and have 5.1 sound (better then my living room one) i have 5.1 in everything that supports it games movies music ect.
it sounds like you definately have something not set right or your reciever is not compatable with computor input.
make sure your AC3 if installed right and any programs that requier more (plugin wise) get them. and check all of your sound settings to make sure 1 of them isnt set for something else. in the begining i had 1 setting wrong and didnt get 5.1. look in your advanced controls and look for the spdif button click on it and see if the ac3spdif is checked not the pcmspdif.
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bob2
Newbie
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12. January 2004 @ 09:39 |
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hmm.. i'm pretty sure mine doesn't say anything about being compatible with computers : ( but i guess ill keep messin around with it
edit: i wonder.. do you have REAL 5.1 sound?
ie: when you test channels do all of them respond?
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 12. January 2004 @ 17:16
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dork
Newbie
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13. January 2004 @ 20:39 |
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I have an Audigy2 card, and have found the manual and website tragically lacking in information on how to use the features it supports.
bob2, if you promise to be nicer to people replying to your pathetic cries for help, then read on.
If watching DVDs you will need to turn on SPDIF passthrough in the DVD software in order to tell the software to NOT decode the audio. If you have a DVD player with a digital out then connect it to the audigy card (i wish mine did). The audigy will also have to have the SPDIF passthrough turned on (decoding off). If either of these are on, then the digital out sends a decoded stream (or just a normal 2 channel stream if it can't decode - otherwise those without fancy sound would have no sound in movies) to the external reciever which, at any rate through coaxial cable, will only be two channels... that should be it but I am still learning.
CD audio - turn on digital audio in the hardware config of windows for the drive. your player must support the features and likely need to have SPDIF passthrough. etc... most audio is not DD, but with features like CMSS you can upmix them to make pseudo surround sound through your soundcard or pro logic through your reciever.
Games - get a life. just kidding. they are fun, and good sound is a big part. I don't know of any games that are DD or the like. The 5.1 for EAX games is due to the card, so if you want EAX games you will have to use the analog outs on the cards. Monster Cables makes a stereo minijack to audio RCA cable (get three - 75 bucks... plus tax) and plug them into the 5.1 inputs on the reciever. incidentally, this should work with the above two scenarios as well, just have the audigy do the decoding (but if you want the external decoding, a coax digital cable is cheap 4 buks).
now i have all of this, and i should be up and running, but... when i turn on SPDIF pass in PowerDVD XP 4.0 and have the audigy decode I get horrendous audio clipping, no make that cutout. UGH. any ideas?
There has to be a better way.
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bob2
Newbie
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14. January 2004 @ 06:43 |
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erm.. how am i gonna plug 3 cables into the reciever, and use the input from all three sources?
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dork
Newbie
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14. January 2004 @ 11:51 |
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To play games and get EAX sound you have to use the analog outs (already decoded - speaker ready). The reciever should (hopefully) have 5.1 inputs (for external decoders like your audigy card). Basically, your reciever becomes an amplifier. It should have a setting for 5.1 source or something that will tell it to simply use the 5.1 inputs and amplify it.
You can use this setup for music and DVDs too, making your reciever just an amp for your computer. If you are only getting 2 speaker sound after this then the source is not 5.1 or EAX and you will have to use CMSS or some other upmixing to make 2 channel sound into pseudo surround sound.
There has to be a better way.
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bob2
Newbie
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14. January 2004 @ 11:54 |
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alas.. i dont think i have any 5.1 inputs... : ( guess ill buy a new reciever? is there anything else i could try?
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dork
Newbie
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14. January 2004 @ 11:58 |
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well, i doubt it but you might be able to just get a digital I/O card from creative, a daughter card that needs a spot in the back but no slot, giving you a digital optical output for your card. check with creative to see if this would transmit EAX to your reciever, assuming your reciever has a ditital optical input.
There has to be a better way.
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bob2
Newbie
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14. January 2004 @ 12:41 |
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it does, and i did try the optical output with my onboard sound, and it didn't work.. of course, this isn't onboard sound
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Io123
Newbie
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17. January 2004 @ 11:41 |
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This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 18. January 2004 @ 23:15
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bob2
Newbie
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17. January 2004 @ 17:19 |
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excellent.. ok now i know my setup is working.. just gotta yell at creative, return this soundcard, and buy a better one!
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dork
Newbie
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18. January 2004 @ 05:28 |
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Well, I am up and running. I am using three Monster Cable THX-certified stereo minijack to audio RCA cables (15 buks each) to output the Audigy 2 analog signals to a 5 channel amplifier which then goes to a Bose acoustimass 10 5.1 surround sound speaker system. (The Bose has a low-pass filter so it splits the subwoofer signals itself so I don't think I have to worry about the subwoofer analog channel from the Audigy 2.)
I believe the center-subwoofer channel also has the third rear channel for 6.1 and I guess you will need a 4-post (mini to three RCA jacks - like they make for camcorders) but I won't test b/c I only have a 5.1 speaker system.
Unfortunately, the plugs on the Monster Cables are so big you cannot get them to all fit in the back of the Audigy 2 so I used some Radio Shack stereo minijack extensions (gold-plated) to circumvent this problem. You can get cables for 6 bucks but your sound will suffer. That is why audiophiles pay hundreds for their cables.
I watched a 5.1 DD-EX movie last night, beautiful. I still wonder about the center-sub-rear channel; I only have a stereo (3-post mini) plug in it. I get the front center from the red RCA plug. There is no subwoofer off setting for the Audigy 2 so I might be loosing some of the low end (Bass Redirect turned all the way down). Maybe I will try to combine the two RCAs and see if my Bose can deal with the combined signal and split off the bass with the low-pass filter. But there has been enough crap to deal with (thanks for the instructions Creative, jerks) that I won't do this soon.
I read the "newbi help" forum on this problem. Well, they don't get it do they? The Digital Out on the Audigy will stream an encoded AC-3 signal to your external decoded ONLY if: 1) you have a DD source to begin with (they are right about not having an encoder, BUT if the source is not DD in the first place then an encoder would only make Pro Logic anyways...) and 2) all software is set to SPDIF passthrough (or you will just get a channel throught the digital out - its not even stereo with one channel - mono coaxial).
What bums me out is why are they not using the parallel port to output multi-channel audio? I have a Rotel THX-certified 5 channel amp and, like other high end home theater, they are now using DB-25 cables to connect their components! Why? Because they work. They have more than enough channels, are easy to use, etc. So why doesn't Creative use the parallel port (DB-25) to ouptut? They are very available now that most printers are USB.
There has to be a better way.
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