5.1 in games via Optical

Confused · 18 Aug 2008 at 10:52

Hi all,

Currently got my PC hooked up to my AV receiver via an optical cable, which is great for DVD movies, but not so hot for games or 2.0 video files - where I have no surround sound!

I'm guessing I'll be needing something that will convert everything into Dolby Digital or DTS on-the-fly... is the Asus Xonar D2 a good card for this?

Also - will it output DD or DTS as 2.0 as well? My AV receiver (rather annoyingly) will only output proper DD/DTS when it's in it's Surround mode - which means my current PCM 2.0 output gets upmixed to 5.1 using ProLogic (and trying to teach the GF and her 5 year old son to keep changing the output mode won't be an easy task!) - which isn't particularly great for music or 2.0 videos/games.

If that card won't do the job, can someone recommend something (not too expensive!) that will - quality of the analog outputs isn't an issue - as I'll never be using them!

Thanks in advance!

Confused · 18 Aug 2008 at 12:36

I was mainly hoping that someone with the card would confirm as to whether it'll output in DD or DTS in 2 channel when presented with a stereo source, so my receiver would only output from the 2 speakers!

Confused · 18 Aug 2008 at 16:28

Right, to clear up some things that might be confusing.

I'm running Vista on an Abit IP35 motherboard, currently using the onboard sound.
I get 2.0 output from Windows, games, music etc.
I get 5.1 output from DVDs (Dolby Digital or DTS direct passthrough the sound card)

My AV receiver will only do the 5.1 (DD/DTS) when in one of it's various processing modes. Any 2.0 source gets upmixed to 5.1 - badly, unless I change the mode to a stereo one.

I get no surround from any games, in any mode, as the optical output only outputs 2.0 PCM.

I have set up AC3Filter to output in either 5.1 or 2.0 Dolby Digital depending on whether my video source is 5.1 (AC3) or 2.0 in Media Centre/WMP, so being in the "surround" mode on the AV receiver is OK here, as it gets a Dolby Digital signal and processes it correctly.

I want 2.0 output from Windows, music etc in Dolby Digital/DTS (so my AV receiver sees it as multi-channel and doesn't process it!)
I want 5.1 output from games & DVDs

My usage is split between games, music, TV viewing (via Media Centre) and general usage (YouTube etc) pretty evenly, by myself, my GF and her son. Therefore the need to not have to keep adjusting the processing mode of the AV receiver!!

Confused · 18 Aug 2008 at 19:26

It's got a Realtek onboard sound, but it's not DDL/DTSC (otherwise I wouldn't need to have posted this thread in the first place).

OK, so I can get 5.1 from games and other stuff that uses 5.1.

My next question is, will 2.0 stuff be output in DD/DTS, or only PCM (I CAN'T have it outputting in PCM.

Confused · 18 Aug 2008 at 19:39

I know my current sound card can't do DDL/DTSC - hence this thread!

I can't have it outputting 2.0 PCM because of the reasons I've stated above - without my GF and her son messing about with my AV receiver depending on what they're watching, the easiest thing all round is to have 2.0 DTS or Dolby Digital rather than 2.0 PCM, that way the sound output will always be right, and no processing will be done on a 2.0 signal.

Confused · 18 Aug 2008 at 20:18

james.miller said:
you asked a question which i answered - can it still do dd/dts with 2.0 audio? no it cant.

So to get this right - the card I linked in the first post won't output DD/DTS as 2.0? Correct?

Confused · 18 Aug 2008 at 20:34

By DD/DTS I don't mean 5.1

A DD/DTS signal could be 2.0 - I'm asking if it will do this.

I know it'll pass through 5.1 and it will output EAX etc to 5.1 DD/DTS.

Confused · 19 Aug 2008 at 08:41

james.miller said:
for anything that isnt DD/DTS to start with to output as DD/DTS, the soundcard needs DDL or DTSC.

I know this

What I'm now asking is if a card with DDL/DTSC will output 2 channel as DD/DTS and not PCM.

Confused · 21 Aug 2008 at 08:46

Ordered the Xonar, and installed it yesterday, and it works exactly as I required it to.

I still have passthrough for DD/DTS sources (DVDs etc)
I have things that should be stereo being output onto just the front speakers, as a DD stream
I have 5.1 surround sound from games

So yes, it did work exactly as I want it to.

Confused · 22 Aug 2008 at 08:53

james.miller said:
thats good, we were right then!

Not really... and I've just re-read all the posts, most people seemed to disagree with me, or complicate the issue by stating things that are of no relevance... anyway, I digress, it's working now as I wanted it, whether others were right or not, it doesn't really matter!

I went for the exact card I linked to in my first post - the Asus Xonar DX (although I've just realised through re-reading the original post that I put the text on the link as D2, not DX...

)