Can sound cards decode optical in?

[-westy-]

Hi all,

I'm in the market for a new sound card - nothing huge, just a decent step up from my onboard audio. I've got my eyes on a Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Xtreme.

The card features optical input. The question I have is, can it decode surround sound from a PS3, then output it via the headphone jacks to a surround system, therefore giving me surround sound?

Many thanks

 

[Uriel]

No it can't decode Dolby or DTS. The last cards that could were the Audigy 2 and Audigy 4 series. AFAIK they only do it in Windows XP and the drivers haven't included the function from Windows Vista onwards.

Annoyingly there are loads of cards that have optical in and can decode dolby from DVD. Unfortunately most can't put the two together.