Dolby encoding

D3lirious

D3lirious

D3lirious

Associate
Joined
29 Apr 2004
Posts
802
Do any of the latest motherboard chipsets support dolby encoding?

I have my Videologic Digitheatre DTS hooked up to my PC via an analogue cable and optical cable and use the optical setting on the decoder for AC3 pass through with PowerDVD and the analogue setting for anything else. Since soundstorm became obsolete years ago, I've never been able to use more than 2 channels in games/etc. Is this still the case?

If got the impression that the latest motherboards did support this now but just read for example that the new EVGA 680i doesn't, so I'm stumped as to what system to go for. There just doesn't seem to be any info on this kind of thing anywhere on the web, can anyone clarify?
 
OK thanks, I'll go check out that links.

So, no dolby encoding with new chipsets then? I assumed that all these 7.1 'high definition' quotes in the latest mobo specs might suggest it... Though I would wonder what gaming audio formats were included when encoding, EAX and EAX2 or similar?

Does anyone know what effect buying the new soundblaster X-fi cards would have, do you think you could run one of these and then have an encoder convert the result?
 
Yeah that thing sounds good, I'd go for either that or the X-Mystique, just see whatevers cheapest, how far away is the input to your speaker system from the computer since optical cables aren't very long so the soundblaster option might be better as you can run a long analog cable from the computer to the box, then from there a small optical cable into the speaker receiver
 
That's a good point, the connections for the speakers are built into the back of the sub unit on the floor so i might have more luck with that.

Two other plus sides to that one:

1) It encodes to DTS which should give better quality of sound.

2) It acts as a 'go between' between normal PC audio and the sound system therefore negating the need to install a card into my PC (and the potential driver conflicts/Vista problems that might come with it).

I'm also looking at the Intel 975X chipset which Intel's site suggests has the ability to digitally hook up to an AV aswell. It looks like have all my options open then - I'm thinking nforce 680i with the DTS encoding box for my new system just after xmas. Thanks for your help. :cool:
 
There are a few.

Firstly we have the Auzentech range (formerly HDA) they have 3 models out. The one that OCuk has, the X-Mystique, then theres the X-Plosion (Dolby AND DTS encoding) and then theres the brand new X-Meridian, all the bwells and whistles you can wish for but with a £200 price tag.

Have a look on the Auzentech website for details.

Interestingly some of the newer nforce 6 motherboards (the 650i's that arnt out yet for example) come with onboard audio that supports DTS Connect and Dolby Digital Live.

Theres also cards made by Turtle Beach and Diamond (I think) that are basically clones of the X-Mystique but without the good quality Op-Amps the Auzentech card has.

I had an X-Mystique for 2 years and while i really liked it, if you do anything to do with gaming they are pants... The C-Media drivers are just so terrible, EAX is god awful (if it even works at all) and there are loads of other glitches. I have gone back to analogue and an X-Fi...

Any other questions please ask as I was fairly up on the tech while i owned the X-Mystique.
 
manic_man said:
I had an X-Mystique for 2 years and while i really liked it, if you do anything to do with gaming they are pants... The C-Media drivers are just so terrible, EAX is god awful (if it even works at all) and there are loads of other glitches. I have gone back to analogue and an X-Fi...

Any other questions please ask as I was fairly up on the tech while i owned the X-Mystique.
Click to expand...

^I'll second this opinion.

Has your receiver not got multi-channel analogue inputs?
 
Those sound like the exact kind of issues I would want to avoid so I'm definitely leaning towards the separate DTS 610 device. I can either stick with dolby encoding from the onboard sound, or maybe even get an x-fi card aswell so I would presumably get the benefits of the x-fi features first before being passed onto the encoder...

Phil99 said:
Has your receiver not got multi-channel analogue inputs?
Click to expand...

No, only option is a single analogue connection for stereo, or the two types of digital connection, Coax and optical. My current set-up is connected from a simple onboard stereo out to the speakers so for music/games/etc I just have stereo. but it is also connected via optical from a connection on the motherboard which passes through an AC3 stream when I'm playing a DVD (dolby or DTS).
 
OK I got the DTS-610 delivered today. Plugged it all in and seems OK cos now when I play something in media player or winamp it comes through all 5.1 channels.

Before I go off to test some games, does anyone know how I can set mp3s to play to fronts, rears, and sub only? i.e. turn off centre. The centre kinda ruins songs.
 
I got a hda xplosion had it quite awhile tryed others cards but couldn't get my denon dvd/5:1receiver to work properly untill got this card and it worked fine with my nf2-s board with soundstorm,games and movies work in all channels.
 
I'm interested in the DTS-610. I've got a set of creative digital 5700 5.1 speakers, which support DD or DTS 5.1 but only 4 channel analogue input. Bit of a design flaw I suppose. Anyway the digital din lead from my Audigy 2's broken and I was thinking of upgrading to an X-fi anyway.

Any feedback on the DTS-610? I've heard people worrying about the latency. Creative quote <50ms and I guess that's only like sitting 15m away from a speaker. Nothing more than sitting in a large cinema really.

I'd been thinking of moving to a DD Live card but this looks like an ideal alternative.

[Edited for clarity]
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom