Help! I can't get more than stereo out of SPDIF!

Urban Reflex

Urban Reflex

Urban Reflex

Associate
Joined
6 Apr 2008
Posts
235
Location
Peterborough, England
I hate problems such as these....

What I am trying to achieve is surround sound from my Windows Vista (H.P. x64) computer via optical SPDIF. I have an Asus Striker II Extreme, which I have connected via optical to my Creative DDTS-100 decoder, and then that's connected to the speakers with the green/black/orange 3.5mm cables.

However, I only get sound out of the front speakers and the subwoofer when the PC is connect as above. If I directly connect the speakers to the motherboard using the 3x 3.5mm cables then it works perfectly - I get surround from all my games.

I have my Xbox 360 hooked up the same way as the PC: Optical > decoder > 3.5mm > speakers. I get surround sound from my 360 with no problems. So the problem isn't the way I have the devices set up or anything faulty (the decoder is designed to operate this way), it has to be a software issue on the computer.

The only options I can find in relation to my optical output are the ones in Control Panel > Sound, and the only mildly relevant ones are to do with supported encoded formats and sample rates. Nothing here affects my problem though.

So can anyone please help me in the right direction? I'm lost here.

Edit: Just a quick note as to what I want to use this for: Gaming and movies (so Dolby / DTS).
 
Last edited:
You'll need to set the applications you use to do S/PDIF passthrough of DD/DTS, it'll be in the options of most audio decoders. S/PDIF is limited to DD/DTS or 2 channel LPCM so if the applications decode it first you'll only get stereo. Very few games have DD/DTS tracks so unless your sound controllers has DD Live or similar where everything is encoded to DD or DTS you're out of luck there.
 
For videos you need to do this. Plus set digital out in your soundcard settings.

ffdshow3.jpg
 
Thanks mate, that's got my 5.1 videos to work properly.

Anyone know if a new sound card would fix this completely though? If so what card(s)?
 
Still could be in 2 channel mode for that input though.

1) Set SPDIF in your sc drivers
2) Set SPDIF in dvd player software
3) Set SPDIF in FFDSHOW AC-3 & DTS
4) Playback a DVD with 5.1 AC-3/DTS soundtrack

Then it should work
 
Cheers for all your help lads. One last question just to confirm something:

Do Dolby Digital Live and DTS Connect encode the audio into standard Dolby and DTS 5.1 streams? My decoder supports the following: DTS, DTS-ES, DTS Neo:6, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital EX, and Dolby Pro Logic II. I just want to make sure I don't need a DD Live or DTS Connect specifically compatible decoder.
 
I reckon that an Asus Xonar (either D2, DX or DX2) will be your most trouble-free solution.

Also consider the Auzentech X-Fi Prelude or the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Pro 7.1 (other X-Fis don't do DDL).

There are some other cards that do DDL or DTS Connect but Xonar and the X-Fi series are the only ones likely to consistently have surround sound working for older games in Vista. The two X-Fi cards use a program called AlChemy to get surround sound working in older games but the Xonar cards do it in drivers, which is less hassle.
 
Uriel said:
I reckon that an Asus Xonar (either D2, DX or DX2) will be your most trouble-free solution.

Also consider the Auzentech X-Fi Prelude or the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Pro 7.1 (other X-Fis don't do DDL).

There are some other cards that do DDL or DTS Connect but Xonar and the X-Fi series are the only ones likely to consistently have surround sound working for older games in Vista. The two X-Fi cards use a program called AlChemy to get surround sound working in older games but the Xonar cards do it in drivers, which is less hassle.
Click to expand...
According to this, all X-Fi cards (except Xtreme Audio) support DD Live and just need unlocking.

You can also use ALchemy with SBL and Audigy cards.
 
benjo plz. said:
According to this, all X-Fi cards (except Xtreme Audio) support DD Live and just need unlocking.

You can also use ALchemy with SBL and Audigy cards.
Click to expand...

It may work, but it's hardly trouble free. I'm hesitant to recommend any X-Fi card for Vista x64 because I've had problems with mine while enabling 4GB RAM. I understand that it hasn't posed a problem for others but it would be enough to make me hesitant about getting another X-Fi.

ALChemy is generally fine but there are still glaring omissions. Games on Steam, for example, don't work automatically and you have to manually set them up.
 
it's $5, mostly to do with licensing from Dolby rather than anything else. The X-Fis can be unlocked with Daniels drivers, as linked above, but Audigys can't.
 
Just to confirm... the Prelude WILL output true 5.1 sound for games and movies over digital, right? Ive just got hold of one second hand as my XtremeGaymer will only do 2.1.
 
Yep. That was the big attraction of the Prelude when it came out (other than the superb analogue quality etc).
 
Well I had real trouble getting my XtremeGaymer to work in analogue using three 3.5mm to RCA's as for some reason the card seemed to get the center and sub confused (they were in the right inputs) so I want to just go digital to take any faffing around out of the equation. Plus I have no need for analogue considering how good my AV receiver is.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom