X-FI, 5.1 and DTS?

no, its just really pointless and a lot of hassle for somethin that gives absolutly no difference over quality and cpu usage to lettin the software decode it
 
well it would have been solved long time ago if people did not keep going on about how pointless it is and just help, its mot your problem if its pointless is it?

Now i was asking how to get rid of the InterVideo Audio Decoder and Inter Video Win DVD 7 because i dont like it, i was other software installed, i will use a Software decoder with other software if that makes you feel better, but i want this InterVideo Audio Decoder and InterVideo Win DVD 7 to be removed, i still would like to know how to use the Hardware Decoder tho if i ever wanted it.
 
yeah i've just taken a quick look. using software video (no upscaling, mind) and audio 5.1 decoding with mdeia player classic as the dvd software, im using 19% cpu runtime max. average 10%. concidering when im playing a movie, ill usually be watching that movie and not a lot else, i dont really see what the problem is with cpu cycles. on average, using spdif passthru and letting my amp do the decoding drops the cpu usage by 3%.

meh.
 
In my InterVideo Audio Decoder Properties it says use SPDIF, does that mean hardware, and use 5.1 means software?
 
spdif means its runnign spdif passthru - its not using the soundcards decoder or software decoding, its just passing the dd/dts stream on to the speakers to let them decode it.

anything else on that properties page = software decoding.
 
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so if my speakers did not have a decoder, and i had it on SPDIF, i would hear no sound? I thought for the Z5500's to decode DTS and DD5.1 they had to be set to DD5.1 or DTS and had to be set to Optical or Coax?
 
spdif passthrough is probs one of the best ways, let ya amp or speakers decode it, no interfierence from the soundcard or software and its much tidyier, jsut 1 optical cable or coax, non of this multiple analogue cables :)
 
willhub said:
so if my speakers did not have a decoder, and i had it on SPDIF, i would hear no sound?
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correct, or at worst a lot of random 'white' noise
I thought for the Z5500's to decode DTS and DD5.1 they had to be set to DD5.1 or DTS and had to be set to Optical or Coax?
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that depends. they might give spdif priority over analogue. My av amp will play a sound, but it wouldnt output 5.1 unless you tell it to - othewise it just a outputs 2 channel stereo downmix from that 5.1 audio.

The other, rather ironic option, is that your hearing sound with no digital cable connect because maybe by setting the decoder software to spdif, and your x-fi software to hardware decoding, your sound card is then downmixing that signal and outputting it thru the analogue.

in otherwords, you are actually using your soundcars hardware decoder and its that decoder that's causing your 'lag'. That would be ironic.
 
I think thats whats happening becouse i am sure the Z5500 cant Decode DD5.1 and DTS when in Direct and 6ch Direct.

So is there no way to use the built in Hardware decoder in the X-FI?, and how do i? (Just Wondering)
 
willhub said:
I think thats whats happening becouse i am sure the Z5500 cant Decode DD5.1 and DTS when in Direct and 6ch Direct.
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there is nothing to decode when running 6 channel direct. thats the whole point of 6ch. direct - you feed the speakers 6 seperate channels of audio directly

So is there no way to use the built in Hardware decoder, and how do i? (Just Wondering)
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i dont know how you do it. unless its working how i just described in my post.
 
Ok, maybe someone else might.

with software decoding of 5.1 and DTS, and the X-fi and the Z5500, whcih one would be the best, or would they be the same? is there any advantages of using the decoder in the Z5500?
 
cokecan72 said:
spdif passthrough is probs one of the best ways, let ya amp or speakers decode it, no interfierence from the soundcard or software and its much tidyier, jsut 1 optical cable or coax, non of this multiple analogue cables :)
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Yeah, but none of the fancy multichannel audio in games either :)

I'd say run digital and analogue cables, especially if the decoder isn't very far from the PC. Set the DVD software to use S/PDIF and then change the input to digital in on the decoder when you want to watch a DVD. Practically no CPU usage as the external decoder handles it all.

Alternatively use AC3Filter which I've been using for a while and have not had a problem with or spend ages trying to get the onboard hardware decoding working which is probably going to be more hassle than it's worth; all 3 options are going to sound identical!

I know it's a feature of the card etc etc, but it's seriously not a very major one and I for one would not be the slightest bit concerned if I had to use a software decoder.
 
Aint Dolby Digital EX just as good as live? i thought the X-FI had live? omg, i was going to get the HDA explosion before, have i made a big mistake getting the X-FI over the X-Plosion?

Also in the X-FI control panel i have Digital I/O thing, there is a drop down menu called SPDIF Input Settings, it has: Defaulty, SPDIF BYPASS and Dolby Digital/DTS SPDIF-In Decode, what are these setting, are they for hardware decoding?
 
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willhub said:
Aint Dolby Digital EX just as good as live? i thought the X-FI had live? omg, i was going to get the HDA explosion before, have i made a big mistake getting the X-FI over the X-Plosion?

Also in the X-FI control panel i have Digital I/O thing, there is a drop down menu called SPDIF Input Settings, it has: Defaulty, SPDIF BYPASS and Dolby Digital/DTS SPDIF-In Decode, what are these setting, are they for hardware decoding?
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Dolby Digital EX has absolutely NOTHING to do with Dolby Digital Live when it comes to X-Fi vs X-Plosion. Dolby Digital EX = format of movie soundtracks, DDL = process in which audio is encoded in to a digital bitstream.

My suggestion would be to just use a software decoder (e.g. AC3Filter) then sit back and enjoy your movies/games etc and ignore the fact it might not be hardware accelerated and all that crap.

X-Fi is better than the X-Plosion, but we're just going round in circles here.

S/PDIF Input settings are exactly that: settings with regards to S/PDIF input sources, e.g. plugging a DVD Player in to the X-Fi using an optical cable.
 
so Analoug is crap? i aint going to be using a software decoder for games no way especially since some games have special stuff for the X-FI, if i use software decoder for games, then i might aswell just get rid of the X-FI, it seems like i might aswell get rid of the X-FI and buy an Audigy 2 Platinum or somthing, but then i wont be able to do some stuff in the future despite what people tell me :\.

Aint the X-FI Fatal1ty the games edition? if that true, what would be point of using software decoders :\, what the hell is the X-FI Fatal1ty for if its all i am going to do is use software decoding :confused:

Seems like the X-FI does nothing :\, might aswell put it up on ebay as it seems ot be a useless piece of crap if i cant do anything with it :rolleyes:
 
software decoding? what are you talking about?

we're talking about software dolby digital and DTS decoders. neither of which are involved when playing games.

Seems like the X-FI does nothing :\, might aswell put it up on ebay as it seems ot be a useless piece of crap if i cant do anything with it
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see, this is what im talking about. You fork out £150 for the card, not knowing what you bought it for and now you want to sell it because it doesnt do what you thought it did? all within a couple of days? :(

* analogue isnt crap. as far as gaming cards go, the x-fi's are the best
* it doesnt do DDlive. but as you didnt know what ddlive actually was, thats not really a problem
* it's a gaming card. its the best card you can buy for gaming. period
* you dont need any hardware decoders
* you need to listen to what we say and take it in. not just skim over it then complain when you cant get what you want
* in my opinion, you wasted money on the fatality. What features does it have over the x-fi xtreme that you actually use?
 
willhub said:
so Analoug is crap? i aint going to be using a software decoder for games no way especially since some games have special stuff for the X-FI, if i use software decoder for games, then i might aswell just get rid of the X-FI, it seems like i might aswell get rid of the X-FI and buy an Audigy 2 Platinum or somthing, but then i wont be able to do some stuff in the future despite what people tell me :\.

Aint the X-FI Fatal1ty the games edition? if that true, what would be point of using software decoders :\, what the hell is the X-FI Fatal1ty for if its all i am going to do is use software decoding :confused:
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Sorry, but what the hell are you on about?

Dolby Digital = an audio format that DVDs use. It contains up to 6 channels of audio (5.1) all encoded in a single stream.

Dolby Digital EX = an audio format essentially the same as DD but can be up to 6.1 (maybe 7.1 as well?)

Dolby Digital Live = a process in which realtime audio (e.g. games) are encoded onthefly in to Dolby Digital. This is advantageous as it means you can run a single cable to your AV Receiver where the receiver will decode it just like a DVD soundtrack. As it's digital it won't pick up any interference on the way to the amp.

Dolby Digital Live has nothing to do with EAX, which is what the games will be using for the hardware accelerated audio; it's merely a way of getting the signal from your soundcard to your receiver. In some ways it's a disadvantage as Dolby Digital is a lossy format and the encoding adds a slight delay.

If you want to play a Dolby Digital soundtrack, you need to decode it in to all the seperate tracks as it's all encoded in to a single digital stream. This can be done by either:

S/PDIF = Pass the stream to a seperate decoder which will deal with it for you
Software decode = decode it using your CPU and output the seperate audio channels out the analogue ports
Hardware decode = same end result as software decode but uses your soundcard instead of CPU to decode it.
 
Free Haadphones lol, maybe not good headphones, but better than my old set, also i use the front I/O panel, well will when i get a propor headphone jack, i cant be botherd taking a speaker cable out just for darn headphones, also the 64mb xram, yea i know it doesent do anything, but thats at the moment, creative is preety popular, hopefully games will start taking advantage of the Xram.

Now i know it sound stupid, but what actually do i take advantage of in the X-FI, do i actually use anything? i dont even know if i got the thing set up properly in the control panel, would be good is someone could do remote desktop or some sort of computer takeover thing with somthing through Tight VNC to show me.
 
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