3D Sound and Digital Cables - Why your games are in stereo only - Page 5

thaFunkster · 7th October 2009, 6:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rawhide

....

I'll just repeat that last point by itself for emphasis...

When you play a game on your computer, your sound card is still making a PCM signal and sending that over the digital cable, so you will only ever get LEFT and RIGHT.

...

Very interesting thread, thanks rawhide.

One thing: ASUS Xonar DX can encode DTS and Dolby Digital (D2X) if I am not mistaken.

THat does mean you can run digital out, and still play games in surround, am I correct?

mshagg · 7th October 2009, 6:59 PM

Anything with DTS connect and/or Dolby Digial Live will encode your multi channel games into 5.1 discreet channels for digital output over SPDIF, yes.

Cant comment on the xonar specifically but im sure someone can confirm

aerospyke · 7th October 2009, 8:45 PM

Isn't the Xonar the one that does DTSHD and DolbyHD encoding??

thaFunkster · 8th October 2009, 9:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aerospyke

Isn't the Xonar the one that does DTSHD and DolbyHD encoding??

Yeah, Ive got a DX.

ITs almost exactly the same as the D2X, except I think it only encodes in Dolby Digital, not DTS, but for less than half the price, Im happy.

And with a decent sound card, its better to run analogue out and decode with the card I am told anyway, so it shouldnt be an issue.

If that's true, then the only time you would want to run digital out, is if you have a REALLY good receiver, in which case why bother with a good soundcard? You might as well just use onboard...

mshagg · 8th October 2009, 3:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thaFunkster

If that's true, then the only time you would want to run digital out, is if you have a REALLY good receiver, in which case why bother with a good soundcard? You might as well just use onboard...

If your receiver doesnt have analogue inputs for surround sound (i.e. only 2ch stereo input) then multi channel encoded digital is your only option for surround sound gaming.

If you fall back to onboard for digital then you're back to square one with 2ch PCM output in most cases. Although my main rig has Realtek 889a with DDL capability on the motherboard

thaFunkster · 8th October 2009, 7:52 PM

Ok, I get you, makes sense.

Slightly off topic, but can I ask something:

I bought some Z-5500s, had an Audigy 2 ZS soundcard, run digital out (using an minijack to RCA adapter) but got nothing on the speakers.

Ok, well, then the centre channel died on soundcard, so I figured it was broken.

...Bought myself a Xonar DX, tried digital out, still nothing, then the rear channel on the speakers dies. Ok, faulty control centre, cool.

Soooo...Now I have got the warranty replacement for the speakers, new set seem to be working perfectly, buuuut...Still no digital signal.

What the heck am I doing wrong?

I have a (single) minijack to RCA adapter plugged into the mic/digi out port on soundcard, then the RCA cord is running to Control Centre, into the Coaxial in (only plug it fits into).

Then I open up Xonar control software, check the "SPDIF out" box. But when I cycle through on the Logitech control centre, Coaxiacle says
no digital data........

Help pls.

toolsncorpses · 21st October 2009, 12:30 AM

Why can't games output a dolby digital signal? The Vista control panel can.

Plastik8 · 21st October 2009, 12:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toolsncorpses

Why can't games output a dolby digital signal? The Vista control panel can.

For games to output Dolby Digital, they would need to encode it on the fly. You will require a sound card that has Dolby Digital Live (or something similar). See Mr Bubbles post a few spots up.

In the Vista control panel, it is a pre-encoded signal - like a DVD or digital TV. Any sound card with digital output (SPDIF) only needs to send/copy this data out for your decoder to decode.

toolsncorpses · 21st October 2009, 1:00 AM

Okay.

Hmm, well things sound 5.1-ish in Wolfenstein on my Sony AV Receiver. Definitely getting positional effects with dropping bullets and explosions...

ir0nhide · 21st October 2009, 1:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toolsncorpses

Okay.

Hmm, well things sound 5.1-ish in Wolfenstein on my Sony AV Receiver. Definitely getting positional effects with dropping bullets and explosions...

I can confirm that my aging Auztentech X-Plosion correctly encodes positional audio output via DTS optical to my surround amp when HL2 is set to 5.1 speakers, hopefully your amp isn't just 'guessing' where the sound should be placed.

toolsncorpses · 21st October 2009, 6:55 AM

Well sound comes through all 5 speakers, but I wasn't sure if the front and rears were clones of eachother or not. I set Wolfenstein to 'surround' mode (there's also an option for 5.1 but this didn't sound any different) and bullets are specifically dropping on the rear left and rear right speakers, so I'm thinking it's all good

. The receiver can upmix to 5.1 ProLogic II from stereo, but I've turned this off since it sounds odd except with music.

Nevertheless the sound is great...

edit Shit I can't tell anymore, all this fiddling with the receiver is driving me crazy. Did someone say if I buy a certain card I can do surround over digital?

edit2 Bah seems if I set the games to stereo I get better positioning letting the amp do the work

thaFunkster · 21st October 2009, 11:26 AM

Xonar DX does, I think that is the cheapest card that will do it, though I am not sure whether an XFi gamer can do it or not...

---

EDIT: Yep, looks like the Xtreme Gamer can do it for $75...http://www.shopbot.com.au/default.as...osition=search

If you can get it at that price, otherwise have a look at a DX.

toolsncorpses · 21st October 2009, 12:18 PM

Hmm I'm running an X-Fi chip as it is, I think it's a Fatality Pro or XtremeMusic (it's one of the larger boards and has a red light with a logo on the PCB), how do you know the X-Fi can do it? I'm still puzzling over whether this 5.1 is happening or not...

iwnt2ovc · 21st October 2009, 12:45 PM

all i do is run my soundcard into my denon avr4308ci receiver.
I know its not a true 5.1 but it does the job.
I also have the z5500 that i use with the analog cables.

So what sound cards support dolby digital and so forth?

thaFunkster · 21st October 2009, 3:44 PM

All Xonar Cards can encode in Dolby Digital, and DTS for the more expensive ones.

As for the X-Fi, I just had a look here:

http://us.creative.com/products/prod...ct=15854&nav=1

Quote:

Technical Specs
24-bit Analog-to-Digital conversion of analog inputs at 96kHz sample rate
24-bit Digital-to-Analog conversion of digital sources at 96kHz to analog 7.1 speaker output
24-bit Digital-to-Analog conversion of stereo digital sources at 192kHz to stereo output
16-bit to 24-bit recording sampling rates: 8, 11.025, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48 and 96kHz
ASIO 2.0 support at 16-bit/44.1kHz, 16-bit/48kHz, 24-bit/44.1kHz 24-bit/48kHz and 24-bit/96kHz with direct monitoring
Enhanced SoundFont support at up to 24-bit resolution
64MB of X-RAM

So it says analogue to digital conversion of analogue inputs, not exactly sure what that means, and whether it means just stereo digital or surround it does not specify.

If it can do Dolby Digital, you will have to change that in your settings somewhere rather than just PCM format (stereo).

7th October 2009, 8:45 PM	#63
aerospyke Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Sydney NSW Posts: 3,180	Isn't the Xonar the one that does DTSHD and DolbyHD encoding?? __________________ DFI Lanparty UT nf4 SLI-DR Expert BIOS 0406 \| G4 on AMD 4400+@2.7Ghz (270x10) \| G.Skill HZ 2GB@1:1 \| MCW55 on 7800GTX 256 @ 500/1.39 Wife v1.2 settling in fine, no compatibility issues apparent ZOMG bought myself a house !

8th October 2009, 7:52 PM	#66
thaFunkster Awaiting Email Confirmation Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 441	[B]Why cant O get a digital signal from Xonar to Z-5500s?[/B] Ok, I get you, makes sense. Slightly off topic, but can I ask something: I bought some Z-5500s, had an Audigy 2 ZS soundcard, run digital out (using an minijack to RCA adapter) but got nothing on the speakers. Ok, well, then the centre channel died on soundcard, so I figured it was broken. ...Bought myself a Xonar DX, tried digital out, still nothing, then the rear channel on the speakers dies. Ok, faulty control centre, cool. Soooo...Now I have got the warranty replacement for the speakers, new set seem to be working perfectly, buuuut...Still no digital signal. What the heck am I doing wrong? I have a (single) minijack to RCA adapter plugged into the mic/digi out port on soundcard, then the RCA cord is running to Control Centre, into the Coaxial in (only plug it fits into). Then I open up Xonar control software, check the "SPDIF out" box. But when I cycle through on the Logitech control centre, Coaxiacle says no digital data........ Help pls. Last edited by thaFunkster; 8th October 2009 at 7:55 PM.

21st October 2009, 12:30 AM	#67
toolsncorpses Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 474	Why can't games output a dolby digital signal? The Vista control panel can. __________________ Think for yourself and question authority.

21st October 2009, 1:00 AM	#69
toolsncorpses Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 474	Okay. Hmm, well things sound 5.1-ish in Wolfenstein on my Sony AV Receiver. Definitely getting positional effects with dropping bullets and explosions... __________________ Think for yourself and question authority.

21st October 2009, 6:55 AM	#71
toolsncorpses Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 474	Well sound comes through all 5 speakers, but I wasn't sure if the front and rears were clones of eachother or not. I set Wolfenstein to 'surround' mode (there's also an option for 5.1 but this didn't sound any different) and bullets are specifically dropping on the rear left and rear right speakers, so I'm thinking it's all good . The receiver can upmix to 5.1 ProLogic II from stereo, but I've turned this off since it sounds odd except with music. Nevertheless the sound is great... edit Shit I can't tell anymore, all this fiddling with the receiver is driving me crazy. Did someone say if I buy a certain card I can do surround over digital? edit2 Bah seems if I set the games to stereo I get better positioning letting the amp do the work __________________ Think for yourself and question authority. Last edited by toolsncorpses; 21st October 2009 at 9:29 AM.

21st October 2009, 11:26 AM	#72
thaFunkster Awaiting Email Confirmation Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 441	Xonar DX does, I think that is the cheapest card that will do it, though I am not sure whether an XFi gamer can do it or not... --- EDIT: Yep, looks like the Xtreme Gamer can do it for $75...http://www.shopbot.com.au/default.as...osition=search If you can get it at that price, otherwise have a look at a DX. Last edited by thaFunkster; 21st October 2009 at 11:29 AM.

21st October 2009, 12:18 PM	#73
toolsncorpses Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 474	Hmm I'm running an X-Fi chip as it is, I think it's a Fatality Pro or XtremeMusic (it's one of the larger boards and has a red light with a logo on the PCB), how do you know the X-Fi can do it? I'm still puzzling over whether this 5.1 is happening or not... __________________ Think for yourself and question authority.