SPDIF passthrough (HTPC => TV => AVR) (1 Viewer)

[disaster123]

Hi,

i've buyed a new mobo Asrock A75M-HVS it works quite nicely with an A4 APU and is a lot faster than my old Athlon II 4450e. BUT my old MB had a direct digital out so i was able to connect directly to the AVR. Sadly i didn't remembered this while ordering the new MB. Now i've only HDMI out and analog audio out. My AVR does not support HDMI so the only way to have sound at all right now is HTPC => HDMI => TV => Optical out => AVR.

Stereo tone works fine now but i do not get any 5.1 sound ;-( ?! Any ideas? / Help?

Stefan

 

[Jay_UK]

Hi there,

I have spent a fair bit of time recently migrating from SPDIF to HDMI.... think I'm finally there

Does your TV support multichannel output over SPDIF (obvious question)?

I had to encode my multichannel AAC to AC3, as I couldnt get multichannel AAC to work over HDMI to my AVR. When you say you arent getting 5.1, what format of 5.1? DTS, AC3, AAC?

J.

 

[Holzi]

I think the problem is that your TV doesn't support multi channel output/passthrough. Only very new and high end TV's can do that?

 

[disaster123]

It has a PCM passthrough option - LG 60PK950 60"

 

[Jay_UK]

Hi there,

I think its AC3 (Dolby Digital) and not PCM??

J.

 

[disaster123]

In my TV sound menu it says PCM. - no idea

 

[Jay_UK]

Hi there,

I thought SPDIF was only stereo for PCM? (Due to bandwidth) - for multichannel you need AC3/DTS over spdif

Have a look here might be some useful stuff: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1250622

J.

 

[Owlsroost]

Hi there,

I thought SPDIF was only stereo for PCM? (Due to bandwidth) - for multichannel you need AC3/DTS over spdif

Have a look here might be some useful stuff: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1250622

J.

That's correct.

disaster123 - if you run -> 'Moninfo'<- it will read and display the EDID information from the TV. Somewhere in there it should say which audio formats it supports - if it only supports 2 channel PCM then that's all Windows will send it (so no AC3/DTS pass-through).

If that's the situation, then the choices are:

1. Buy a cheap PCI/USB sound card with AC3/DTS bitstreaming support.

2. Use FFDShow audio 'mixer' to create a pseudo Dolby Pro-Logic 5.1->stereo downmix, and run the AVR in Dolby Pro-Logic decode mode. Not as good as true 5.1, but better than stereo

3. Do nothing and live with stereo only....

Tony

 

[Holzi]

4. Buy a new AV-Receiver with HDMI support? =)

 

[Jay_UK]

I recently built a new HTPC...only to find the SPDIF port was faulty... I was in a similar situation - Do I buy a soundcard that had SPDIF, or did I replace my very old SPDIF only AVR.

No brainer... bought a new HDMI Yamaha AVR

J.