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

[Owlsroost]

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

Good thought - might need higher WAF support though

Tony

 

[disaster123]

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).

It says:
CE audio data (formats supported)
AC-3 6-channel, 640k max. bit rate at 32/44/48 kHz
LPCM 2-channel, 16/20/24 bit depths at 32/44/48/96/192 kHz

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....

All not acceptable ;-( to me. But thanks for your recommendations.

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

Too expensive to keep the current quality i have. I've a really really good and big 45kg AVR buyed before HDMI was build into every box. Some audio enthusiasts from the hifi-forum already told me i've to spend at least 3000,- Euro to get again an AVR of the same quality.

So i'll take 5.)
buy a new MB with SPDIF ;-)

 

[Owlsroost]

It says:
CE audio data (formats supported)
AC-3 6-channel, 640k max. bit rate at 32/44/48 kHz
LPCM 2-channel, 16/20/24 bit depths at 32/44/48/96/192 kHz

So the TV will accept AC3 over HDMI.....probably a silly question, but have you got that format enabled in the Windows sound control panel for the HDMI output ?

Tony

 

[disaster123]

No i don't ;-) I've no experience using audio with HMDI. Have search for such a setting but haven't found one.

 

[Jay_UK]

Hi there,

What format is your multichannel/5.1 audio? (I would assume the spdif is simply doing passthru - therefore our source audo must be AC3/Dolby Digital??

If its anything other than AC3 (ie DTS/AAC), you will need to re-encode it. I have had to use ffdshow audio as a post process to convert my AAC 5.1 to AC3 to work over HDMI to my receiver.

J.

 

[disaster123]

Some movies might me DTS but i thought that at least Sky Cinema HD is sending AC3!? But that could be the reason that i need to reencode.

 

[Jay_UK]

Hi there,

The Sky box does not outpt multichannel over HDMI, only via the SPDIF (crappy sky boxes) ;-)

J.

 

[disaster123]

I meant the channel Sky Cinema HD and not a sky box ;-) But i found a solution right now. installed ac3filter additionally to LAV. Configured it to reencode 5.1 to AC3. Now everything works! But for sure no DTS... but at least i've 5.1 until a got a new mobo ;-)

Thanks!

 

[Jay_UK]

Cool...

Any reason to use AC3filter as opposed to ffdshow?

J.

 

[disaster123]

Has a lite version ;-) Easy to configure.