XPS 8700, SB Recon3D, no 5.1

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@FeelTheThunder wrote:

I have a XPS 8700, i7-4770, 16 mb ram, 500GB 860 EVO boot msata, SB Recon3d, 2TB hard drive.

I have installed windows 10, everything working good. 

I cannot get my SB Recon3d to output 5.1 sound using the optical out (spdif). 

 

 

 

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Remember, this will only be Bit-Streamed 5.1 (not full PCM channels). Best way to test it is with a store-bought DVD with DD5.1/DTS sound. You will also need a compatible player software that outputs 5.1.

What Amp/AVR are you outputting to?

I am using PowerDVD13 to an Onkyo amp using an optical cable. I have done this before with win7. I have been testing with blue ray and DVD with Dolby 5.1 on, not DTS, with no luck. I figure the problem has to be in the 2 channel only showing up in the advanced properties in the spdif.

I am currently doing it with the onboard realtek card on my Gigabyte GA-X79-UD3 Motherboard. Similar setup with Onkyo amp. Picture with 5.1 showing.

I use the speakers test option in the Creative pro studio and when it plays the rear speakers the sound comes on the front.

Here is the wallpaper to my Kodi box on Living Room Home Theater. Who doesn't like Badges . :Cool:

Of course XBMC is Kodi now, and speakers are all Polk-Audio these days. This is still an old Intel Conroe Quad-Core box with an AMD-5670 (with HDMI port) ... upgraded to Windows-10/64bit and works fine.

XBMC is Kodi now. All speakers & sub-woofer are now Polk-Audio.

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@FeelTheThunder wrote:

1. I am using PowerDVD13 to an

2. Onkyo amp

3. using an optical cable. 

4. have been testing with blue ray and DVD with Dolby 5.1 on, not DTS, with no luck.

5. I am currently doing it with the onboard realtek card on my Gigabyte GA-X79-UD3 Motherboard. Similar setup with Onkyo amp.

6. Picture with 5.1 showing.

7. I use the speakers test option in the Creative pro studio and when it plays the rear speakers the sound comes on the front.

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1. In must be the version that says "DD 6ch and DTS 6ch" in About PowerDVD box.

2. Which one? 

3. The only time I've seen it work is when using VGA/DVI for video. It's been so long ago.

4. OK

5. Good, then you know how it's suppose to work

6. Your pics are still hidden to us

7. If not something above, then maybe drivers or config.

You know, if you switched to HDMI and Kodi I bet it would work.

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@FeelTheThunder wrote:

Picture with 5.1 showing.

 

I can finally see your pics.

DD-LIVE-5.1 is a different thing. AFAIK, that's not even a true digital BitStream. I think that's 5.1-PCM for online gaming use. It gets decoded at the audio-card. They have to down-sample it so that 6 channels of PCM can fit through (relatively small these days) SPDIF cable.

I went to the wikipedia site for DDLive and they even mention the realtek board

""DDL is available on motherboards with codecs such as Realtek's ALC882D,[21] ALC888DD and ALC888H""

Well I brought the computer upstairs to the Onkyo TX-NR709 amp which has HDMI, very easy to do 5.1 on HDMI, but that does not use the audio card?

I tried audio through the spdif to the TX-NR709 and same issues as my old TX-DS747. I think the problem was trying to use SoundBlasters cinematic tab that does encoding. When selected it does do 5.1 but for some silly reason you have to set the default playback device to Speakers (SB Recon3D PCIe) instead of SPDIF-Out(SB Recon3D PCIe). It makes no sense as I use my green analogue speaker out to one source on the amp (Tape1) and my SPDIF is assigned (digital) to another source (Video2). Somehow it will now output digital sound out of  Speakers (SB Recon3D PCIe). If I select my Tape1 while doing this I get nothing, and also no general volume control, I have to use individual control in each audio app.

I now do not use the cinematic feature in SB Pro Studio. I leave it as analogue out to Speakers (SB Recon3D PCIe) via Tape1 and digital out to SPDIF-Out(SB Recon3D PCIe) via Video2(optical). I do get 5.1 sound when I put in movies, I just have to make sure not to mess with SB Pro Studio. I can do a test using the supported properties tab of my SPDIF-Out(SB Recon3D PCIe) for Dolby Digital, DTS etc and when I do the Dolby Digital I get sound out of each individual speakers and my amp shows up ch3/2 (representing Dolby Digital) on the front panel, but then disappears and delivers 2.0 sound for most windows activities. It will switch to ch3/2 when playing movies from PowerDVD. Not sure how it will work with my sons Steam Games for which I have set this computer up for, he has not tried it yet, specs here http://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/9987160

I have been using 5.1 since the first DVD's came out and my 1999 TX-DS747, thought I had it all figured out.

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@FeelTheThunder wrote:

 

digital out to SPDIF-Out(SB Recon3D PCIe) via Video2(optical). I do get 5.1 sound when I put in movies, 

 

 

 

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So, that sounds like Bit-Stream-ing. The movie's DD/DTS audio stays in digital form. That easily fits-thru the optical cable and is then decoded by the Amp itself.

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@FeelTheThunder wrote:

 

1. Well I brought the computer upstairs to the Onkyo TX-NR709 amp which has HDMI, very easy to do 5.1 on HDMI, but that does not use the audio card?

 

2. I have been using 5.1 since the first DVD's came out and my 1999 TX-DS747, thought I had it all figured out.

  

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1. Correct, AFAIK, just uses the video card. So much easier with HDMI because it will Bit-Stream and also ... Multi-Channel PCM .

2. Same here. However, back when I was using
VIDEO: VGA or 3wire-Component
Audio: SDPIF (Optical or Coax)

with my old Panasonic-Amp ... it worked but I would not call the config easy. Windows often did some strange things.

The Onkyo-607 (and it's HDMI) made things a lot easier. HDMI also brings things like LipSync (which is nice for Movies but almost a necessity for Concerts).

If this is a HTPC in your Home Theater ... you really should at least try Kodi for Windows.