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XPS 8900, Multi-Channel audio through HDMI
Hi,
I’ve recently decided to use my Dell XPS 8900 as my “home theater pc”, but am having audio challenges and looking for some direction. While my audio/video receiver is receiving the video as expected, the audio is only LPCM two-channel stereo. I have no doubt it’s user error somewhere. I just don’t know where.
So as I outline things below, here are the two issues I think I need help resolving.
- What settings do I need to change in order to configure speakers to 5.1/7.1/Quadraphonic in the Sound Control Panel?
- What settings do I make to ensure the multi-channel audio is passed on to the HDMI output on the NVIDIA Graphics Card?
Hardware/Software
- The only hardware change made since purchasing from Dell was the recent replacement the HDD with a new SSD to improve performance as I change the PC’s usage from an office PC to a home theater pc.
- When the SSD was installed, I did a “new install” of Windows 10 rather than cloning the old drive to “start fresh”
- After install, I went to dell.com:
- Downloaded Dell Support Assist to install any missing drivers.
- Ran Hardware Diagnostics with no issues found
- Installed iTunes, VLC Player, K-Lite Codecs, Media Player Classic, and Plex Media Server
- Completed steps necessary for each app to decode 5.1 audio
My connections:
- HDMI Cable – HDMI 1.4
- PC Connection – NVIDIA GT-730 HDMI Port
- AVR Connection – Sony STR-DH720HP
- AVR HDMI TV/AVR Setting – AVR Only
Settings
- Start > Dell > Dell Audio/MAXXAUDIO PRO app - changed Speaker Set-up from Stereo to 5.1
- Right Click Speaker Icon > Sounds > Playback > Control Panel > SONYAVAMP NVIDIA High Definition Audio > Configure > the only option available is Stereo.
- Right Click Speaker Icon > Speaker Set-up (stereo) > while 5.1 and 7.1 are listed, they are greyed out and cannot be selected. The only choice is Stereo.
- As with the previous bullet point, when I was able to configure the playback device with 5.1 audio, I WAS able to choose 5.1 audio here. And just like the previous bullet point, my AVR still only received LPCM two-channel audio.
As I have been fiddling around with this issue for months, there was a time when I was able to select 5.1, 7.1, and Quadraphonic in the Sound Control Panel. And when 5.1 was selected, I was able to choose 5.1 in the Speaker Set-up (stereo). Regardless of which audio I selected, my AVR still only received LPCM two-channel audio.
In doing research on that particular issue, it appears the NVIDIA Graphics Card High Definition Audio is re-encoding the audio from 5.1/7.1 to 2.0 before passing the audio out through the HDMI port even though their documentation notes they support nearly all of the various multi-channel audio formats (e.g. DTS, Dolby Digital). I had reached out to their support and was having zero success.
So I am hoping a fellow Dell user might be able to help me resolve my two issues.
Thanks in advance for anyone’s help.
Scott
fireberd
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December 27th, 2020 06:00
First, using HDMI audio that is using the audio chip in the Video card and not Realtek and MaxxAudio.
A setup in the Video card would seem what is needed to "maybe' get 5.1. As Dell OEM video cards are "low power" versions of the full video card model this could also be a cause of only 2 channel audio. I would start with installing the direct from NVIDIA drivers and support software for the video card and see if that offers any audio setup options. I use AMD video in my desktop so I don't know what all is included with NVIDIA drivers.
RoHe
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December 27th, 2020 14:00
Does that monitor have an On-Screen Display (OSD) where you have to configure the audio input to the monitor?
If you open the NVidia control panel and click Set up digital audio, have you verified that the monitor is listed there and being detected for HDMI audio output?
Then click Open Windows Sound Settings button on that screen and set the monitor as the default, and then click Configure on that same screen and select the correct options.
Also make sure NVidia Output doesn't say "Not plugged in" and be sure to configure and test it on that same screen too.
Vic384
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December 27th, 2020 15:00
@msaseattle As @RoHe wrote you should open NVIDIA Control Panel and click on 'Set up digital audio'. You can get the same result from Control Panel / Hardware and Sound / Sound. In the Sound window, click on the Playback tab and select the NVIDIA Output that you wish to use.
msaseattle
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January 7th, 2021 13:00
Hi, thanks for the suggestion. When in the "Set Up Digital Audio" of the NVIDIA Control Panel, the HDMI option is already set to my Sony receiver and I am able to hear regular stereo audio. The only other option is "turn off audio" which does disable audio as my receiver goes silent. On that same page, the second piece listed is the "configure playback devices with the windows sound settings", which takes me right back to the Windows Sound Control Panel where "stereo" remains the only speaker set-up option when attempting to configure my receiver. It feels like there should be some NVIDIA settings for audio beyond just enabling or disabling audio, but I can't seem to find them. Anyway, was worth a shot to look at. Thanks again for the suggestion.
msaseattle
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January 7th, 2021 13:00
I'm not really using a monitor for my home theater. My set up is an HDMI cable plugged in to the HDMI port on the graphics card to the HDMI input on the receiver. The receiver has one HDMI out which I have connected to my projector. And yes, the "set up digital audio" does show my receiver and my receiver does receive audio, just standard stereo audio.
Regarding the playback devices, there are two NVIDIA High Definition Audio devices on the Control Panel. The one that is my receiver is labeled "SONY AVAMP - NVIDIA High Definition Audio - Default Device". The other one is "NVIDIA Output - NVIDIA High Definition Audio - Disabled, unplugged".
When I had connected my laptop as part of troubleshooting, both NVIDIA playback devices were the same: the SONY AVAMP is set as the default and the NVIDIA Output is disabled, unplugged. However, my receiver does receive multi channel audio from my laptop because, i think, my laptop doesn't have a separate graphics card like the XPS 8900, just basic integrated video and audio.
RoHe
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January 7th, 2021 16:00
Got the latest drivers installed for your NVidia card?
If this is a Dell OEM NVIDIA GT-730 GPU, do you know it actually supports 5.1/7.1/Quadraphonic?
Maybe you should post this issue on the NVidia forum...?
msaseattle
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January 13th, 2021 19:00
Yes it is the original video card that came installed when I purchased the XPS 8900. And yes the drivers are the most current. I actually started my troubleshooting with NVIDIA support because I had found a chart on their website that confirms the GT-730 card supports all audio formats via HDMI, including Dolby TrueHD and, Dolby Atmos, and DTS:X. But I kept getting the run around with them blaming either Dell or Microsoft for the issue or telling me my setup wasn't correct and that I needed a 5.1 receiver and a video file with the multi-channel audio encoded (and here I thought I could get Dolby TrueHD with two tin cans and a string). Since I was getting dizzy going in circles, I figured I'd try the Dell Community hoping someone else may have the exact same computer or issue and would know how to resolve it. Or at the least, see what suggestions may be out there that I hadn't considered yet.
RoHe
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January 14th, 2021 11:00
@msaseattle - sorry you haven't found any answers.
But keep in mind this is an OEM Dell video card, which frequently have different specs and capabilities from a "retail" card with the same number. So just because NVidia says a GT-730 supports those formats, doesn't necessarily mean the Dell card does. So unless somebody can actually confirm this for the Dell OEM card...
If you have another x16 video card available that does support those options, maybe you can (temporarily) swap it into the XPS 8900 and see what happens. At least that way you'll know if all your Windows settings are correct.