*Official* Asus Xonar HDAV1.3 thread - Page 264

typo (and wishful thinking)

No, only the Slim version is PCI.

I think he means the analog audio daughter card. If so, then yes, the connector is just for stability and is not "live".

Yeah. I mean the analog audio daughter card. Thanks.

Hi Guys,

Sorry for the question, as it might have already been answered, but after a long browse of this forum and some others i'm still a bit lost about it.

My configuration ;
- Denon 3806 Amplifier which can't decode Dolby TrueHD // DtsHd but can accept 7.1 LPCM 192Khz // 24 bits.
- PC under Windows 7 Rtm with Ati 4870.

My question ;

I'm considering to buy the Xonar Slim Hd to be able to watch BluRay on my pc and to get the audio track TrueHD or DTSHD over the hdmi with 7.1 LPCM 192Khz // 24bits without downsample. Last requirement, i wan't to be able to use the TMT3 WMC plugin too.

Is it possible ? I yes, which version of TMT3 ?

Official TMT3 last version ? From what i read, it's downsampling, can you confirm ?
Asus TMT3 .136 version with an update to .140 as i saw that Asus version doesn't include WMC plug in ?

Thanks in advance for your help,
David.

Use TMT3 retail, latest version is 160, with the Xonar, HDMI passthrough set in TMT3 settings, and you will get bitstreaming that is not downsampled. However, I'm of the opinion that if you're only buying the Xonar to bitstream I would hold off for a couple months if possible. The era of high priced, dedicated cards required for bitstreaming is nearly at an end. The ATI 5xxx series cards can bitstream, although not yet with TMT3 (we're hopeful), as can the new Clarkdale chip from Intel. (That can bitstream with TMT3). Either of those would be a better solution IMO than the Xonar or Auzentech. If it were me making the decision right now for the first time, I'd grab an ATI 5850 and use LPCM 7.1 downsampled until it gets bitstreaming support. (Still not confirmed to be happening for TMT3, but, again, we're hopeful) Something to think about anyway. Otherwise, the Xonar will do what you want with TMT3 retail for sure.

P.S. I know the above recommendation goes against my usual "buy what works today" advice. This is one of the cases where I think a little patience could pay off in the end.

LPCM will be sampled according to your manual settings in the Xonar HDAV Center.

AFAIC it´s not clear that there is really an issue with the downrezzing 24->16 that shows up in TMT3 retail information windows. I cannot tell for sure as my Denon AVR only shows sample-rate input info.

But anyway ASUS .136 does show 24bits. If you apply .140 update it does activate the .VMC plugin, as far as I remember. Maybe someone else will chime in and confirm it.

It does, but, no bitstreaming in the MC plugin if you do that. Besides, we're a few weeks away from an "official" release of ASUS TMT3, but, I doubt it'll have MC support, either. I wouldn't rely on the ASUS version personally. I'd go retail. For MANY reasons. Note that I refused to buy the Xonar until retail supported it.

Ok, reading Samuri posts I may add (again!) my personal opinion that 16/48 downsampling is a non-issue, as most BDs are 16/48 and you´ll really not notice a difference in SQ above that.

An ATI57xx would be the right choice (with TMT3 of course). They will be released soon (end of month?).

He only needs LPCM right now as his Denon 3806 can´t decode HD audio codecs.

But an ATI 57xx would be best choice anyway ...

Your opinions are always welcome, Tulli. I agree that the 48/16 vs 48/24 issue is not really a problem. For me it's a philosophical issue and one that I've had proven to me time and again. The issue is this. I don't believe bitstreaming is any better than unmolested LPCM. But that's the issue...unmolested. The difference in quality between 48/16 and 48/24 is not the problem. The problem is that the software player has to decode and then resample the audio. This can (and HAS) cause bugs that corrupt the audio stream. So, again, my preference is for bitstreaming so the player can't mess up the audio stream. To each their own.

As for the 57xx cards, I'd agree that's the right choice for a dedicated HTPC, but, I thought they were coming in Q1...I.E. January sometime? If they're out sooner, then by all means that'd be the right card for this job without a doubt.

Ah you're right. I completely missed that part. Not awake yet. Yea, in that case, scratch what I said about bitstreaming completely. The Xonar would be downsampled (for now) to 48/16, but, since you have to do LPCM decoding in software anyway, this is a complete non-issue. The Xonar is a HUGE waste of money if you can't bitstream. Even a 4xxx card would suffice, but, the 57xx card would be future proof in case you upgrade to a receiver that can bitstream in the future.

According to this post 5770/5750 will be out this month, so there´s really no question that this is the right choice.

Thanks for your very quick reply guys.

From what i understand, you guys are recommending to stick to the official TMT3 retail version and not the Asus one, on which the plugin support is more random ... Moreover as Tulli seems to indicate i'm unable to fully validate that the Asus version doesn't perform a downconvert // upconvert of Hd track before sending it through LPCM.

A that stage, i think i'm going to stay with my ati 4870 with TMT3 retail version which already deliver me right TrueHd track over Hdmi downsampled to 16bits // 48khz, and will maybe change later my amplifier and by that time will check what solution is available for bitstreaming.

two last question ;
On TMT3 audio setting you can choose different value on the list : headset, stereo, 5.1, 7.1, hdmi, spdif. And then configure the option you choosed.

1) For what i want (TrueHD track sent to Hdmi LPCM) i assume i need to choose the 7.1 option. Right ?
2) The Hdmi option is for Hdmi bitstreaming ? If yes why when you choose Hdmi, you can configure Hdmi with either original track or dts mixing ? Because if you select Dts mixing it's not anymore bitstreaming.


Regards,
David.

It´s been quite a while since I don´t use TMT3 in non-bitstreaming mode, but I guess you should set it to HDMI with original track (HDMI passthrough is for bitstreaming with retail TMT3).

I have had this audio card for most the year (non deluxe) and have been very happy with it. I also have anydvd hd and have many bluray iso's. They all play perfectly when using asus version of tmt2. This weekend i upgraded the driver for the card from 1758 to 1773 and updated tmt2 126 to tmt3 136 and now tmt says unable to play this disc everytime i mount a iso. If i switch back to tmt2 version 126 or 127 they all play fine but not once can i get a iso to play using tmt3. I even went so far as to buy the retail version of tmt3 and it wont play iso either. They all play the retail disc fine, just a mounted iso problem with tmt3 only. (either asus version or retail) I also went so far as trying 2 different htpc's with the exact same problem on both. Both have xp pro sp3. And yes i have even tried installing the toshiba udf2.5 driver which did help explorer see the disc or iso but did not help tmt3 play the mounted images. I spent the whole weekend trying to figure this out to no avail and so now i have tmt2 (127) installed with the new driver(1773) which works fine but i was hoping someone here might have an idea that i missed?

thanks

With XP/SP3 I use the Slim and latest driver and works fine. Could it be your virtual drive?

I use Virtual Clone Drive without issue.

Same happened to me after upgrading to 1773 and TMT3 136 using XP Pro SP3

I fixed the problem by setting TMT3 to output 7.1 instead of HDMI

I have been reading the threads and still have a few questions. I have a Denon 4310CI on order and want to upgrade my HTPC with a HDMI Audio. I read about the Asus Xonar HDAV1.3 and the Auzentech AZT-XFHTHD X-Fi.

I have a NVidia Graphics card (8xxx) which I will feed into the Asus or Auzentech. Also, I am using PowerDVD 9 Ultra on Win XP SP3. Here are my questions:

1. I want to do bitstreaming. What would work better with the Denon 4310CI (which supports DTS HD, etc) the Asus or Auzentech?
2. Will either of these work with Power DVD Ultra or do I need to go to TMT3?
3. Is there much difference between the Asus Xonar HDAV1.3 Slim and Deluxe? Do I really need the deluxe?
4. Should I wait for the 5870?

Thanks

I would go with none of the above options. Auzentech is tied to PDVD9, Xonar is tied to TMT3. The ATI 5xxx cards are, as of today, not supported in either for bitstreaming. Cyberlink is working on a patch for PDVD9, but, as of yet there is no release date. Personally, as of today, I'd not buy a dedicated audio card just for bitstreaming. It's a waste. For an HTPC, if you're impatient, grab a 5850. (5870, unless you want serious gaming power, is beyond overkill for an HTPC. Most would say the 5850 is overkill, as well. I would agree) If you have patience, wait for a 57xx card. By then bitstreaming will be available in at least one player. In the meantime, if you do get a 5850, you can always use LPCM over HDMI to get 48/16 7.1 surround sound. You could do much worse IMO.

Absolutely agree with SamuriHL, but just in case you can't wait and must have bitstreaming of the HD audio with your new denon 4310 I would suggest the ASUS HDAV Slim version which requires TMT3 retail to bitstream with MC integration (You could go with the OEM TMT3 .136 if you don't care about using MC). I have the denon 4310 and the HDAV Slim and TMT3 retail .160 bitstreaming everything but LPCM and HD DVD audio which currently can't be bitstreamed - very happy with it, but do look forward to a simpler solution ATI 5XXX card or intel clarkdale .

FYI the 57xx cards are coming between now and oct 22 (yes, 7 release) so if you have even a little patience, 5770 200 bucks, 5750 150 bucks.

Who is reading this and not looking forward now

SamuraiHL/HTPCat,

Thanks for the information. It is going to be a dedicated HTPC, so I won't be gaming on it. I actually have a ATI HD 4850 laying around which says can do DTS HD. I'm not sure if it can do bitstreaming, would this work as good as a 5850 or 57xx?

The 4850 can do 7.1 LPCM over HDMI. As of today, that's all we can do with the 5xxx cards. However, they have a PAP which allows them to bitstream if programs are updated to support it. We know PDVD9 will be updated soon. We're HOPING TMT3 will be, as well, but we don't really know for sure. The 4850 will do 48/16 which means anything higher than that will be downsampled. If done right, you likely won't notice. My advice is since you have a 4850 kicking around, use that for now. When bitstreaming on the 5xxx cards is available, then consider upgrading. Maybe by then you'll find a deal or something and save some money.

4850 won't bitstream unless you pair it with the Auzen or ASUS cards and use either PDVD9 for the Auzen or TMT for the ASUS card. If you want bitstreaming and you don't want to wait for the ATI solution to get sorted out for bitstreaming (with PDVD9 or TMT3 or any other that may want to jump in) go with the Asus Slim for $140 and TMT3 retail for another $70 and use your 4850 for the video - we know this solution works right now for bitsteaming. If you don't have to have bitstreaming right now and can live with LPCM until they get it all sorted out in 2 or 3 months then just use the 4850 with either your current PDVD9 or buy the retail TMT3 and use LPCM.

HTPCat,

Thanks for the info. What are the big differences between bitstreaming and LPCM? For now, I'll live with my NVidia and use the Asus Xonar for now. And wait for the 5850/57XX and Cyberlink to get bitstreaming with ATI working.

There aren't many differences in theory. If you can get full bitrate LPCM decoding through your player, this is great. The only issues come in when the software decoding introduces glitches and bugs into the audio stream when trying to manipulate it. Unfortunately this is more common than most people realize. Bitstreaming, otoh, sends the compressed audio stream to the receiver, where it is then decoded to LPCM. In an ideal world, the only difference between bitstreaming and LPCM is who does the decoding....player or receiver. In this ideal world, decoding on the player has a slight advantage because other audio can be mixed in before it's sent to the receiver. That can't be done with bitstreaming.

Hi,
new drivers are available on ftp://ftp.asus.com.tw/pub/ASUS/Audio...Xonar_HDAV1.3/!