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How to get 5.1 (games) to my receiver from ATI 3870 via HDMI?

post #1 of 10
1/12/09 at 7:35am
Thread Starter 
My 3870 does audio through a built in Realtek sound driver. I can set movies to pass SPDIF using AC3 filter and my receiver decodes it and I get 5.1 sound.

However in games. I am only getting stereo sound. I don't have any option to pass the signal via SPDIF (in the game) to let my receiver decode it. The realtek HDMI out is only sending 2 channel even if I select 5.1 in the game.

Is there anyway to get 5.1 from games to my receiver? I have an XFI creative sound card, but I really don't wan't to buy another 75 foot optical cable and have to run it to my projector.
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post #2 of 10
1/12/09 at 8:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by conan48 View Post

My 3870 does audio through a built in Realtek sound driver. I can set movies to pass SPDIF using AC3 filter and my receiver decodes it and I get 5.1 sound.

Are you saying that you're able to get 5.1 audio out of HDMI from your 3870? I have a 3470 and tried to get 5.1 out of the HDMI but could only always get 2-channel. I have AC3Filter set to SPDIF out and can only get 5.1 when I use an optical connection from my SPDIF motherboard output.
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post #3 of 10
1/12/09 at 10:37am
Thread Starter 
Yes. I get 5.1 audio by using SPDIF passthrough with AC3 filter and media player classic using HDMI to the receiver. Maybe your vid card doesn't support 5.1 or you can try and download the never ati realtek drivers.

Games only output at 2.0 and I haven't seen any games that have some sort of SPDIF option in game. Is there no way to get surround sound from my games to my receiver? This HTPC business is way to annoying. Something simple like getting your games to run in 5.1 on your receiver is ridiculous. I've wasted hours trying to figure it out and it seems no is playing games in 5.1 on a receiver.
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post #4 of 10
1/12/09 at 12:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by conan48 View Post

Yes. I get 5.1 audio by using SPDIF passthrough with AC3 filter and media player classic using HDMI to the receiver. Maybe your vid card doesn't support 5.1 or you can try and download the never ati realtek drivers.

Games only output at 2.0 and I haven't seen any games that have some sort of SPDIF option in game. Is there no way to get surround sound from my games to my receiver? This HTPC business is way to annoying. Something simple like getting your games to run in 5.1 on your receiver is ridiculous. I've wasted hours trying to figure it out and it seems no is playing games in 5.1 on a receiver.

YOu need the 4670/4850 or 4870 to get 5.1/7.1 games out HDMI ... sorry Btw, works well with my Onkyo 606
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post #5 of 10
1/12/09 at 2:34pm
Thread Starter 
I guess I need a new card. Can you please tell me how the 4870 is able to get 5.1 audio from games to the receiver? Is it using SPDIF pass or is it some other method?
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post #6 of 10
1/12/09 at 4:14pm
Also note that most (if not all) games are 5.1 "analog only".
The normal solution for 5.1 gaming is using the PC's 3 analog output connections to go to receivers 6 channel analog inputs.
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post #7 of 10
1/12/09 at 7:56pm
Thread Starter 
I heard of something called dolby digital live which is supposed to encode the analog source on the fly into dolby digital and send it as bitstream to the the receiver. Does anyone know if any graphic cards support this?
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post #8 of 10
1/12/09 at 8:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by conan48 View Post

I heard of something called dolby digital live which is supposed to encode the analog source on the fly into dolby digital and send it as bitstream to the the receiver. Does anyone know if any graphic cards support this?

I went from Analog 5.1 -> Dolby Digital Live 5.1 -> DTS connect 5.1 -> LPCM 192khz 24bit 7.1 audio for games.

What sounds the best? To me the last one: LPCM 192khz 24bit 7.1 audio. Atleast until the day we can do Dolby TruHD Live or DTS HD MA connect.
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post #9 of 10
1/12/09 at 9:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by conan48 View Post

I heard of something called dolby digital live which is supposed to encode the analog source on the fly into dolby digital and send it as bitstream to the the receiver. Does anyone know if any graphic cards support this?

As previously mentioned most if not all video games are EAX surround sound, all receivers can decode DD, and DTS surround sound and some can even do WMA audio as well, however receivers can't decode EAX so it only gets sent as two channel PCM audio.

Now the issue is that you have discovered DD Live, which is a real time audio re-encoding technology first introduced with Nforce2 mother boards.

most if not all AMD780G mobo's now have the same feature, but I have yet to see a video card that suppose DD live via HDMI audio out.

your best bet is to find a stand alone sound card with SPDIF out, or find out if your mobo has spdif out, and supports DD Live, as far as I know only SPDIF out is the only way to get DD Live or DTS Connect based sound cards.

- Josh
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post #10 of 10
1/12/09 at 9:08pm
Thread Starter 
yeah LPCM does sound the best. Have you gotten LPCM 7.1 working with games? which video card would I have to buy to get LPCM working with my games?
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