[dlthorpe]

Hey all,


First off sorry for joining and posting immediately - always the way when you need help. I have been trawling the Internet for last couple of days trying to find this out and cant find any obvious answer.


Recently purchased a HTPC with the Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H AMD 780G linking to my Yamaha RX-V1800. Im connecting it to via HDMI for audio and video.


In Windows the HD Audio settings only allow me to "configure" my speakers as "Stereo". If I go into the settings for the HDMI, on the "supported formats" tab I can test and hear successfully both AC3 and DTS. So as soon as I click "test" my amp speaker display changes and shows all my speakers and I hear a test sound from them all. This is all via the Realtek audio driver.


As soon as the test is over it goes back to Stereo. When I apply the above supported formats and then go back to "Configure" for the speakers - again only "Stereo" is listed. So windows itself doesnt know I have a 5.1 setup.


I also have a LG GGC-H20L Blu-Ray Reader & HD-DVD ROM and installed the bundled PowerDVD. Now in PowerDVD I go to the "Configuration" and the "Audio" tab. In here if I select "HDMI" and "AC3 / DTS pass through".


When I play a HD-DVD the 5.1 speaker configuration works fine. I also tried a standard DVD with a DTS track and this also works fine.


So my question is, why does Windows only report Stereo? I am not sure if this really matters yet but im thinking if I try a game then it wont use HD Audio - it will just use Stereo.


Any ideas what I can do?


Thanks all,

D.

 

[BigLan]

There's nothing that you can do - the audio part of hdmi on that motherboard only supports 2-channel sound or dolby/dts passthrough. It you want 5.1 audio over hdmi for games then you'll need an add-in video card - all the ati 4xx0 series support it (the problem is that the older 3xx0 series didnt.)

 

[fleggett]

I have the GPM version and was wondering the same thing. Will it automatically do Dolby/DTS passthrough or do you have to specify the option somewhere (or install some sort of filter)?


Also, is there a utility or video file somewhere that'll test each speaker to ensure correct wiring? The Realtek utility doesn't allow one to do this when using HDMI connections.


Actually, I'm thinking of ditching HDMI audio altogether and just using the 3.5mm solution using these cables:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2


Would there be any disadvantage in this, other than increasing cable clutter?

 

[dlthorpe]



Quote:
Originally Posted by BigLan /forum/post/15440053


There's nothing that you can do - the audio part of hdmi on that motherboard only supports 2-channel sound or dolby/dts passthrough. It you want 5.1 audio over hdmi for games then you'll need an add-in video card - all the ati 4xx0 series support it (the problem is that the older 3xx0 series didnt.)

Definitely cant do it with a ATI 3650? As i have a spare one of these. Might try it anyway just to see what it does.


Thanks for replying though BigLan.

 

[dlthorpe]



Quote:
Originally Posted by fleggett /forum/post/15441206


I have the GPM version and was wondering the same thing. Will it automatically do Dolby/DTS passthrough or do you have to specify the option somewhere (or install some sort of filter)?


Also, is there a utility or video file somewhere that'll test each speaker to ensure correct wiring? The Realtek utility doesn't allow one to do this when using HDMI connections.

Cant answer your cable Q but to get the above working I just enabled the formats under the audio supported section, then set PowerDVD to use HDMI with the pass through. Only then would it automatically switch my amp to using the DTS and AC3 setup when I stuck in a DVD or HD-DVD.

 

[BigLan]



Quote:
Originally Posted by dlthorpe /forum/post/15445734


Definitely cant do it with a ATI 3650? As i have a spare one of these. Might try it anyway just to see what it does.


Thanks for replying though BigLan.

Nope, won't work on a 3650 - I have a 3850 and it's 2-ch stereo or dolby/dts only. The 4xx0 series brought 7.1 channel PCM over hdmi.

 

[dlthorpe]

Gutted. Whats the cheapest but fairly decent card I can get?

 

[renethx]

HD 4350. HD 4550 if you care about post-processing.

 

[mingus]

I have the 4550 in Vista x64 and have only been able to see Stereo as an option. I installed both Realtek drivers.