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Surround sound from Macbook Pro

5449 Views 12 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  Yardl3y, 
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So I've been doing some research and I've found out some pretty interesting things. I never knew that the headphone jack on the Macbook Pro's send out optical, but most importantly, the newer 2010 Macbook Pro's, along with the correct Mini Display to HDMI adapter support audio over HDMI through the Mini Display port!!!!


So now I have a new question, if I can get sound out of the Mini Display port using the HDMI adapter and I plug that into a receiver will this be 5.1 surround sound?


Also what surround sound technologies does my receiver need to have to playback audio from Blueray rips and such in 5.1? Any suggestions for entry level receivers/home theater systems? Thanks!!!
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Anyone? I'm thinking about getting the Onkyo HT-S3300 but I read this about it in another thread. "As long as your player is able to bitstream HD audio formats- the receiver decodes it fine and displays the magic icon"


My player in this situation being my Macbook Pro. So will I be able to connect to this receiver as I mentioned before and hear the surround sound off of Blueray rips?
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Quote:
if I can get sound out of the Mini Display port using the HDMI adapter and I plug that into a receiver will this be 5.1 surround sound?
Click to expand...

Yardl3y, yes, you should be able to pass basic AC-3 (DD 5.1) and DTS to your AVR that way, this is the type of "surround sound" that has been around for a long time on standard dvds and HDTV programs. It can also be passed over your MBP mini-optical out and any modern AVR can handle those.

Quote:
what surround sound technologies does my receiver need to have to playback audio from Blueray rips and such in 5.1?
Click to expand...

That's a more complicated question, because blu-ray includes new audio formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD-MA, and in order to pass those to an AVR they first need to be supported by your Mac hardware, operating system and whatever software player (Plex, XBMC) you plan to use to play those rips back. At the moment support for this is evolving, and I've not come across anyone reporting success while running OS X.


I've read of a few folks who reported properly bit-streaming Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD-MA over HDMI with the new 2010 Mac Mini but that was with XBMC while running Linux.


What the rest of us usually do with blu-ray at the moment is this: rip with MakeMKV and select the DTS-3/2.1 (core audio) track instead of the DTS-HD (Losless) audio track, that'll give you the full-quality 1080p video in an .mkv container with the "older" DTS that can be passed to an AVR in OSX with Plex or XBMC. You can also choose to include the DTS-HD track in the hope that you'll be ale to play that back sometime in the future.


So, your issue isn't really the particular AVR model you're interested in, the model you're looking at seems fine for the price, it's what has to happen before the HD audio can be sent to the AVR.
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Wow thanks so much for the in depth response. I've learned so much these past few days from this forum! I was looking around at the files I usually play and it seems most of them include DTS or AC-3 audio so that is excellent news!


I already placed an order for the Onkyo HT-S3300 system last night, however I wish I would have known that all my receiver needed to decode for my situation is DTS or AC-3 before I made the purchase, that way I would have had a wider range of options to choose from as I was strictly looking at systems that could decode Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD.


I'll have to look into Plex and XBMC. At the moment I connect my laptop straight to my TV via HDMI and to my cheap HTIAB with an AV cable out of my headphone jack on my Macbook Pro, and playback the files with VLC player. I'm really looking forward to enjoying surround sound again, it's been a while. Thanks again!
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Chef,


This sorta relates to one of the topics in my thread but how can u determine if your set up is properly bitstreaming hd lossless (truehd) etc?


I have one of the new mini display to hdmi converters passing audio and video to my onkyo receiver and xbmc audio selection is set to TrueHD. How do i know if this is actually passing the hd audio stream or if it downcoding or something on the fly. I have never been good at understanding the audio situation on these set ups b/c it is the last topic i am trying to learn.


Edit: i am referring to my core i7 mbp here obviously, not the Mac mini, thanks


Edit #2: After some further research i am thinking xbmc simply does not support hd Audio yet? So hard to get a straight answer on this topic.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by restinbeast /forum/post/19467864


Chef,


This sorta relates to one of the topics in my thread but how can u determine if your set up is properly bitstreaming hd lossless (truehd) etc?


I have one of the new mini display to hdmi converters passing audio and video to my onkyo receiver and xbmc audio selection is set to TrueHD. How do i know if this is actually passing the hd audio stream or if it downcoding or something on the fly. I have never been good at understanding the audio situation on these set ups b/c it is the last topic i am trying to learn.


Edit: i am referring to my core i7 mbp here obviously, not the Mac mini, thanks


Edit #2: After some further research i am thinking xbmc simply does not support hd Audio yet? So hard to get a straight answer on this topic.
Click to expand...

I have the same Macbook Pro, which mini to hdmi adapter are you using? As for your question, if I understood correctly, Chef states that you cannot output TrueHD from a Macbook. It has to be AC-3 or DTS going into the receiver. "I've read of a few folks who reported properly bit-streaming Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD-MA over HDMI with the new 2010 Mac Mini but that was with XBMC while running Linux."
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Yardl3y /forum/post/19468281


I have the same Macbook Pro, which mini to hdmi adapter are you using?
Click to expand...

I am using this adapter:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ms_ohs_product


I have been having no problems with the actual adapter (at least I think it isn't to blame), but I have noticed that my MBP seems to default back to my internal speakers every time I sleep the computer, restart, etc. This has been kind of annoying but I cannot find an option to default.


Anyway, you have to go sys pref-->sound-->output and change it there
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Quote:
Originally Posted by restinbeast /forum/post/19472834


I am using this adapter:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ms_ohs_product


I have been having no problems with the actual adapter (at least I think it isn't to blame), but I have noticed that my MBP seems to default back to my internal speakers every time I sleep the computer, restart, etc. This has been kind of annoying but I cannot find an option to default.


Anyway, you have to go sys pref-->sound-->output and change it there
Click to expand...

Wow that's cheap, I just ordered the Griffin one from Apple for like 50 bucks. I'll prob end up returning it if that one works fine.


Do different options show up on the sound-->output menu once you connect the Macbook to the receiver via HDMI?
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Yes hdmi becomes a selectable option.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by restinbeast /forum/post/19475698


Yes hdmi becomes a selectable option.
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Cool thanks. I was reading the manual for the HT-s3300 and come across this: "a home theater system automatically calibrated by Audyssey EQ will play at reference level when the master volume control is set to the 0 dB position." Would you happen to know anything about this?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chefklc /forum/post/19464270


Yardl3y, yes, you should be able to pass basic AC-3 (DD 5.1) and DTS to your AVR that way, this is the type of "surround sound" that has been around for a long time on standard dvds and HDTV programs. It can also be passed over your MBP mini-optical out and any modern AVR can handle those.




That's a more complicated question, because blu-ray includes new audio formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD-MA, and in order to pass those to an AVR they first need to be supported by your Mac hardware, operating system and whatever software player (Plex, XBMC) you plan to use to play those rips back. At the moment support for this is evolving, and I've not come across anyone reporting success while running OS X.


I've read of a few folks who reported properly bit-streaming Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD-MA over HDMI with the new 2010 Mac Mini but that was with XBMC while running Linux.


What the rest of us usually do with blu-ray at the moment is this: rip with MakeMKV and select the DTS-3/2.1 (core audio) track instead of the DTS-HD (Losless) audio track, that'll give you the full-quality 1080p video in an .mkv container with the "older" DTS that can be passed to an AVR in OSX with Plex or XBMC. You can also choose to include the DTS-HD track in the hope that you'll be ale to play that back sometime in the future.


So, your issue isn't really the particular AVR model you're interested in, the model you're looking at seems fine for the price, it's what has to happen before the HD audio can be sent to the AVR.
Click to expand...

Hi Chef, I finally got my HDMI adapter today. The audio works great I just have a question. I am using VLC player to playback a Blueray rip, the audio is AC3. VLC player gives me two options to output sound, "built-in HDMI Output" or "built-in HDMI Output (Encoded Output)." Which should I be using?


When I select "built-in HDMI Output" in VLC Player, the display on my AV receiver shows the PCM icon, it also displays MCH PCM 5.1, fs: 96kHz and BD Multich.


When I select "built-in HDMI Output (Encoded Output)" in VLC Player, the display on my AV receiver shows the red D icon and BD Dolby D for an AC3 rip, or the red D icon and BD DTS for a rip with DTS audio.


Which option should I be using? Hope my explanation is clear. Thanks!
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Quote:
VLC player gives me two options to output sound, "built-in HDMI Output" or "built-in HDMI Output (Encoded Output)." Which should I be using?
Click to expand...

I'm not the best advisor for your situation, I don't do miniDP to HDMI personally, and VLC, well, it's my player of last resort...I've always found it a little too tedious and overly-complicated to configure (though admittedly, it's nice nice to be able to tweak so many minute details for those rare occasions that you need to.)


What audio did you include in the MakeMKV blu-ray rip? The answer to that would probably dictate your best setting.


From what you described, if you're playing back a MakeMKV blu-ray rip with the core DD/DTS 5.1, then I suspect you'd want this option:

Quote:
When I select "built-in HDMI Output (Encoded Output)" in VLC Player, the display on my AV receiver shows the red D icon and BD Dolby D for an AC3 rip, or the red D icon and BD DTS for a rip with DTS audio
Click to expand...

If your rip only has the down-rezzed DD 5.1 or DTS, and the AVR lights up when those "encoded" tracks are passed through, then it seems to me it's functioning properly. For Core Audio and most media players in OS X, selecting "encoded" means you want the Mac to hand off the signal untouched and let the AVR/external device do the decoding.


When you did your rip, did you tell MakeMKV to also retain the original HD audio? If you did, that's where the PCM multichannel might be coming into play, and it would be worth investigating what VLC is actually sending and what your AVR is receiving.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chefklc /forum/post/19507318


I'm not the best advisor for your situation, I don't do miniDP to HDMI personally, and VLC, well, it's my player of last resort...I've always found it a little too tedious and overly-complicated to configure (though admittedly, it's nice nice to be able to tweak so many minute details for those rare occasions that you need to.)


What audio did you include in the MakeMKV blu-ray rip? The answer to that would probably dictate your best setting.


From what you described, if you're playing back a MakeMKV blu-ray rip with the core DD/DTS 5.1, then I suspect you'd want this option:




If your rip only has the down-rezzed DD 5.1 or DTS, and the AVR lights up when those "encoded" tracks are passed through, then it seems to me it's functioning properly. For Core Audio and most media players in OS X, selecting "encoded" means you want the Mac to hand off the signal untouched and let the AVR/external device do the decoding.


When you did your rip, did you tell MakeMKV to also retain the original HD audio? If you did, that's where the PCM multichannel might be coming into play, and it would be worth investigating what VLC is actually sending and what your AVR is receiving.
Click to expand...

One rip I have contains AC3 audio and another rip contains DTS. When I select "built in HDMI Output" with the AC3 rip for example, the display shows MCH PCM 5.1. When I switch to "built-in HDMI Output (Encoded Output)" with the same AC3 rip, it shows the red D icon and BD Dolby D but it doesn't display 5.1 anywhere. To me both options sound like they are surround sound but what do I know.
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