optical 5.1 decoding

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MrPatate

Gawd
Joined
Jan 4, 2007
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1,021
This as been probably asked a billion times, but i haven't found a good answer....

Hi,

I my PS3 is connected to my soundcard input and transmitted to my speakers(Klipsch ProMedia 5.1) with just the normal RCA connection (left, right). I want to connect my PS3 via optical to get 5.1.

From what I've been told all x-fi/audigy have the DD/DTS optical decoding option is disabled by the drivers on XP and Vista(32/64).

So i'm looking at alternatives...
Creative DDTS-100 http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=4&subcategory=136&product=9468 - discontinued apparently(NCIX told me so)
JAZZ DE007 http://jazzspeakers.english.eyp.com.tw/eyp/front/bin/ptdetail.phtml?Part=DE007&Category=200011096 - Nowhere to be found
Klipsch [SIZE=-1]DD-5.1 - Discontinued as well

So what soundcard (without driver blocking it) / converter / box thingy will enable me to have my PS3 connected via optical to my speakers in 5.1??

Thanks!
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naro said:
if i'm not wrong, you can use AV Receivers.
Click to expand...

Yes, but they are rare those without an amp included and that's a rather pricy alternative. If i buy one i wont buy the low end model.... Thanks for your help

Anyone else?
 
MrPatate said:
Yes, but they are rare those without an amp included and that's a rather pricy alternative. If i buy one i wont buy the low end model.... Thanks for your help

Anyone else?
Click to expand...

sure.. no prob..

but i think you can still find used Creative DDTS-100 on ebay..
 
naro said:
sure.. no prob..

but i think you can still find used Creative DDTS-100 on ebay..
Click to expand...

I've a bad history with ebay 50/50 satisfaction ratio... So that's my last option if nothing works

Audioguy said:
Have you tried to get the DD/DTS decoding running on a XP system?
Click to expand...
Currently i only have a Soundblaster Live 5.1, so it doesn't have optical in. When i was looking for a new card i mention this here and some guys mentioned that even if the card has optical in, the drivers disabled DD/DTS decoding.... Can you do it?

I'll take ANY soundcard(or decoder) that does this job, well with a decent sound quality at least, but even if it's aweful i'd rather know it exist than not...
 
I'll take ANY soundcard(or decoder) that does this job, well with a decent sound quality at least, but even if it's aweful i'd rather know it exist than not...
Click to expand...

Any retail Audigy or X-Fi with an I/O drive, internal or external, is able to decode from external sources (the I/O dongle doesn't enable external decoding). AC3filter supposedly works on all soundcards with SPDIF-In, but I haven't tested it.
 
HSE said:
Any retail Audigy or X-Fi with an I/O drive, internal or external, is able to decode from external sources (the I/O dongle doesn't enable external decoding). AC3filter supposedly works on all soundcards with SPDIF-In, but I haven't tested it.
Click to expand...

I know it's supposed to decode it.... But like i said, some people here told me that this feature was disabled by the drivers on XP and Vista... :confused:
 
MrPatate said:
I know it's supposed to decode it.... But like i said, some people here told me that this feature was disabled by the drivers on XP and Vista... :confused:
Click to expand...

Audigy and X-Fi drivers for XP allow decoding of external sources as long as a drive is attached, the problems that sometimes arise with consoles are lagging and clipping on loud sounds.

Vista drivers still don't officially support DD/DTS (and who knows if someday they will), but using an X-Fi with Vista x86 it is possible to replace a .SYS file with one from the Dell package and enable the built-in decoder again, however, I haven't tested it with external sources.
 
@HSE, AC3 can work with any card with SPDIF input? I understand that certain CL cards can decode AC3 and possibly DTS on the SPDIF input. Now, how would you get the AC3 filter to decode from a spdif input? -I mean it's just a filter so how would you get it to function in this manner? -does this make sense?:D I am really interested in figuring this out I checked over th informaiton for th filter and:


Main Features:

* Decoding of AC3/DTS/MPEG1/2 Audio Layer I/II formats
* Support of DVD, AVI/AC3, AVI/DTS, WAV/AC3 and WAV/DTS
* Audio processing for any source
* Decomposition of any source to 6 channels
* Full information about audio track format
* Support of SPDIF passthrough mode
* Multi-channel audio output from all sources on SPDIF (on-the-fly AC3 encoding)
* Per-channel amplification for all input/output channels
* Per-channel delays (for compensation of distance difference to speakers)
* Automatic gain control
* Clipping
* Dynamic Range Compression, DRC
* Level indication for input and output channels
* Matrix mixer and ability of direct modification of mixing matrix
* Dolby Surround / Pro Logic / Pro Logic II downmix


I was looking for somthing to do today I guess research will do...I am not sure though based on the feature list.
 
I checked the AC3 filter fourms and it is a wanted feature but not available as of yet. Unless I misunderstood something. It should still work with a Audigy 2 or a X-fi correct? -I was told this by Creative support, Actually the gave me the whole gamut of answers..LOL!...bunch of fools.
Has anybody actually done this using either of these cards?
 
I really haven't tried AC3 filter, can't comment on that. I can confirm that DD/DTS SPDIF-In decoding works with an Audigy and with an X-Fi under XP. I haven't bothered to try with external sources under Vista, internal sources work for X-Fi with the Dell workaround.
 
Cool, I guess I should get the Digital I/O module then so I have full DD/DTS decoding on the input and full DD/DTS encoding on the outputs of another card. Good to know.
 
You all talk about SPDIF(the connector that looks like a RCA right?) but what about optical.... will/does it work?
 
S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface Format) is the name of the transmission system, it uses either optical(TOSLINK) or coax. Its common for either to be labeled as SPDIF on most equipment as well, both connectors carry the same data in all cases,

The 'built-in' decoding for the X-Fi/audigy or all creative cards for that matter occurs in software, it should work under XP but not under Vista (their drivers aren't near complete).
 
squeezee said:
S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface Format) is the name of the transmission system, it uses either optical(TOSLINK) or coax. Its common for either to be labeled as SPDIF on most equipment as well, both connectors carry the same data in all cases,
Click to expand...
:eek:

squeezee said:
The 'built-in' decoding for the X-Fi/audigy or all creative cards for that matter occurs in software, it should work under XP but not under Vista (their drivers aren't near complete).
Click to expand...

damn, I'm building a new computer with Vista. Does another model can do it? XMeridian maybe?
 
I think the X-fi is supposed to do it but it is disabled in the drivers:)
you may have to research that as people seem to have different answers.
 
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