Cannot DTS of DOLBY 5.1

[bosco]

Hi Allan,
Having a wonderfully frustrated time with this. Attached below is some background informatation.

I have successfully 2 channel and tried just about every config.

Is there a DLL that I need to connect to my Hifi link USB device? It is using the Generic USD Audio driver. I am running Vista Business.

Thank you for any help and assistance.

Bosco

From Hifi link support:

The option to port AC3 down the USB can be established independently of the Vista options. Your media software can open a direct connection and control the Pro HiFi-Link but needs to have the right DLL to send AC3 down the USB. Without that connection, the media player will default to the standard Windows settings which is 2 channel stereo. If you check with the vendors of VLC they will be able to tell you how they handle AC3 down the USB.



All the best,



Xitel Support.



From: aeb [mailto:frotoman@clearwire.net]
Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 5:11 AM
To: 'Xitel Support'
Subject: RE: Can't get 5.1 on vista



Hi,



Thanks for getting back.



I have gotten a player like VLC that can send AC3, but the problem still is that the Windows Generic Driver the HIFI uses has only two channel option. My motherboard has onboard sound SPDIF and it uses the same driver and it is only 2 channel. The HDMI connection that sends video has everything to 7.1. These are in the Sound control panel devices.



It seems that the Vista Generic Driver has no option to do anything but 2 channel. So it would useless even if I could send the AC3 5.1 stream.



I realize Vista has hosed sound for a lot of manufacturers, but it there any other option to use the HiFI link with another driver? Is there a tweak to Vista Generic USB Audio driver to set 5.1?



I like your unit . I am sure there are other users that have DACs that have a some way around this.



Thank you for your help. It is much appreciated.



Allan Bradley








--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Xitel Support [mailto:support@xitel.com]
Sent: Sunday, February 15, 2009 8:48 PM
To: 'AEB'
Subject: RE: Can't get 5.1 on vista



Hi Allan,



Microsoft have totally reconfigured Vista for all audio. In order to get 5.1 surround sound, the media player that you use must send raw AC3 down the USB. You will need to contact the vendor of your media player to see if they have this implemented. Microsoft do not support AC3 porting in Windows Media Player.



Best Regards,



Xitel Support.



From: AEB [mailto:frotoman@clearwire.net]
Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 2:42 PM
To: support@xitel.com
Subject: Can't get 5.1 on vista
Importance: High



Hi,



I have been knocking my brains for two weeks now.



I have a Hifi link Pro connected windows Vista Business and connecting digital coax to my AV amp. I can get 2 channel stereo, but no 5.1 surround sound.



The Sound control panel only has the option for 2 channel stereo, nothing else.



I have configured all media players to run 5.1 and still no go.



Does Vista need an upgrade usbaudio.sys file?



It is currently using the Vista Generic USB driver.



I could use some help and direction to still use the Hifi link.



Thank you for your consideration,



Allan Bradley

[VLC_help]

Please, remove all unneeded whitespace when you post to forums.

So when you play AC3 file in VLC, you cannot select A/52 over S/PDIF from Audio -> Audio Device?

[bosco]

Sorry about the lines.

I have set AC3 in VLC to SPDIF and 5.1 and this is for Media player CDs.

The windows USB Generic Audio driver still only has the two channel stereo with not option for 6.

I am using a usb DAC, but going optical coax to my A/V receiver. I can get stereo, but no 5.1 Dolby.

The vendor stated that I would need a .dll file from VLC to activate 5.1. Is this true?

Thanks,

Bosco

[bosco]

Correction, I am going digital coax to the A/V.

The USB audio device DOES not go through the onboard sound card, but supposedly streams raw digital audio from the native players. I have found that when I have the USB Audio DAC connected, my analog onboard sound ports are deactivated.

SPDIF does work and is forwarding stereo.

Thanks again for any assistance.

Bosco

[VLC_help]

So when you play multichannel AC3 or DTS file in VLC and you select A/52 over S/PDIF from Audio -> Audio Device your amplifier shows it as AC3/DTS or PCM?

[bosco]

The "Audio Device" is a USB external DAC. It connects via Vista gerneric USB drivers. I have all options checked in the Sound control panel (DTS,Dolby, etc.) but it shows only stereo. I have a SPDIF similiar control device (which is probably the motherboards digitally channeling the USB device) it also uses the same generic Vista USB driver and I have set all multichannel options there also, but as well, only has 2 channel - no adjustment seems possible. It is believed that when this USB Device is connected, it gets Raw stream digital data from the players, it bypasses the onboard soundcard.

I am going digital from the USB Audio device (Xitel HIFI Link) it has both a Toslink and Digital coax out to my AV receiver (both send stereo ok). The A/V receiver is set for 6 channel.

So I have to believe the issue is with the Generic USB driver in Windows Vista. The vendor states that system dll is required to send AC3 to the Usb Audio device. Even though your player sends the right stream, Windows is defaulting the USB device to stereo.

It seems I would need to get some updated Windows audio driver? I have tried Klite codec pack and set SPDIF for AC3 , but that doesn't do it either (nor AC3 Filter).

So I am assuming I am screwed.

Bosco

[bosco]

I replaced the USBaudio.sys file with an XP version. I am not sure if that has had any particular bearing. Maybe DRM issues.

I am totally baffled, because I did nothing else, but it WORKS! I am getting 5.1through VLC 1.0!

Ghosts in the machine.

Thank you very much for you support.

Best regards,

[paulm416]

So when you play multichannel AC3 or DTS file in VLC and you select A/52 over S/PDIF from Audio -> Audio Device your amplifier shows it as AC3/DTS or PCM?

I wanted to follow up on this post... I have similar setup/symptoms. to your question, no, the a/42 over s/pdif option is not available in my vlc player. barring the winXP .sys file swap, is there another fix?

[paulm416]

So when you play multichannel AC3 or DTS file in VLC and you select A/52 over S/PDIF from Audio -> Audio Device your amplifier shows it as AC3/DTS or PCM?

"So when you play AC3 file in VLC, you cannot select A/52 over S/PDIF from Audio -> Audio Device?

I wanted to follow up on this post... I have similar setup/symptoms. to your question, no, the a/52 over s/pdif option is not available in my vlc player. barring the winXP .sys file swap, is there another fix?

[VLC_help]

You need another driver file if Dolby digital 5.1 files don't show SPDIF option when your soundcard supports it.

[a_liles]

Don't know if this will help you but here's how I got the AC3 passthrough working on my PC running XP. I first had to enable the AC3 pasthrough in my audio device setup (which required me to upgrade to the latest drivers/software first). Then I enabled the use s/pdif when available in VLC. This caused the passthrough to enable but the sound was very choppy. I fixed the choppy sound by selecting the waveout option in output modules rather than default. Finally in the waveout section under the output modules section I was able to select the audio device I wanted to passthrough in the drop down menu instead of the default microsoft device. I can only assume this used the hardware more directly instead of routing it through all of Window's madness which I'm blaming the choppy audio on. As a side note to this I'd like to add that this problem on a mac is about 100x easier to deal with.

[jeroensky]

Isn't it a codec related issue at the receiver of the sp/dif signal?
i mean stereo is mostly Linear PCM, and 5.1 can be DTS, or HD-DTS or Meridian lossless packing(found on DVD-Audio discs as 5.1, the advanced resolution on DVD-Audio disc is stereo LPCM).

More info of codec & disctype can be found here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison ... al_details
So the signal can be output by sp/dif if the configuration of the computer sp/dif output is properly, but the receiver must have the dorrect DAC (digital to analog converter) chipset onboard.

[VLC_help]

I don't think DACs have anything to do with this. Receiver decodes DTS/AC-3/etc... to normal digital PCM/LPCM and that is inputted to right output lines which then handle digital -> analog conversion.

[a_liles]

Well you are correct about the usage of the term, "5.1" but what the forum is discussing is the transfer of what codecs VLC currently supports from the medium passing through to an external decoder. Since VLC doesn't support blu-ray movies at the moment we are talking about the varieties of AC3 found on dvds mainly, however programs such as Handbrake will encode those audio formats into files but that's all the same to VLC.

[VLC_help]

Only options for regular SPDIF are PCM, Dolby Digital (AC3) and DTS. Dolby TrueHD, DTS Master audio etc. cannot be transfered via normal SPDIF, they require HDMI.

[a_liles]

That is interesting how that is the case. I don't think it is a limitation of the connection because the s/pdif standard is more than fast enough to transfer those other formats. My theory is that the manufacturers are trying to simplify everything with a standardized connection (hdmi).

[seth_keith]

I am trying to do this on linux. I am connected via HDMI, but no 5.1, no TrueHD, no DTS no matter what I do. How do I make this work with command line?

[seth_keith]

I am trying to do this ( truehd, dts, or ac3 5.1 ) via HDMI, but nothing of the sort is working. Only 2 channel audio ever comes out of vlc, how do I make this work on linux?

[VLC_help]

What is your HDMI device? Only ATI HD series can do Dobly TrueHD. DTS and Dolby digital should work if you use SPDIF option from VLC and receiving device can handle 5.1 sounds.

[seth_keith]

For those of us not experts in vlc, you mind mentioning the exact syntax of the command line that should work? I tried some spidif settings I found but nothing gave me anything but 2 channel audio.

Also, why ATI only for TrueHD? Will this ever work for Nvidia?

Also, how do I turn on VDPAU, or is in not yet working?

thanks for your help.

[VLC_help]

Also, why ATI only for TrueHD? Will this ever work for Nvidia?

If NVIDIA integrates sound card to their display adapters, then yes. Loop cables are limited to 2 channel stereo, DTS and Dolby Digital.

Also, how do I turn on VDPAU, or is in not yet working?

Windows doesn't have VDPAU.

You can select SPDIF from GUI

[seth_keith]

I know this is windows specific group. I am currently running linux, but thinking of moving over to windows if linux does not work out for me. I am having a hard time getting a straight answer about truehd. I know for certain NVidia does have integrated audio on their HDMI, because I use it on linux with mplayer and I get DTS or dolby 5.1 or whatever I want. On linux, the on board NV adapter shows up as an audio device:

card 0: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 3: NVIDIA HDMI [NVIDIA HDMI]
Subdevices: 0/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0

So, if this card can do digital 5 channel audio, why not trueHD?

Now, the hard part: how?

[VLC_help]

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1422833
you have NVIDIA motherboard, so you should get 7.1 output via HDMI, but it cannot do bitstream Dolby TrueHD or DTS Master audio.

[seth_keith]

I would like to understand more the reason here. I know the problem is not my motherboard because when I play Despereaux, with mplayer I get DTS with 5.1 channels. My tuner lights up the DTS and says 5.1 channels. Here is the eac3to says about the movie:

M2TS, 3 video tracks, 4 audio tracks, 5 subtitle tracks, 1:33:35, 24p /1.001

5: DTS Master Audio, English, 5.1 channels, 24 bits, 48khz
(core: DTS, 5.1 channels, 24 bits, 1509kbps, 48khz)

So is this a shortcoming of VLC? Will it be fixed sometime?

[VLC_help]

AFAIK core track extraction from DTS Master Audio isn't yet supported in VLC. I don't know if someone is working on this. TS demuxer does support passing the audio but I don't know about the rest of playback chain.
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