Hello friends,

My Config.:
- Sharp TV
- Philips 5.1 Receiver
- Asrock P67 Pro3
- Connectione between Receiver and PC is via digital output - Coax-cable (RCA-Connector, S/PDIF-output)

Problem:
I only get stereo sound with my 5.1 dolby system

Attempt at a solution:
- updating the realtek driver 6.0.1.6167
- "properties of digital output" set to
1. "supporting formats" DTS Audio, Dolby Digital (the W7 test is positiv and also it runs properly in BF3)
2. "enhancements" direct mode
3. "Advanced Options" 48000Hz (Properties for Speakers)
- look at the Realtek HD Audio-Manager =no usefull settings, only sound effect and standard format (on 16 Bits 48000Hz)

=> No 5.1, only stereo, thats so bad

Note, The Realtek driver is bad, yes but it works in other games. As example BF3 have a setting, set to home cinematic, HiFi, headphones

Please:
Give us a setting for 5.1.

P.s.: Apologize for my english, Im from Germany

I can tell you now Skyrim supports surround, I switch to it when using my X11s.

But, it uses the windows setting. So if you can't select surround audio in windows audio settings, yours screwed, and I doubt Beth will engineer the code to add native surround sound like BF3.

Thanks for your reply.

I can set the windows setting to DTS Audio and Dolby Digital, both test works well. I know that Skyrim supports 5.1 but it think there is a conflict with the realtek driver. The Digital connection via coax cable with realtek driver works not properly.

Hmm that's a possibility. You could try downloading the Realtek audio control panel. Although I'm not sure if it is available for download.

This will give you better control of your audio system than windows allows mate.

The Realtek HD Audio-Manager should be the control panel, sadly it doesnt give you controling options if you connected with a digital cable. Thats crap, yes, but Im wondering why it works in other games.

I don't think it works properly in BF3 either. Because when mine is on 2.0 stereo, even in BF3 I can select home theatre.

Try this.

In windows audio, select the playback tab, you'll see a list of playback devices. Select the one your using, then at the bottom there is a configure button. This is where you select your speaker set up. Can you select 5.1 there?

This page is worth reading. According to this digital out for realtek is always 2.0, and you need a realtime encoder to give 5.1. I didn't read the whole thing though lol.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/54262-32-digital-coaxial-output-surround-system-help

Dolby does work fine for me. Connecting from laptop to Sony amp via hdmi then to 50 inch tv

@BBD, Now I got to much informations.... But the Realtek ALC892 Audio Codec should be able to do 5.1, please refere to this link, http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p729789_ASRock-P67-Pro3-Intel-P67-So-1155-Dual-Channel-DDR3-ATX-Retail.html and if I test DTS in windows I can hear every single speaker, independent from each other *confused*
p.s.: I test the sound in BF3 again, it seems to be as you are right

@smokingjam, how do you make this connection exactly? From Laptop with HDMI to your Receiver and then from receiver with HDMI to TV? In this case the picture pass through the receiver, Im wrong? Do this laptop have the Realtek ALC892?

Yeah hdmi laptop to receiver and hdmi to tv. Haven't checked if t had Realtek. I adjusted settings through nvidia control panel sound output and receiver picked it up as Dolby digital 5.1

That would work because it's the GPU (Nvidia) controlling the sound, if it's going through the HDMI cable.

I think OP has a realtek device that controls the output of Digital audio.

Quoted you, nice rig..in your SIG. Your only missing one thing...A sound card. Get a real sound card you wont believe the difference... just don't get a creative one.<<(see I warned them, when I had used them for years and then the driver fiasco..). I use a Asus Xonar and the 5.1 in Skyrim is fantastic. I mean you do have a 40" TV& a 570 GPU. Sound card is cheap in comparison.

Note: HDMI (Which goes through video-cards, depends on your video-card's ability to send HDMI 5.1 (Many cards just do not have 5.1 through HDMI, because it uses too much bandwidth from the card PCI-E, which is trying to get graphic-data and also trying to stream 5+ sound-streams through the same PCI-E. Other cards were just never programmed for 5.1 for HDMI. New video-cards have a direct audio input connection, so that PCI-E streaming of sound-data is not required, thus, no longer limiting HDMI output.)

Nvidia and ATI both list cards where HDMI only has "Stereo" limitations. They also list "Troubled cards", which should be 5.1, but the video drivers fail to deliver 5.1 in all situations correctly.

Some instances, it is required to use the separate component-output for 5.1 sound, for real-tec cards. (Some drivers only support stereo through HDMI broadcasting-digital. You normally use the other connections for the remaining speakers, which are not normally connected through the HDMI connection, because they are normally not located on the TV or monitor itself. This was the first-gen HDMI, which normally went only to stereo-TV's or stereo-monitors, not ones connected to monitors with built-in full-mixer devices. TV's used fake 5.1 to emulate surround sound, before they were actually using component speakers. They are actually still playing in stereo, but use the surround-sound to shape the sounds coming from the two/three speakers in the TV.)

Thanks for the information. The sound card is neccessary, Asus Xonar DG - Low Profil 5.1 should be enough, thanks Camaro

Is it right that the processor still does the coding and what you realy buy is a license for DD Live? - Thats what I hear about some cards, mainly from creative

The main problem here is that Skyrim doesn't support Dolby Digital. It was updated post-release to properly support 5.1 Surround and better quality surround. What you need is encoding in your sound chipset to be able to create non-DTS sources to DTS -- this is called "Dolby Digital Live" (Creative chipsets) or "DTS Connect" (other chipsets).

Reading up on Google, it seems later Realtek chipset drivers may *disable* the DTS encoding.

The Realtek Chipset that came with my motherboard doesn't support encoding like this, which is one of the reasons I paid the huge sum of $50 USD for the USB Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro. Best hardware purchase I've made in a while. Quality of sound from the onboard is so much better in games, even though I have a fancy Onkyo receiver.

Skyrim outputs based on the windows configuration options.

Your realtek Audio chip while supports Dolby digital/DTS Digital output, is only able to decode~>pass through that format.. it doesn't support on the fly encoding which requires an realtek onboard chip that has Dolby Digital LIVE! or DTS Connect. Neither of which is listed.

Under the audio settings if all you have is Stereo Modes available.. 2 channel up to 192khz 24 bit audio... then your realtek chip doesn't have the feature to output anything above 2 channel mode.

Here is an example of what the options are for realteks that have for example Dolby Digital LIVE.... alternatively in place that option would be DTS Connect. That is a requirement for full 5.1 support.. otherwise your limited to pass through only... which means the source audio MUST be already encoded in dolby/dts..... which the game is not.

http://img.techpowerup.org/101231/Capture199.jpg


I'd also like to state that there is ZERO difference between sound devices using a digital audio format.... the only time a audio card can change the sound is if it supports a feature that the other doesn't... in this case... Dolby Digital LIVE or DTS Connect.. otherwise, unless your not using the digital connection, there is zero difference.

Using anolog connection is the only other time a major difference would be seen....

Additionally, Doesn't matter what sound card you get today, it's all software based running within a windows vista/7 enviroment. So if you want digital + 5.1 audio, using dts/dolby modes, it's going to hit the cpu the same way.

I personally would not touch a creative card, asus sonar sure if i didn't have a realtek audio chip that had 5.1 dts connect already.

Their USB models happen to be the least crappy out of all the Creative models made in the past 3-5 years.

indeed the USB models are pretty decent..

but still.. don't want/need it. Audio produced from the digital out on my realtek DTS-Connect Onboard chip would sound exactly the same and perform exactly the same as the creative adapter... actually as a matter of fact, there is more to go wrong with the USB adapter than the onboard solution.

I have a new Z68 Gigabyte board with Realtek HD Audio and installed the drivers that came with the board. The Gigabyte website has Realtek drivers for Azalia. These appear to be older though. Is it possible this is needed to enable the 5.1 over digital connection? The current driver does not allow you to choose 5.1 speaker config for optical but if I plug in headphones it does for that device.

Latest realtek Audio Download ~> http://majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=5513

I link to majorgeeks because a link directly to realtek's driver download list is basically pointless.. there servers svck... downloading for 3 hours with a high probability of timing out and starting over again isn't my idea of a good time.

Majorgeeks doesn't make changes/modify the original file.. so it's a great source to download from..

As for your issue.... you can always select 5.1/6.1/7.1 modes using an anolog speaker solution such as plugging in headphones or anolog speakers with the "headphone" 3.5mm jack.

Digital is completely different... the realtek chip the motherboard manufacturer used MUST have dolby digital live OR Dts Connect built into it otherwise you can't select 5.1

sorry

Thanks again. Result is, if you have Realtek ALC892 you need a sound card with Dolby Digital LIVE, for example Asus Xonar DG-5.1 to get DTS.

as some posters already pointed out, dolby surround / DTS does not work this way.

Yes, you may watch movies with DTS/DD sound, as long as the chip passes that signal through to your receiver, the emphasis is on PASS THROUGH.

DTS/DD are distinct signals that need to be encoded first. They're already encoded on a DVD, bluray etc, but not in a video gaem. AFAIK, there are some soundcards that support DD encoding on the fly, but these cost quite a bit.

Quoted because you understand....You and your Rig will really notice the difference.

As i stated above..... if you find a sound card with Dolby Digital LIVE! or DTS Connect... which encode a DD/DTS signal on the fly in a 5.1 format..... problem solved.

My realtek audio chip on my motherboard has a DTS-Connect support realtek chip just check your motherboards specs and see if it's listed..

in the link below, click specifications and then scroll down the list to audio and you'll see DTS-CONNECT listed... as an example. A lot of people don't consider audio support when purchasing a motherboard, but it's worthwhile checking around and matching up the audio chip of choice.... can save you a bit in the long run.

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_2011/P9X79_PRO/#specifications

Hi again, please help me.

As you suggest, I bought the "ASUS Xonar DS 7.1" with DTS interactive and DTS NEO:PC. I set the Xonar DS Audio Center on DTS interactive and DTS NEO:PC. Result is the same as with the onboard realtek sount driver,
- my receiver dont jump to DTS
- exapmle in skyrim, people talking behind me but i get the sound from my front speakers

any advice?