Hi ,

i just started with Skyrim and was wondering why my 5.1 System only gets a STEREO Signal from my PC (?)
Does Skyrim only support Stereo ? i cant believe that.

I Got a Sound Blaster X-fi Pro and Logitech Z5500 connected with Toslink (optical)

any suggestions ?

I have a Logitech 5.1 (G51) system and I can confirm that Skyrim is multichannel.

Make sure 5.1 (or whatever) is selected in Windows Sound.

Control Panel>Sound>Select Speakers, Hit "Configure" button on lower left

Ensure that 5.1 is selected. You can also change this in the program that Sound Blaster uses,
I use Realtek, so I can't comment specifically about SB.

first, thanks for the quick reaction,

i configured it in the Sound Blaster Manager, the 5.1 Test works (hear all speakers single)
But im happy to hear that its supported. Ill keep searching for the missing option.

Maybe someone wit X-Fi Card can post his settings ?

In the "Encoder" Settings i can choose between "off" "Dolby Digital Live" and "DTS Connect"
Someone knows what to choose ?

My speakers are anolog only (colored 3.5mm plugs). Skyrim may not support DTS/Dolby. Due to the lack of information and options in game, it's really hard to say.

If you have the cables, perhaps try hooking it up via anolog instead of digital (TOS, Coaxial, HDMI, etc).

It may be a long wait to find someone who is running a digital connection.

yeah sadly.. even though almost all of the game made for the xbox/ps3 are by default... audio encoded for dolby digital or DTS 5.1 audio.... for whatever reason they do not seem to want to provide that support through the game on the pc... don't ask me why.. i don't know...

Yea anolog 5.1 surround works but DTS etc. usually have problems with games.

I can run skyrim through my 5.1 receiver via hdmi and as far as I can tell it's at least 5.1. I'm pretty impressed since i thought all PC games these days needed descrete channels for surround sound. Or they need a Dolby live on board sound and I'm sure my laptop doesn't have that.

k got it running, i think.

In Windows options, i can switch between Digital / Spdif and PC Speakers (may not correct spelling, i translate from german windows^^) i was trying digital/spdif all the time cause PC speakers, my Headphones work.

If i switch to PC Speakers, it gets the Audio Signal to my 5.1 System and i hear things like peoples footsteps behind me from the 2 back speakers, Nice so far.
But The 5.1 System shows "no Digital Data" on the Screen, ,little bit confusing.

The music seems to come out just from the front speakers, dunno if this is like its ment to be

But as long as i hear whats behind me ,im happy

Yeah if your using HDMI audio out, your receiver likely support 5.1 or 7.1 HDMI PCM lossless audio in.

Using PCM audio output digitally is identical to that of anolog mode, it outputs in the same fashion as it doesn't have to compress it into a DTS/Dolby digital standard to fit a 5.1 (6 channel) audio bitstream into a single coax or fiber optic/toslink cable which can only support so much data. The data is limited to 24bit 192khz STEREO only.... you cannot fit any more channels even at a lower bit rate into the other digital old standards. They haven't updated them nor plan too.

Realtek is due to launch their new onboard audio chipsets with an HDMI audio out solution specifically for those of us wanting to just provide lossless 7.1 PCM multichannel audio to our receivers.

I have a digital coaxial connection to an external decoder and the decoder displays that the signal is 2 channel, 48khz / 24bit.
I cannot for the life of me get a PCM signal. I have a Soundblaster X-Fi soundcard, and am outputting via s/pdif out.

I'm using s/pdif to a receiver hooked up to a 5.1 setup. When I configure the s/pdif connection in windows 7 audio settings, it tests each speakers and the subwoofer individually and they are indeed working just fine.

I remember when playing Oblivion on xbox years ago using this identical audio setup, I could rotate my character in a complete circle and hear the voice of an NPC go from speaker to speaker...front left, front right, then to the rear right, rear left, and back to front left.
I'm not experiencing this in Skyrim at all. I simply can't get voices of NPC's behind me to play out of the rear speakers in anything other than 7 channel stereo setting on my receiver. Am I doing something wrong? Do I need a dedicated sound card? I'm having this problem in battlefield 3 as well!

I think i'm having the same issue as you are. I do have a dedicated soundcard though (Sound Blaster X-Fi). My receiver decodes the PCM of movies and other games just fine, but when it comes to Skyrim it only sees 2 Channel, 48khz/24bit. I can also successfully test out each speaker through Windows and through my Creative Labs software.

Has anyone on here gotten Skyrim 5.1 to work with an external decoder??

do you only? hear 2? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgZJE3r-zlU

I had this same issue. Had to go to Creative Audio Control Panel and change 5.1 to headset.

and what do you Hear now? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlXxt-FbTEE

GrayDolf! of the Nords!

as I've stated.... PCM stereo is the only format supported through a toslink/optical/coax connection.. you can ONLY have 2 pcm channels.. and almost all games and even youtube treat audio being outputted over a digital connection AS stereo UNLESS they have a built in dolby digital/DTS encoded format.

I've only ever ran into a few games... i couldn't even claim that i couldn't count them on one hand lol.... i think 3.... that with a certain console switch... allowed for dolby digital surround output. One of the games is Counter Strike Source.... i had to set it every time i started the game.. but it was there... It triggered dolby digital 5.1 out to my amps.

Using windows Configuration, and testing the audio WILL work because windows will test dolby digital and DTS 5.1 surround capabilities through a toslink/optical/coax connection. However playback of normal windows sounds and stereo will NOT produce these results, not without using virtual surround option in the windows sound properties... OR via the matrixed audio options on your amp such as Prologic IIx for movies/music/games which only "simulate" surround.. but isn't discrete.

I'm plagued by the same problem.. and short of running 6 individual RCA connectors to the back of the amp so i can enable full anolog audio mode..... kinda screwed.

Least with HDMI audio, it all works great.

If you have an x-fi you just have to activate dolby digital live and select "Play Stereo Mix using Digital Output" and your receiver should receive a full dolby digital 5.1 track.... Or at leats it works fine with my pc and my denon receiver!

Just remember to select 5.1 audio in windows settings and in the creative console

choose "Dolby digital Live" that's for getting surround sound from games

Wow, all this time and I had no idea that windows didn't automatically detect that I also had a center, back left, back right, and subwoofer plugged into my pc in addition to front left and right >_<

omg, that made such a huge difference. I knew I wasn't getting all sound out of all of my speakers..