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[romus]

I am trying to think ahead on how to develop my system, so in the future I'll end up with Atmos on top of surround sound for speakers.

I am a 50/50 music/video user, and am moving in the direction where the different people in our household tend to watch and listen to different media, but sometimes we come together. That is a socio-cultural shift in the modern home that I think has already hit many of us. And, so I don't want to create a home theatre type of system that the family does not use together much. Therefore, I have given up on our downstairs TV setup.
   Now I am in our lounge using JRiver and a Windows PC (with external monitor - that can swivel when our small family watch a DVD or Netflix together on this system, and I run all burned CD music from JRiver.

For audio, at the moment, I connect via USB into my BabyFace Pro interface, then out to studio monitors each side of the extended screen, and out to a stereo amp (DIY Poweramp5 from valutronic.com) to two orto-acoustic up-firing speakers (also DIY from valutronic.com), and a RELS subwoofer.
   On Netflix with Headphones I can get Atmos for Headphones, and I use a VSTs in JRiver DSP Studio for headphones calibration EQ processing (Fabfitler Pro Q 3). If I am Netflix or DVD out through the speakers I switch over to a VST in JRiver DSP Studio for a little dialogue enhancement (McDSP SA2 Dialogue Processor).

Now, when I start thinking about Atmos, I first looked at AVRs,  then I realized you can maybe get a better sonic result for the $, and upgrade options if I use a Preamp/Processor and then amps after it.
   I am fairly budget limited, as you might realize.
   I found this one, the Emotiva BasX MC1 13.2 Channel Dolby Atmos® & DTS:X™ Cinema Processor.
   I figure that could be a good start, and I could build more DIY speakers that match my existing ones, and with those extra speakers maybe extend the amp side with an Emotiva multi-amp.
   That seems all pretty upgradeable, and budget friendly.

   My PC does not have an HDMI out, which I think I need to pass video and audio (that includes the Atmos) to the Emotiva. Is that correct, that I need an HDMI out from my PC?

At the moment I use the JRiver vitual driver, then from JRiver options, set my babyface Pro interface. Therefore I get the benefit the an active DSP Studio. In DSP Studio I presently output to 2 channel stereo, so my digital interface can handle that for what I am doing now.
   If I was connecting to an Emotiva BasX MC1 via an HDMI are there setting in DSP Studio output that will send Dolby TrueHD, which I think is what needs to be sent OR instead, do select Options> Settings>Bitstreaming> HDMI. Is that theoretically right?
   I am thinking the Emotiva BasX MC1 is doing the atmos processing, so I would not need Atmos for PC ( I think its about $400). Is that correct thinking or not?

Maybe other manufacturers than emotiva will come out with similar Preamp-Processors products in the near future with HDMI input.

Thanks for any clarification and help.
   

[retro]

Adobe.. ..?

[retro]

Is that correct, that I need an HDMI out from my PC?

To decode Atmos with the Emotiva, yes, HDMI is needed.

If I was connecting to an Emotiva BasX MC1 via an HDMI are there setting in DSP Studio output that will send Dolby TrueHD, which I think is what needs to be sent OR instead, do select Options> Settings>Bitstreaming> HDMI. Is that theoretically right?
   I am thinking the Emotiva BasX MC1 is doing the atmos processing, so I would not need Atmos for PC ( I think its about $400). Is that correct thinking or not?

Options>Audio>Bitstreaming>HDMI.
Yes, then the Emotiva will take care of the Atmos decoding.
The decoding of Atmos in/on a computer is still sort-of a work in progress. Hopefully, it will evolve and improve..