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[tnlv22]

Hi there, I was playing a 5.1 audio file and noticed that in options it said "Changes: Converting from 6 channels to 2 channels". Which is weird because I never configured that.
I went to the Output Format options and changed the "Channels" setting from 2 to 5.1, saved. But everytime I open a 5.1 file (either audio or movie) it goes back to 2 channels. Ive checked the options before opening the song and its set to 5.1, but as soon as I open it, the settings go back to 2.

What should I do to change this?

Thank you.

[JohnT]

Are you outputting to a DAC that supports 5.1 channels?  When Media Center opens the output, it queries what formats it supports and will automatically convert to two channel if the output doesn't support 5.1.

[tnlv22]

Yep, outputting to a Samsung TV via HDMI, and from the TV to a reciever via optical.

[RD James]

Yep, outputting to a Samsung TV via HDMI, and from the TV to a reciever via optical.

You probably have to set bitstreaming to S/PDIF.
A television is unlikely to support multichannel LPCM inputs, or HD audio.
You may also have to set the output format to Dolby Digital encoding in DSP Studio.

[blgentry]

Your setup is kind of unusual.  TVs don't tend to have a way of playing 5.1 themselves.  Your optical connection from TV to receiver can carry 5.1, but only if it is compressed with something like Dolby Digital, as RDJ mentioned.  Optical can't carry a full resolution 5.1 signal.  This means that you'll need to have MC (or something else) handle that conversion.  Note that Dolby Digital is lossy, so you are necessarily going to lose audio information and quality.  How much loss is a matter of opinion.  Dolby Digital is on a lot of DVDs and people didn't complain too much.  But it's not exactly "hi-fi".

It would be a more pure signal path if you could connect the HDMI directly to your receiver.  Or perhaps use an inexpensive 5.1 (or 7.1) channel DAC, so you can feed a nice full resolution signal to the DAC (or receiver via HDMI) and get everything your 5.1 files can offer.  In the case of an external DAC, you would, of course, need a multi-channel analog input on your receiver.

Brian.