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[retro]

(Was gonna post this in the thread about possible codecs that mitchco started a while back, but thought it could deserve a separate topic)

Although probably (?) most use J River for two-channel, there are lots and lots of people, including me, who feel there is nothing better out there for multichannel/home theatre use also. The capabilities are almost unlimited, and the response from the team when it comes to adding features is outstanding, bar none. A HTPC with J River has been my only source/preamp/processor/scaler since, well, maybe version 11..?

So why is a HTPC with J River better..? A couple of audio related reasons here, but there are many more:

• Flexibility

What level do you aim for, good, better or best? Let your needs and wallet decide.
How many channels? 2 or 32..? Both doable. 64? Probably achievable too..
Sound quality..internal soundcard? MiniDsp U-DAC8? Or a stack of DCS or MSB or whatever dacs, your choice. I use dual Lynx cards myself for 12 chn out/4 chn in. Can add more if I want/need.
Room correction? J Rivers own or Dirac, Audiolense, Accourate and more, even great freeware options out there. I use Dirac.

• Upgradeability

Kind of speaks for itself. It's a computer. You can upgrade whatever whenever.
Remember the Krell I used to own back when. It's "expandable, upgradeable architecture" was one of the main reasons I dug deep in my wallet. Did they deliver on that promise? Take a guess..
[/list]

Isn’t it simpler and cheaper to just buy Atmos receiver?

A big NO on that one. The reason is the core, basic performance of just about every AVR/AVP is shockingly bad. Almost regardless of price..
Check out the saddening tests on www.audiosciencereview.com and judge for yourself.
I used to have both Krell and Classé AVP's, and while good at the time, they simply can't compare with a J River based HTPC.

Still remember when DTS-HD and Dolby True HD became available to J River..can't remember exactly when/what version this happened, but I do remember how happy I was..

So..what's left..? Yes, Atmos of course, and other immersive variants.
Will it happen? I sure hope so. I wanted to jump on this train a long time ago, but the features/performance/price of the AVP's available don't impress. And yes, I have tried at home, several units. Talk about downgrade.. 

I would be happy to use an Atmos decoder if someone were to hand me one free to use, that can actually give me PCM data for further processing and output...

So Hendrik and you other guys..is there ANY hope and/or development on the Atmos decoding front..?
How about if you get your hands on a Trinnov AVP..? Since it is actually an Intel based Linux HTPC running only software decoders, it should contain all our much wanted secrets, and probably more, right..?
Could it be done? If it should be done is another question. No, forget that, of course it should be done..

[Inquisition]

Exists there an Soundcard for PC on market with 11.x or 13.x analog output?

I only know 7.1 cards, dont saw any 9.1 or more outputs on a soundcard which is needed for an 7.2.2 or 7.2.4 system.

[retro]

Exists there an Soundcard for PC on market with 11.x or 13.x analog output?

I only know 7.1 cards, dont saw any 9.1 or more outputs on a soundcard which is needed for an 7.2.2 or 7.2.4 system.

Yes and no.. Instead of only looking for traditional pci or pci-e internal soundcards, think audio interfaces.
While I don't think there are any consumer internal soundcards that has more than 8 channels analog out, there are ways to get more, much more. As far as the 6-ch Lynx TwoB's that I've used for many years, you can use two or more as long as you clock sync them together. Today many use external multichannel pro audio interfaces from Lynx, RME, Motu, Steinberg etc.

[AndrewFG]

Instead of only looking for traditional pci or pci-e internal soundcards, think audio interfaces.

Indeed. I think that if MC were able to decode it, then it should be trivial to output 9 or 11 channels over HDMI for example?

[jmone]

The big impediment is the availability of an Atmos / DTS:X etc decoder.  If you can get access to a DLL for this then all things are possible (in the "recent" past we did not have an open sourced DTS-MA but could leverage the DLL from our Arcsoft TMT installs). 

The next challenge would be how to output this.  HDMI GPU's are a non stater as they all max out out at 8ch PCM (eg 7.1).  There is no HW support for more channels even though the spec supports more.  Multiple sound cards would make sense.... but the first and essential requirement is getting access to an Atmos / DTS:X etc decoding library, at which point the rest will fall in place.

[retro]

The big impediment is the availability of an Atmos / DTS:X etc decoder.  If you can get access to a DLL for this then all things are possible (in the "recent" past we did not have an open sourced DTS-MA but could leverage the DLL from our Arcsoft TMT installs). 

The next challenge would be how to output this.  HDMI GPU's are a non stater as they all max out out at 8ch PCM (eg 7.1).  There is no HW support for more channels even though the spec supports more.  Multiple sound cards would make sense.... but the first and essential requirement is getting access to an Atmos / DTS:X etc decoding library, at which point the rest will fall in place.

That is exactly why I mentioned the Trinnov processors. They do everything in software, which make them uniqe, AFAIK. So all the good sauce is in there..

[Hendrik]

We cannot "borrow" the decoder out of some device, software or not. The only chance this will happen is if someone writes a decoder for FFmpeg or as another piece of Open-Source code. Sorry.

[mojave]

I started a business 3 years ago called High Impact AV. I design, build, and calibrate audio/video for home theaters. I'm in the processing of building a home theater for myself that will serve as my demo/test theater. I've been using computer audio only since around 1990 and have never owned a receiver or external audio processor. The increased demand for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X pushed me to look for an audio processor that could come close to the abilities of JRiver Media Center. I also wanted to use external DAC's as an option. My search led me to StormAudio, which is designed and made in France. I'm now a StormAudio dealer.

I've used Audiolense in the past with JRiver and wanted to keep that capability. I also wanted to be able to do some advanced testing of bass systems in my theater. I decided to go with the StormAudio Mk2 ISP 32 AVB. It has 32 channels of digital output via AVB. My DAC will be the RME M32 Pro with 32 channels of D/A conversion. I will be able to do the following:

• I can play from JRiver and use up to 32 channels of output directly to the M32 Pro via AVB (using the RME Digiface AVB).
• I can route the audio/video through the ISP for decoding of Atmos, DTS:X, and Auro3D.
• I can use Dirac in the ISP to handle room correction.
  
• I can digitally route all decoded immersive audio back to JRiver for room correction with Audiolense.
  
• I can use extra channels on the M32 Pro for synced zones within the house or a secondary theater. The ISP also supports multiple theaters.

With this system, I'll basically be able to anything I want with audio including using JRiver for any post-processing after the immersive audio is decoded.

The next challenge would be how to output this.

There have been USB audio devices for years with high channel counts. At 48 kHz, one can do 64 channels with USB2, Dante, and MADI, and 128 channels with USB3, Thunderbolt, and AVB. I still have my Lynx AES16e with 16 channels of output via AES. The AES16e, and the Lynx Aurora 16, which I've also owned, were released back in 2006.