Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[swantzilla]

Great product. I play 2 channel from the computer to the Yamaha AV receiver over optical just fine. I wish to play DVD and Blu ray files also. The video plays fine but I am having issues with the audio. Unless I enable bitstreaming S/PDIF I cannot get it to do DTS or DD. But I have read that using bitstreaming is not as good for 2 channel use. What would be the best way to set this up for 2 channel and DD & DTS use? Analog out of the computer sound card?

[timmotte]

hi,

going out digitally is fine and recommended (poor onboard soundcards). i think you mix 2 things up. enable bitstreams is a must to get dd/dts to your av. but this has nothing to do 2 channel stereo musik. bitstream basically means unchanged pure musik, so no resampling, if you use asio or wasapi drivers. -> best way possible. otherwise windows kernel mixer is corrupting. but like dts musik you have to enable outputformat to resample/mixing 6 channel musik to 2 channel if you want to stick to 2 stereo ("2 speaker")-> converting. otherwise its not working.

tim

[DanielBMe]

Here's what I do with my HTPC outputting via HDMI to my Denon receiver.  I enabled bit streaming in MC so it passes all the hd audio when watching blu rays and my reciever decodes it properly. 

In MC under Options, Audio, select WASAPI (well I do anyhow) and do not select anything in Decoding, Output.  Uncheck Output.  What shoud happen is that when you are playing 2 channel music, just set your receiver to Stereo and you will be able to play normal 2 channel music.  This will also give you the option of select a surround mode as well if you so choose to listen in that mode. 

[Matt]

The best quality is to decode on the PC (not bitstream).

If you're using S/PDIF, you have to use Dolby Digital for surround sound.  You might consider an upgrade to HDMI or analog in this case.

[DanielBMe]

The best quality is to decode on the PC (not bitstream).

If you're using S/PDIF, you have to use Dolby Digital for surround sound.  You might consider an upgrade to HDMI or analog in this case.

Totally disagree on that.  Bitstream is basically the raw undecoded data being sent to the receiver for it to decode.  I have a very good receiver so it would do a much better job of decoding than my pc.  There have been plenty of posts about it on AVSForums.

it's certainly better to send pcm instead of bitstream when you have the chance but not all blu rays have a pcm track. 

[Matt]

I have a very good receiver so it would do a much better job of decoding than my pc.

The receiver may match the decoding quality of a PC, but there's no reason to think it would surpass it.

The PC has lots more processing power and uses algorithms that get widely tested and reviewed.

[eddyshere]

I would also disagree, I couldn't find so far a soundcard (! not external audiophile DAC) which produced better sound and D/A conversion than my denon amp (AVR-5308 CI(A)) when feeded by bitstream over HDMI. With a low profile HTPC good shielding from PC noises proved to be difficult for most and clearly less costly internal soundcards (asus hdav with H6 extension, Auzentech forte 7.1, creative HD titanium)

[Matt]

I would also disagree, I couldn't find so far a soundcard (! not external audiophile DAC) which produced better sound and D/A conversion than my denon amp (AVR-5308 CI(A)) when feeded by bitstream over HDMI.

You'd still be better served decoding PC side and sending uncompressed PCM over HDMI.

This leverages the best-quality decoding and processing on the PC, and leaves the D/A in the receiver.

[fitbrit]

I would also disagree, I couldn't find so far a soundcard (! not external audiophile DAC) which produced better sound and D/A conversion than my denon amp (AVR-5308 CI(A)) when feeded by bitstream over HDMI. With a low profile HTPC good shielding from PC noises proved to be difficult for most and clearly less costly internal soundcards (asus hdav with H6 extension, Auzentech forte 7.1, creative HD titanium)

You're confusing decoding with digital to analogue conversion. The decoding is just like unzipping a compressed file, and can be done in either computer or receiver with no difference. The digital to analogue conversion is a different matter. You can still send a decoded lpcm stream to your receiver to convert and it should sound the same as bitstreaming.

[maid]

Perhaps you could use Zones.

Bitstream your videos zone 1

Zone 2  don't use bitstream set this up to play your music.

[eddyshere]

You're confusing decoding with digital to analogue conversion. The decoding is just like unzipping a compressed file, and can be done in either computer or receiver with no difference. The digital to analogue conversion is a different matter. You can still send a decoded lpcm stream to your receiver to convert and it should sound the same as bitstreaming.

I learned something today....

[manc]

You'd still be better served decoding PC side and sending uncompressed PCM over HDMI.

This leverages the best-quality decoding and processing on the PC, and leaves the D/A in the receiver.

A guide or pointer on how this is achieved would be appreciated.

[fitbrit]

A guide or pointer on how this is achieved would be appreciated.

Go to Tools>Options
Search for Bitstreaming in the search box.
Uncheck all options/select 'None'.

[mkok]

Interesting but I don't have hdmi on my old Denon processor and don't intend upgrading so I use bitstream on another zone for films as it is the only way I get correct surround. Seems to work well to me. My audiolab mdac passes this through just fine. How would I get true 5.1 with PCM?

[fitbrit]

Interesting but I don't have hdmi on my old Denon processor and don't intend upgrading so I use bitstream on another zone for films as it is the only way I get correct surround. Seems to work well to me. My audiolab mdac passes this through just fine. How would I get true 5.1 with PCM?

You'd need multi-channel analog inputs. SPDIF only does compressed 5.1 or PCM stereo.

[mkok]

Then I would also need a very good sound card with great DA converters which I dont. I certainely wouldn't want to trust my sound to the cheep internal soundcard for DA conversion and all the noise that goes with it. Using the optical out is a much cleaner option and the sound is totally acceptable

[michaelmcclatchy]

I can't get my DTS audio to play on my PC.   ? It plays loud white noise!
MC18 latest with WASAPI Event. Win8 64 bit.

Any help... Thanks in Advance