Question Can't get 5.1 audio on Win11 via ARC(3080 ti gpu, Denon 3313 Receiver, LG C1 TV)

[Nachmanowicz]

So I drilled a hole in the wall between my room and the living room, and I passed a (supposedly) HDMI 2.1 cable there.

My Denon 3313CI Receiver is old but goodies, and also supports ARC. So I figured I'd connect it via ARC and it would be smooth sailing. It hasn't been.
The TV absolutely can send 5.1 signal to the receiver, because I tried running Amazon Prime Video directly through the TV software I got glorious 5.1 sound. But then, when I try to configure it on Windows I get only the option for Stereo Sound! What gives? I've tried different options on my TV, passthrough, PCM...

Nothing is working!

 

[boju]

Amazon prime is sending compressed 5.1 so that's why that works. Windows doesn't compress so reliant on hardware to do that. Since audio is from graphics card, audio is fully lossless and Arc can't handle full channel surround so you end up with 2.1ch. Arc has same limitation as optical. eArc is the next generation capable of doing what you want. TV supports eArc but not Avr so ya hit a snag using TV as passthrough.

Might be able to get around this by using passive DP to Hdmi cable and use that only for audio to Avr.

 

[Nachmanowicz]

I imagined it could had been a bandwidth problem and I tried using an HDMI 2.1 but it didn't even recognize as ARC? It was weird.
What you mean by passive DP to HDMI?

 

[kerberos_20]

PC doesnnot support ARC or eARC, it will output only what is TV capable of, it wont see any device behind it (receiver), so only stereo on TV from PC is normal

 

[boju]

What you mean by passive DP to HDMI?

Displayport supports surround sound same as Hdmi does. I'm assuming your graphics card has 1 Hdmi port and rest Displayport? Hdmi to TV for 4k 120Hz, DP to Hdmi cable to Avr for audio. Passive cable is enough for audio, then there's dual link active adapters if after high refresh rates but that doesn't concern you so passive will do.

I imagined it could had been a bandwidth problem and I tried using an HDMI 2.1 but it didn't even recognize as ARC? It was weird.

Not sure if Arc is backwards compatible with eArc. Certainly not a cable problem.

PC doesnnot support ARC or eARC, it will output only what is TV capable of, it wont see any device behind it (receiver), so only stereo on TV from PC is normal

I'm not sure if TV would still limit source, maybe it might. Possibly TV speakers need to be disabled. I thought if TV and Avr supported eARC that full Hdmi audio from a graphics card would pass.

@Nachmanowicz, your setup is like that right? Using TV as your main display then Hdmi out from TV to Avr for audio?

 

[kerberos_20]

I thought if TV and Avr supported eARC that full Hdmi audio from a graphics card would pass.

audio would pass, but GPU doesnt know whats behind TV, TV should be sending audio format support from receiver, not from itself

https://www.gamerevolution.com/guides/660948-how-to-get-pc-surround-sound-to-work-with-earc

 

[Nachmanowicz]

Displayport supports surround sound same as Hdmi does. I'm assuming your graphics card has 1 Hdmi port and rest Displayport? Hdmi to TV for 4k 120Hz, DP to Hdmi cable to Avr for audio. Passive cable is enough for audio, then there's dual link active adapters if after high refresh rates but that doesn't concern you so passive will do.




Not sure if Arc is backwards compatible with eArc. Certainly not a cable problem.



I'm not sure if TV would still limit source, maybe it might. Possibly TV speakers need to be disabled. I thought if TV and Avr supported eARC that full Hdmi audio from a graphics card would pass.

@Nachmanowicz, your setup is like that right? Using TV as your main display then Hdmi out from TV to Avr for audio?

Yes, my GPU has 1 HDMI and 3 display ports.

One display port goes to my monitor, one displayport goes to my bedroom projector, the HDMI goes to my TV. So I still have one displayport vacant here on my GPU. But I'm concerned about something: if I send an Displayport to HDMI from my GPU to my AVR, won't it be considered another display? Will I have to have another screen enabled to get this audio? Cause that would be so annoying.


Another option is just connecting my PC to the AVR directly via optical cable (the motherboard has optical out, but it's way worse audio, right?

 

[boju]

Cause that would be so annoying.

Yeah, there is a chance of that happening.

Another option is just connecting my PC to the AVR directly via optical cable (the motherboard has optical out, but it's way worse audio, right?

Might as well try this first maybe your motherboard can up mix. Optical cables don't cost much. Quality be no different being digital.

If not then there are sound cards with Dolby Digital Live or DTS Connect by Creative and Asus that can up mix stereo to 5.1 on the fly over optical. It's not true surround but very close. Your amp will see multi channels.

 

[Nachmanowicz]

Ive paid a lot for this, I want actual 5.1. Different channels and all.
Ive been messing with the software linked here:
https://www.gamerevolution.com/guides/660948-how-to-get-pc-surround-sound-to-work-with-earc

Trying different audio codecs, I could get my subwoofer being detected in some. My central channel in others, never my surrounds for some reason.

 

[Nachmanowicz]

Btw Im using an HDMI 2.1 cable as the ARC cable too now. Its working.

 

[boju]

Oh ok then, that's good. So graphics card is connected to TV then TV earc to amp arc and you get 5.1? Any ordinary Hdmi cable should have been adequate for surround at least, nothing really special regarding Hdmi 2.1 in that regard. It is however if aiming for 4k 120Hz but not really for audio. Unless there was something wrong with the cable you had.

 

[kerberos_20]

Oh ok then, that's good. So graphics card is connected to TV then TV earc to amp arc and you get 5.1? Any ordinary Hdmi cable should have been adequate for surround at least, nothing really special regarding Hdmi 2.1 in that regard. It is however if aiming for 4k 120Hz but not really for audio. Unless there was something wrong with the cable you had.

any hdmi 2.0+ cable is enough for 5.1/7.1 uncompressed audio

Btw Im using an HDMI 2.1 cable as the ARC cable too now. Its working.

working with that custom resolution utility or with separate cable?

Ive paid a lot for this, I want actual 5.1. Different channels and all.
Ive been messing with the software linked here:
https://www.gamerevolution.com/guides/660948-how-to-get-pc-surround-sound-to-work-with-earc

Trying different audio codecs, I could get my subwoofer being detected in some. My central channel in others, never my surrounds for some reason.

you will need actual 5.1 audio source to hear 5.1, otherwise you will need to upmix stereo to more channels, receivers are able to upmix stereo to rest of channels, otherwise use 3rd party tool like voicemeteer which can upmix stereo to other channels

 

[boju]

any hdmi 2.0+ cable is enough for 5.1/7.1 uncompressed audio

Yes. Not even to that extent. 1.4 can do it as well, my ps3 does 7.1.

 

[Nachmanowicz]

Oh ok then, that's good. So graphics card is connected to TV then TV earc to amp arc and you get 5.1? Any ordinary Hdmi cable should have been adequate for surround at least, nothing really special regarding Hdmi 2.1 in that regard. It is however if aiming for 4k 120Hz but not really for audio. Unless there was something wrong with the cable you had.

Exactly, but I can't get 5.1. The option is just not there for 5.1 when I try to configure it in Windows. In some modes I could get my central channel to be recognized and play test sounds. On others I could get the subwoofer. I could never get the surrounds to work tho, go figure. Sometimes theyre just silent, and sometimes they play on left or right channel instead.

any hdmi 2.0+ cable is enough for 5.1/7.1 uncompressed audio


working with that custom resolution utility or with separate cable?


you will need actual 5.1 audio source to hear 5.1, otherwise you will need to upmix stereo to more channels, receivers are able to upmix stereo to rest of channels, otherwise use 3rd party tool like voicemeteer which can upmix stereo to other channels

I got it working as in, ARC is working. Because I tried it before and it was not being recognized. Maybe I plugged it too loose or something. But I'm only getting stereo.
Im not a huge fan of upmixing. If its 2 channel audio, I wanna hear it only on my left and right speakers and subwoofer on the crossover.

As of right now, I just plugged an optical cable to my motherboard going to optical in my AVR. I think it's working, watched 3 episodes of last of us. Pretty sure it was 5.1 cause the first dialogue was central channel only, not left and right channels. So I don't think it was being upmixed.

 

[Nachmanowicz]

I still couldn't get ARC to give me 5.1. But I think I got optical to do it via DTS or Dolby Digital. If I go to Supported Formats there's Dolby and DTS and I can test it there. And in that screen it tests all 5 speakers perfectly. Just not so sure how to have games and VLC to properly send it compressed audio in those codecs.