[SOLVED] Can't Get 5.1 Audio over S/PDIF and HDMI

[cliffflip]

Hi,
I've spent hours configuring S/PDIF and HDMI outputs on my PC so I can get 5.1 audio in games, but no luck so far. As for SPDIF, I use my old Creative SB X-Fi 5.1 external soundcard (my mainboard doesn't have the port) and connect it to Samsung J5100K home theater system. I can get 5.1 audio from my video files (Dolby AC3 & DTS) with VLC, but can't in games like Battlefield V and COD Modern Warfare.

With HDMI I find it's a little more confusing, I have GTX 1070 and connect the HDMI port to my Samsung 40MU6100 TV, which also has the J5100K connected to the HDMI ARC port. In Windows' Sound settings, the device states that it's only support 2 channels, bit different than what nvidia states on this page. But strangely, it has same results like SPDIF, no problems playing 5.1 audio from video files, but no luck in games.

Please help, thanks in advance!

 

[gamerk316]

I've spent hours configuring S/PDIF and HDMI outputs on my PC so I can get 5.1 audio in games, but no luck so far. As for SPDIF, I use my old Creative SB X-Fi 5.1 external soundcard (my mainboard doesn't have the port) and connect it to Samsung J5100K home theater system. I can get 5.1 audio from my video files (Dolby AC3 & DTS) with VLC, but can't in games like Battlefield V and COD Modern Warfare.

Expected behavior. S/PDIF can only transmit 5.1 when using Dolby or DTS formats, which PCs have typically avoided. Unless you have access to either Dolby Digital Live or DTS-C to do realtime encoding to Dolby/DTS, you're limited to 2.0 in games (PC games almost never use Dolby/DTS tracks due to the compression and licensing fees).

With HDMI I find it's a little more confusing, I have GTX 1070 and connect the HDMI port to my Samsung 40MU6100 TV, which also has the J5100K connected to the HDMI ARC port. In Windows' Sound settings, the device states that it's only support 2 channels, bit different than what nvidia states on this page. But strangely, it has same results like SPDIF, no problems playing 5.1 audio from video files, but no luck in games.

Could be a few issues, ranging from the spec of the HDMI cable to a configuration problem. The first thing to check is to make sure the TV can pass through a 5.1 audio track from the HDMI port you are using to the J5100K; I wouldn't be shocked if only a particular port allows this (if it's allowed at all). It's also possible that only Dolby/DTS content will get transferred as 5.1; I've seen TVs with this limitation before (and the only technical reason for it is laziness by the manufacturer).

 

[cliffflip]

Hi and thanks for your reply.

How can I test TV's capabilities to passthrough the audio? If this is relevant, I use the third HDMI port on my TV for cable box. I only get 5.1 from HBO channels, although there's a Dolby logo on all channels. I also use Plex app from the TV, and I can get 5.1 from videos with HE-AAC audio. Besides AC3, Dolby can use AAC? If yes, I suspect my TV only supports Dolby and DTS.