Question Is audio input for PC gaming only 2.0 PCM? (Win10)

[Jaymo101]

Hello,

I have my PC connected to my receiver (Yamaha RX-A770) via GPU(1080ti) through an HDMI, then to my TV. I am in a 2.1 home theater setup.

When I change my audio quality and speaker configuration to "Atmos home theater" on my PC, and then test the sound, the receiver flashes [DTHD] and seems to struggle with no audio coming through for the first few seconds, then switches to [PCM]. When I'm in game it shows I have 2/0/0 PCM source input, and it sounds dull compared to my console audio. On XboxS, the receiver says [Atmos/PCM] for audio input, and the sound is far superior.

What is going on here? I did try swapping the NVIDIA Audio drivers with the windows HD Audio ones, but no change.

I don't really care about getting Atmos specifically, but I do want to make sure my audio is coming through at its possible quality.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

you would have to check the GPU manufacturer specifications for what the audio output options are.

and check in Windows > Control Panel > Sound to see if you can configure the device through the available options to output how you need.

if your motherboard supports it, perhaps using optical audio output would sound better and offer better options.

 

[Jaymo101]

If I used optical digital it would definitely be a compressed audio signal. I should be getting lossless uncompressed through HDMI.

 

[boju]

Atmos wouldn't work too well with a 2.1 speaker setup would it? Depends as well if the content includes Atmos audio tracks and for Atmos to work properly, you'll need additional speakers, ie, 2.1. ~ 2 of upward/downward firing speakers. So i don't believe your Xbox is doing Atmos but instead processing the usual tracks?

Im not sure as im rather new to this but some reading i did leads me to believe 2.1 would restrict Atmos.

Here's some info i read.

Dolby Atmos: Everything you need to know about the spatial audio format

From movie theaters to the music charts, here's how Dolby Atmos surrounds you with sound from all directions -- even above.

www.cnet.com

The Pros & Cons of a Dolby Atmos Home Theater - Electronic House

Considering an upgrade? Here are a few things to know about Dolby Atmos.

www.electronichouse.com

How to Use Dolby Atmos Surround Sound on Windows 10

Windows 10's Creators Update added support for Dolby Atmos positional sound.

www.howtogeek.com

 

[Jaymo101]

I more want to make sure my game audio is coming through uncompressed and is being decoded by my receiver at its highest quality. I can audibly hear the sound coming through my Xbox is significantly crisper and deeper than the audio coming from my PC.

It seems to be a common issue, NVIDIA GPU's aren't able to recognise the receiver, and sees my TV as the audio endpoint. There also seems to be a specific Yamaha/Dolby Access communication issue that's affecting my situation as well, so I may be hooped without any kind of 3rd party soundcard.

 

[boju]

Hmm from experience with a Yamaha RX 1800 and GTX780, i was able to do 7.1 lossless PCM without dramas. Difference is no Atmos or ARC.

Can you select normal 2.1 and sound ok?

 

[mac_angel]

Hey, not sure if you're still having a problem with this or not. I found this post because I was looking up something similar, but reversed a bit. I thought I'd help, for you, or anyone that might still need it.

Simple solution, just select Stereo in your sound control panel. Your A/V receiver will handle the rest for 2.1. If you want to make sure you're getting the best stereo audio still, in the sound control panel, with the selected audio device, select Properties, Advanced tab and select the Default Format of your choice.

The problem comes from Windows 10, and newer A/V receivers with ARC and Pass-through. What the Sound Control Panel picks up is very, very hit and miss, and can change regularly. And being a computer, everyone likes to point the finger at everyone else for the problem. With Pass-through enabled on the A/V receiver, the computer will sometimes pick up the audio options from the receiver, and sometimes directly from the TV instead. Pretty much all TVs only do stereo themselves, but they can use ARC to send multi-channel audio to an A/V receiver. This isn't picked up on the computer though. I am pretty sure there is a way to have the Dolby Atmos work regularly simply by the order of how you turn on all the devices, and possibly a certain wait period between each. I'm not sure which that is though. I've tried getting help from Dolby, NVidia, Denon, Samsung, and Microsoft. They either insist that it should work, or that it's the fault of "the other guy"
There is also a hack that I discovered that you can force it to work regularly, with whatever audio your A/V receiver can handle. A little complicated to post on here, especially since this is getting long. I'm thinking I might make a forum post for a few sites explaining how to do the work around though. If you do want the instructions, feel free to drop me a message.