Dolby 5.1 on MacBook Pro

O.k. I am Frustrated! I have a MBP OSX 10.6.2
I am trying to get 5.1 to my home stereo. I have a mini toslink cable with adapter plugged in from my MBP to my home stereo. Stereo works fine. When surround is selected all audio is muted. I have tried adjusting settings in Audio/midi and everything else. all seems to be shaded. There is light at the end of the cable albeit dimmer than from my dvd player and Direct tv console.

Does my MBP have 5.1? If so am I doing something wrong? Do I need an extra sound card?
I hope a $2000.00 computer can play 5.1. A $300 pc can.


THanks in advance,
Mike

 

The output from the MBP's audio jack(s) is simply stereo (2 channel).

Sure the unit can output 5.1 through the USB, but you would also need an external device that would interface and and audio play software to play the 5.1 encoded music through the port.

A PC notebook is no different. It's audio jack is stereo too. 5.1 is a matter of using something like a Turtle Beach USB "sound card" dongle to interface analog with the external amp.

But you are right, a $300.00 PC , albiet probably a DESKTOP (which a MBP is not), might indeed have a $20 sound card with analog 5.1 (5 Channel and a Sub-Woofer) output.

 

Thanks SP
So is there a solution or am I just SOOL (S**T out of luck)

 

IF your speaker system has a built-in DIGITAL DD 5.1 / DTS decoder, then all you have to do is use the optical out with an appropriate converter if needed, i.e. use your toslink or an optical to coaxial if your speaker system has a coax input for its digital in. DVD Player will pass through the digital audio stream and the speaker system will take care of the DD / DTS decoding and route the appropriate signals to the appropriate speakers.

If your speaker system does not decode DD / DTS then you have several options, both of these require an external 5.1 or more soundcard which may or may not have a built in DD or DTS decoder. The Griffin FireWave has a built in DD 5.1 decoder, so all you have to do is plug it into your Firewire port and plug your speaker system wires into it and the FireWave will do all the work.

Credit to DrJedi for the solution

 

SP, you're leading the OP in the wrong direction.

He is using optical out of the laptop into his system.

To the OP, i think you need to make sure that the content you're playing is surround to begin with. If it isn't, then it wont output in surround. If you're playing a dvd or video file with 5.1 then it should output it. If you're just playing music, itll only be in stereo.

 

Be sure to set the audio within osx to digital out,
Then everything will come/be sent out via the toslink, dts, dolby digital and TWO channel audio.
It does NOT need to be surround sound only.....
On your receiver, check to see if you have bitstream set or other.