M1530 Digital 5.1 Audio over HDMI / SPDIF ?

I doubt most people could tell the difference when listening to the analog jacks or s/pdif. I prefer s/pdif because it's only one cable and digital. The only thing i worry about with the headphone jacks is noise from any number of electrical sources. I've had buzzing and other problems with other dells when trying to use analog outputs, but so far the 1530 sounds fine.

 

I have said this many times on many topics and thought people would know this buy now. Maybe it should be stickied.

On dell laptops you can get an adapter that conencts to the tv out port that provides component out and spdif via one of those rca type surround out ports.

IT works with my 1520 and it ouput dolby digital 5.1 while watching a dvd to my receiver.

Its a tv out port not just an svideo port. IF you look at the pins it has more pins then svideo does.

 

im pretty sure someone confirmed this does not work on the 1530

 

The 1520 does NOT have HDMI, thus it has the SPDIF on the dongle.

Since the M1530 has HDMI, the SPDIF is hooked to this port, and nowhere else.

 

Well Dell can give me my money back then. I brought the composite tv cable for SPDIF output, but have yet to test it (need to find my SPDIF cable But I can't see any way to select SPDIF, only HDMI sound out.....

It was listed as an accessory when I brought my m1530. Perhaps only for the tv out function, but it's bad if the spdif doesn't work....

 

i'm currently trying to sort this one out with dell. the dell man came to my house today to try to get s/pdif through the s-video port, and no luck. no s/pdif option in the sound control panel still.

dell are now trying to get digital audio from the s-video port on a test laptop (in malaysia?) - ie to try to get s/pdif to appear in the sound control panel - and will call me in the next couple of days to let me know how they go.

everyone i've spoken to at dell has insisted that this should work - even when questioned about the m1530.

 

Its crazy that its so hard to get 5.1 audio from a laptop...it seems most laptops have these same kinds of threads...some at best will pass 5.1 via some adapter here or there for pre-encoded dvds, but what about 5.1 encoded wmvhd or x264 files?

What if i get an external soundblaster card, should this at least work well with that?

 

On the M1330 and M1530, SPDIF is only hooked to the HDMI port. Bring that up with Dell.

It's not hard to get 5.1, just hook up an HDMI cable. Don't have HDMI? Tell Dell. Then hook up analog 5.1.

Getting 5.1 out of WMVHD or X264 depends on the player in most cases, as the audio driver is not aware of what encoding you are playing back.

 

Thanks for the info. Most people with a receiver more than 1 year old do not have HDMI...was hoping for a optical/coax solution...it seems most laptops (not just dell) do not have it or are very vague on how to use it...i see these types of posts on most brands/forums with little concrete answers.

 

liquidiq - when you say that the m1530 doesn't have s/pdif from the s-video, are you saying this definitively? ie do you know for sure?

i share the same view - BUT everyone at dell seems to think that the m1530 should be able to output digital audio through hdmi AND the s-video port. i think it's only through hdmi - but the various people i've spoken to at dell are still attempting to get digital audio through the s-video port.

my receiver doesn't have hdmi inputs (is 3 years old!) and so am trying to get digital audio through s-video port. obviously i can get analog 5.1 output (from the headphone jacks) but it's not as elegant a solution.

 

I've hooked up the dongle and I have not been able to get SPDIF out except for HDMI. That pretty much seals the deal in my case. Let me know if you find out anything else from Dell.

 

same here - the dell man who came to my house did the same thing, and the dell man in malaysia has also tried with a system he has up there and got the same result. BUT they all think it should work.

so dell are now escalating it - not sure to where or how...

they did say that it's possible the m1530 can't do it - after repeated questioning. i asked what the next steps would be - since i bought the dongle on the basis it would work, and also bought the laptop on the basis it would work (although not my only reason for buying the laptop!).

i don't know of any other 15 inch laptops that have hdmi AND a separate digital audio output - only 17 inch laptops seem to have this functionality.

 

Which 17s have it?

 

the sony ar series and the toshiba qosmios definitely both have optical out (separate to hdmi). i'm sure others have it too (eg hp hdx, fujitsu lifebook - haven't checked properly).

 

There are splitters that convert HDMI to both DVI and S/PDIF, like this one. Not cheap though maybe there are cheaper equivalents around somewhere. I suppose the HDMI port will become useful in the future, but it's a bit of a pain now, I need an adapter cable to connect to DVI monitor and in doing so I lose digital audio. Also the audio jacks on the front put wires in the way. I would have been happier with DVI and both digital (S/PDIF) and analog (line level) audio ports on the side, skipping VGA and S-Video altogether. There are other audio possibilities through usb, firewire, and expresscard, but all of these audio options (except wires out the front) are costly. To "dock in" to external digital monitor, might actually be cheaper to get new monitor!

 

Will the 1530 output dolby digitial and DTS through the front audio connectors? I know it can do 5.1 output through it, but will the audio be decoded by the soundchip?

I would much rather prefer a digital solution, I can't believe they don't offer this through the s-video. I too brought the dongle and this computer in part because of this option.

 

hard to tell if it's dolby digital/dts when using analog 5.1 - since the receiver doesn't show what signal it is! the soundcard is meant to be able to decode the signal - but i can't tell the difference...

there are a fair few cheapish solutions - the turtle beach audio advantage usb cards look okay ( www.turtlebeach.com) - so you'll get passthrough of digital audio.

 

The DVD playback engine will decode the Dolby Digital or DTS and output the converted audio to the analog jacks on the 1530.

 

TThe guys who are only getting spdif through hdmi and not the dongle, what os are you using?

 

vista ultimate.

are you able to get s/pdif through the dongle with the m1530?? if so, how??

 

Well the manual says no audio is output through the s-video port, which is crap. Anyone tried different drivers or XP?

Could one just install a 3.5" analog/s/pdif combo jack on the board, replacing one that's there, and use different drivers and get it working? Or is it more technical than that? (Probably depends on the DAC also)

 

I doubt it's a driver/Vista issue, but no harm in trying.

Installing the jack doesn't mean that it gets the right pins to the jack. I guess you could wire it up, but who knows if the driver would work...

 

the manual does indeed say in one part that there's no audio from the s-video port, but then in another part it shows how to connect the s/pdif dongle!

anyway, i've been around and around in circles with dell on this one - and, after a month of telling me that the m1530 can output audio through the s-video port, they've now confirmed it CANNOT do this.

this is despite me asking on many occasions, dell sending a technician to my house to get it to work, and also dell selling me the dongle to get this functionality!

it's a bit inadequate - not that the m1530 can't do it, but that dell repeatedly told me it could, and even selling me a part on this basis.

i'm also pretty sure you can't get s/pdif through the 3.5mm audio jacks on the front (unlike asus laptops) so i probably wouldn't bother trying that one!

 

If you are using Vista, you have to right click sound icon and change default sound to HDMI, restart sound related player (media player, gom tv ...etc.) ^^

 

for anyone who was following this one, dell have definitely confirmed that the m1530 CANNOT output s/pdif audio through the s-video port, despite it having 7 pins (unlike the inspiron line and other xps laptops, which also have 7 pin s-video ports, but can output digital audio).

the reason given is that the m1530 has hdmi, so digital audio is sent through that. no idea why it can't do both, but it just can't.

dell have been selling the s-video dongle with the m1530, which was their mistake (they've now stopped doing so). many dell technicians also still think the m1530 can output digital audio through the s-video port, and are wrong if they say so.

having gone around and around in circles with dell on this one, they've finally come to the party and at least offered some $$ so i can go buy an external sound card to be able to output digital audio other than through the hdmi port (which doesn't work for me, since my receiver doesn't have hdmi!).

 

Hmm, looks like I'll have to spend more $$$ to get things to work right.

Thanks to hollywood, my Samsung HDTV won't pass-through the Dolby Digital to my receiver (which doesn't have HDMI), since all I would do with that functionality, apparently, is steal stuff...

I don't see why Dell just doesn't include optical audio out through a mini-plug (like my 2+ year old PowerBook does.) Watching movies on my PowerBook from DVI to HDMI on the TV, and with Dolby Digital from the optical audio to the receiver, was a breeze.

With a blu-ray player in my Dell now, I'd like to be able to watch hi-def movies and have decent audio as well. Any recommendations on things that convert HDMI to HDMI + SPDIF or DVI + SPDIF (I've seen this one but is there anything else?)

 

Check out Gefen. They make a HDMI in - DVI/Optical out that I use for this exact purpose.

 

Was this the one?

It seems as if it'll do the job, but the $300 price tag is steep. I think it may be better to invest my money in a receiver that has the functionality built in. I realize HDMI is finally truly catching on with video and audio, but not enough to completely rule out optical spdif as an option...

 

I can't seem to get my HDMI to output more than 2 channels of audio. I've even called Dell about this, and all they can tell me is that the laptop can only output 5.1 through the front 3 analog jacks, and not hdmi. From what they say, it seems like a hardware issue, but I don't really trust them. Their obviously out-sourced support line is always ready to hastily jump to any conclusion without solid facts (even though they say they're 100% positive)if it means shutting you up.

Can anyone confirm if they can actually output 5.1 or 7.1 through the HDMI? Go to the sound control panel and see if "configure" is greyed out under "HDMI." Mine is greyed out and I can't select a speaker configuration.

By the way, I wouldn't recommend that Turtle Beach thing. I have it and I can't get the optical to output more than 2 channels either. Again, the digital audio's "configure" is greyed out..

My receiver doesn't take analog in. There had better be a way for me to get 5.1 digital out of this thing or I'm giving dell one last call to return it. The thin has issues. The fit and finish on it is atrocious!

 

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this, but rather than spend $300 on a HDMI - HDMI+Audio splitter, why not get an external Sound Card, like the Sound Blaster Live/Audigy USB from Creative?

example here

 

How do these work? I know the laptop will already be doing quite a bit of processing for blu-ray video, I don't want it to 'hiccup' because it has to do even more processing and send the audio out via USB. If there's no noticeable difference, I'm totally fine with that option. I may try it out, and if it doesn't work out for me, then I'll return it or something.

For the $300 for the HDMI to DVI + Optical SPDIF, I can buy a very nice Onkyo receiver with HDMI inputs (which I might end up doing anyways...)

Either way, my 1530 gets here tomorrow, and I'll have all weekend to play with it.

 

Yes, but Ebay - <$200

 

maybe some definitions are in order?

As in internal or external decoding....

Absolutely, the HDMI connector sends a digital signal that can be decoded EXTERNALLY.

The INTERNAL decoder in the laptop only routes the DECODED signals to the analog jacks. So, if you are doing the decoding in the laptop, there are limitations.

 

AFAIK, the creative sound blaster is a fully functional sound card. It will actually take over the sound processing task from your PC's internal sound card, leaving your PC with less work.

 

I have the XPS M1330. I am running HDMI to my Sharp 32 in LCD and from the back of my the back of my TV a opitical cable to my home theater. I am getting 5.1 that way. I can't get the sound to come through when playing videos using Windows Media Player. I have been using MediaDirect.

 

Why cant you all just put the speakers and subwoofer next to the TV and use the normal audio output jack?

The external speakers and subwoofer are so much better than any TV speakers.

That is why my Desktop is near to my TV.

 

Check this out - as recommended by a member by this very forum:

Audio Advantage SRM External USB Sound Card - supports 5.1/7.1

http://www.turtlebeach.com/products/audio-advantage-srm/home.aspx

Review:
http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/tb_srm/

 

You guys seem to know a lot about the audio out on Dell laptops with HDMI. Any idea why I'm only getting audio out the Left channel when using HDMI audio? This is when watching dvd's or just windows sounds.

 

Sorry to dig up an old thread but this is killing me.

I have a XPS 1330 & I'm trying to run it via HDMI into a high end Yamaha amp, then via HDMI into my HDTV.

Now it if I plug the laptop directly into the TV via HDMI I get both picture & sound, but if I run it through the amp, I get picture BUT no sound.

I have tried all the sound settings on the PC & played with the settings on the amp & I still get nothing.

I'm running Vista Ultimate.

If someone can help me it would be appreciated, this is killing me.

Cheers

 

What are you playing audio from? If your amp has audio passthrough enabled, a lot of times audio won't play on the amp if the TV can play it. Check settings like audio passthrough. Not sure exactly what to tell you other than to google your amp model and find otu what you can about HDMI audio. It's not an m1330 issue, it's an amp issue.

 

I'm trying to play music from itunes & things on the web like youtube etc. I cant find anything like "pass through" on the amp. I will do some searching on it. All of my other devices, ie: xbox, PS3. Wii & cable TV all have woking picture & sound. Just not my laptop.

 

Have you right clicked the sound icon, go to playback devices and set HDMI/Digital/SPDIF out as default?

 

Yes, this is one of the first things that I tried.

I have set HDMI as the default. I can see that when I play a song, the music is playing & when in the area to set the HDMI as default, you can see a smalll icon showing that there is something playing, its just not coming through the amp.

Surely someone else has had this problem ??

I assume it has something to do with the frequency that the sound is transmitted in from the laptop or something like that. I have all the settings on the amp adjusted to auto to pick all types of sound up.

 

I noticed something the other day which is not stated anywhere in the documentation, and that is how 5.1 audio can be sent out through the three front audio 3.5mm jacks. Just connect 3 "3.5mm to RCA" audio converter cables and hook them up to any audio receiver and you get 5.1 surround sound (don't forget to go into the audio playback devices control panel, select the sigma-tel audio, and configure speakers!).

When you hook something else than a microphone to the middle jack or the right-most jack, a sigma-tel configuration panel comes up, here you set which function the jacks should have. Works great with Media center and Media direct. DTS is however not coming out and I have still not managed to get VLC to play 5.1 out from anything else than the HDMI cable.

Hope this will help some of you.

 

Can someone please confirm whether this does/ does not work?

This is the only reason holding me back from buying this laptop as id like to be able to connect it to my creative speakers using standard green/ orange black 3.50mm mini jacks and also to logitech z5500 speakers.

Thanks

 

it does, I use it everyday!
ps :I also have the z 5500 in 5.1 config! they are great. on a side note, sound from the s-video port is impossible (it is written in the manual!)

 

To beat a dead horse and to pose a new question, i checked the 1530 service manual and found that pin 7 in the s-video connector is not connected. I then pulled out my multimeter and checked pin 7 on the dell s-video/spdif dongle, sure enough pin 7 is the one used for the spdif tip or + and it shares a ground with the composit signal, pin 5. This begs the question, why didn't they connect it and can it be connected? To answer, one would have to find some documentation on the sigmatel chip and see if it has an spdif output that could be tapped and then connected to the s-video connector. Granted this would be non-trivial surgery on a rather expensive laptop, but if you really gotta have it, it might be a solution. I had thought of trying to get the digital audio stream from the HDMI connector, but it is not passed as simply a digital audio stream but as part of the HDMI communications with the HDMI device, thus the need for the $300 adapter to split digital audio from video.

Just found a pinout of the STA9228 chip, it appears that it does have an SPDIF out, pin 48. Any brave souls out there?

 

I was wondering if anybody happened to check out this thread in another forum:

http://www.notebookforums.com/thread212358.html

To make a long story short, I tried the hack and now I have 2 check boxes that supposedly enable AC3 and PCM through SPDIF (among a host of other options... yes the equalizer does work).

The only thing is, I have no way to test it or which port this digital audio would come out of. I am seriously thinking that which ever port it is, it is NOT through HDMI since the hack enables another check box for that.

This leaves me thinking that the digital audio I'm after is coming out of the svideo port. Alas, I have no adaptor or real time to test this theory out. I was wondering if one of you mighty adventurers could test this theory out and post the results.

Thank you.

P.S. - Please test it out so I can order my zero amp already!! Thanks again.

 

Okay here goes, I have a AV Receiver that does 7.1/5.1 HDMI Audio Processing which can decode/process all the latest HD lossless streams & HDMI switching so it would be decoding the signal EXTERNALLY.

For example, I am playing a movie with Dolby TrueHD or PCM 5.1 stream, by hooking it up (to the AV Receiver) with HDMI running from the M1530, what would the result be? What would I be able to achieve? Uncompressed Multi-channel PCM 5.1?

Need to know ASAP

PS: Do I have to "tell" the computer to decode the signal "externally" instead of "internally" (how would I do this)?

 

I have an Onkyo that processes the new HD formats but i have never hooked up my m1530 to it. Others have said it passes the full signal though. I don't see why it wouldn't. I would not bother with the creative HD thing. The HDMI will at least do 5.1 and that is all you are going to get with the creative HD thing anyway. You can't pass the HD formats on digital optical or coaxial connections.