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    External sound card with 5.1 digital out

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by angelthepep, Jun 12, 2008.

  1. angelthepep

    angelthepep Newbie

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    I bought HP Pavilion 6646 and curiously it has HDMI but does not have S/PDIF. I want to connect it to my 5.1 amplifier Yamaha and I want to output 5.1 sound from movies. Could you please advise what card should I buy. Will every card with SPIDF will do the job - I mean to pass 5.1 sound to my amplifier. Thank you!
     
  2. ViciousXUSMC

    ViciousXUSMC Master Viking NBR Reviewer

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    There are cards that offer digital out, problem is I do not know of any that output true 5.1.

    The creative offerings are just stereo upmixed as far as I know.

    True analog 5.1 exist tho.
     
  3. angelthepep

    angelthepep Newbie

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    Are you sure? According to the Creators site:
    If you are going to connect from the Digital Out on your Sound Blaster to the Digital Input on your receiver, you will only receive multi channel audio when your are playing DVD games, or DVD movies, or standalone AC3 files. You will only hear stereo (front left and right channels) when playing MP3, MID, AVI, WAC, or WMA et.

    I want to hear 5.1 audio from .mkv files (HD Movies) and I think their audio is AC3 encoded.

    Also from Creators site:
    Stereo SPDIF Digital Out

    The cards include Sound Blaster X-Fi series, Sound Blaster Audigy 4, Sound Blaster Audigy Value and Sound Blaster Audigy SE.

    It is a stereo SPDIF digital out jack. It supports stereo SPDIF Out to Stereo Digital Speakers only, or sends compressed AC3 signals to an external decoder.

    [​IMG]