Cannot get 5.1 to play out of Realtek (Optical)card other than in test


  1. Posts : 24
    Win 7 Ultimate /Win 10
       #1

    Cannot get 5.1 to play out of Realtek (Optical)card other than in test


    Can’t get any audio on Realtek Digital Output (Optical) if I select DTS Interactive (5.1 Surround), the only option which is 5.1 in my settings. If I use the 44000 Hz or 48000 option on 2 channels I get audio. On supported formats, DTS Audio does not output any audio, not even when I select the DTS Interactive (5.1 Surround); the only the one that does is Dolby Digital. If I play the test Dolby Digital under Supported Formats on 2 channel 48000Hz or 5.1 DTS Interactive (5.1 Surround), I hear 5.1. This is the only time I can hear all the channels, even if it is selected on 2 channel under Advanced.

    Clearly it is outputting audio to those channels despite it being on the 2 channel option. Why is the test the only place I can get audio to play on 5.1 and why does DTS Interactive play nothing? I want to note that through all of this Windows is attempting to play the audio (I think) as it shows audio playing on the mixer.

    The motherboard is an Asus Z87 PRO w/ Realtek integrated, Win 10 version 1909, I could not find the exact model number of the sound card.
    Please refer to the screenshots of the properties window incase my explanation doesn’t make sense.

    Edit: I cannot get the site to attach a second screenshot but the Realtek control panel does not help at all as it has less options than Windows properties does.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Cannot get 5.1 to play out of Realtek (Optical)card other than in test-realtek-audio-issue1.png  
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  2. Posts : 1,305
    Windows 10
       #2

    Long story short, you didn't have DD or DTS because you didn't pay for it (in your computer and in your AV receiver respectively).

    Optical out was designed by Sony and Phillips to carry 2 channels on uncompressed audio. The only way to carry 5.1 audio through optical out is by compressing the 5.1 audio using proprietary DD or DTS format.

    Most people only see Realtek chip itself can do 5.1 or 7.1 and then assumes that you can play 5.1 or 7.1. They forgot the most important part of the fine print --- it's optional and your motherboard didn't come with DD.

    Cannot get 5.1 to play out of Realtek (Optical)card other than in test-s2.png

    ALC892 - REALTEK

    You were able to use digital optical out before because you indirectly paid for DD. You indirectly paid for DD when you bought a DVD burner which came with OEM version of WinDVD during your Windows XP era. You indirectly paid for DD when Microsoft decides to bundle a software DVD player in Windows 7. Microsoft charges extra money for the DVD software player (aka various Windows Media Center editions) in Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10.

    The right side of your screenshot --- doesn't test whether your pc can do 5.1 DD or DTS. It tests whether your AV receiver can do DD or DTS by sending pre-recorded DD test audio or DTS test audio to your receiver. In your case, your AV receiver can only decode Dolby Digital. Your AV receiver cannot decode DTS Audio.

    The left side of your screenshot is meaningless because your AV receiver cannot decode DTS audio.
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  3. Posts : 24
    Win 7 Ultimate /Win 10
    Thread Starter
       #3

    So if I am understanding this correctly, if it was a newer receiver that supports DTS I should hear 5.1? Otherwise I am hearing it in the test because it is just a test and is not licensed?
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  4. Posts : 1,305
    Windows 10
       #4

    You never heard any sound in the test. The test sends DTS audio and you didn't hear anything.

    You heard sound when you played a Dolby Digital test tone --- the left side didn't matter because the test specifically sends out a Dolby Digital 5.1 signal ignoring the left side default.

    Also it's not worth it to buy a DTS receiver because there is a considerable delay in DTS Interactive re-encoding. You will hear complaints on the internet forums about how people are getting a 1 second audio delay when they watch youtube videos (i.e. the video doesn't match the audio). Youtube uses more advanced audio codecs (OPUS) to save bandwidth. So your computer has to decode the OPUS audio codec and then has to take the time to re-encode your youtube audio to super-old DTS audio codec to be send to your DTS receiver.

    Also since youtube only sends out stereo audio, you won't magically get 5.1 sound by using DTS.

    Your current system will have 5.1 DD audio through optical out to your AV receiver if you use the Windows 10 Netflix app (because Netflix paid the DD licensing fee).
    Last edited by sandyt; 04 Apr 2021 at 23:32.
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  5. Posts : 5,899
    Win 11 Pro (x64) 22H2
       #5

    @ben946210,

    The easiest thing to do is check your soundcard/motherboard specs; also see if there are any DTS drivers available for download for the card - though they could be included the driver package for the card. That package is a rather hefty 414.16meg.

    With that, looking at your Realtek Digital Output (Optical) properties, there is a DT5 Interactive (5.1 Surround) setting there, so you "might" actually have it.

    That said, make sure to select DT5 Interactive (5.1 Surround). Also tick "DTS Audio" in the supported Formats tab. Of course you need a source and speaker setup to make it work properly. You can also check your audio settings panel. If DTS is supported, it'll be listed there.

    Good luck.

    BTW, do you have a dedicated soundcard?
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  6. Posts : 4,594
    Windows 10 Pro
       #6

    You have to have a Receiver that can decode DTS, DD, or Blu-ray, I have a 100 watt amp that I have connected to my Z170 via Optical cable. It only supports Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic, and Stereo.

    It does not decode DTS, If I put in a Blu-ray, I get no sound from the receiver. It`s fairly old, I got it off EBay years ago.

    But if you have a good set of headphones, you should hear everything. I can hear DTS-HD Master Audio just fine through my Corsair HS70 Pro Wireless Headset.

    Bottom line, you have to have a receiver that can decode the audio you are sending it.

    All DVD`s are Dolby Digital, but some, like my original Predator DVD or Alien, have 2 Audio tracks, 5.1 Dolby Surround and DTS, If I choose DTS I get no sound out of the receiver, but I can hear it using my headphones.
    Last edited by AddRAM; 05 Apr 2021 at 02:10.
      My Computers


  7. Posts : 4,594
    Windows 10 Pro
       #7

    ben946210 said:
    So if I am understanding this correctly, if it was a newer receiver that supports DTS I should hear 5.1? Otherwise I am hearing it in the test because it is just a test and is not licensed?
    Correct. And you`d need the proper software too, I use Power DVD 20.

    What are you trying to send the audio to ?
    Last edited by AddRAM; 05 Apr 2021 at 02:07.
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  8. Posts : 4,594
    Windows 10 Pro
       #8

    AddRAM said:
    You have to have a Receiver to decode DTS, DD, or Blu-ray, I have a 100 watt amp that I have connected to my Z170 via Optical cable. It only supports Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic, and Stereo.

    It does not decode DTS. If I put in a Blu-ray, I get no sound of from the receiver.

    But you can use your headphones, if you have any, that will support DTS-HD Master Audio, such as my Corsair HS70 Pro Wireless Headset.

    Bottom line, you have to have a receiver that can decode the audio you are sending it.
    Harry Potter Blu-rays are DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, The Star Wars Blu-rays are DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1

    DTS is the King, Jurassic Park was the 1st film to use it.
    Last edited by AddRAM; 05 Apr 2021 at 02:11.
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  9. Posts : 1,208
    11 Home
       #9

    The Optical S/PDIF (Toslink) standard does not support any multi-channel audio formats directly so Dolby Digital decoding is therefore used to work around this limitation. This is just a limitation of the actual standard itself, i.e., it is a limitation that applies to ANY connection that uses Optical S/PDIF─on ANY hardware devices. Also note that this particular type of encoding/decoding is lossy. Depending on the quality of the DAC section of the receiver vs that of your computer's internal soundcard (or outboard DAC, if you have it) you can get better sound by using an analog cable connection. Another option, that also is a popular choice, would be to use the type of receiver or prepro (preamp/processor) that can support HDMI input. Going for a decent prepro adds the benefit of not being tied to having a typical cheap inferior DAC section with an equally typical cheap underpowered multi-channel power amp stage so that most of the money goes to the label of the brand plus a dozen mass-marketed features none of which add any quality improvements to the sound.

    - - - Updated - - -

    AddRAM said:
    DTS is the King, Jurassic Park was the 1st film to use it.
    This 'King' has been dethroned by AuroMax from Barco and Auro Technologies. But DTS-HD MA and Dolby TrueHD are good enough for me.
      My Computers


  10. Posts : 24
    Win 7 Ultimate /Win 10
    Thread Starter
       #10

    AddRAM said:
    Correct. And you`d need the proper software too, I use Power DVD 20.

    What are you trying to send the audio to ?

    It is connected to a Yamaha R-V1103 receiver which has Dolby Digital and Dolby Pro Logic support, which I found after some research on it.
      My Computers


 

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