Can you use SPDIF (Optical) out for gaming in 5.1 - on Nforce 680i

[Sowk]

Can you use SPDIF (Optical) out for gaming in 5.1 - on Nforce 680i motherboards?

I can get only channels to work with games.


I have the eVGA 680I A1 motherboard.

[CaptNKILL]

Nope.

Do a forum search... or a google search.

There have been dozens of threads on this.

Digital out is stereo unless you have a Dolby\DTS encoded signal. Some sound chips encode any signal, but most do not, so the only thing that will give you 5.1 is a pre-encoded track, like a DVD.

[Redeemed]

Or... have your computer hooked up to a reciever that can then convert the digital stereo signal into DB ProLogic... not gonna' be any where near as nice as what you hear in the theaters... but it'll give you some form of surround sound anyways. But honestly, at least from my experience, the anologe 5.1 Surround most mobos support is supperior to ProLogic. I'd just go that route if your reciever as multi-channel inputs.

[CaptNKILL]

Originally Posted by Redeemed

Or... have your computer hooked up to a reciever that can then convert the digital stereo signal into DB ProLogic... not gonna' be any where near as nice as what you hear in the theaters... but it'll give you some form of surround sound anyways. But honestly, at least from my experience, the anologe 5.1 Surround most mobos support is supperior to ProLogic. I'd just go that route if your reciever as multi-channel inputs.

Yeah, I wouldn't bother with ProLogic. It isn't "real" surround and is bound to have a ton of audible anomalies.

Multi-channel analog inputs is the only way to go without a Dolby Digital Live or DTS Connect sound card.

EDIT: I almost forgot, the one time ProLogic would be decent would be if you had a sound chip that could do a matrix-encoded analog surround signal like the old nforce 2 soundstorm chips. You can get sort-of 4.0 surround that way. But that's some VERY old technology there (1970s ) and I don't think it applies to digital, so chances are you'll never need to do this.

[Redeemed]

Originally Posted by CaptNKILL

Yeah, I wouldn't bother with ProLogic. It isn't "real" surround and is bound to have a ton of audible anomalies.

Multi-channel analog inputs is the only way to go without a Dolby Digital Live or DTS Connect sound card.

EDIT: I almost forgot, the one time ProLogic would be decent would be if you had a sound chip that could do a matrix-encoded analog surround signal like the old nforce 2 soundstorm chips. You can get sort-of 4.0 surround that way. But that's some VERY old technology there (1970s ) and I don't think it applies to digital, so chances are you'll never need to do this.

For gaming I use ProLogic II since my current reciever does not have multi-channel inputs. It does okay for the fronts and center, but seldom do I ever hear anything out of my surround speakers. Kinda' kills it for me. I'm now looking for a new reciever that has 5.1 anolog inputs as that seems to be a far superior form of surround for gaming than ProLogic.

[Dazz]

I use Dolby Digital Live myself with Optical connection.

[Sowk]

Originally Posted by Dazz

I use Dolby Digital Live myself with Optical connection.

Does my motherboard have the capability to output Dolby Digital Live?

eVGA 680i A1 (non-black pearl)

[CaptNKILL]

Originally Posted by Sowk

Does my motherboard have the capability to output Dolby Digital Live?

eVGA 680i A1 (non-black pearl)

I don't think it does.

Very few boards have DDL capable sound chips. Its more common on PCI sound cards. Most of Auzentech's cards can do it. Its really kind of odd just how few people can actually get surround sound in games using a digital connection.

[Zapablast05]

I don't get how it works. Do you need a speaker system with the toslink input to use the whole optical thing? I get surround in my headphones but it's not like, super theater surround.

[CaptNKILL]

Originally Posted by Zapablast05

I don't get how it works. Do you need a speaker system with the toslink input to use the whole optical thing? I get surround in my headphones but it's not like, super theater surround.

You need a digital output on your soundcard and a digital input on your receiver to use digital sound. There can be coaxial and or SPDIF\toslink optical connections for digital sound.

By default, an un-encoded digital signal is stereo. So with un-encoded real time streams of sound, like games, only the left and right channels can be sent over the digital output. A DVD is pre-encoded though, so you can usually pick the Dolby 5.1 or DTS tracks and have your sound card pass them through to your receiver where the receiver decodes them into surround sound.

With a Dolby Digital Live or DTS Connect capable sound card, you can have the sound card encode the real-time streams from games into a Dolby 5.1 or DTS to send over your digital connection. The receiver will decode these just like any other encoded track and you'll get surround sound.

As for your headphones, any surround sound you're hearing is simulated with changes in pitch or phase. 2 speakers cannot physically do surround sound... obviously. Anything that sounds like its behind you is just muffled to simulate what your ears hear when something is behind you in real life. It can work pretty well in a lot of situations, but it'll never be as good as actually having the sound come from behind you.

[Dazz]

All current decent boards can do 5.1 with Dobly Digital live that have the Realtek 880ALC codec onwards has more CPU overhead but is still ok. So yes your board can do it but you will need a decorder for your speakers. I use the one with my Logitech Z5500.

I get 5.1 surround sound in games so long as windows is set for 5.1 so the audio codec can convert it into streams for the decorder to send to the speakers.

[CaptNKILL]

I guess I was wrong. I didn't think most motherboards had DDL support. They never list it in the features or specifications.