Asus P8H77-V LE and Sony DAV-DZ260 connection for 5.1 surround sound help

BazzaMac

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May 20, 2014
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Basically looking to hook up my surround system to my PC for 5.1 surround, which would be the best way for me to do this?
Thanks :)
 

BazzaMac

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May 20, 2014
17
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4,560


So using an optical cable would automatically enable the surround? Or would i need to enable some settings via audio manager?
 
you would need to right click your sound icon in the taskbar. go to playback devices. set optical output as your default device. push configure, check that its set to 5.1.

if both your soundcard and the home theater support the right formats then that is all you should have to do.

(if they dont, and you are only getting 2.0 sound.... then that requires some more effort..... but try the optical cable and settings first.)
 

BazzaMac

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May 20, 2014
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4,560


Hmm, the configure option is greyed out and testing produces volume from only 2 speakers.
Any ideas :/
 
you might need a soundcard which supports dolby digital live. i know this one supports it http://www.asus.com/us/Sound_Cards_and_DigitaltoAnalog_Converters/Xonar_DX/specifications/ but if you have a look around you can likely find a much cheaper option (it should say supports DDL or dolby digital live). i think the u3 supports it (but i think it uses a coax output) as well but not sure about the audio quality on that one.

howver before you make that plunge... research if your home theater supports more than 2.0 via optical or coax. some HTIB sets only take 2.0 from inputs not surround. before buying a soundcard make sure you read about some people getting full surround sound from optical or coax inputs on your exact set to verify its not a problem that wont be fixed by getting a soundcard.

(as it could be either or causing the problem)
 

BazzaMac

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May 20, 2014
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4,560


My home theatre supports 5.1 from coax and optical as ive had it plugged into my skyhd box (which supports both) and had great 5.1 surround from both types of connection. Really have no idea whats going wrong :/
Maybe a case of trying different connection type, like the green pink and blue connectors on the back panel and using connection retasking? Only problem with this is i have no idea what cables to use.

 
i suppose you could find some sort of device which can take a 5.1 analog signal from the pc and output it as digital optical however i'm not sure where to get such a device or the quality of it if you do find one. typically people are looking to convert digital to analog not vice versa. this is why i didnt suggest trying to use the analog connectors on your pc.

if your home theater accepted hdmi input you would be having zero issues right now. unfortunately that isnt the case. i also did a quick look and i dont think your home theater supports ARC (audio return channel) over its hdmi (but if it does that would be great so let me know). if it did then it would solve your issue but i dont think thats the case.

my guess as for what the issue would be and a potential fix is that your soundcard doesnt support DDL. i would suggest trying out a soundcard which supports this format and has optical out. this would allow it to send pc audio out via optical in 5.1. i would buy it locally so you can always return it in case this isnt the problem (but most likey it is). again just make sure it supports DDL
 

BazzaMac

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May 20, 2014
17
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4,560


just been looking at a few settings and ended up going into properties of my optical port. Clicked on supported formats tab and there was DTS AUDIO, DOLBY DIGITAL and MICROSOFT WMA PRO AUDIO.
Upon clicking test on both DOLBY formats i received a huge shock as my subwoofer boomed and speakers played chimes around each speaker!!! MICROSOFT WMA PRO AUDIO doesnt produce sound when tested however, but I'm not fussed as my speakers seem to be working:):):):):):):)

 

BazzaMac

Estimable
May 20, 2014
17
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4,560


What exactly is WMA PRO? Does it actually play a part in my set up or is it not worth bothering about?