Before I get started, let me apologize if this topic is in the wrong place, but anyways. I looked all over google and could not find a solid answer to my problem. Back when I was running windows XP, I could switch my audio output to digital, turn on my digital decoder, pop a dvd into my computer and get the correct and best sound that the dvd had to offer. However I've since then upgraded to Vista x64 and now it's not that simple. I switch my audio output (I'm running a sound blaster audigy 2 zs) to digital, turn on my decoder, pop in a dvd and what do I get, typically no sound at all.

(Now this problem only gets hairier as I explain further). I can say that I have the latest audigy drivers, and I am running the klite codec pack (although I did try the vista codec pack and that just gave me the same issues). My problem may be at this level, i.e. the way I configure my codecs but idk. Anyways, to step back for a second I am a fan of docks and I have a dock on my desktop with a shortcut to my sound properties. Well when I click on that and have vista send a dts audio signal to my decoder to see if the digital output works, I get no sound. However if I got under my control panel and access my sound properties that way then vista will properly send a dts signal to my decoder and the decoder decodes the signal correctly.

Now when I pop in a dvd, turn on the dts 5.1 surround sound, I get nothing, my decoder fails to recognize there is a 5.1 dts signal (and no, I know my decoder is not the problem).

Here's what I know, I've heard rumors that vista x64 doesn't allow for spdif passthrough, but then explain how vista udner the sound properties when I do a test can properly send a dts signal to my decoder?

I know that I am running the latest sound (unless there is some recommended third party drivers that I don't know of) and video drivers, I have all of the latest windows updates, I have 2gb of memory, and an amd single core processor (yes I know it's the worst part of my machine, I wish it were a dual core, but dual core socket 939 processors aren't cheap).

Anyways, does anybody know what I am not doing right, that vista won't properly send dts signals or any signals for that matter to my decoder?

If it helps, the video runs fine and I have VLC media player, Media Player Classic, WMP 11, and Windows Media Center (I really don't use this one though). Any further questions just ask, and I thank you in advance for your help.

EDIT - I'd like to add that I am using the latest version of the klite codec pack and that I can play dvds fine in vlc media player, but in neither WMP 11, windows media center, or even media player classic can I play a dvd. I get this exact error in WMP 11, (same error just worded differently in other players), "Windows Media Player cannot play this DVD because there is a problem with digital copy protection between your DVD drive, decoder, and video card. Try installing an updated driver for your video card." This isn't a particularly big issue that needs resolved as I do have VLC media player to play dvds with, however...

I must note something interesting, sometimes when fiddling with a dvd in VLC media player I can get "a/52 over SPDIF" yo appear under the audio output menu, but usually that doesn't show up. This is all strange, it seems as though if I do things a very specific way one thing happens, but if I do things another very specific way another thing happens.

Any one offer any help on the matter?

Well rather then update my previous post, I thought I'd post a new one so as to bump this topic and let everyone know of my solution.

First things first, I figured out how to permanently make the a/52 over spdif in VLC appear. I had to set the SPDIF output under control panel --> manage audio devices to the default. (Figuring this out made me happy).

Well today I poked around on google and I found and downloaded this hotfix, http://support.microsoft.com/kb/936225

After I installed that hotfix I loaded up VLC popped in a video with DTS sound and well I got the sound to output 100% like it should, however the sound was very stuttery and wasn't smooth at all. So I tried other programs like WMP (32-bit, but wasn't paying attention to this fact at the time) and Windows media classic and was having the same issue.

I poked around google some more and couldn't find an answer. After a while I tried Windows Media Center, and I got the sound to play perfectly, unfortunately it was hard to notice as the only videos I had with DTS audio in them were 1080p videos and with my years old computer, I was getting horrible video/audio desynchronization. Nonetheless the sound was perfect.

Then it hit me Windows Media Center is a 64-bit application. So then I remembered that Vista opens the 32-bit version of WMP by default, so I loaded up the x64 version of WMP and once again the sound worked perfectly.

However to use either of these solutions was is feesible because due to a non-related issue dvds won't play for me on either of these media players. So googled 64-bit media players and came across this nifty number, http://sourceforge.net/project/sho [...] _id=546787

I opened up that media player and it truly was 64-bit and it could play any thing!



So to put it simply, if you can't get spdif passthrough on vista x64 to work. Make sure you have the latest codecs, get the 64-bit version of Windows Media Classic I posted above, and if necessary get the hotfix I posted above as well.

Well there you go, this topic can be closed now. I just wish I had a faster computer capable of smoothly playing the 1080p videos I have, even if my monitor and tv don't have 1080p resolutions.