Vista and 5.1 Surround Sound

All,

A month ago I built a killer computer for the purpose of acting as an
HTPC (Home Theater PC). I went out and bought Vista 32 Ultimate to
install on it. The computer is attached (via HDMI) to a Sony 60"
Bravia (60A3000) in my living room, running at 1920 x 1080 res with a
bluetooth keyboard\mouse and it's using SPDIF optical audio out to a
Sony 5.1 capable receiver.

My dream of computer nirvana are bursting though since no matter what
I do, I can not get 5.1 sound to work - either DD or DTS. What is
really weird is that Vista's 5.1 speaker tests in the Sound CP work
fine, but actual media files do not. All I get is stereo sound -
actually I believe I'm only getting the front L and R sound out of the
5.1 because the voice track is muffled in the background.

I've been pulling my hair out for a month now, trying different
drivers and thinking the problem was the MOBO's integrated SoundMAX
audio chipset. But yesterday I was reading some forum and internet
posts which said MS has completely redesigned audio in Vista and if I
might paraphrase the problem, Vista won't allow digital passthrough of
audio signals through the SPDIF port due to perceived copyright
enfringement issues.

Has anyone figured out how to get around this issue? I'm curious if
any audio card vendor has a hardware \ driver solution. I'm not far
from scrapping Vista since not having 5.1 sound coming from an HTPC is
a showstopper for me. I understand there are no issues with SPDIF out
with XP, so I may have to pull out my old XP installation disks and
(Eek!) downgrade.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

well you hear a lot of sound from the hard disks thrashing all day and night
trying to search index, automatic defrag and do other STUPID things Vista
does automatically.

Doesnt that count? Add five more external hard disks around the room to
obtain surround hard disk thrashing sound.

You dont believe me???? See this video to see what vista does to your hard
disks

http://youtube.com/watch?v=IAspKu9sVPQ and this

http://youtube.com/watch?v=xBqCQFWCVBM

LOL MUSIC TO YOUR EARS!!!!

A very common vista victim question is:

WHY do I see constant disk activity????
Do I have a virus?

YOU BET YA.. you have the vista virus!



"Hot Diggidy" <> wrote in message
news:...
> All,
>
> A month ago I built a killer computer for the purpose of acting as an
> HTPC (Home Theater PC). I went out and bought Vista 32 Ultimate to
> install on it. The computer is attached (via HDMI) to a Sony 60"
> Bravia (60A3000) in my living room, running at 1920 x 1080 res with a
> bluetooth keyboard\mouse and it's using SPDIF optical audio out to a
> Sony 5.1 capable receiver.
>
> My dream of computer nirvana are bursting though since no matter what
> I do, I can not get 5.1 sound to work - either DD or DTS. What is
> really weird is that Vista's 5.1 speaker tests in the Sound CP work
> fine, but actual media files do not. All I get is stereo sound -
> actually I believe I'm only getting the front L and R sound out of the
> 5.1 because the voice track is muffled in the background.
>
> I've been pulling my hair out for a month now, trying different
> drivers and thinking the problem was the MOBO's integrated SoundMAX
> audio chipset. But yesterday I was reading some forum and internet
> posts which said MS has completely redesigned audio in Vista and if I
> might paraphrase the problem, Vista won't allow digital passthrough of
> audio signals through the SPDIF port due to perceived copyright
> enfringement issues.
>
> Has anyone figured out how to get around this issue? I'm curious if
> any audio card vendor has a hardware \ driver solution. I'm not far
> from scrapping Vista since not having 5.1 sound coming from an HTPC is
> a showstopper for me. I understand there are no issues with SPDIF out
> with XP, so I may have to pull out my old XP installation disks and
> (Eek!) downgrade.
>
> Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Still waiting for my Vista to arrive but have downloaded Alchemy 3d from
Creative but perhaps someone who has tried it will let us know. Also
something called TweakVI to work like the old TweakUI in XP.

"Hot Diggidy" wrote:

> All,
>
> A month ago I built a killer computer for the purpose of acting as an
> HTPC (Home Theater PC). I went out and bought Vista 32 Ultimate to
> install on it. The computer is attached (via HDMI) to a Sony 60"
> Bravia (60A3000) in my living room, running at 1920 x 1080 res with a
> bluetooth keyboard\mouse and it's using SPDIF optical audio out to a
> Sony 5.1 capable receiver.
>
> My dream of computer nirvana are bursting though since no matter what
> I do, I can not get 5.1 sound to work - either DD or DTS. What is
> really weird is that Vista's 5.1 speaker tests in the Sound CP work
> fine, but actual media files do not. All I get is stereo sound -
> actually I believe I'm only getting the front L and R sound out of the
> 5.1 because the voice track is muffled in the background.
>
> I've been pulling my hair out for a month now, trying different
> drivers and thinking the problem was the MOBO's integrated SoundMAX
> audio chipset. But yesterday I was reading some forum and internet
> posts which said MS has completely redesigned audio in Vista and if I
> might paraphrase the problem, Vista won't allow digital passthrough of
> audio signals through the SPDIF port due to perceived copyright
> enfringement issues.
>
> Has anyone figured out how to get around this issue? I'm curious if
> any audio card vendor has a hardware \ driver solution. I'm not far
> from scrapping Vista since not having 5.1 sound coming from an HTPC is
> a showstopper for me. I understand there are no issues with SPDIF out
> with XP, so I may have to pull out my old XP installation disks and
> (Eek!) downgrade.
>
> Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
>

Mang Chai Lyn wrote:


---ignorant remarks by an idiot removed----

Well capin' crunch...we see you've once again escaped from the wacko bin.
Get lost...again...and don't come back this time.
Frank

On Tue, 06 Nov 2007 08:35:09 -0800, Frank <> wrote:

>Mang Chai Lyn wrote:
>
>
>---ignorant remarks by an idiot removed----

Translation: The REAL idiot, Frank, can't handle facts.

Adam Albright wrote:
> On Tue, 06 Nov 2007 08:35:09 -0800, Frank <> wrote:
>
>
>>Mang Chai Lyn wrote:
>>
>>
>>---ignorant remarks by an idiot removed----
>
>
> Translation: The REAL idiot, Frank, can't handle facts.
>
>
>
Well, mr pig trying once again to figure out what's going on...hahaha...lol!
Frank

On Tue, 06 Nov 2007 09:27:01 -0800, Frank <> wrote:

>Adam Albright wrote:
>> On Tue, 06 Nov 2007 08:35:09 -0800, Frank <> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Mang Chai Lyn wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>---ignorant remarks by an idiot removed----
>>
>>
>> Translation: The REAL idiot, Frank, can't handle facts.
>>
>>
>>
>Well, mr pig trying once again to figure out what's going on...hahaha...lol!
>Frank


What's going on? You're still as stupid as your were yesterday.

Adam Albright wrote:
> On Tue, 06 Nov 2007 09:27:01 -0800, Frank <> wrote:
>
>
>>Adam Albright wrote:
>>
>>>On Tue, 06 Nov 2007 08:35:09 -0800, Frank <> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>Mang Chai Lyn wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>---ignorant remarks by an idiot removed----
>>>
>>>
>>>Translation: The REAL idiot, Frank, can't handle facts.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>Well, mr pig trying once again to figure out what's going on...hahaha...lol!
>>Frank
>
>
>
> What's going on? You're still as stupid as your were yesterday.
>

And you're still the dumb fukkin drunken as*hole you were yesterday.
Want to trade some more insults you little pig brained loser?
Frank

On Tue, 06 Nov 2007 13:35:42 -0800, Frank <> wrote:

>Adam Albright wrote:
>> On Tue, 06 Nov 2007 09:27:01 -0800, Frank <> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Adam Albright wrote:
>>>
>>>>On Tue, 06 Nov 2007 08:35:09 -0800, Frank <> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Mang Chai Lyn wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>---ignorant remarks by an idiot removed----
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Translation: The REAL idiot, Frank, can't handle facts.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>Well, mr pig trying once again to figure out what's going on...hahaha...lol!
>>>Frank
>>
>>
>>
>> What's going on? You're still as stupid as your were yesterday.
>>
>
>And you're still the dumb fukkin drunken as*hole you were yesterday.
>Want to trade some more insults you little pig brained loser?
>Frank

You don't trade insults, you simply parrot what others said proving
once again what a total idiot you really are.

Hot Diggidy wrote:
> All,
>
> A month ago I built a killer computer for the purpose of acting as an
> HTPC (Home Theater PC). I went out and bought Vista 32 Ultimate to
> install on it. The computer is attached (via HDMI) to a Sony 60"
> Bravia (60A3000) in my living room, running at 1920 x 1080 res with a
> bluetooth keyboard\mouse and it's using SPDIF optical audio out to a
> Sony 5.1 capable receiver.
>
> My dream of computer nirvana are bursting though since no matter what
> I do, I can not get 5.1 sound to work - either DD or DTS. What is
> really weird is that Vista's 5.1 speaker tests in the Sound CP work
> fine, but actual media files do not. All I get is stereo sound -
> actually I believe I'm only getting the front L and R sound out of the
> 5.1 because the voice track is muffled in the background.
>
> I've been pulling my hair out for a month now, trying different
> drivers and thinking the problem was the MOBO's integrated SoundMAX
> audio chipset. But yesterday I was reading some forum and internet
> posts which said MS has completely redesigned audio in Vista and if I
> might paraphrase the problem, Vista won't allow digital passthrough of
> audio signals through the SPDIF port due to perceived copyright
> enfringement issues.
>
> Has anyone figured out how to get around this issue? I'm curious if
> any audio card vendor has a hardware \ driver solution. I'm not far
> from scrapping Vista since not having 5.1 sound coming from an HTPC is
> a showstopper for me. I understand there are no issues with SPDIF out
> with XP, so I may have to pull out my old XP installation disks and
> (Eek!) downgrade.
>
> Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hot Diggidy,
If you are still here after the "Frank & Adam Show" a thread in the
alt.comp.periphs.videocard.ati group might shed some light on what you
are trying to accomplish. Search the above group for "ATI MMC vs Windows
Media Center".
The upshot of the whole affair is that you are correct in the not
"allowing digital pass-through" using S/PDIF. It is a unsecured
input/output in the eye's of the RIAA & MPAA and therefore Franks
master, M$ has hobbled the XP mediacenter OS and VISTA in the use of
this input/output. Component Video also falls into this category.