96hz and digital out on audigy?

Gamergod · *Last edited by Gamergod; 01-04-2007 at 14:31.*

Just a quick question, got my A2 hooked up to digital and using AC3 filter to encode my 2.0 films into DD.

My question is, when I set output to 96hz the sound is messed up? If I leave it at 48hz, all is fine and center speaker works etc.

Would this be because I encoded my avi's in 48hz, thus outputting at 96hz distorts the sound output?

Cheers

OK seems the same on DVD, only get 2 channel sound @ 96hz. Any reason for that?

ROBSCIX · 01-04-2007, 14:57 | posts: 10,558 | Location: Guru3D Audio Lab | User is Offline

According to Creative that card can only 2 Channel over SPDIF. on it's own. I can support 96Khz output but can your receiver accept the 96Khz input?

Gamergod · 01-04-2007, 15:44 | posts: 1,047 | Location: United Kingdom | User is Offline

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBSCIX

According to Creative that card can only 2 Channel over SPDIF. on it's own. I can support 96Khz output but can your receiver accept the 96Khz input?

Here is the specs of my amp

Exceptionally high dynamic power and overall performance with 192kHz/24-bit D/A converters, 21 Surround Programs and 3 digital inputs.
5.1-channel, 550W powerful surround sound (110W x 5 Max)
192kHz/24-bit D/A converters for all channels
Analog mixdown
Quad-Field and Tri-Field CINEMA DSP
Dolby Digital EX Matrix 6.1 and DTS-ES Matrix 6.1 compatibility plus Dolby Pro Logic II decoding
14 surround programs
Night Listening mode and SILENT CINEMA
Powerful 32-bit Yamaha LSI (YSS-938) for CINEMA DSP processing
Easy setup and operation (Basic Menu)
5-band center graphic equalizer
Speaker A or B selection
Wide-range frequency response for DVD-Audio/SA-CD compatibility
Program name and sound field indications
6-channel external decoder input
Preset remote control unit

http://www.yamaha.co.jp/english/prod...ht/rxv350.html

So yep, can do up to 192hz according to that. The SPDIF says only 2 channel, but if I am passing thru dvd @ 48hz i get 5.1 sound, but only 2 channel @ 96hz.

Seems weird, must be missing something here?

ROBSCIX · 01-04-2007, 15:50 | posts: 10,558 | Location: Guru3D Audio Lab | User is Offline

No I think that is the card's limit. it can only do 2 channel at 96khz and 6 channel at 48khz. Seems right to me unless I am not understanding somthing.
Creative cards have never been very good with the digital support. I guess because such technologies aren't used much in gaming.

Gamergod · 01-04-2007, 15:56 | posts: 1,047 | Location: United Kingdom | User is Offline

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBSCIX

No I think that is the card's limit. it can only do 2 channel at 96khz and 6 channel at 48khz. Seems right to me unless I am not understanding somthing.
Creative cards have never been very good with the digital support. I guess because such technologies aren't used much in gaming.

Mmm, just found another thing. If I uninstall AC3 filter, i only get 2 channel sound in dvd ( no center channel)! Seems like I am learning something or missing one of the two.

So is this what is meant about the limits of the SPDIF? I was on the understanding if you did pass thru it sends the signal for the amp to decode?

ROBSCIX · 01-04-2007, 15:59 | posts: 10,558 | Location: Guru3D Audio Lab | User is Offline

That is the idea, it supposed to just send the audio from the DVD to the SPDIF.
Maybe it's the software your using.

Gamergod · 01-04-2007, 16:18 | posts: 1,047 | Location: United Kingdom | User is Offline

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBSCIX

That is the idea, it supposed to just send the audio from the DVD to the SPDIF.
Maybe it's the software your using.

Possibly is the software, but I have tried powerdvd with spdif, ffdshow audio decoder, ac3 filter and none of them output in 5.1 unless I choose 48hz.

Gotta be something not right here?

Mad Cow · 01-04-2007, 16:27 | posts: 1,093 | Location: Canada | User is Offline

It's the card. Creative cards have horrible digital support. It's more of a gimmick than a useful feature with them.

Gamergod · *Last edited by Gamergod; 01-04-2007 at 17:45.*

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mad Cow

It's the card. Creative cards have horrible digital support. It's more of a gimmick than a useful feature with them.

For sure its the card? Because I am in the process of eating my words a bit about the digital capabilities of this card

I have done a thousand and one tests, the card CAN output dolby digital in 5.1 but only with the aid of a decoder when passthru is enabled. If I use the built in decoder

It does not seem to be able to output 96hz any higher than 2 channel. The built in decoder is only capable of 2 channel decoding resulting in only a pro logic 2 signal being received at most.

If I passthru the sound @ 48hz using a decoder from powerdvd, or ac3 filter etc then I can get full digital sound.

I am confused as to why I need a decoder, if I am passing thru the signal? It does not make sense to me as the amp is doing the work?

EDIT> Tested on windows media and that does not require a decoder, just standard passthru. However still the lack of 96hz output?

Donnie27 · 01-04-2007, 18:05 | posts: 212 | Location: Little Rock | User is Offline

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gamergod

Possibly is the software, but I have tried powerdvd with spdif, ffdshow audio decoder, ac3 filter and none of them output in 5.1 unless I choose 48hz.

Gotta be something not right here?

Why? Because Dolby Digital is 48kHz Multi-Channel. Now if you had better DVD authoring software, these let you select 96kHz Multi-Channel. Also look at your THX Console or even the Creative Media Player/Recorder and make sure it is set to 96KHz and not the default 48kHz.

I have RAW 24bit/96KHz files so I know it can record at that rate.

Gamergod · 01-04-2007, 18:31 | posts: 1,047 | Location: United Kingdom | User is Offline

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donnie27

Why? Because Dolby Digital is 48kHz Multi-Channel. Now if you had better DVD authoring software, these let you select 96kHz Multi-Channel. Also look at your THX Console or even the Creative Media Player/Recorder and make sure it is set to 96KHz and not the default 48kHz.

I have RAW 24bit/96KHz files so I know it can record at that rate.

Authoring as in backing up dvd's? Well sure I know how to do that, so are you saying to get 96hz I would need to re-author all my dvd in 96hz?

I have set it to 96hz in the console, hence why I know I am not getting sound. Is there a dvd playback program that allows for 96hz. I am trying to understand the point in 96hz, if there is no dvd that do it?

Donnie27 · 01-04-2007, 19:21 | posts: 212 | Location: Little Rock | User is Offline

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gamergod

Authoring as in backing up dvd's? Well sure I know how to do that, so are you saying to get 96hz I would need to re-author all my dvd in 96hz?

I have set it to 96hz in the console, hence why I know I am not getting sound. Is there a dvd playback program that allows for 96hz. I am trying to understand the point in 96hz, if there is no dvd that do it?

Not quite, the native Multichannel mode for DVD is 48KHz 24bit multichannel, not 96KHz that more like DTS and why folks like it better, less Lossey compression is good! Lossless is the best. Some stuff might be as low as 16 or 20bit.

I know you mean 96KHz Multichannel and I say NO but NOT impossible.

Note*

http://www.techspot.com/reviews/hardware/audigy2zs/

Quote:

The Digital Output is always active except when playing DRM encoded content, at which point it is disabled. This is a requirement of DRM support otherwise the Audigy 2 would simply not be able to play DRM encoded content, e.g. DVD-Audio, as would be the case for other non-supporting soundcards.

At the time of testing, the Audigy 2 & Audigy 2 ZS were the only PC Soundcards to support DVD-Audio playback (stand-alone DVD-Audio players also only use Analog outputs).

Gamergod · 01-04-2007, 19:29 | posts: 1,047 | Location: United Kingdom | User is Offline

I have finally found the solution ( @ 3:20am :S ) SPDIF cannot put out more than 2 channels @ 96hz! This is nothing to do with the card, but a restriction of the slot. This is why I have to set it to 48hz when playing dvd.

ROBSCIX · 01-05-2007, 07:27 | posts: 10,558 | Location: Guru3D Audio Lab | User is Offline

Really? My SPDIF out on my X-Meridian can ouput Dolby Digital and DTS in 7.1
@ up to 24/192khz! It's a limit of the card as we have been saying.

Gamergod · 01-06-2007, 10:32 | posts: 1,047 | Location: United Kingdom | User is Offline

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBSCIX

Really? My SPDIF out on my X-Meridian can ouput Dolby Digital and DTS in 7.1
@ up to 24/192khz! It's a limit of the card as we have been saying.

I think the Auzentech can because it upmixes the sound and re-encodes. The default rate for a dd dvd is 24/48khz, so the A2 i playing it as it should do, so not exactly a limitation per se.

I can run music @ 96khz, but the only thing I found was when searching thru the song, the sound would get messed up and no longer Pro Logic 2 in my amp. I guess that may be a bug in the drivers.

Anyway, i got a absolute bargain and bought an X-FI Extreme Music for £5 shipped!

How I manage that you say

Well I sold my A2 for £20 and a HDD as well. So got £35 for the two, and the card cost me ~£40 off ebay. I could not really turn that down for that kind of money. Hopefully it may be a bit better in the 96hz department for music. Guess I will see, I mean its gotta sound better than my A2

ROBSCIX · 01-06-2007, 10:43 | posts: 10,558 | Location: Guru3D Audio Lab | User is Offline

Not if the A2 is playing it in stereo it's not as it should be. I doubt your gonna get better digital support with the X-fi. Digital support is not a feature Creative really paid much attention to. You din't get it for 5, you got it for 40. you sold other parts to get the card. So you could say you got it for 5, but you lost the A2 and the HDD.