Line-IN 7.1 surround sound

[Hjgrove]

Hi there,
I've always wondered this really.
How can I get a 7.1 surround sound from my xbox one into my PC.
It has a 7.1 Surround sound codec but it only has a analog line-in.
It does have two digital SPDIF and Coaxial but they're only output I think.
Will the standard line-in support this?
Thanks!

 

[ssddx]

it sounds like your soundcard supports 7.1 out (not in). no, the line in only supports stereo in.

i know of at least one soundcard with an optical input. this is capable of supporting surround provided both devices use the right encoding.

i've heard that people have used game capture cards as input devices for audio.

you *might* be able to use a tv tuner card with hdmi input.

are you looking to record or just play it on speakers?

 

[Hjgrove]

Thanks for the reply!
Just play it on speakers.
I have noticed that my codec turns 2.1 stereo into 7.1 surround sound whilst playing 2.1 music.
Will this be the same story with the line-in?

 

[ssddx]

that would not be true surround sound. its "faked". if you're happy with it then thats great, just letting you know its not true surround.

i cant say for sure but it might work with the line in. its easy enough to test... plug a mp3 player or phone into the jack with a male to male 3.5mm cable and see what your speakers act like with it (and check in settings if they only play stereo)

if that works and you get your "faked" surround then....

you could get the line in signal easy enough from something like this http/www.ebay.com/itm/HDMI-to-HDMI-Optical-SPDIF-RCA-L-R-Audio-Extractor-Converter-Splitter-for-TV-/221412518597?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item338d36eac5

only thing to note is that i'm not sure if the xbo needs hdcp support or not. i quickly glanced and it seemed like it didnt for gaming but would for movies. im not sure if the extractor i linked has hdcp support (but if the xbo doesnt need it for gaming then it should be fine)

however... keep in mind that this is only faked surround from a 2.0/2.1 source. true surround is more beneficial for positioning but if all you wanted is "sound output" then it would do it. (if you want true surround on your pc speakers... this isnt the way to go about it)

there is another way to go about it.... instead of trying hard to get the pc to recognize the input... you could completely bypass the pc but still use the computer speakers. if you use a 5.1 audio extractor like this http/www.ambery.com/2hddodtsdihd.html which would allow you to connect via hdmi, with hdmi passthrough to the tv for your console... you can then plug your 3.5mm plugs from your computer speakers into this set and get sound (since the speakers are self powered). its $128 however you're going to spend that (or more) if you try to get a game recording card which is more clunky to setup and might have speaker delay. this is the better choice. if you wanted to have both your pc and xbo connected at once to the speakers you can always get some stereo male 3.5mm to 2x stereo male 3.5mm Y splitters. one for each wire your speakers have (3x splitters for a 5.1 or 4x for a 7.1)

 

[Hjgrove]

Thanks a lot!
That really helped!
Is there anyway to get "True surround sound" from my pc?

 

[ssddx]

well first you need multiple speakers (a 5.1 or 7.1 system) and a capable soundcard.

surround from your pc itself...

from music?
not unless you had specially recorded (from multiple microphones) music specially meant for surround sound.

from pc games?
sure, as long as you have a surround system and soundcard.

from web video?
most dont support surround sound, the best you would get is faked. however if one does then yes.

surround from console or other input devices...

from the xbox one?
likely if you use a game capture card which supports 5.1 however i'm not going to say how cheap they are. however, there really is no need to have it come into your pc... you could use the box i suggested at the end of my last post to bypass the pc completely. if all you want is sound on your speakers this would work.

 

[Hjgrove]

Thanks! Ill just bypass the PC instead.
Thank you for the info on true and fake surround sound, that helped me ALOT!