Technically can't get 5.1 to motherboard

[Shpeckledorf]

Hey everyone.

So I have been trying for months to get 5.1 surround to my PC using a Sony HTIB (with only 1 HDMI output), and I finally just figured out I needed the receiver on the "TV" setting instead of "Audio" so that it uses the digital audio cable for god knows what reason. I just went to the properties on the digital audio sound setting on my PC and tested it with DTS and Dolby Digital and those 2 worked, recorgnized and played a sound through each of the speakers, the sub, FL, C, FR, RL, and RR channels with both. So, I was content, applied the settings, then right clicked it again outside of the properties and it only did right and left, no center, no rear, or sub. I have to literally go into the properties and test it with dolby digital or dts for it to use every speaker. How do I make it so I can use every speaker like it does in the settings? I even downloaded a huge file that tested Dolby Digital 5.1 and it did stereo.

 

[getochkn]

What did you play the files back with?

 

[Shpeckledorf]

What do you mean? What I currently have selected as my default playback option is digital optical audio. If I played the file I'd assume it would play it with surround right?

 

[getochkn]

I mean what media player are you using.

And no, not necessarily. Surround is a very complicated thing. Either 1 of 2 things need to happen with a surround file. Either 1, the media player itself will decode it, providing they paid the proper royalites to whatever company like Dolby, etc, to allow them to decode it and then it will send out the 6 or 8 or whatever channels to each speaker. Most PC media players don't. Option 2, is that it will do what is known as passthrough, which mean it passes the surround file untouched, to the receiver, and it does the decoding, because again, they paid the fees to be allowed to decode Dolby.

Getting this to work over optical is picky as some optical only accepts uncompressed single channel PCM audio, which means it has to be decoded by the PC. Most PC media players don't decode anything though and will only pull out the two channels for stereo.

 

[Shpeckledorf]

I used something called 5K Player and VLC Media Player, as well as the Windows 10 default movie player and it didn't work. Matter of fact no sound came out of the speakers at all using the Movies and TV option that comes with windows. I'm assuming that if I go play a game that uses 5.1 it wont work either?

When I go in properties of digital optical audio shouldn't I get an option to use 5.1 as my preferred sound instead of just sample rates?

 

[getochkn]

What HTIB? A lot of them will only decoded surround audio from DVD's or Bluray's but not from a digital input.

 

[Shpeckledorf]

What HTIB? A lot of them will only decoded surround audio from DVD's or Bluray's but not from a digital input.

http/www.sony.com/electronics/all-in-one-home-cinema-systems/bdv-e3100

If the Dolby digital sound test played correctly in each speaker I should have a problem right?