Can't get 5.1 sound from laptop via HDMI

heaver

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hello, it is my first post here in the forums and even though i'm really lazy this has been bothering me a lot.

i have a blu-ray player connected to my bose v30 which is connected to my hdtv and i get 5.1 sound without any problems.

but when i plug my computer to the bose and the bose to the tv..it shows 2.0 on the bose display and i even get some sound in the rear speakers, but its definititely not 5.1, it doesnt sound good and it clearly says 2.0 on the bose display.

the issue should definitely not be with the movies im playing which are mainly BRrips and also some dvdrips...and in the torrent descriptions it says audio 6 channels bla bla.... i go to vlc in audio device and choose 5.1...nothing happens

when i go to the playback devices...hdmi out...it says 2 channels and 44khz and 48 khz supported (from what i read all the files i downloaded are 48 and i have it set as 48)...
im also using windows 7 sp1.....i dunno what to do anymore....any help would be greatly appreciated
 
Is there any mention in the Laptop specification of it supporting DD/DTS via its HDMI port – the majority of HDMI ports on PC’s only support 2.0.

Joe
 
im not sure about the laptop specifications, i couldnt find it...but its an amd 785 and hd4200
i dont understand how it wouldnt be able to send a 5.1 signal...its not even new technology or anything...i remember watching dvds on 5.1 10 years ago at home
 
HDMI chipsets vary in capability by quite a lot , and also the driver supplied with that chipset may or may not enable the ability to do 5.1 depending on the capabilities of that chipset.

Laptop HDMI Chipsets are competing for real estate with a lot of other devices inside a very small enclosure , it is not unusual for features like multichannel over HDMI to be sacrificed in budget models.

Some models dont have sound at all over HDMI , just video !!

The best thing you can do is open the sound utility for you laptop , see if there is a feature for HDMI audio , and see what options you have in there.
 
Ditto Andy's suggestion!

HDMI is a handy size socket and a great marketing tool - and the great bit (in terms of cost etc. for the manufacturer) there's no requirement to supply anything but the very basic output options.

It’s a Win Win situation for the Marketing and Bean Counter departments.

Joe
 
alright...i called sony and they told me the laptop is able to delivery up to 7.1 and that the problem might be that the drivers on the website for this model are for the oem version of windows 7 and not the retail version (that i have..formatted cuz i hate all that stuff that comes with it) of windows 7.
they said that i was supposed to be able to bring up some sort of mixer or gui from realtek and be able to select the output from there
 
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just found out that the new ati 11.5 catalyst comes with hdmi audio drivers but cant install due to limitations from sony....gr8...maybe it works in ubuntu?
 
Sounds to me like you have driver issues and that you are currently working with generic W7 drivers , which only give basic functionality.

Regarding OEM vs Retail , you should be able to find and install the necessary driver for the HDMI output regardless of what type of W7 install you have.

What is the exact model of the laptop?

Catalyst drivers will only work if the HDMI chipset is part of an ATi mobility or graphics chipset , which is not necessarily the case , I would need to know the model of the laptop to help out further.
 
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hey...its a sony vpcee23fx
the chipset as i said is an amd 785
the video is an hd4200

i have the same opinion of u regarding the versions of windows 7(oem or retail)...im just saying what the ppl from sony told me....the drivers im using arent the generic ones windows 7 installs, but the ones i got from the sony drivers page for my model.
 
Just a quick question , all the software on that site for your computer is W7 64bit , is the retail version of W7 that you installed 64bit?

Can you see the realtek software anywhere on your computer ?

Look in programs , if you cant see it there , look for the speaker icon in the system tray down beside the clock , right click on it , and tell me if an option to configure the realtek audio shows up.

If not then the driver did not install properly.
The Realtek Utility, when you find it , should give you the options to configure stereo , 5.1 , etc. though in your case the configuration you want is passthrough.
 
yes, the windows is 64bit...the realtek files are installed and when i click on the volume thing on the tray theres no realtek option whatsoever, no realtek mixer, no realtek gui...i also tried installing the 2.55 hdmi realtek drivers from the realtek website and i also did not find any realtek utility
 
Ok then , try this , its from page 144 of your manual , which I got from here ,

Sony eSupport - VPCEE23FX/BI - Manuals / Specs / Warranty

I see that it doesnt specifically mention a realtek utility , so maybe there is none and its just using the control panel features.

The first and third steps are the most important here , the first makes sure the HDMI port is enabled for sound , the third sets the ports output to match the capabilities of the receiving device , I would imagine the default is stereo or 2.0 as most would be connecting directly to a TV.


How do I change the sound output device?

If you do not hear sound from the device connected to a port, such as the USB port, HDMI output port, optical output port, or
headphones jack, you need to change the device for sound output.
1 Close all open programs.
2 Click Start and Control Panel.
3 Click Hardware and Sound.
4 Click Manage audio devices under Sound.
5 On the Playback tab, select your desired device for sound output and click Set Default.

Troubleshooting >
Audio/Video
n 145 N
What should I do if I do not hear the sound from the sound output device connected to the
HDMI output port, optical output port, or headphones jack?

❑ You need to change the sound output device if you want to hear sound from the device connected to a port, such as the
HDMI output port, optical output port, or headphones jack. For the detailed procedure, see How do I change the sound
output device? (page 144).

❑ If you still hear no sound from the sound output device, follow these steps:
1 Follow steps 1 to 4 in How do I change the sound output device? (page 144).
2 On the Playback tab, select the HDMI or S/PDIF icon and click Properties.
3 Click the Advanced tab.
4 Select the sample rate and bit depth (for example, 48000 Hz, 16 bit) which the device supports.
5 Click OK.
 

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