Getting Dolby digital 5.1 from pc

Beany31

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Hi guys, I don't have a soundcard that has optical out on my pc and want to get 5.1 dolby digital sound from my pc. Is there any way without having to buy an internal soundcard? e.g. something like a USB?

My TV has optical out but on my receiver (samsung htz310r) it only comes out as stereo and the same sound is coming out of every speaker which I don't like. I like to have proper surround sound. I have a toslink splitter so I can switch between sky hd, xbox, bluray, and now I'd like to add my pc in to the mix but am unsure what I can get to do this.

Any help would be great.
 
Why not get a graphics card that supports audio over HDMI? You then have a single audio/video feed from your PC to your amp/TV.

ATI 5000 series cards and upwards support 5.1 and 7.1 audio.
 
Why not get a graphics card that supports audio over HDMI? You then have a single audio/video feed from your PC to your amp/TV.

ATI 5000 series cards and upwards support 5.1 and 7.1 audio.
I've only just built the computer and it wasn't in my budget at the time.
 
Just wondering if spdif out would enable me to have dolby digital / DTS 5.1 sound - e.g. can i connect this to my amp?
 
msi880gm-e41 I believe.


It is connected to my tv with a hdmi cable. My amp is an all in one cinema system and I use Toslink optical cables from my xbox, sky and bluray and am not sure how to get 5.1 dolby digital from my pc
 
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A soundcard with optical or elec (coax) SPDIF will give you 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS when used in conjunction with AC3Filter

I used this in my desktop with no problems; Trust.com - 5.1 Surround Sound Card SC-5250
And a cheap Yamaha PCI soundcard with an optical output in my HTPC worked no problem also.

I have one the Trust card I had in my desktop still, sell you it if you want it.

I've seen USB to optical sound adapters, but never used one, so can't really advise there. But fitting a PCI slot soundcard is so easy, you might as well just do that (unless you don't have any PCI slots free I guess)
 
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