Little confused about AC-3

Archer36 · Nov 27, 2005, 05:53 AM

Hey guys I picked up a DVD-RW drive today, and I am playing around with powerDVD and WMP10. I have a Audigy 2 ZS with the 3537 drivers, and a Logitech Z-5300 5.1 setup.

So basically if I select the output as SPDIF, I notice Kx popups a little box saying "AC-3 Decode" in the system tray. It *sounds* like I am getting surround sound, but not sure if I have it setup right.

I am using the surrounder set to 5.1, with the k2lt setup for the analog outputs also.

Wejgomi · Nov 27, 2005, 08:32 AM

no, what your hearing is basically a 6 channel signal decoded into 3 or more anaLog channeLs..

considering you have a digital receiver or a home theater set, to get a digital signal, you should set "SPDIF 0" as AC3 Passthru mode in KX mixer..

and if this does not work, or make it sound annoying noise, then your amphi or speakers don't have an internal ac3 decoder, means you should stick with analog modes..

Tril · Nov 27, 2005, 01:29 PM

I think Wejgomi misunderstood because you mentionned AC3 and SPDIF. The Logitech Z-5300 take an analog signal as input.

In a DVD player, you can usually choose "6 speakers" or "SPDIF".

SPDIF is useful when you have an external receiver/decoder because you can send all the six channels digitally in a single cable by using the passthru capability of the soundcard.

If you choose six speakers, the DVD player software will send 6 analog audio channels to the soundcard. That's usually what you would choose in your case. You don't have a receiver and you want to use the analog outputs.

You can still choose SPDIF but if you do, the audio will get decoded from AC3 to analog by the soundcard instead of the DVD player.

That means that you can use both modes but the DVD player probably has a more complex and better AC3 decoder than the kX drivers. I'm not sure on this but it makes sense.

What's important to get 5.1 sound is to set the Surrounder+ to 5.1 (preset : 5.1 - Movie Mode).

If the Speaker Test sounds on the right speakers, you are getting surround sound correctly. If you never used it, the Speaker Test is in the mixer. There is a button marked "Test" in the bottom right, near the soundcard's name.

Archer36 · Nov 27, 2005, 02:24 PM

Ok, is there a reason to use the Surrounder+ over the plain Surrounder?

PowerDVD is only giving me the choise of 2Ch, Heaphones, or SPDIF because my version is not the full retail version just the one that came with the DVD player. Are there any free alternatives to PowerDVD?

THanks.

**temeteus82** · Nov 27, 2005, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Archer36

Are there any free alternatives to PowerDVD?

I haven't seen any ... if some one knows good free DVD player let me know

Tril · Nov 27, 2005, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Archer36

Ok, is there a reason to use the Surrounder+ over the plain Surrounder?

I mentionned Surrounder+ because it is the one that loads by default in my version of the drivers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by temeteus82

I haven't seen any ... if some one knows good free DVD player let me know

VLC

**temeteus82** · Nov 27, 2005, 06:47 PM

Do VLC have build in DVD decoder?

Archer36 · Nov 27, 2005, 07:22 PM

I downloaded VLC seems to be nice, but not exactly sure how to setup the audio settings.

ETA under the Audio drop down --> then Audio device when I select 5.1 the audio is quiet and muffled, however A/52 over SPDIF sounds a lot better than Kx pops up that "AC-3 Decode" again.

peate · Nov 28, 2005, 03:39 PM

I found that Media Player classic plays DVD's quite well. It's also free.

imperia · Nov 28, 2005, 10:31 PM

zoom player
there is free dvd decoder codec. mpegdec or something like that + ac3filter for sound.

Maddogg6 · Nov 29, 2005, 12:40 AM

VLC - is meant for sending media over a LAN, to a reciver PC anywhere in the world....btw..

Tril · Nov 29, 2005, 01:40 AM

Quote:

VLC - is meant for sending media over a LAN, to a reciver PC anywhere in the world....btw..

Yeah. I used it before to watch a DVD in a computer that had no DVD drive. I connected two computers to my network, played a DVD on one computer and sent it to the other throught the network.

Nov 27, 2005, 05:53 AM	#1
Archer36 DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 19 Rep Power: 0	Little confused about AC-3 Hey guys I picked up a DVD-RW drive today, and I am playing around with powerDVD and WMP10. I have a Audigy 2 ZS with the 3537 drivers, and a Logitech Z-5300 5.1 setup. So basically if I select the output as SPDIF, I notice Kx popups a little box saying "AC-3 Decode" in the system tray. It sounds like I am getting surround sound, but not sure if I have it setup right. I am using the surrounder set to 5.1, with the k2lt setup for the analog outputs also.

Nov 27, 2005, 07:22 PM	Thread Starter #8
Archer36 DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 19 Rep Power: 0	I downloaded VLC seems to be nice, but not exactly sure how to setup the audio settings. ETA under the Audio drop down --> then Audio device when I select 5.1 the audio is quiet and muffled, however A/52 over SPDIF sounds a lot better than Kx pops up that "AC-3 Decode" again. Last edited by Archer36; Nov 27, 2005 at 07:28 PM.

Nov 27, 2005, 08:32 AM	#2
Wejgomi DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Istanbul Posts: 8 Rep Power: 0	no, what your hearing is basically a 6 channel signal decoded into 3 or more anaLog channeLs.. considering you have a digital receiver or a home theater set, to get a digital signal, you should set "SPDIF 0" as AC3 Passthru mode in KX mixer.. and if this does not work, or make it sound annoying noise, then your amphi or speakers don't have an internal ac3 decoder, means you should stick with analog modes..

Nov 27, 2005, 01:29 PM	#3
Tril S-3D enthusiast Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 1,676 Rep Power: 64 System Specs	I think Wejgomi misunderstood because you mentionned AC3 and SPDIF. The Logitech Z-5300 take an analog signal as input. In a DVD player, you can usually choose "6 speakers" or "SPDIF". SPDIF is useful when you have an external receiver/decoder because you can send all the six channels digitally in a single cable by using the passthru capability of the soundcard. If you choose six speakers, the DVD player software will send 6 analog audio channels to the soundcard. That's usually what you would choose in your case. You don't have a receiver and you want to use the analog outputs. You can still choose SPDIF but if you do, the audio will get decoded from AC3 to analog by the soundcard instead of the DVD player. That means that you can use both modes but the DVD player probably has a more complex and better AC3 decoder than the kX drivers. I'm not sure on this but it makes sense. What's important to get 5.1 sound is to set the Surrounder+ to 5.1 (preset : 5.1 - Movie Mode). If the Speaker Test sounds on the right speakers, you are getting surround sound correctly. If you never used it, the Speaker Test is in the mixer. There is a button marked "Test" in the bottom right, near the soundcard's name.

Nov 27, 2005, 02:24 PM	Thread Starter #4
Archer36 DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 19 Rep Power: 0	Ok, is there a reason to use the Surrounder+ over the plain Surrounder? PowerDVD is only giving me the choise of 2Ch, Heaphones, or SPDIF because my version is not the full retail version just the one that came with the DVD player. Are there any free alternatives to PowerDVD? THanks.

Nov 28, 2005, 03:39 PM	#9
peate HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 409 Rep Power: 57	I found that Media Player classic plays DVD's quite well. It's also free.

Nov 28, 2005, 10:31 PM	#10
imperia HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Sofia, Bulgaria Posts: 174 Rep Power: 0	zoom player there is free dvd decoder codec. mpegdec or something like that + ac3filter for sound.

Nov 29, 2005, 12:40 AM	#11
Maddogg6 Tail Razer Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Bernyurass, AZ - USA Posts: 4,027 Rep Power: 0	VLC - is meant for sending media over a LAN, to a reciver PC anywhere in the world....btw..