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PowerDVD 8.0 Ultra Released!

After doing a bit of reading I upgraded to PDVD8. I was hoping for better sound and picture. I can’t see any difference in the picture and the audio seems maybe better. I can now play Across the Universe and the audio dropouts seem to be gone from Ratatouille and others. :) I was hoping that the SPDIF would work now but for me it still crashes PDVD when selected. :( I wanted to use it because while I am using the digital output on my Creative X-Fi card (so my Denon AVR-5803 can do the decoding) the channel test on the Avia DVD are messed up. It sends the rear channels out the front. The digital output from my DVD player to the receiver works fine in the regard. I was hoping that the SPDIF selection in PDVD would fix the issue but I can’t use it.

Fun with Audio:
I have had the Creative 8 channel analog cable for some time but it was not long enough so I had not used it until now. I wanted to see if it would work. I set the number of speakers in the Creative control panel to 7.1 and its tests worked fine for all speakers except I really have a 6.1 setup speaker wise. I only have one rear surround speaker but I’ve set it up in the receiver and the manual tells you to connect it to the Left Rear if you only have one. It looks like it works fine if the receiver is doing the decoding but using the 8 analog inputs the Right Rear audio is just lost. I used a Y adapter to combine the two rear analog channels. I’m thinking that may make it a little louder but at least the tests vocals for the RR and LR both com out the one rear surround.

Now onto PDVD. It is also set to 8 channels and while I did not try the Avia DVD I did try the Audio setup test on the Blu-ray Ratatouille. There is a low level hum coming from all the speakers with using the 8 channel analog cable but I have to be real close and the movie must be paused. This is not there when using the digital output. All the channels work but it has a test for a single Rear surround and it sends the sound test through both the side surrounds. There is a note on the screen stating that it will do this if you do not have a rear speaker. ???

All that being said, I think the sound is a bit better get the down sampled True-HD through the 8 channel analog cable even with the extra humming noise. The side surrounds are notably better using the analog outputs when compared to the Digital output of the X-Fi. They sound cleaner and more accurate. Like the correct sounds are being sent to the side surrounds. In Ratatouille, early on when the old lady turns on the light and starts shooting up the place, the click sound is clearly defined and is without question coming from the Left Side surround speaker. When I switch to the digital output the click is not as clear and sounds more like its coming from the Left Front.

I guess you're using XP? Do you have any filters for AC3 or DTS audio such as AC3 Filter? If so, try disabling them for AC3 or DTS and try again. I had a problem with AC3 Filter interfering with S/PDIF output of my DVR files when played with PowerDVD.

About the hum, it might just be the sound card itself with the internal interference of the PC, but if you can try better shielded cables. It could reduce noise a bit, depending on the length of your actual cables, and where they're going through.

Another possibility is to just leave PowerDVD in 8-channel mode and then let your card encode it to AC3 or DTS via DD Live or DTS Connect, but you'll probably need a new soundcard to do that. Look up "Sondigo Callisto", and that's exactly what you'll get, no more (except for headphone out), no less. I love my Callisto, but it seems it's being discontinued.

Another choice would be to pick up a C-Media based card (Asus Xonar series, HT Claro, etc.). I don't recommend Creative cards for HTPC. They don't have any Dolby or DTS features, and their Creative counterparts are just plain crappy from what I've tried (specifically CMSS-3D vs. Dolby Headphone).
 
I was hoping that the SPDIF would work now but for me it still crashes PDVD when selected.
Maybe PDVD doesn't like your soundcard?
I can honestly say that SPDIF works, and always has worked for me with PDVD (versions 6, 7 and 8 ). And in PDVD 8 even DTS-Mixing (or AC3-Mixing) for next-gen audio formats found on BluRay works well with SPDIF, which was sort-of buggy in 7.3.

S.
 
I’m running Vista and XP with dual boot. I’ve not used XP in some time though. Are these issues Vista related? I don’t have any filters that I know of. What do you use them for and how are they installed?

I’m sure the hum is the card or the cables picking up some noise. The cables at the moment are running across the floor and it’s the 8 channel Creative cable with 8 12ft RCA extensions. The extensions are good quality shielded cables. I’ve always had more static or noise on analog cables and it makes sense for the digital AC3 feed to the receiver to have much less noise with the digital to analog to amp all being internal and the receiver having better DACs.

So some cards can take the True-HD 8 channel sound from PowerDVD and then down sample it to AC3 or DTS? Is the X-Fi not doing that now when I use the digitial output? I’d be looking for a card with DD Live or DTS Connect? I can now use the SPDIF output on the X-Fi and it is getting surround to the receiver. I’m just not sure what I’m getting from the digital output if SPDIF is not on in PowerDVD? I’m guessing its decompressed AC3 from PowerDVD (or is it True-HD) and then recompressed AC3 or PCM-(?) by the X-Fi sound card to the receiver?

Momber-
I can’t get it to work so I’m not sure but what would the difference be between selecting SPDIF or 8 channels in PowerDVD? I can currently get surround from the digital output but I guess that it’s being recompressed by the X-Fi card whereas if I could set SPDIF in PowerDVD the X-Fi card would pass through untouched?
 
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I’m running Vista and XP with dual boot. I’ve not used XP in some time though. Are these issues Vista related? I don’t have any filters that I know of. What do you use them for and how are they installed?

I’m sure the hum is the card or the cables picking up some noise. The cables at the moment are running across the floor and it’s the 8 channel Creative cable with 8 12ft RCA extensions. The extensions are good quality shielded cables. I’ve always had more static or noise on analog cables and it makes sense for the digital AC3 feed to the receiver to have much less noise with the digital to analog to amp all being internal and the receiver having better DACs.

So some cards can take the True-HD 8 channel sound from PowerDVD and then down sample it to AC3 or DTS? Is the X-Fi not doing that now when I use the digitial output? I’d be looking for a card with DD Live or DTS Connect? I can now use the SPDIF output on the X-Fi and it is getting surround to the receiver. I’m just not sure what I’m getting from the digital output if SPDIF is not on in PowerDVD? I’m guessing its decompressed AC3 from PowerDVD (or is it True-HD) and then recompressed AC3 or PCM-(?) by the X-Fi sound card to the receiver?

Momber-
I can’t get it to work so I’m not sure but what would the difference be between selecting SPDIF or 8 channels in PowerDVD? I can currently get surround from the digital output but I guess that it’s being recompressed by the X-Fi card whereas if I could set SPDIF in PowerDVD the X-Fi card would pass through untouched?
I'd stick with the analog out - definately better sound.

I always have a ground or floating ground issue when using a pc for audio. The culprit for me is always the cable line. If I have an electrical connection between any device that is plugged into the cable and the receiver or anything that has an electrical conducting connection with the receiver, then I get a hum.

For example, I have my cable box plugged into my receiver, but I'm using optical digital cable, which does not have a electric connection (it is optical). But if I plug in an rca cable from my cable box to my receiver, then I get humm from my pc analog. But if I unplug that rca cable, the humm is 100% gone. A digital coax cable will also cause the humm, since that is an electrical connection. An s-video or component or composite connection would also be an electrical connection (if it was plugged into your receiver).
A few years ago my only resolution was to unplug the cable from the jack anytime I wanted to listen to my pc from my receiver.
 
whereas if I could set SPDIF in PowerDVD the X-Fi card would pass through untouched?
Yes, but only the few audio formats that are possible with SPDIF (AC3, AC3 core of TrueHD [if there is one], AC3 downmix of DDPlus, DTS, DTS core of DTS-HD, PCM 2-channel). For all other multichannel formats you would have to use DTS- or AC3 "Mixing" (meaning: on-the-fly re-encoding) in PowerDVD, like I do. And of course that's a compromise with respect to quality.
So if you can set up a 6 (or more)-channel analogue connection to your amp, by all means do it and let PDVD decode everything.

S.
 
I always have a ground or floating ground issue when using a pc for audio. The culprit for me is always the cable line. If I have an electrical connection between any device that is plugged into the cable and the receiver or anything that has an electrical conducting connection with the receiver, then I get a hum.

Try a ground loop isolator (a transformer coupling) for the cable line.
You can find examples here: Google Shopping Search

Since the transformer is an AC only coupling and at much higher frequencies than the hum, it effectively blocks it. Just make sure you get one that supports the frequencies in use on your cable system. Higher price usually, but not always, indicates a broader frequency range.

The same kind of devices are available for a variety of audio and video connections that can behave badly.
 
Try a ground loop isolator (a transformer coupling) for the cable line.
You can find examples here: Google Shopping Search

Since the transformer is an AC only coupling and at much higher frequencies than the hum, it effectively blocks it. Just make sure you get one that supports the frequencies in use on your cable system. Higher price usually, but not always, indicates a broader frequency range.

The same kind of devices are available for a variety of audio and video connections that can behave badly.
Yes, that would indeed solve my problem. Though removing the cable ground's existence from my audio system works even better (and is cheaper). ;)
 
Yes, but only the few audio formats that are possible with SPDIF (AC3, AC3 core of TrueHD [if there is one], AC3 downmix of DDPlus, DTS, DTS core of DTS-HD, PCM 2-channel). For all other multichannel formats you would have to use DTS- or AC3 "Mixing" (meaning: on-the-fly re-encoding) in PowerDVD, like I do. And of course that's a compromise with respect to quality.
So if you can set up a 6 (or more)-channel analogue connection to your amp, by all means do it and let PDVD decode everything.

S.

Can you explain further? I'm getting weird results and I thought buying an Auzentech X-Plosion would solve all my surround problems. I have that card S/PDIF out to my Sony STR-DG710. PowerDVD set to 'Use S/PDIF' Digital out default in playback devices. When watching godfather blu-ray the other day it only came out in 2-channel unless I selected 'AC3 mixing' after which it was 5.1. Iron Man blu-ray was fine in surround without the mixing. I thought use S/PDIF setting would pass through everything to the receiver. Oh and the Xear utility for the X-Plosion is set to 6 channel in and Dolby Digital Live out. I was wondering why there's no setting for pass through in that utility too. Shouldn't there be so it's not trying to turn everything into DDL?
 
Hi there,

I have a little issue with powerDVD8 on XP:
When I see a movie (Blu-ray or DVD), there is always a very brief freeze of the picture at every chapter.
I tried with powerDVD7 and WinDVD9, and both work well.

Do you have any idea of why ?


Thank you for your help.
 
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I thought use S/PDIF setting would pass through everything to the receiver.

Of course not. The bandwidth of the age-old S/PDIF connection is not high enough to allow multichannel passthrough of Hi-Def audio.

With the hard/software combination you have, I recommend setting PowerDVD to decode everything to 6 speaker output and let your Auzentech do its DD or DTS real-time encoding. You can then pass that out via SPDIF.

This technique not as good, in theory, as a 6-ch analogue connection though because both DD and DTS are lossy formats.

S.
 
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