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Serendipity
Serendipity Posts: 6,975
edited October 2007 in The Clubhouse
Can a PC play DVD-Audio discs?
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  • Systems
    Systems Posts: 14,873
    edited October 2007
    Yes it will ,but I believe you need to have a media player such as PowerDVD with the DVD Audio software upgrade.
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  • Serendipity
    Serendipity Posts: 6,975
    edited October 2007
    GV#27 wrote: »
    Yes it will ,but I believe you need to have a media player such as PowerDVD with the DVD Audio software upgrade.

    Is this a true 5.1 channel output or just a downmixed 2-channel output?

    I do not know, and cannot tell, if my HTPC is actually playing DVD-Audio or downmixing it to a 48KHz, 2-channel signal.
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  • Systems
    Systems Posts: 14,873
    edited October 2007
    appadv wrote: »
    Is this a true 5.1 channel output or just a downmixed 2-channel output?
    I don't have the upgrade so can't say for certain but I believe it be should 5.1 with appropriate soundcard just like dolby digital.
    I do not know, and cannot tell, if my HTPC is actually playing DVD-Audio or downmixing it to a 48KHz, 2-channel signal.
    If the media player does not display the DVD Audio logo then you are likely hearing the DD track.
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  • Serendipity
    Serendipity Posts: 6,975
    edited October 2007
    GV#27 wrote: »
    I don't have the upgrade so can't say for certain but I believe it be should 5.1 with appropriate soundcard just like dolby digital.If the media player does not display the DVD Audio logo then you are likely hearing the DD track.

    Hmm, but IIRC my receiver says "PCM 96KHz/24bit" on its display when playing DVD-Audio. So I have no idea which track I am hearing, as if it were Dolby Digital shouldn't the receiver display "Dolby Digital"?
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  • Systems
    Systems Posts: 14,873
    edited October 2007
    appadv wrote: »
    Hmm, but IIRC my receiver says "PCM 96KHz/24bit" on its display when playing DVD-Audio. So I have no idea which track I am hearing, as if it were Dolby Digital shouldn't the receiver display "Dolby Digital"?
    If it says 96/24 that would be DVD Audio data.
    If playing a DVD Audio disc on a PC the media player should show the DVD Audio logo if has the capability to play them.
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  • Serendipity
    Serendipity Posts: 6,975
    edited October 2007
    GV#27 wrote: »
    If it says 96/24 that would be DVD Audio data.
    If playing a DVD Audio disc on a PC the media player should show the DVD Audio logo if has the capability to play them.

    I'm using either InterVideo WinDVD or Windows XP Media Center's DVD player. Never knew there was a DVD-Audio logo until today.
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  • Systems
    Systems Posts: 14,873
    edited October 2007
    I' m not sure if either of those offer the DVD Audio add on.I know that with the Creative MediaSource player and Cyberlinks PowerDVD it was an optional item that was was 30 or 40 dollars extra.They claim the charge was to cover licencing fees.


    btw.How are you getting full 24bit/96k resolution from your player to your receiver,via HDMI?
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  • Serendipity
    Serendipity Posts: 6,975
    edited October 2007
    GV#27 wrote: »
    I' m not sure if either of those offer the DVD Audio add on.I know that with the Creative MediaSource player and Cyberlinks PowerDVD it was an optional item that was was 30 or 40 dollars extra.They claim the charge was to cover licencing fees.


    btw.How are you getting full 24bit/96k resolution from your player to your receiver,via HDMI?

    I have it connected via an optical cable. Which is not supposed to work.

    But for some odd reason it works!
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  • Serendipity
    Serendipity Posts: 6,975
    edited October 2007
    Hmm, I still don't think this is the true DVD-Audio signal.

    From Wikipedia, "DVD-Audio cannot be delivered via unencrypted digital audio link at sample rates higher than 48 kHz (i.e., ordinary DVD-Video quality) due to concerns about digital copying." So there is no way of getting true 96KHz thru an optical cable.

    What I think really is going on is that the signal is being downconverted in the PC to 48 KHz, passed through the optical audio jack (which, again, is NOT supposed to work), and then somewhere in the process upconverted again to 96KHz/24-bit.
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  • Systems
    Systems Posts: 14,873
    edited October 2007
    appadv wrote: »
    Hmm, I still don't think this is the true DVD-Audio signal.

    From Wikipedia, "DVD-Audio cannot be delivered via unencrypted digital audio link at sample rates higher than 48 kHz (i.e., ordinary DVD-Video quality) due to concerns about digital copying." So there is no way of getting true 96KHz thru an optical cable.
    thats my understanding thus my question in the previous post. :confused:
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  • Serendipity
    Serendipity Posts: 6,975
    edited October 2007
    GV#27 wrote: »
    thats my understanding thus my question in the previous post. :confused:

    From my understanding you need six analog cables for DVD-Audio (5 channels + 1 LFE), not an optical cable. I shouldn't even be hearing sound with an optical cable. Why I am hearing anything with an optical cable is still a mystery.
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  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited October 2007
    most PC's are playing the Dolby Digital tracks on a DVD-audio disc... you'd know if it were playing the DVD-audio track.. you would have had to upgrade your software, and your sound card.. have you done both of those? then it's playing the DD track. whether it says so or not.. i can be 99.9% sure it's playing the DD track.
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  • Serendipity
    Serendipity Posts: 6,975
    edited October 2007
    danger boy wrote: »
    most PC's are playing the Dolby Digital tracks on a DVD-audio disc... you'd know if it were playing the DVD-audio track.. you would have had to upgrade your software, and your sound card.. have you done both of those? then it's playing the DD track. whether it says so or not.. i can be 99.9% sure it's playing the DD track.

    Well, my PC has a 5.1 analog audio out, optical connection and HDMI out. Even though I did not upgrade the software, and still have the original sound card, I'm getting the feeling that it's (somewhat) playing the DVD-Audio track.

    If it were playing the DD track, my receiver says "Dolby Digital"

    Instead it says PCM 96KHz/24-bit, not DD, DTS, PLIIx, etc.
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  • Serendipity
    Serendipity Posts: 6,975
    edited October 2007
    This picture of a similar HTPC shows the 5.1 audio out:

    http://www.windowsfordevices.com/files/misc/hp-entertain-rear.jpg
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  • Polk addict
    Polk addict Posts: 558
    edited October 2007
    appadv wrote: »
    Well, my PC has a 5.1 analog audio out, optical connection and HDMI out. Even though I did not upgrade the software, and still have the original sound card, I'm getting the feeling that it's (somewhat) playing the DVD-Audio track.

    If it were playing the DD track, my receiver says "Dolby Digital"

    Instead it says PCM 96KHz/24-bit, not DD, DTS, PLIIx, etc.

    That would be why (audio out). You're sending it out through optical... And you don't need analog cables, optical is able to send it...
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  • Serendipity
    Serendipity Posts: 6,975
    edited October 2007
    Polk addict wrote: »
    That would be why (audio out). You're sending it out through optical... And you don't need analog cables, optical is able to send it...

    So it is able to send it...

    Still wondering if this is the true DVD-A track or the DD track.
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  • Systems
    Systems Posts: 14,873
    edited October 2007
    appadv wrote: »
    So it is able to send it...

    Still wondering if this is the true DVD-A track or the DD track.

    Yes DVD A data can be sent with optical (or coax) but as I have always understood it,it must be downconverted to 48k/16bit so that a direct digital copy cannot be made.To get the full resolution of 96k/24bit or 192k/24bit you need to use the analog outputs or HDMI.You may be getting the DD track but strangely the receiver is indicating that the data is 96k/24 but DD is only 48k.:confused:
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