Dolby Digital Output from a soundcard

[treilanin]

I am currently a very happy user of a G400 32MB Dual head, and am now a proud owner of the Cambridge DTT2500 speakers that have support for dolby digital input. At the current moment I have an SB AWE32 and am looking for a soundcard that has digital out and can output an AC3 stream with the Matrox DVD player. After some looking around I am quite interested in the SB Live X-Gamer but am unsure if I can get the AC3 stream with it. Does anyone have any idea?

[Kruzin]

relocated to GENERAL HARDWARE

[agallag]

Check this thread for all your answers: http://forums.murc.ws/ubb/Forum5/HTML/006932.html

[Warchild]

Check out the Xitel Storm Platnum. It has digital output via a toslink connection, exactly made what you are looking for.
http://www.zitel.com

Warchild

[treilanin]

From what I understand a TOSLink connection is strictly an optical connection right? So I cannot hook it up to my DTT2500 which have a coax input.

[CrazyBee]

TOSLINK and SPDIF are exactly the same exceptoneis optical and the other is electrical.

goto www.minidisc.org then choose a mirror and youll find a converter in the hardware hacks section.

[agallag]

If you need an RCA spdif connector (not optical), get an sblive. Either the original full version (expensive) or a value plus the digital daughter card.

[agallag]

Also note that people are having trouble getting the new sblive xgamer and mp3+ cards (with built in spdif connectors) to pass through ac-3 signals. You have to add the daughter card for it to work.

[treilanin]

Okay thanks for the tips everyone. I was eyeing the SBLive! X-Gamer but it will appear that I will have to save up some more cash to get the real SBLive.

[treilanin]

Just wondering... I have been looking around and have noticed that most retailers in the Toronto, Ontario area do not carry the classic SB Live! anymore and only carry the SB Live! Platinum. Will that work for the AC3 output or is the daughter card readily available as I have yet to find any reference to it's availability on the Creative Labs site.

[Wombat]

Cretive has stopped making the daughter card. That's why the new Live! X-Gamer and MP3+ cards have digital outs on them now.
If you need everything, you probably have to go for the Platinum now.

[agallag]

Diamond has announced the Monster Sound MX400. It apparently has full dolby digital support through it's coaxial spdif. You may want to wait for some reviews though...

[agallag]

...and the SBLive platinum is basically the replacement of the original SBLive. Should work just fine.

[Deef]

I recently purchased a sblive 1024 retail, not the expensive platinum, with a 3,5mm spdif out onboard. I hooked my pc up to my sony str-db830 receiver and with the matrox cinemaster dvd player adn dvdgenie 3.2 I got ac3 right-a-way. I'm using an ordinary audio cable stereo of wich I only use the left channel to connect it to the receiver's coax digital input. It's just perfect.

Before I set it up like this I've read a lot about it. people having all sorts of problems. I don't understand it, for me it worked on the first try.

The settings: in the live mixer enabled digital output only +sign above volume.
dvdgenie AC3/spdif output mode: sblive cm98,
checked enable spdif.
with powerdvd 2.5 the setup is even simpler just select ac3 output in the control panel

Abit bx6 rev.2, PIII-450, 128 Mb sdram
Toshiba 12x dvd, Maxtor 7,5 Gb 7200 rpm
G400 oem 4x 32Mb dual, SBLive 1024 retail
Live ware 3.0, PD 5.41

[DentyCracker]

Isn't there another company that makes the daughter card? I think I may have seen it once on www.3dsoundsurge.com