DVD question

[ganyaik]

Hi,

I have a G200+RRG+DVD+TVO combo with PD5.41/W98 in a SS7 system. My soundcard is currently an SBPCI64.
My question is: can I somehow get the 5.1 digital sound of my DVDs out of this system? What about DTS?
BTW: I have a Pioneer10x DVD ROM...
Thanx in advance,
Chris

[CrazyBee]

Uhmm... I dont know much about your card, but, the answer is yes. You can get Dolby Digital and DTS out of your soundcard if you have:

1) A software player that allows it (powerdvd 2.55 and others)
2) A soundcard that has a digital out on it.

I have the same DVD-ROM, as well as a SB Live! 1024. And I output the digital out to my Yamaha HTR-5140 and I get Dolby Digital sound. YAY!!

I am looking at the README file for PowerDVD and it says the SB Live! series can do it (with digital I/O card), SB PCI64, and PCI128.

Now, whether or not it ACTUALLY works for anything other than a Live! card I do not know. It should though.


CB


------------------
Abit BX6 Rev.1
Celeron 366A PPGA @ 566, 2.1v
192 meg RAM, CAS2
13.0 gig Maxtor 4320 HD
6.0 gig Maxtor (in removeable drive bay)
HP8110i 4x2x24
Pioneer DVD-104
SB Live! 1024
USB ZIP 100
G400 32MB DH 5ns RAM
Two KDS 17" Trinitron monitors

[ganyaik]

Hi,
Thanx for the reply. It seems to me that I have to change my soundcard. I was planning an SBLive, so it´s nice to hear that it does the job.
My question is that does the PowerDVD support the Matrox DVD module, I have? It would be important, because my cpu is a K62-400 uc to 375(due to mobo, will be changed soon) and it can't do the decompressing without hw assist.
Chris

[Kruzin]

No. Only the Zoran software will use the Zoran module. If you switch to PowerDVD (or anything else) you will be running software decoding.

[ganyaik]

Hmm... And how can I get the digital sound out of it? I think Marvels have SPDIF. What about G200+RRGs? The module has a cable to the soundcard, but it's like a CD cable.
Chris

[cods]

Kruzin: Incorrect....

Windows98 DVD player hidden in the CAB's uses the Zoran Hardware on the G200, as does the latest Microsoft Media player.
I am using PD5.25 and VT151, and have been for ages.
Non-Marvel apparently can't do 5.1

[Aryko]

Unless I'm mistaken, you need a sound card with S/PDIF (and for some random trivia, S/PDIF stands for Sony Phillips Digital Interface).

I have a Soundblaster Live! Value, which cost less because it doesn't have one. End result is I don't get AC-3 or any other type of surround sound because you have to use the analog left and right channels.

I'm going to assume this is the same case for the SB PCI64 (AudioPCI) and PCI128, because I've used both those cards and they had the same non-S/PDIF setup.

End result - if you want surround sound, make sure your sound card has S/PDIF, and attach link up your DVD-ROM to your sound card with it. From there, use your digital out from your sound card to your speakers.

I'll be upgrading shortly to an X-Gamer, which should provide me with surround sound joy.

- Aryko

[ganyaik]

Thanx for replies and sorry for the delay.
I see... So if I have a soundcard with SPDIF out and I just link the DVD ROM's audio out to it then I will have the digital out. Then what about the software? Do I have to set anything in sound settings? And where should I link the DVD module's audio in/out? Now it's between the DVD ROM and the soundcard.
Br,
Chris

[ganyaik]

Hi,
I've just checked Matrox's corresponding page and it says that AC3 decoding is only supported with Marvel(TV)s. So does anybody know anything about RRG+G200 combo? Is it possible to utilize this AC3 decoding feature with the above combo.
Chris

[Bond]

ganyaik- unfortunately i think you have mixed thins up a bit.
The SPDIF out of your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM is ONLY valid for CD audio. The audio content of a DVD movie has to be decoded by either a MPEG SW decoder or HW decoder before it can be sent to the SPDIF out of whatever unit is avaliable. Outputing DolbyDigital or DTS through SB Live or equvivalent is only possible with SW decoders (if your HW decoder supports SPDIF out then there is no need for taking the extra loop around a soundcard...)
So when talking about SW decoders the data flow is as follows, (simplified of course...):
DVD-ROM -> IDE -> PCI -> SW dec -> PCI -> soundcard with SPDIF -> reciever

Side note no 1 - there are a few SW decoders that can "downmix" DolbyDigital 5.1 to four speaker analog output of SB Live or Vortex2-based cards. I know for sure that WinDVD 1.2.93 (wich by the way is shiped with SB Live Player 1024 in Europe...) and forward can do it. I have also heard of PowerDVD being capable of doing the same although i'm not sure of what verision number. I do not use this feature myself, but people i have spoken to claims that the result is similar to or better then Dolby Pro Logic. With 4-speaker downmix you will not get a center channel, but if you position yourself in the right place (between your front left and right with the centre lines of your speakers creating an 45 degree angel at your seating point) you will still get a good experince of the "simulated" center channel. On the other hand, 4-speaker downmix gives you rear channels in full range stereo where Dolby Pro Logic only provides a singel mono channel (usually duplicated in two rear speakers) in the 100 Hz to 7 kHz range thus giving a better positioning of surround effects. So if you are on a budget then it could be worth trying. Don't waste your money on the "home theatre kit's" provided by Creative and alike. That kind of money is not simply enough to get you a real experience of home theatre. Better is to start with a decent regular home stereo equipment and build from there.

Side note no 2 - if you have enough CPU power (> 450 P3) then there is no reason at all to use HW decoder's for DVD playback since it is a well known fact that recent SW decoders will provide an image quality WAY SUPERIOR to HW dec. Especially if you use any kind of high resolution display. Add the flexibility a SW solution provide as a bonus...
Stop by at http://www.avsforum.com and learn some about using a PC in qualified home theatre systems. Our beloved G400 has been a favorite for true progressive DVD playback for some time now. The GeForce provides strong competition when outputing to CRT projectors but i think that the G400 still is considered to be more flexible when it comes to custom resolutions, refresh rates and video timing, especially for RPTV's. If you have a recent model front wiev, regular TV set, try to find out if it has a high quality RBG input. If so you can use a VGA to RGB cable and gain consideribly in image quality compred to composite and S-video. Just make sure your RGB input is not a crappy 15 kHz one. It has to support "progressive scan" and >31.5 kHz scaning freq. to alove at least 480p resolution.

CrazyBee - i don't think that SB64PCI and SB128PCI is capable of digital output. The old SB64AWE Gold had a coaxial digital out (SPDIF) but think it was only avaliable for playback of midi-files @ 44.1 kHz.

Thank you // Bond

[ganyaik]

Hi,
Thanks for the long reply Bond. So it's now clear to me, that I mixed up things. I try to sum up, please correct me if I'm wrong. So the signal that comes out from the DVD-ROM on its audio cable is for pure old audio cds. The Dolby or whatever signal is encoded in the stream, and I need a decoder to extract it. In my setup the encoded audio signal goes like this:
DVD-ROM -> PCI -> DVD Addon
Then the DVD Addon does the decoding process of audio/video, after it:
DVD Addon --Link to soundcard*-> soundcard** -> audio out
*Link to soundcard is made via the old audio cable of the CD from the DVD Addon to the CD in of the soundcard
**Soundcard is still an SB PCI64(will change soon to an SPDIF capable one) receives the decoded audio on its CD in port.
My original question(version 2): If the soundcard has an SPDIF out will it output the correct Dolby signal in _this_ setup?
Thanx in advance,
Chris

[Bond]

ganyaik -
- Yes, the signal from your DVD drive is for CD audio only, regardless if it's in analog or digital or digital form.
- Yes, the audio content of a DVD movie has to be decoded/extracted.
- I think the DVD module for the G200 could be said to be a SW solution with HW assistance. I have no personal experience with your particular setup, but over at Matrox i found what you suspected earlier, that the DVD-module unfortunately only supports DolbyDigital out if used with Marvel G200 or Marvel G200-TV (wich apperantly has got a SPDIF connector built into the break-out box).
Follow this link, http://www.matrox.com/mga/products/dvd_video/home.htm.
Also, if you browse through theire FAQ section you will find additional information. Take a look at http://www.matrox.com/mga/tech_supp/faq/zoran.htm, quastion no. 11.

Unfortunately it seems like you will NOT be able to get DolbyDigital out from your current setup, since the audio connector of your DVD module most likely only offers regular analog stereo. Maybe you could check in the manual or something, i don't have that one avaliable. Besides, nor the 4-pin wide CD audio in connector or a regular line in connector of your SB card will handle SPDIF since they are analog inputs.
If you change to a SB Live you will still not get DolbyDigital due to the limitations of the G200+DVD add on setup.
I would recomend going to full SW decoding, but with your current CPU it may result in lost frames.

Aryko -
Actually the SB Live Value HAS digital out. However, you will need a digital I/O-board from Creative or Hoontech to connect to the 12-pin header locted on the PCB. I would recomend Hoontech, they have three different solutions for your card.
Follow this link, http://www.hoontech.com, the FAQ section will answer any qustions you may have.

Thank you // Bond

[ganyaik]

Thanx for the reply Bond. Yes, my sys is just not powerful enough to do SW decoding. I tried PowerDVD, etc. but as you mentioned->dropped frames. But if I upgrade my sys so that it will be able to do full SW playback, the DVD addon will just sit inside my machine
To sum up: the problem is with my setup basically. It seems to me, that the only diff. between Marvels and G200+RRG-s(from this point of view) is the SPDIF out connector.
Does anyone know a solution(hack) for it? I'd really like to hear that Digital sound.
Br,
Chris

[Zyn]

One of the major reasons I liked the G400Max so much was of this bad-ass DVD Max thingy.
Basically, it kicks arse!
I run a scsi 6x dvd into my sblive running through the digital coaxial line into my sherwood that gives me Dolby Digital.
The Matrox DVD player that runs on the cinemaster engine sucks ass because that shit cant do Dolby Digital. So basically I use PowerDVD, If you guys know of any other Dolby Digital DVD proggies give me a buzz.

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G400 on a G400

[ganyaik]

Hi,
So it seems it's only me who uses the HW module with a G200. I don't want to go on a G400 yet, because I use the RR-G heavily and as I heard(read) there might be some issues with that and a G400. Games are not important for me, they just run fine(Q3Demo1 21fps in 640x480) with this G200 card. So if anyone has a suggestion on how to get that Digital out please don't hesitate.
Thanx,
Chris