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Post by rdavidw on Mar 7, 2020 22:04:35 GMT -5
I have a XMC-1 with the updated HDMI board and firmware update. I am currently running my computer video from the HDMI and the audio is set to the USB Stream. It seems to sound ok but it seem like the PC is only outputting PCM 2.0, not 5.1. I went to the Sound Playback properties on my computer and it only list stereo in the options. The XMC-1 is showing it is outputting 48KHz 24bits.
I have a Sound Blaster Z PCIe Gaming Sound Card in the PC with an optical out. Would that be a better choice then the USP input? Would I be able to output 5.1 sound from the sound card?
The third option is to use the same HDMI from the computer for both video and audio to the XMC-1.
We don't watch cable TV much anymore. We mostly view streaming services including Netflix and You Tube. For music I tend to use the turntable in stereo mode.
Thanks for any suggestions.
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Post by foggy1956 on Mar 7, 2020 22:07:09 GMT -5
I have a XMC-1 with the updated HDMI board and firmware update. I am currently running my computer video from the HDMI and the audio is set to the USB Stream. It seems to sound ok but it seem like the PC is only outputting PCM 2.0, not 5.1. I went to the Sound Playback properties on my computer and it only list stereo in the options. The XMC-1 is showing it is outputting 48KHz 24bits. I have a Sound Blaster Z PCIe Gaming Sound Card in the PC with an optical out. Would that be a better choice then the USP input? Would I be able to output 5.1 sound from the sound card? The third option is to use the same HDMI from the computer for both video and audio to the XMC-1. We don't watch cable TV much anymore. We mostly view streaming services including Netflix and You Tube. For music I tend to use the turntable in stereo mode. Thanks for any suggestions. I use the hdmi for both on my htpc
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Post by megash0n on Mar 7, 2020 22:51:08 GMT -5
I have a XMC-1 with the updated HDMI board and firmware update. I am currently running my computer video from the HDMI and the audio is set to the USB Stream. It seems to sound ok but it seem like the PC is only outputting PCM 2.0, not 5.1. I went to the Sound Playback properties on my computer and it only list stereo in the options. The XMC-1 is showing it is outputting 48KHz 24bits. I have a Sound Blaster Z PCIe Gaming Sound Card in the PC with an optical out. Would that be a better choice then the USP input? Would I be able to output 5.1 sound from the sound card? The third option is to use the same HDMI from the computer for both video and audio to the XMC-1. We don't watch cable TV much anymore. We mostly view streaming services including Netflix and You Tube. For music I tend to use the turntable in stereo mode. Thanks for any suggestions. I use the hdmi for both on my htpc I'm pretty sure the USB out will only be 2 channel. It sounds good. I can't tell any difference between that and my hdmi output though... So, I am now using hdmi for everything. The key is to enable bitstream for everything you can. Then, set your sound card advanced properties to output 24bit and 192khz output for shared mode audio. Any application that isn't coded to enable "exclusive mode" Will use the setting you have for shared mode. I use Amazon HD to play music and Jriver or MPC -HC for movies. Both use Madvr for up scaling and lav nightly filters for audio and video decoding. In my opinion, there's nothing better than using these two apps for audio and video.
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Post by repeetavx on Mar 7, 2020 23:48:35 GMT -5
The XMC-1 has the same de-jitter circuitry in the HDMI input as it does the spdif and USB inputs.
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Post by creimes on Mar 7, 2020 23:53:52 GMT -5
The best, who knows all I know is use HDMI for the video and USB for the audio cause I can lol, anything I do on my Mac mini is strictly 2ch so that’s the main reason.
Chad
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Post by markc on Mar 8, 2020 7:11:25 GMT -5
I have a XMC-1 with the updated HDMI board and firmware update. I am currently running my computer video from the HDMI and the audio is set to the USB Stream. It seems to sound ok but it seem like the PC is only outputting PCM 2.0, not 5.1. I went to the Sound Playback properties on my computer and it only list stereo in the options. The XMC-1 is showing it is outputting 48KHz 24bits. I have a Sound Blaster Z PCIe Gaming Sound Card in the PC with an optical out. Would that be a better choice then the USP input? Would I be able to output 5.1 sound from the sound card? The third option is to use the same HDMI from the computer for both video and audio to the XMC-1. We don't watch cable TV much anymore. We mostly view streaming services including Netflix and You Tube. For music I tend to use the turntable in stereo mode. Thanks for any suggestions. To answer your question "What is the best input from a Windows 10 PC to my XMC-1?" HDMI for audio and video. Definitely. It will always be in sync. and the HDMI can carry any common format of sound from a PC (Bitstreamed and PCM) apart from DSD USB can carry DSD 2Channel, but that is not enabled for the latest XMC-2 and RMC models yet and is not possible for the XMC-1 where the USB port does not accept DSD (Or DSD as DOP) as a hardware limitation.
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Post by rogersch on Mar 8, 2020 7:54:38 GMT -5
If you want to transport not only audio but also video then use HDMI. Also if you want more than just 2.0 audio.
In case only 2.0 audio is needed I would recommend SPDIF optical. Why SPDIF instead of USB, well it has to do with driver hassle, booting up systems and recogniszing the USB correctly. With SPDIF you don`t have that problem.
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Post by rdavidw on Mar 8, 2020 9:48:43 GMT -5
Fantastic info - Thanks everybody! I am now using HDMI for audio and set my PC to output 24bit and 192khz. Sounds great but still outputing 2.0 for Netflix on Chrome. I just ordered a Roku Ultra: www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07WVF9SL5?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_prod_imageI am hoping this will output superior 5.1 audio and 4k video. I will update once I get it set up.
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Post by megash0n on Mar 8, 2020 10:04:42 GMT -5
Fantastic info - Thanks everybody! I am now using HDMI for audio and set my PC to output 24bit and 192khz. Sounds great but still outputing 2.0 for Netflix on Chrome. I just ordered a Roku Ultra: www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07WVF9SL5?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_prod_imageI am hoping this will output superior 5.1 audio and 4k video. I will update once I get it set up. What do you mean by chrome? Let me clarify... If you mean Chrome browser, that could be the issue. Try installing the Netflix app on the PC and see how that works. Also, make sure your system is configured for the proper channels. I believe bitstream bypasses all that, but non bitstream adheres to the Windows setting. If you want Atmos, you'll need to download the Dolby App from the Microsoft Store if you haven't already.
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Post by rdavidw on Mar 8, 2020 11:26:06 GMT -5
Fantastic info - Thanks everybody! I am now using HDMI for audio and set my PC to output 24bit and 192khz. Sounds great but still outputing 2.0 for Netflix on Chrome. I just ordered a Roku Ultra: www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07WVF9SL5?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_prod_imageI am hoping this will output superior 5.1 audio and 4k video. I will update once I get it set up. What do you mean by chrome? Let me clarify... If you mean Chrome browser, that could be the issue. Try installing the Netflix app on the PC and see how that works. Also, make sure your system is configured for the proper channels. I believe bitstream bypasses all that, but non bitstream adheres to the Windows setting. If you want Atmos, you'll need to download the Dolby App from the Microsoft Store if you haven't already. Fantastic! I thought the Netflix app was only for moble devices. I will download it now. We also use Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and Pandora so the Ruko Ultra may be easier to navigate all of those.
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Post by rdavidw on Mar 8, 2020 13:18:05 GMT -5
Got the Netfix app installed on my main system computer which is running Windows 10. Now outputting Dolby Pulse 5.1 and sounds sublime. Video is outputting 2160P/30 8bits and is a huge improvement over running in the chrome browser. Thank you so much!
Haven't been able to get it installed on my basement system computer which is stull on Windows 7. Will likely upgrade to Windows 10 on that computer soon.
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Post by megash0n on Mar 8, 2020 14:47:25 GMT -5
What do you mean by chrome? Let me clarify... If you mean Chrome browser, that could be the issue. Try installing the Netflix app on the PC and see how that works. Also, make sure your system is configured for the proper channels. I believe bitstream bypasses all that, but non bitstream adheres to the Windows setting. If you want Atmos, you'll need to download the Dolby App from the Microsoft Store if you haven't already. Fantastic! I thought the Netflix app was only for moble devices. I will download it now. We also use Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and Pandora so the Ruko Ultra may be easier to navigate all of those. Probably. I use an Xbox for most of it. The issue with the Xbox, and other things is that movies and shows will only display at 60Hz instead of 24Hz. Sometimes you get that soap opera effect on certain shows. The Windows app will run at 24Hz. I'm just pointing this out. Tbh... It's much more of a headache. Your plan will probably be better. As long as the navigation is snappy. I can't stand Smart TVs because they rarely have a proper amount of horsepower to run these apps.
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Post by megash0n on Mar 8, 2020 14:51:18 GMT -5
Got the Netfix app installed on my main system computer which is running Windows 10. Now outputting Dolby Pulse 5.1 and sounds sublime. Video is outputting 2160P/30 8bits and is a huge improvement over running in the chrome browser. Thank you so much! Haven't been able to get it installed on my basement system computer which is stull on Windows 7. Will likely upgrade to Windows 10 on that computer soon. Try setting your refresh rate to 23 or 24. I'm confused on the 30 Hz and 8 bit. I might be mistaken, but HDR requires 10 bit. Depending on your video card, you should still be able to do 10 bit at 30Hz.
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Post by markc on Mar 8, 2020 16:34:55 GMT -5
Fantastic info - Thanks everybody! I am now using HDMI for audio and set my PC to output 24bit and 192khz. Sounds great but still outputing 2.0 for Netflix on Chrome. I just ordered a Roku Ultra: www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07WVF9SL5?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_prod_imageI am hoping this will output superior 5.1 audio and 4k video. I will update once I get it set up. If you are using Dirac Live on the XMC-1 then I would recommend simply using 24 bit 48KHz output from the PC as this is the only resolution the XMC-1 Dirac filters work at. All other resolutions will be up / down-converted to 24 bit 48KHz for Dirac filter implementation so if you use a Dirac profile, you may as well simplify things and let the PC output at 48KHz
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Post by vcautokid on Mar 8, 2020 22:46:29 GMT -5
Got the Netfix app installed on my main system computer which is running Windows 10. Now outputting Dolby Pulse 5.1 and sounds sublime. Video is outputting 2160P/30 8bits and is a huge improvement over running in the chrome browser. Thank you so much! Haven't been able to get it installed on my basement system computer which is stull on Windows 7. Will likely upgrade to Windows 10 on that computer soon. Great idea upgrading to Win 10 since Win 7 requires drivers for USB, and Win 10 does not. also Win 7 Security support is no longer so if your computer is on the network it is now vulnerable. January 14th 2020 was the last day Microsoft supported Win 7 for security or bug fixes. UAC 2.0 support is ready to go on Win 10 and Win 7 nope. So if USB is used Drivers are needed.
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Post by rdavidw on Mar 8, 2020 23:11:49 GMT -5
Fantastic info - Thanks everybody! I am now using HDMI for audio and set my PC to output 24bit and 192khz. Sounds great but still outputing 2.0 for Netflix on Chrome. I just ordered a Roku Ultra: www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07WVF9SL5?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_prod_imageI am hoping this will output superior 5.1 audio and 4k video. I will update once I get it set up. If you are using Dirac Live on the XMC-1 then I would recommend simply using 24 bit 48KHz output from the PC as this is the only resolution the XMC-1 Dirac filters work at. All other resolutions will be up / down-converted to 24 bit 48KHz for Dirac filter implementation so if you use a Dirac profile, you may as well simplify things and let the PC output at 48KHz Awesome - I changed it to the 24 bit 48KHz. Just out of curiosity, for my turntable I have it set to stereo, not direct, and to Dirac. Does the XMC-1 then convert that analog signal to digital to process the Dirac filters? Whatever its doing is working - sounds fantastic!
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rxw
Minor Hero
Posts: 35
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Post by rxw on Mar 8, 2020 23:12:35 GMT -5
If you want the absolute best sound quality for 2 channel audio, use USB as it bit streams at whatever your audio is encoded at. I could be wrong (it's been a while since I looked at all this) but if streaming 2 channel over HDMI it will have to reclock the stream for transportation over HDMI.
I use USB for 2 channel audio & HDMI + bitstream for anything movie related.
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Post by markc on Mar 9, 2020 8:33:58 GMT -5
If you are using Dirac Live on the XMC-1 then I would recommend simply using 24 bit 48KHz output from the PC as this is the only resolution the XMC-1 Dirac filters work at. All other resolutions will be up / down-converted to 24 bit 48KHz for Dirac filter implementation so if you use a Dirac profile, you may as well simplify things and let the PC output at 48KHz Awesome - I changed it to the 24 bit 48KHz. Just out of curiosity, for my turntable I have it set to stereo, not direct, and to Dirac. Does the XMC-1 then convert that analog signal to digital to process the Dirac filters? Whatever its doing is working - sounds fantastic! Yes, Analogue to Digital conversion will be occurring on anything other than "Reference Stereo" mode From the manual (For the XMC-2, but the XMC-1 is the same): Reference Stereo Mode provides the purest listening experience, with the fewest options for processing or modifying the signal. In Reference Stereo Mode: • The output is always TWO CHANNEL STEREO. • There is NO bass management, and NOTHING is sent to the subwoofer. • You CANNOT use the Loudness Control, or the Tone Presets, or the Tone Trims. • You CANNOT use Dirac Live or the manual Parametric EQ Presets. • Level Trims, which operate in the analog domain, are still available. • Speaker Distance adjustments are active for digital inputs but not for analog inputs. • Stereo analog input signals are passed straight to the Volume Control and the outputs. • Stereo digital input signals are converted to analog then sent to the Volume Control. • Surround sound digital signals are decoded, mixed down to stereo (the Center Channel and LFE signals, if present, are mixed into the stereo output), and converted to analog. Note: Because Reference Stereo Mode does not include bass management, care should be used when playing “small” speakers in this mode. Reference Stereo Mode can ONLY be selected using the “Mode Up/Down” buttons if your front speakers are set to Large, but can be selected as the current mode in the Main Zone Configuration Menu, and can be configured as the default mode for an input. Note: In Reference Stereo Mode and Direct Mode, you cannot use the Dolby Surround Upmixer, the DTS Neural:X upmixer, or any other post processing mode intended to “enhance” the audio signal. Decoding is limited to converting digital surround signals to analog using the highest quality, purest decoding method possible. Direct Mode provides a relatively pure listening experience, and eliminates most processing, but still retains bass management. In Direct Mode: • The output contains the same number of channels as the input signal. • No extra channels are synthesized; if the output channel that corresponds to a given input channel is not present, that channel signal is mixed into the appropriate available channels. • Bass management IS available and the subwoofer IS active. • You CANNOT use the Loudness Control, or the Tone Presets, or the Tone Trims • You CANNOT use Dirac Live or the manual Parametric EQ Presets. • Level Trims, which operate in the analog domain, are still available. • Speaker Distance adjustments are available for both analog and digital inputs. • Stereo digital signals are presented directly to the processor. • Stereo analog input signals are converted to digital and passed to the processor. • Surround sound digital signals are decoded, and passed to the processor. • Multi-channel discrete digital signals (like multi-PCM) are passed directly to the processor. • All signals receive bass management - but no other processing. • If an LFE signal is present, and subwoofers are also present, the LFE content will be routed to the subs along with low-frequency content from the main channels (as determined by the bass management settings). Stereo Mode provides a full complement of processing and control options - with a stereo output. In Stereo Mode: • The output is always TWO CHANNEL STEREO. • Bass management IS available and the subwoofer IS active. • Loudness Control, the Tone Controls, and the Tone Trims are active. • Dirac Live and the manual Parametric EQ Presets are active. • Level Trims are active. • Speaker Distance adjustments are available for both analog and digital inputs. • Stereo digital signals are presented directly to the processor. • Stereo analog input signals are converted to digital and passed to the processor. • Surround sound digital signals are decoded, down-mixed to stereo, and passed to the processor. • Multi-channel discrete digital signals (like multi-PCM) are down-mixed to stereo and passed to the processor. • If an LFE signal is present, and one or two subwoofers are also present, the LFE content will be routed to the subs along with low-frequency content from the main channels (as determined by the bass management settings).
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Post by rbk123 on Mar 9, 2020 8:53:02 GMT -5
I am now using HDMI for audio and set my PC to output 24bit and 192khz. Sounds great but still outputing 2.0 for Netflix on Chrome. That is on purpose - they want to limit piracy via the browser so only 5.1/Atmos/etc... are through the Netflix app. It's the same with Amazon Prime video. You have to get a Roku (like what you ordered) or some other device that has the app (PS4/Xbox/etc...). Ideally they'd port the app to Windows, and that will solve your problem. Markc mentions below the Netflix app is available for Windows, so give it a shot.
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Post by markc on Mar 10, 2020 2:37:02 GMT -5
The Netflix app is on Windows! It is in the Windows app store. I run it and 5.1 audio is a definite working option
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