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VideoBeagle

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 17, 2010
822
18
App Q&A testing by request.
I'm looking at buying the turtle Beach Audio Advantage Micro II USB Analog & Digital Audio Adapter to use with my Dell Optiplex Hackintosh (and it's TosLink Adapter to use with my various real Macs that rightly have built in digital audio).

The description says
By installing an optional driver, the digital output can also send 5.1 channel Dolby® Digital or DTS™ surround sound as an encoded digital audio stream to your home theater system. (NOTE: This feature is only available on the Windows platform.)

Is this a concern though on a Mac? (Even the Dell). Wouldn't if say I play a video with DTS Surround and have the sound pointed at the card (or just the optical out on the real macs), wouldn't the DTS signal go out naturally to my receiver? Or is there some other point I'm missing?


EDIT: This thread appears to answer my question on the real mac side (that yes, the signal just goes thru the mac port with no fuss, yay macs! ) so i'm left with the trickier will it work with my hackentosh)

EDIT 2: this thread Tells me my earlier edit was wrong..boo macs!
 
Last edited:

VideoBeagle

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 17, 2010
822
18
App Q&A testing by request.
So anyone have input on this?

Further reading tells me that Quicktime can't send the 5.1 digital thru the optical (but maybe it can with Perian) but VLC should be able to.

Does this sound right to anyone?
 

ChrisA

macrumors G5
Jan 5, 2006
12,537
1,644
Redondo Beach, California
I know for certain that Logic can mix to 5.1 and that I can send 5.1 out to an AV receiver. Have you tried simply connecting the Mac's optical out to the receiver?

You will need to enable 5.1 sound in the Audio MIDI Setup app. By default it is stereo. As I remember, I think yu actually have to be connected with fiber to the receiver before the correct option shows up
 

VideoBeagle

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 17, 2010
822
18
App Q&A testing by request.
Thanks for the reply.

I don't have the adpaters needed to use the optical cable yet.

The USB thing I mentione dcomes with the adapter, so 2 birds, one stone, but i may just get the adapter and then go from there.
 
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