Tanzmusikus
I have 5.1, so I cant fully test 7.1. However the Gigabyte Realtek Manager version has the options to setup the analogue connectors (I hope we can soon choose which brand to install, I want to keep this one).
If I select 5.1 as native, I get front, center but no rear (due to side setup), and have to change connectors. I did find if I set 7.1 and disable side, I get 5.1 + virtual sides (what a bonus).
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The sound card is a Gigabyte Azalia HD (ALC889).
My original post here.
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Digital:
In short the drivers do work, but only if the audio is re-encoded, re-processed correctly for digital. However the default settings and lack of re-processing means stereo over digital.
If an app sends audio to digital, if the audio is not in the correct format and bitrate, it will play only stereo, regardless of the number of channels being sent.
DDL AC3 5.1 (digital) = 6 channels, max bitrate: 640kbps, compressed.
DTS 5.1 (digital) = 6 channels, max bitrate: 1536kbps, compressed.
AAC 5.1 (digital) = 6 channels, max bitrate: 320kbps, compressed.
PCM 5.1 (analogue) = 6 channels, max bitrate: 6350kbps.
If the app, game uses ACC 5.1, due to lack of re-encoding as the default for audio processing, you get PCM 6x 6350kbps, too high for both digital standards, not compressed. Stereo as the result.
If the app, game uses DDL or DTS 5.1, the stream should already come in the correct compression by standard and bitrate that is used by that standard. 5.1 as the result.
In my example I used Potplayer to re-encode the AAC 5.1 (160kbps) to DTS 5.1 (1536kbps), and got all speakers, but not with PCM.
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I can tell you roughly how my Creative X-Fi did it.
There was a background app (.exe), cant remember the name, however, in the Creative Audio Panel, you would select Dolby Digital or DTS Connect.
It would then tell you, to get best experience over digital, select Speakers (analogue) as you default output device (not Digital, SPDIF).
The background (.exe) would then read you speaker settings (5.1, 7.1) to get max channels, and then passthrough and re-encode all 'Speaker' playback to 'Digital'.
This meant that both analogue and digital where being sent to the receiver using your selected decoder (DDL, DTS), with all channels.
If DDL or DTS was played back, both analogue and digital would play all channels, so the background (.exe) app worked both ways.
The Creative setup also allowed me to select 'stereo expand' or 'stereo surround' for upscaling stereo to all channels.
