5.1 surround problem-rear sound through front speakers

I bought 5.1 sound system and JVC receiver, connected to PC via S/PDIF... All components work(play sound) but the problem is that for example in game when i must hear something behind me, i hear it from the front speakers... left/cntr/right balance works fine but rear/front.... the receiver adjusts the mode to 'LINEAR PCM' automatic and the mode goes to 'DOLBY DIGITAL' only in sound options, where i can test the DD... when i test it everything`s great... i can hear every single speaker playing alone for itself but thats only from the test ... in the applications i hear the sound not 5.1 but 3.1 ... the rear speaker work but they work at the same time with the front... And so... any ideas how to adjust the thing correctly to have a nice surround sound ... is it from soundcard or maybe some codecs(driver`s are the latest btw) or maybe some options on the receiver i dont know ...can i make somehow the receiver to work in DD mode all the time or it make`s it only automatic... i don`t know I just want to hear sound from behind when someone talks behind me sound Realtek HD audio ... pls help

what game was it?

Elder scrolls : Skyrim .... another thing I can`t understand is why the "speakers" options in Realtek have so many things to adjust... and the "Digital output" has nothing but effects....

the problem with SPDIF is that it can only carry either:
- Dolby Digital / AC3 (5.1)
- DTS (5.1)
- Uncompressed PCM (2.0)

so your realtek can only give 2.0 sound for every sound in your computer, except when playing movies / any other sound which carries DD or DTS signal. the test sound in 5.1 because the test itself contains DD signal. why do your realtek only support 2.0 channel? go to control panel, sound, properties, advanced and see the default format.



so, in order for you to get your games and other sound to be in 5.1, it has to be encoded into DD signal. to do this, you need a soundcard that supports Dolby Digital Live. this function, ddl, encode every sound in your pc into DD (5.1) signal and therefore you can enjoy 5.1 anywhere.



certain soundcards such as creative and asus supports DDL. be sure to check that to

Yes now i understand ... such a good answer was the thing i was expecting... thx a lot... one more thing is if s.o. can suggest such a soundcard but if possible not very expensive... but it`s not obligatory i can do the research by myself but only if you guys have something particular in mind ... thx again ))

Asus Xonar D1, 7.1, Dolby® Pro-Logic IIx, PCI ..... can this do the work and in the description ive found only XP/VIsta no win7... and i need smth for w7

good choice, that card supports Dolby Digital Live. from a quick read it seems that asus indeed have windows 7 drivers for xonar d1

for alternative you can check Creative X-Fi 5.1 Surround Pro. (note the PRO version).