Dolby Digital in pc games

[olefarte]

As I'm seeing more and more pc games that are using Dobly Digital, I'm trying to figure out how to enable this on my pc. If I understand right you have to have a nVidia chipset mobo that supports digital encodiing. Is this right? If so, and as I don't have this type of mobo, is there any other solution. Is there a soundcard that will enable this for gaming?

 

[nein]

As I'm seeing more and more pc games that are using Dobly Digital, I'm trying to figure out how to enable this on my pc. If I understand right you have to have a nVidia chipset mobo that supports digital encodiing. Is this right? If so, and as I don't have this type of mobo, is there any other solution. Is there a soundcard that will enable this for gaming?

It is probably easier if you just buy an XBOX. XBOX is the forerunner of on-the-fly Dolby Digital Encoding for the NFORCE series from nVIDIA by leveraging HyperTransport AKA - LDT (Lightning Data Transport) from AMD.

Or simply waiting long enough for perfecting of Intel's PCI-e (simultaneous multiple data streams from multiple data sources to multiple destinations) and Intel would be putting out latest souped-up immitation versions of XBOX/NFORCE series.

It is unfortunate that Intel just had to re-invent PCI-Express instead of using HyperTransport from way back in early 2000.

 

[olefarte]

I think this answers my question real well. It's a new sound card that does the digital encoding and allows you to get Dolby Digital in games that support it. This may give the Audigy cards some competition. Check this out.

 

[howard_hopkinso]

What a nice card mate.

I`d love one in my machine, Now where`s my checkbook lol

Regards Howard

 

[Tedster]

Good - my gateway speakers are digital.
I had a heck of a time with my soundblaster cards to get them to work on digital speakers. I was being thrifty and recycled these older speakers.

 

[TS | Thomas]

I posted this in a previous thread on the matter;

Dolby Digital "in" games is just a marketing ploy. Absolutely no games feature any audio encoded in that format.

If you want Dolby Digital encoded content in games then you need to be using a nForce/nForce 2 motherboard which supports that feature - that can then encode audio into that format in real-time - which basically means that instead of needing to use 3 (analog) line-outs you can instead use 1 S/PDIF cable to connect to a Dolby Digital decoder instead.
The nForce motherboards that include this feature can do this with all audio (though obviously it's not needed if you're playing something thats encoded in that format, i.e. most DVDs).

EAX has nothing to do with this at all & if you want environmental effects in your games then you'll want to enable it (Some games tie 3D audio to this as well, so if you want that as well then be sure its on).

The "advantages" to this encoding are that you'll only need to use 1 cable instead of 3 & your receiver may well feature better DACs than the nForce (likely). On the downside dolby digital is a lossy audio format.