Maximum PC

What is the trick to positional audio?

I have the Omega Striker Sound Card feeding my Onkyo 5.1 receiver via the Optical connection.

I get sound, but I don't think it's true positional audio. What gives?

I've tried all the settings on my striker card- DOLBY, DTS...

The only way I was able to accomplish this was to use the analog outputs on my computer and the analog inputs on the receiver (hopefully yours has those). It's a HUGE downfall of the protected digital audio path supported by Windows and an issue with encoding the signal from the computer into the receiver.

Also, you have to be playing a game that supports it (positional audio) and have 5.1 speaker system being recognized by your computer. In windows 7 just search for "Sound" or go to the Control Panel >> Hardware and Sound >> Manage Audio Devices ...

But more likely your Omega Striker Sound Card installed some software that will do that for you and has put a program icon of some sort in the system tray (lower right images next to the date/time).

Digital sound outputs are finicky, I was never able to configure my optical output to decode more than 2.1 sound from any audio card into any receiver. I had better luck with the digital coax cable ... but only had that work on some drivers/games ... so I just wired up the outputs the old analog way to my receiver, and I chose my receiver just so I'd have those analog inputs.

Sound via HDMI has been much more seamless ... but then the video goes through that too, there's no way to tell the graphics card just to put sound (and not video) into the HDMI cable. Another unfortunate way DRM has hampered the lives of computer users.

I'm happy to find someone with the same positional audio difficulty. I guess I'm back in the market for a receiver with analog inputs. Do you have a recommendation?

I think this kind of DRM roadblock should be trumpeted louder by MPC and the media.

When you run HDMI from a PC, how the hell am I supposed to watch TV and listen to my audio collection at the same time? Why doesn't my digital audio connection work? I'm sure it's because of some draconian, disregarded DRM bullshit.

Thanks for your response.

I have a feeling that if someone uses positional audio, they're probably opting for Dolby or DTS, and not say 5 channel PCM. And there was a warning the PS3 gives if you attempt to select more than 2.1 channel PCM that some systems may not like it.

Also there's worse DRM out there. StarForce, for instance. It breaks your computer physically.

I'm using an old(er) Yamaha receiver that doesn't even have HDMI. It was part of a $300-$700 home theater in a box solution. It is delivering maybe 80-100 watts to every channel, plenty for a PC. A lot of the older receivers had analog home theater inputs, lately it's harder to find on all but the top-end absurdly priced units. So although it might be a crap shoot I'd check out Craigslist in your area for people looking to get rid of receivers with a decent wattage rating and analog 5.1 inputs. Unless you NEED to have this receiver do everything for you.

The receiver in my computer room has 2 PCs connected to it, of course only one can be connected to the analog 5.1 inputs, but such is life. After having three different sets of PC speakers essentially blow their amps or become otherwise nonfunctional I went the home theater route and couldn't be happier.

Other than that there was a product built by Creative to overcome this very problem you and I have noticed named the Home Theater Connect DTS-610 ... although I'm not sure if this is sold any longer, but I have one, and it still works. Some have not had such great experiences with it, but that seems to be the case with most Creative Labs products in the last 3 years.