Re: Interesting reading for Mac and 5.1

['Chris Blouch' via MacVisionaries]

I've done it both ways. At home I have a mac mini which is our family 
entertainment hub hooked to an old TV for video and a single optical 
cable to my 5.1 surround amp/speakers for audio. Simple and has just 
worked for years. For a larger setup I have a mini and an external box 
which takes the optical in and has 6 RCA jacks for discrete audio output 
which I then run to a Mackie mixer and then six separate amps. The mixer 
lets me mix down to just stereo if need be or do the full 5.1 if the 
other speakers are hooked up. I set that up a few years ago and I think 
it was this box that did the digital to discrete analog conversion:


https://sewelldirect.com/sewell-digital-to-analog-51-dts-surround-sound-decoder-spdif-to-rca

CB

On 2/9/16 2:59 AM, Simon Fogarty wrote:

It's got a left and right RCA audio output connectors for the front speakers 
and a 3.5 mil jack for each of the sub / centre and rear speakers.
  There is also a 3.5 mill headphone jack and also same for a microphone / line 
in.
  Other than that it's got an optical in and USB in
As for what model, I can't remember exactly but it's a creative labs device,
And I would have had it 5 years give or take.
-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of Bill Holton
Sent: Tuesday, 9 February 2016 3:16 AM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: RE: Interesting reading for Mac and 5.1

Does your USB sound also have component?  If so, what is the model.  I need to 
replace mine.


-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of Simon Fogarty
Sent: Sunday, February 07, 2016 5:32 AM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Interesting reading for Mac and 5.1

There are alot of apple adaptors now that allow you to do all sorts of things I 
have a thunderbolt to hdmi adaptor which gives surround sound.
I also have a USB sound card (External) that allows me to get 5.1 sound through 
the usb on any computer plus it has optical out So it can be done a number of 
ways.

Sent from my iPhone


On 6/02/2016, at 5:54 AM, Scott Granados <sc...@qualityip.net> wrote:

So talk about this a little more.  The bottom line is there’s difficulty 
getting 5.1 out of a Mac?

I hadn’t thought about that.  I just have used the Apple TV and an optical out 
but never tried to do 5.1 right out of the Mac.

Here’s another question, what if I want to play back with non Dolby?  Say I 
want to use DTS?  That’s one of the disadvantages of using digital downloadable 
content, you don’t get the alternate sound encoding or do you?  I’ve not seen 
it ever mentioned.  I prefer the sound of DTS not sure if others agree.


On Feb 5, 2016, at 3:34 AM, Sabahattin Gucukoglu <listse...@me.com> wrote:

It is interesting reading, yeah.  Thanks for sharing.

I don’t have 5.1 myself, but this article seems a bit misleading when it says, 
for instance, that DVD playback using DVD player or iTunes Store movies don’t 
support 5.1.  Of course both do, but you need a software decoder, such as that 
in VLC, to get surround from this analog setup.  Apple’s software uses Dolby 
Digital (AC3) passthrough, when it’s available.  So, in other words, you can 
still enjoy 5.1 with your home theatre, just in more limited ways.

This page, and the one to which it is linked, is full of fascinating insights:
http://www.dr-lex.be/software/surround_osx.html

--
The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries 
list.

If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you 
feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.

Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor and your owner is
Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com

The archives for this list can be searched at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
"MacVisionaries" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email 
to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

--
The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries 
list.

If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you 
feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.

Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor and your owner is
Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com

The archives for this list can be searched at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@goo

RE: Interesting reading for Mac and 5.1

[Simon Fogarty]

It's got a left and right RCA audio output connectors for the front speakers 
and a 3.5 mil jack for each of the sub / centre and rear speakers.
 There is also a 3.5 mill headphone jack and also same for a microphone / line 
in.
 Other than that it's got an optical in and USB in
As for what model, I can't remember exactly but it's a creative labs device,
And I would have had it 5 years give or take. 
-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of Bill Holton
Sent: Tuesday, 9 February 2016 3:16 AM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: RE: Interesting reading for Mac and 5.1

Does your USB sound also have component?  If so, what is the model.  I need to 
replace mine.


-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of Simon Fogarty
Sent: Sunday, February 07, 2016 5:32 AM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Interesting reading for Mac and 5.1

There are alot of apple adaptors now that allow you to do all sorts of things I 
have a thunderbolt to hdmi adaptor which gives surround sound.
I also have a USB sound card (External) that allows me to get 5.1 sound through 
the usb on any computer plus it has optical out So it can be done a number of 
ways.

Sent from my iPhone

> On 6/02/2016, at 5:54 AM, Scott Granados <sc...@qualityip.net> wrote:
> 
> So talk about this a little more.  The bottom line is there’s difficulty 
> getting 5.1 out of a Mac?  
> 
> I hadn’t thought about that.  I just have used the Apple TV and an optical 
> out but never tried to do 5.1 right out of the Mac.
> 
> Here’s another question, what if I want to play back with non Dolby?  Say I 
> want to use DTS?  That’s one of the disadvantages of using digital 
> downloadable content, you don’t get the alternate sound encoding or do you?  
> I’ve not seen it ever mentioned.  I prefer the sound of DTS not sure if 
> others agree.
> 
>> On Feb 5, 2016, at 3:34 AM, Sabahattin Gucukoglu <listse...@me.com> wrote:
>> 
>> It is interesting reading, yeah.  Thanks for sharing.
>> 
>> I don’t have 5.1 myself, but this article seems a bit misleading when it 
>> says, for instance, that DVD playback using DVD player or iTunes Store 
>> movies don’t support 5.1.  Of course both do, but you need a software 
>> decoder, such as that in VLC, to get surround from this analog setup.  
>> Apple’s software uses Dolby Digital (AC3) passthrough, when it’s available.  
>> So, in other words, you can still enjoy 5.1 with your home theatre, just in 
>> more limited ways.
>> 
>> This page, and the one to which it is linked, is full of fascinating 
>> insights:
>> http://www.dr-lex.be/software/surround_osx.html
>> 
>> --
>> The following information is important for all members of the Mac 
>> Visionaries list.
>> 
>> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if 
>> you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
>> moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.
>> 
>> Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor and your owner is 
>> Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com
>> 
>> The archives for this list can be searched at:
>> http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
>> ---
>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
>> "MacVisionaries" group.
>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an 
>> email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
>> To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com.
>> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries.
>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
> 
> --
> The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries 
> list.
> 
> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if 
> you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
> moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.
> 
> Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor and your owner is 
> Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com
> 
> The archives for this list can be searched at:
> http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
> ---
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
> "MacVisionaries" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an 
> email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
> To post to this group

Re: Interesting reading for Mac and 5.1

[Scott Granados]

This makes perfect sense and now I’m on the same page, thank you.  One thing 
though, I thought DTS was losless completely.  I thought that was their selling 
point with the more open sound fields and such?  Is that no longer the case?

> On Feb 6, 2016, at 8:32 AM, Sabahattin Gucukoglu  wrote:
> 
> Yeah, OK, so I really could have been a lot clearer about this.  Let’s try 
> this again. :)
> 
> Basically there are really two ways to do surround-sound: hardware-decoded 
> and software-decoded.
> 
> In the former, much more common and simpler case, you just get your media 
> application, like iTunes or DVD player, to send AC3/DTS over the SPDIF, and 
> the rest is down to your decoder.  From a historic perspective, this is not 
> so different from the days of analog Dolby ProLogic, which used 
> phase-shifting to encode surround tracks over a stereo line; the hack works 
> because the natively-stereo SPDIF interface can be fed, and then recognise, a 
> digital AC3/DTS stream.  This method is used by your Apple TV, and yes, 
> iTunes movies do indeed include an AC3 track for this purpose.  DTS uses a 
> similar (slightly less compressed, but still ultimately lossy) approach.  The 
> SPDIF is usable, otherwise, for lossless stereo output.  Both encoded and 
> unencoded data cannot be sent over the SPDIF simultaneously, of course.
> 
> In the latter, your Mac does all the decoding.  The audio device is merely 
> 5.1 (or whatever) output, each channel separately addressable.  iTunes and 
> DVD Player will not use software decoding for AC3 5.1 (but DVD Player will 
> downmix as necessary to stereo).  Other formats take up the slack, like WAV 
> or AAC, but you need alternative software, like VLC, if you are to get 
> software-decoding of AC3 without the pass-through.  Naturally, using this 
> method gives you the most choice (unless DRM gets involved), but is also the 
> hardest to get right and the least convenient if you are intending on walking 
> the golden path set by most studio-endorsed software and hardware 
> combinations.  In an ideal world there’d be a way to perform on-the-fly 
> encoding of non-dolby-digital data to an audio receiver over the one port, 
> but it doesn’t work like that.  And there’s no software to allow your 
> computer to receive digital data for decoding to an analog audio output 
> device, probably because it’d violate some licensing agreement or other, but 
> there are decoder devices out there that you know where you can get them from 
> that’ll take up the slack here.
> 
> Now, I hope I have explained things adequately. :)
> 
> -- 
> The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries 
> list.
> 
> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if 
> you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
> moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.
> 
> Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor and your owner is Cara 
> Quinn - you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com
> 
> The archives for this list can be searched at:
> http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
> --- 
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
> "MacVisionaries" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an 
> email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
> To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com.
> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries.
> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

-- 
The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries 
list.

If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you 
feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.

Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor and your owner is Cara Quinn 
- you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com

The archives for this list can be searched at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
--- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
"MacVisionaries" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email 
to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

RE: Interesting reading for Mac and 5.1

[Bill Holton]

Does your USB sound also have component?  If so, what is the model.  I need to 
replace mine.


-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of Simon Fogarty
Sent: Sunday, February 07, 2016 5:32 AM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Interesting reading for Mac and 5.1

There are alot of apple adaptors now that allow you to do all sorts of things I 
have a thunderbolt to hdmi adaptor which gives surround sound.
I also have a USB sound card (External) that allows me to get 5.1 sound through 
the usb on any computer plus it has optical out
So it can be done a number of ways.

Sent from my iPhone

> On 6/02/2016, at 5:54 AM, Scott Granados <sc...@qualityip.net> wrote:
> 
> So talk about this a little more.  The bottom line is there’s difficulty 
> getting 5.1 out of a Mac?  
> 
> I hadn’t thought about that.  I just have used the Apple TV and an optical 
> out but never tried to do 5.1 right out of the Mac.
> 
> Here’s another question, what if I want to play back with non Dolby?  Say I 
> want to use DTS?  That’s one of the disadvantages of using digital 
> downloadable content, you don’t get the alternate sound encoding or do you?  
> I’ve not seen it ever mentioned.  I prefer the sound of DTS not sure if 
> others agree.
> 
>> On Feb 5, 2016, at 3:34 AM, Sabahattin Gucukoglu <listse...@me.com> wrote:
>> 
>> It is interesting reading, yeah.  Thanks for sharing.
>> 
>> I don’t have 5.1 myself, but this article seems a bit misleading when it 
>> says, for instance, that DVD playback using DVD player or iTunes Store 
>> movies don’t support 5.1.  Of course both do, but you need a software 
>> decoder, such as that in VLC, to get surround from this analog setup.  
>> Apple’s software uses Dolby Digital (AC3) passthrough, when it’s available.  
>> So, in other words, you can still enjoy 5.1 with your home theatre, just in 
>> more limited ways.
>> 
>> This page, and the one to which it is linked, is full of fascinating 
>> insights:
>> http://www.dr-lex.be/software/surround_osx.html
>> 
>> -- 
>> The following information is important for all members of the Mac 
>> Visionaries list.
>> 
>> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if 
>> you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
>> moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.
>> 
>> Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor and your owner is Cara 
>> Quinn - you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com
>> 
>> The archives for this list can be searched at:
>> http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
>> --- 
>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
>> "MacVisionaries" group.
>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an 
>> email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
>> To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com.
>> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries.
>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
> 
> -- 
> The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries 
> list.
> 
> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if 
> you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
> moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.
> 
> Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor and your owner is Cara 
> Quinn - you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com
> 
> The archives for this list can be searched at:
> http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
> --- 
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
> "MacVisionaries" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an 
> email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
> To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com.
> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries.
> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

-- 
The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries 
list.

If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you 
feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.

Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor and your owner is Cara Quinn 
- you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com

The archives for this list can

Re: Interesting reading for Mac and 5.1

[Sabahattin Gucukoglu]

DTS definitely isn’t lossless on DVDs, just very high bitrates (actually, quite 
embarrassingly, people have found that FLAC, which is actually lossless, often 
outperforms it for efficiency).  However, it uses bandpasses to do the whole 
noise reduction thing, which contributes to lossy compression that is often 
much more smooth.  I dunno what the status of the Blu-Ray format is (DTS HD 
Master or whatever it’s called) but I understand that actually to be lossless, 
properly lossless.  Though of course then you need a lot of space.  Google says 
people are doing rips using the AC3 successor, Dolby True HD, which, like AC3, 
tends to be the more widespread.

All fascinating stuff. :)

-- 
The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries 
list.

If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you 
feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.

Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor and your owner is Cara Quinn 
- you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com

The archives for this list can be searched at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
--- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
"MacVisionaries" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email 
to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

Re: Interesting reading for Mac and 5.1

[Simon Fogarty]

There are alot of apple adaptors now that allow you to do all sorts of things I 
have a thunderbolt to hdmi adaptor which gives surround sound.
I also have a USB sound card (External) that allows me to get 5.1 sound through 
the usb on any computer plus it has optical out
So it can be done a number of ways.

Sent from my iPhone

> On 6/02/2016, at 5:54 AM, Scott Granados  wrote:
> 
> So talk about this a little more.  The bottom line is there’s difficulty 
> getting 5.1 out of a Mac?  
> 
> I hadn’t thought about that.  I just have used the Apple TV and an optical 
> out but never tried to do 5.1 right out of the Mac.
> 
> Here’s another question, what if I want to play back with non Dolby?  Say I 
> want to use DTS?  That’s one of the disadvantages of using digital 
> downloadable content, you don’t get the alternate sound encoding or do you?  
> I’ve not seen it ever mentioned.  I prefer the sound of DTS not sure if 
> others agree.
> 
>> On Feb 5, 2016, at 3:34 AM, Sabahattin Gucukoglu  wrote:
>> 
>> It is interesting reading, yeah.  Thanks for sharing.
>> 
>> I don’t have 5.1 myself, but this article seems a bit misleading when it 
>> says, for instance, that DVD playback using DVD player or iTunes Store 
>> movies don’t support 5.1.  Of course both do, but you need a software 
>> decoder, such as that in VLC, to get surround from this analog setup.  
>> Apple’s software uses Dolby Digital (AC3) passthrough, when it’s available.  
>> So, in other words, you can still enjoy 5.1 with your home theatre, just in 
>> more limited ways.
>> 
>> This page, and the one to which it is linked, is full of fascinating 
>> insights:
>> http://www.dr-lex.be/software/surround_osx.html
>> 
>> -- 
>> The following information is important for all members of the Mac 
>> Visionaries list.
>> 
>> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if 
>> you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
>> moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.
>> 
>> Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor and your owner is Cara 
>> Quinn - you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com
>> 
>> The archives for this list can be searched at:
>> http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
>> --- 
>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
>> "MacVisionaries" group.
>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an 
>> email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
>> To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com.
>> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries.
>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
> 
> -- 
> The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries 
> list.
> 
> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if 
> you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
> moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.
> 
> Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor and your owner is Cara 
> Quinn - you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com
> 
> The archives for this list can be searched at:
> http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
> --- 
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
> "MacVisionaries" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an 
> email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
> To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com.
> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries.
> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

-- 
The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries 
list.

If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you 
feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.

Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor and your owner is Cara Quinn 
- you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com

The archives for this list can be searched at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
--- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
"MacVisionaries" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email 
to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

Re: Interesting reading for Mac and 5.1

[Sabahattin Gucukoglu]

Yeah, OK, so I really could have been a lot clearer about this.  Let’s try this 
again. :)

Basically there are really two ways to do surround-sound: hardware-decoded and 
software-decoded.

In the former, much more common and simpler case, you just get your media 
application, like iTunes or DVD player, to send AC3/DTS over the SPDIF, and the 
rest is down to your decoder.  From a historic perspective, this is not so 
different from the days of analog Dolby ProLogic, which used phase-shifting to 
encode surround tracks over a stereo line; the hack works because the 
natively-stereo SPDIF interface can be fed, and then recognise, a digital 
AC3/DTS stream.  This method is used by your Apple TV, and yes, iTunes movies 
do indeed include an AC3 track for this purpose.  DTS uses a similar (slightly 
less compressed, but still ultimately lossy) approach.  The SPDIF is usable, 
otherwise, for lossless stereo output.  Both encoded and unencoded data cannot 
be sent over the SPDIF simultaneously, of course.

In the latter, your Mac does all the decoding.  The audio device is merely 5.1 
(or whatever) output, each channel separately addressable.  iTunes and DVD 
Player will not use software decoding for AC3 5.1 (but DVD Player will downmix 
as necessary to stereo).  Other formats take up the slack, like WAV or AAC, but 
you need alternative software, like VLC, if you are to get software-decoding of 
AC3 without the pass-through.  Naturally, using this method gives you the most 
choice (unless DRM gets involved), but is also the hardest to get right and the 
least convenient if you are intending on walking the golden path set by most 
studio-endorsed software and hardware combinations.  In an ideal world there’d 
be a way to perform on-the-fly encoding of non-dolby-digital data to an audio 
receiver over the one port, but it doesn’t work like that.  And there’s no 
software to allow your computer to receive digital data for decoding to an 
analog audio output device, probably because it’d violate some licensing 
agreement or other, but there are decoder devices out there that you know where 
you can get them from that’ll take up the slack here.

Now, I hope I have explained things adequately. :)

-- 
The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries 
list.

If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you 
feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.

Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor and your owner is Cara Quinn 
- you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com

The archives for this list can be searched at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
--- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
"MacVisionaries" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email 
to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

Re: Interesting reading for Mac and 5.1

[Scott Granados]

So talk about this a little more.  The bottom line is there’s difficulty 
getting 5.1 out of a Mac?  

I hadn’t thought about that.  I just have used the Apple TV and an optical out 
but never tried to do 5.1 right out of the Mac.

Here’s another question, what if I want to play back with non Dolby?  Say I 
want to use DTS?  That’s one of the disadvantages of using digital downloadable 
content, you don’t get the alternate sound encoding or do you?  I’ve not seen 
it ever mentioned.  I prefer the sound of DTS not sure if others agree.

> On Feb 5, 2016, at 3:34 AM, Sabahattin Gucukoglu  wrote:
> 
> It is interesting reading, yeah.  Thanks for sharing.
> 
> I don’t have 5.1 myself, but this article seems a bit misleading when it 
> says, for instance, that DVD playback using DVD player or iTunes Store movies 
> don’t support 5.1.  Of course both do, but you need a software decoder, such 
> as that in VLC, to get surround from this analog setup.  Apple’s software 
> uses Dolby Digital (AC3) passthrough, when it’s available.  So, in other 
> words, you can still enjoy 5.1 with your home theatre, just in more limited 
> ways.
> 
> This page, and the one to which it is linked, is full of fascinating insights:
> http://www.dr-lex.be/software/surround_osx.html
> 
> -- 
> The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries 
> list.
> 
> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if 
> you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
> moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.
> 
> Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor and your owner is Cara 
> Quinn - you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com
> 
> The archives for this list can be searched at:
> http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
> --- 
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
> "MacVisionaries" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an 
> email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
> To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com.
> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries.
> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

-- 
The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries 
list.

If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you 
feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.

Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor and your owner is Cara Quinn 
- you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com

The archives for this list can be searched at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
--- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
"MacVisionaries" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email 
to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

Re: Interesting reading for Mac and 5.1

[Sabahattin Gucukoglu]

It is interesting reading, yeah.  Thanks for sharing.

I don’t have 5.1 myself, but this article seems a bit misleading when it says, 
for instance, that DVD playback using DVD player or iTunes Store movies don’t 
support 5.1.  Of course both do, but you need a software decoder, such as that 
in VLC, to get surround from this analog setup.  Apple’s software uses Dolby 
Digital (AC3) passthrough, when it’s available.  So, in other words, you can 
still enjoy 5.1 with your home theatre, just in more limited ways.

This page, and the one to which it is linked, is full of fascinating insights:
http://www.dr-lex.be/software/surround_osx.html

-- 
The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries 
list.

If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you 
feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.

Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor and your owner is Cara Quinn 
- you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com

The archives for this list can be searched at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
--- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
"MacVisionaries" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email 
to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

Interesting reading for Mac and 5.1

[Bill Holton]

Found this about how to configure 5.1 sound on a Mac

http://guides.macrumors.com/Configuring_5.1_Surround_Output_in_Mac_OS_X

 

-- 
The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries 
list.

If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you 
feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.

Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor and your owner is Cara Quinn 
- you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com

The archives for this list can be searched at:
http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
--- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
"MacVisionaries" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email 
to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.