divx-ac3-output by spdif on zoltrix nightingale

[Elian]

Hi all,
sorry for crossposting, but I didn´t get answers at powerdivx.com - so I´ll try here:

Being tired of the crackling problem with my SB Live I decided to buy a Zoltrix Nightingale 6 Pro. But with this card I have many bigger problems than the crackling creative sound...

I have an external Ac3-decoder with an coax-spdif-in for DVD-Sound up to DTS. So I take the signals from the zoltrix with a coax spdif cable to my decoder. I think I have installed and configured the settings in the driver ok, and when I play a DVD the sound goes in a full Dolby Digital or DTS-Sound to the decoder. But when I play a ac3-avi there is only a stereo signal at my decoder, the filter properties in intervideo ac3-codec are changed to stereo output. When I change to spdif-out, nothing happens. Restarting the player, it is set back to stereo again...
I wonder because playing the same file with the same software but the old creative card works fine (but crackling), so I think that its not a software bug.
Can somebady help me?

The next problem: I have a DVB-TV)-Card installed. I can put the sound out of this DVB-Card with an analogue cable from the back of the card to the line-in of the soundcard or internal with a 2-pin-cable normally used for digital-sound at cd-roms. This way is fully digital, and so I have to get into the soundcard at a digital-in. My creative card had a cd-rom-digital-in (zoltrix has not), and now i go to the normal spdif-in found on the spdif-add-on.
When I play music, avi or dvd, everything is fine. But when I want to watch TV, there is no sound unsing the internal (spdif) way. I only get sound, when I mark "loopthrough" at the zoltrix settings. But with enabled loopthrough, I don´t get sound with my music, divx and dvd-players...
Does somebody have a solution for me?

If it may help you: my system is running with an asus a7v, athlon 1200, winxp pro, the dvd player is windvd and power dvd (both 4.0) and divx-player is powerdivx. Soundcard (new) zoltrix Nightingale Pro 6 and (old) Creative SB Live Player 5.1; external Decoder is a Kenwood DD-Receiver.

Thanks in advance,
Elian

[Elian]

oh no, nobody who can help me out there...?
Elian

[Kyo]

Humm. crac crac crac. if you have a via-based board does have you tried the latency patch(with the Sb)?

If yes, try to put the card in other slot, update drivers, try with
*only* the audio card etc etc...

luck, and post your results!

[Elian]

Hi. no crac crac, but sometimes a part of a second like choppy, as if the computer is too small for the video/audio output. But I have tried everything (fresh os, changing cards, latency patch, ...) with the Sb live, and so bought the nightingale - and that´s my main problem: how to get the ac3 in divx out of the spdif of the nightingale...
Elian

[MaTTeR]

What version of the Intervideo (iviaudio.ax) filters you using? This is going to be the culprit most likely.

You have read the Zoltrix documentation right? You have to change the Nightingale sound control panel to SPDIF also.

[Elian]

Hi,
iviaudio is I think 2.0 (doom9-audiofilter-package),
spdif-output is enabled in driver properties, otherways I would not have correct sound output with playing DVD files.
Elian

[MaTTeR]

Hrm..the Nightingale is about the easiest card I've ever setup with SPDIF for AC3 audio. I'm not sure whats causing the problem. Have you tried using Zoom Player or BSplayer? Did you check the PowerDivx options to make sure it is also set for SPDIF?

[Elian]

Hi,
yes, the ac3-setup in Powerdivx is ok (means spdif-out). But I did not try other players like zoom or bs - maybe I should try. But I think the main problem is, that the iviaudio-filters are (with the nightingale) only marked on stereo output as standard, while plugging the sb live it is standard using spdif out... and if I set spdif out in the iviaudio-settings using the nightingale, nothing happens - I don´t get the ac3-output. I think, that´s the main problem.

But am I right, that you use the nightingale and get an ac3-output over spdif with divx-movies? If this is possible for you, it must be possible for me, too. Maybe I should reinstall winxp...

Another question, has nothing to do with ac3: I am using a dvb-card for watching tv. To get the sound, I have to plug a cable from dvb-out to soundcards line-in (analogue way) or I use an internal connection from dvb-spdif-out to soundcard-spdif-in.
I will use the spdif-out to my receiver, too. But I don´t find it possible to use the spdif-in of the nightingale and without changing the drivers properties using a dond-digital-sound like playing winamp. Everytime I want to use the dvb, I have to check the "pass spdif through"-button in the driver, but when I play winamp with this button marked, I get no output - this only works, if I unmark the button. Same problem by analogue line-in...
Can you help me? I don´t want to change the properties everytime I want to use this or that program...

Elian

[MaTTeR]

Yes, the Nightingale will pass the Dolby Digital AC3 stream perfectly over SPDIF to your external amp. You should first try the other players I've mentioned above. If that doesn't work then you should try a newer version of the iviaudio.ax. Doom9's package also comes with version 2.6 that you can try.

As a last resort, use WinDVD's playlist to play your AC3/DivX file. If this doesn't work then certainly a reinstall of the OS might be in order. As to your SPDIF-In question, unfortunately I have no expereience with it as of yet. Maybe you could find a Zoltrix forum using Google?

[Elian]

Ok. Thank you for the information. I did not know yet that WinDVD can play DivX-avi. I tried with PowerDVD, but it did not run...

I tried to find a forum with google where nightingale-users can halep me, but I did not find anything. So I tried here at doom9, at powerdivx, and at several other computer-audio forums.

But thanks a lot for your support,
Elian