DD 5.1 from external USB to SPDIF adapter?

[Ken H]

System:
Dell Optiplex 740
AMD Phenom X4
4GB RAM
Windows 7 64 bit, running WMC
Silicondust HDHomeRun Prime, Comcast CableCard

I've been using an R7 240 graphics card with HDMI output that passes DD audio from WMC sources, but that card is in for repair and I'm looking for a temporary fix to get DD 5.1. The video has been replaced with a Dell DVI card that runs off the integrated nVidia Geforce 6150LE graphics.

Do the USB to SPDIF (optical or coax) adapters output DD 5.1 from sources that have it as their native audio format?

Thanks in advance for any assistance provided.

[tad]

Yes, a USB soundcard with a digital (optical or RCA) output will pass DD 5.1. Just set it as your default sound device and configure it accordingly.

[Ken H]

That's what I thought, thanks for the confirmation.

[Ken H]

Well, not so much.

I've got the unit but it will only output PCM 2.0. There is no option for anything else in the configuration settings.

[kennyken]

What is the unit in question just a simple usb to spdif adaptor ? Need to know if it has DTS / Dolby Decoder chip to process what you need. I would say an Audigy external or Extigy would be ideal, these sometimes these come up on eBay for auction and go pretty cheap.

[Ken H]

After more research, I can tell you that for a USB sound card to pass Dolby Digital or DTS, it must specify that. Otherwise all you get from a USB sound card is PCM two channel stereo digital audio.

The least expensive current, new, USB device with SPDIF that passes DD & DTS I could find is the Turtle Beach Micro II. It's available from Newegg for $30 including shipping.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi ... ageSize=30

The older inexpensive Extigy product requires an Intel compatible motherboard and I've got AMD. The Audigy external products on ebay are much more expensive.