Video card with HDMI question

[GlocksRock]

Are there any video cards out there with HDMI that support bitstreaming of lossless audio? I'm about to get a Gigabyte Radeon 4350 for $15 and I know it supports audio via HDMI, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't support lossless audio. Are there any cards that do support it?

 

[Nemo128]

Yes. ATI Radeon 4800 cards and nVidia's current cards have the proper chipset.

Gimme a budget and I'll find you a specific card. The 4300 series does not support 8 channel LPCM over HDMI, you're correct in that assumption.

 

[GlocksRock]

I don't need a card that does that right now, I was just curious if they existed. I just came up on this particular card for $15, and it will suit my current needs just fine, as my current card isn't HDCP compliant.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I've never heard of ANY video cards that can bitstream TrueHD & DTS-HD MA.

I know the ASUS Xona HDAV1.3 SOUND card and the "upcoming" Auzen X-Fi HomeTheater HD SOUND card can bitstream TrueHD & DTS-HD.

Western Digital has the $99 WDTV player that can play pretty much any video files directly from the hard drive, including BD.iso files. However, it cannot bitstream TrueHD/DTS-HD yet.

Word is that the next generation WDTV player will be able to bitstream TrueHD/DTS-HD, so we probably don't even need to spend $200 on a sound card.

 

[Nemo128]

The cards I mentioned can. Unfortunately what the cards can do and what the available software supports are two different things.

The eGreat M34A is far better than the WDTV. I owned a WDTV, it was too limiting without networking or HDMI 1.3a.

 

[GlocksRock]

If the cards can bitstream lossless audio, but no software supports it, then there isn't much point in spending the extra money on that type of card right now.

 

[Nemo128]

I'll do a writeup on what's needed and how to set it up if there's enough interest. There is software support, just not much and it's not a no-brainer process to set up.

 

[GlocksRock]

Does the latest version of PowerDVD Ultra support it? I'm just going to stick with the Ati 4350 card I'm getting for now, but in the future when I upgrade my media pc, I'll probably want a card that can do it all.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

So as of this very moment, only the ASUS Xonar HD soundcard with the TMT software can bitstream TrueHD & DTS-HD.

The Azun HD soundcard + PowerDVD9 software will bitstream TrueHD & DTS-HD.

Like Glocks says, the theoretical potential of the hardware without the software is useless.

It's kind of like saying that I'm a millionaire, but I just don't have the money yet.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Does the latest version of PowerDVD Ultra support it? I'm just going to stick with the Ati 4350 card I'm getting for now, but in the future when I upgrade my media pc, I'll probably want a card that can do it all.

I just ordered the ASUS Xonar HDAV1.3 Deluxe (TrueHD/DTS-HD) from amazon for $220.

I will be sure to give a full report on my experience!

 

[GlocksRock]

Cant wait to hear your thoughts. I just got my new video card, can't wait to go home and install it.

 

[Nemo128]

So as of this very moment, only the ASUS Xonar HD soundcard with the TMT software can bitstream TrueHD & DTS-HD.

The Azun HD soundcard + PowerDVD9 software will bitstream TrueHD & DTS-HD.

Like Glocks says, the theoretical potential of the hardware without the software is useless.

It's kind of like saying that I'm a millionaire, but I just don't have the money yet.

Radeon 4850 can internally stream LPCM up to 6.144Mbps (enough bandwidth for both formats if I remember correctly) through its HDMI output to your receiver. Since you're using the PC for playing anyway, it doesn't matter if the PC or the receiver is doing the decoding. Just have whatever you're using (PowerDVD for most) decode the stream, and the video card can transmit it.

 

[GlocksRock]

Radeon 4850 can internally stream LPCM up to 6.144Mbps (enough bandwidth for both formats if I remember correctly) through its HDMI output to your receiver. Since you're using the PC for playing anyway, it doesn't matter if the PC or the receiver is doing the decoding. Just have whatever you're using (PowerDVD for most) decode the stream, and the video card can transmit it.

I would still like to bitsream the audio just so I can see my receiver display TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio, but I could live with PCM if need be... but I don't have that card anyway, so I'm not gonna sweat it.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Radeon 4850 can internally stream LPCM up to 6.144Mbps (enough bandwidth for both formats if I remember correctly) through its HDMI output to your receiver. Since you're using the PC for playing anyway, it doesn't matter if the PC or the receiver is doing the decoding. Just have whatever you're using (PowerDVD for most) decode the stream, and the video card can transmit it.

If it were as simple as just letting PowerDVD & TMT decode the TrueHD & DTS-HD MA, then thousands of people, including myself, would not have spent $220 on the Asus Xonar HDAV1.3 soundcard, and thousands more would not be waiting for the Azun HD soundcard.

The fact is, PowerDVD9 & TMT3 cannot decode or bitstream TrueHD/DTS-HD MA unless it is partnered with the Azun HD and the Asus HD soundcards, respectively.

LPCM is easier done than TrueHD & DTS-HD MA. There is no encoding and no decoding required. Thus, you can get LPCM uncompressed sound without the need for the Asus or Azun HD soundcards.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I would still like to bitsream the audio just so I can see my receiver display TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio, but I could live with PCM if need be... but I don't have that card anyway, so I'm not gonna sweat it.

Only if the movie has the LPCM soundtrack.

If the movie has TrueHD or DTS-HD MA, like most BDs, PDVD or TMT cannot just simply decode it and convert it to LPCM.

 

[Nemo128]

Cyberlink says it can decode TrueHD and DTS-HD. Either they're selling their product falsely, or people just haven't done it.

DTS-HD MA is a whole other animal.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I think this sums it up:

The latest PowerDVD & TMT can decode TrueHD & DTS-HD MA.

But as of this very day, the only Soundcard that can OUTPUT these copy-protected (HDCP & PAP) Sound Codec is the ASUS Xonar HDAV1.3.

So if HDCP & PAP had never existed, life would have been so much easier.

On second thought, I've used anyDVD HD, which supposedly removes all these HDCP and copy-protection crap, but TMT3 platinum and PDVD9 Ultra still cannot output/bitstream TrueHD or DTS-HD MA to my Denon AVR-5308CI. By the way, my graphics card is the NVIDIA GeForce 9600+ series.

So I guess it's more than just copy-protection issues.

 

[GlocksRock]

I tried Anydvd HD with a blu ray .iso I made and it still wouldn't bypass the HDCP on my media PC, which is why I got this new card, I'll at least have an HDCP compliant card, but if I want lossless audio I'll still use my PS3.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I tried Anydvd HD with a blu ray .iso I made and it still wouldn't bypass the HDCP on my media PC, which is why I got this new card, I'll at least have an HDCP compliant card, but if I want lossless audio I'll still use my PS3.

Did you try ripping just the main movie or the entire disc?

I think doing just the main movie should rid the HDCP.

For example, when I used anyDVD HD on the TV show "24" BD, I still could not play it on PDVD9 & TMT3.

Then I ripped just the single episodes and I was able to play them on both PDVD & TMT.

 

[GlocksRock]

I ripped the full movie, but now that my new card is HDCP compliant, everything works fine now and I don't even need anydvd running, unless I'm ripping a disc.