How do I get 5.1 sound to work in MPC-HC??

fightinfilipino

MPC-HC has been frustrating the hell out of me recently.

i've got a PC with a Realtek-based onboard sound solution (specifically the Realtek ALC1150). according to the specs, this should be able to natively decode surround sound streams like DTS and AC3.

my speakers are an old Logitech Z-5500 set connected via the analogue 6 channel direct wires. for *reasons*, i want to continue using this (don't want to use the SPDIF).

whenever i play a movie in MPC-HC with an AC3 or DTS stream, those tracks do NOT output sound. regular stereo is fine. when i play the same movie in VLC, surround sound works as it should.

can anyone tell me what the deal is with MPC-HC? i would much rather use MPC-HC, if i can only configure it to output 5.1.

Santa Claustrophobia

I don't know of any issues with MPC. Are you sure you've got all the right codecs? Check with CCCP and try again.

fightinfilipino

i'm hesitant to install a kitchen-sink solution like CCCP. besides, i don't think it's a codec solution since i can get analog 5.1 from ac3/dts in VLC. MPC-HC also uses the internal LAV splitter just fine for stereo audio tracks from the same files.

i honestly think there's some configuration or setting in MPC-HC that i'm missing, but i can't figure it out...

Ebola Cola

I don't have the speakers/chipset to replicate your setup, and I don't know what you've done/not done, and I use MPC-BE, so this is a little scattershot. First, sound decoding shouldn't be the issue here: VLC and MPC-HC can both do the decoding, as can your onboard sound, as can your speakers (which would be bitstreaming, if you used SPDIF). The quickest thing to check is that windows knows you have a 5.1 speaker setup by going into playback devices, finding your speakers, and hitting "configure." If your speakers have a mixer (they do on Amazon), you should probably set it to direct mode ("6 channel direct," I think).

Looking at the default settings in MPC-HC, it looks like you'll want to first configure the Realtek software for 5.1/possibly decoding; if you've never touched the Realtek software, it's probably in the windows control panel (mine is "Realtek HD Audio Manager"). When you're done, set the Realtek ALC1150 as the audio renderer in MPC-HC (under playback -> output); it will be something like "Directsound: device name (Realtek ALC1150)." You can also set the renderer again in internal filters -> audio renderer, but I think(?) that probably overrides the LAV decoder, so I would test it without touching that.

If you still aren't getting any sound: you may have turned on bitstreaming or mixing, both of which you can find at MPC-HC's internal filters tab by clicking "audio decoder" at the bottom. Make sure everything in the bitstreaming section is off, and turn off the mixer on the second tab. On the audio decoder page, you should also uncheck any bit formats your speakers don't support (leaving 16 and 24 is a safe bet; but if you want to know for certain, you can go to windows playback devices, select your speakers, then go to properties -> advanced, and check/test with the dropdown menu).

fightinfilipino

Ebola Cola wrote: »

I don't have the speakers/chipset to replicate your setup, and I don't know what you've done/not done, and I use MPC-BE, so this is a little scattershot. First, sound decoding shouldn't be the issue here: VLC and MPC-HC can both do the decoding, as can your onboard sound, as can your speakers (which would be bitstreaming, if you used SPDIF). The quickest thing to check is that windows knows you have a 5.1 speaker setup by going into playback devices, finding your speakers, and hitting "configure." If your speakers have a mixer (they do on Amazon), you should probably set it to direct mode ("6 channel direct," I think).

Looking at the default settings in MPC-HC, it looks like you'll want to first configure the Realtek software for 5.1/possibly decoding; if you've never touched the Realtek software, it's probably in the windows control panel (mine is "Realtek HD Audio Manager"). When you're done, set the Realtek ALC1150 as the audio renderer in MPC-HC (under playback -> output); it will be something like "Directsound: device name (Realtek ALC1150)." You can also set the renderer again in internal filters -> audio renderer, but I think(?) that probably overrides the LAV decoder, so I would test it without touching that.

If you still aren't getting any sound: you may have turned on bitstreaming or mixing, both of which you can find at MPC-HC's internal filters tab by clicking "audio decoder" at the bottom. Make sure everything in the bitstreaming section is off, and turn off the mixer on the second tab. On the audio decoder page, you should also uncheck any bit formats your speakers don't support (leaving 16 and 24 is a safe bet; but if you want to know for certain, you can go to windows playback devices, select your speakers, then go to properties -> advanced, and check/test with the dropdown menu).

sweet, following your steps did it!

i had the 5.1 set up in the Realtek HD Audio Manager, but i didn't have MPC-HC set up right. this works. thanks!