Dolby Digital Surround Sound Test

[Micol Cohn]

Thereare many forum threads around the web about Windows 10 breaking Surround Sound / 5.1 DTS / 5.1 Dolby, etc... However there appear to be a few different possibilities, and while some noted to fix it using unlocked Realtek drivers, I have tested this myself with the following results.

I have tried Realtek's R2.79 drivers Win10 x64. I have also tried the WIN10 x64 drivers from Shuttle's site (linked above). Both don't actually show the DTS/DD output option. The unlocked R2.79 drivers DO show that option, but more info on that below.

Wouldn't that be nice! HDMI goes through the Samsung TV in full 5.1 glory, but the Samsung TV will not output it back out to the receiver in the same format it got it! It sends it back to the receiver as 2 channel.

The receiver does NOT like the samsung TV as a single output. I get resolution issues, flicker, refresh rate problems, the list goes on. It is a far bigger headache to try and get the video to work right when putting all inputs in the receiver, and I decided it was time to let the TV handle all video itself.

My tests are always using a test DTS 5.1 file which plays sound in each speaker one at a time when DTS 5.1 is active and working properly. I have an MKV version which is also on PLEX (which plays through a browser).

So this is the problem, and I have found no solution to date. I am all ears. My goal is to get at least one browser capable of outputting 5.1 in DD or DTS in its true form. From Xfinity TV webapp, Plex, HBO Go, and Netflix at a minimum.

Since the root cause of this issue is the "S/PDIF" connection - which can't handle more than 2 channels of uncompressed sound without these problematic proprietary formats - you can fix this also by using a different cable, for example HDMI.

im using a intel NUC wich has hdmi and optical out.The only way i could get surround from the optical was disabling hdmi audio (intel audio in my case in device manager)reboot and done!Im in win10 using vlc.

It's Home Cinema Week, so naturally, it's the perfect time to kick back and watch some films; or in the case of this list, listen to some films. Surround sound is the perfect way to immersive yourself into the film you're watching, with audio enveloping you from all angles to truly engross you into your movie.

If you're looking for the very best examples of surround-sound scenes to take your AVR and surround-sound speaker system for a spin, then you've come to the right place, as these are our recommendations. Don't have space for a full system? Fret not, as a Dolby Atmos soundbar can be a worthy alternative if you're tight on space and/or budget.

Whether you have a 5.1- or 7.2-channel system, or even a Dolby Atmos set-up with extra in-ceiling or upward-firing speakers, these film scenes will reveal how good your AV system really is. Volume dial at the ready...

This scene is a slow-burner, as so many of his classic tracks are, beginning by delivering brooding with tension and a sense of impending drama. Rumbling bass will wake up your subwoofer before the dive through the black hole ratchets up the action. Ominous organ notes give way to panicked details as the ship threatens to disintegrate all around you.

Want to know what Dolby Atmos is all about? Get yourself a copy of Angelina Jolie's Unbroken and head straight to the bombing raid. It's glorious from the off, opening with a choral score that should sound heavenly on your speakers. It slowly gives way to the hum of the approaching squadron of bombers and you need to be able to hear real dimension to the individual rotor blades of their propellers buzzing by.

Atmos is about more than just height. The extra axis of sound means the designer can pick and place effects into the soundfield as well as adding that overhead dimension. This scene has both, and if you're not ducking your head every time the enemy comes in for another pass, then it's time to upgrade your equipment.

While it begins with a ringing sound that should come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time, this sequence gets going as a test for your stereo pair. The whole scene is set to Bellbottoms by the John Spencer Blues Explosion. It's a song with serious attack and it needs to come across with - no pun intended - real drive. If you don't want to hear it again by the end of the scene, then your set-up is doing something wrong.

When the getaway begins, though, it's about how your surround speakers integrate with the fronts. The tyres should screech across the soundscape as the car slides about and it mustn't be so clumsy as to sound like the effect is simply chucked from speaker to speaker. Ideally, it moves across the space so subtly and seamlessly that you forget about your system altogether - not an easy thing to do when you're testing, we grant you.

From a Baby Driver to a Taxi one - there's not much in the way of whizz-bangs in this Scorcese classic to test out the effects chops of your home cinema system but, for music and for dialogue, it's a winner.

Expression and dynamism are the watchwords for your front and rear pairs from the minute that the title sequences of this film begin. It's a drive-by of night-time New York City set to Bernard Herrmann's incredible score which slips from languid to dangerous in an instant.

You're looking for your speakers to melt into the background and produce an all round, open sound that you can almost bathe in. It needs to lull you into relaxation before smacking you round the face with discord in a reminder of the Travis Bickle that's yet to come.

Then it's a great test for your centre speaker as Bickle answers questions at his taxi driver job interview. He's a bit of a mumbler but his words should still be nice and clear and it should be impossible for him to hide his troubled nature behind them. His controller gets the sense that there's something not quite right with Bickle and so should the audience.

Marvel means nothing if not great action, and the web-slinger is an awesome character to test big swushing surround effects. This mid-movie, first-time showdown between Spider-man and the Vulture is an excellent work-out for a home cinema set-up.

It begins with some pretty standard busy action - gun shots from left, right, up and down; smart dialogue; a jaunty soundtrack - and then quickly moves to a full-on swinging and flying fest from the two lead characters.

To begin with, we need an ominous feel to the deserted city. Your system will need the dynamic skill to render every drop of rain against the moody string soundtrack. Your sub will need to be big enough to hit you chest every time water shoots up from the planet's surface but not be so soft that the effect is too muffled.

And then we get to the action as he's confronted by Ronan's men. We need clear, defined pulses from the laser blasts, the crackle of Quill's jet boots and, of course, some nice clear pre-fight dialogue. It's a complete home cinema work-out and will offer a quick pointer to where you might have a weakness.

John Wick is the best thing Keanu Reeves has done since The Matrix. In fact, the retired-but-not-anymore hitman is probably cooler than Neo in every way: he has better suits, better gun-fights and better one-liners.

And the disc is a wicked test for your home cinema system. Take chapter 7, the club scene, where Wick brutalises a queue of henchman while chasing a towelled Alfie Allen through crowds of merrymakers.

There's no huge surround effects but your speaker package will still need a balletic poise, agility and huge reserves of muscle to handle the exquisitely precise choreography. The underlying track, Le Castle Vania by LED Spirals, should lead with a compelling sense of purpose and then be clearly and neatly punctuated by every hit and point-blank shot to the face without anything missing a beat.

But it's in the third act when the action ramps up that the fun happens: the moment when Neo and Trinity call for guns ("lots of guns") should fill the room while the iconic Bullet Time sequences should pan through your surround speakers so well that you'll want to reach for the rewind button. Bass needs to be a big and arresting presence but also clean and tightly controlled.

Watching the opening scene, you should feel immediately feel blanketed in the musical atmosphere. One of the first sounds that will strike you, as well as your subwoofer(s), is the sonorous, undulating bass. If your drivers can cope with the LFE, it should feel expansive without masking the other details in the scene, like the spinner flying overhead or the buzzer waking Ryan Gosling.

Throughout the tense 90 minutes of Gravity as Sandra bullock hurtles through the vacuum of space with only George Clooney for company, the Oscar-winning Dolby Atmos mix (only available on the limited edition Diamond Luxe Blu-ray or the special edition HD Blu-ray) both helps the viewer find focus within the confusing geography of nothingness while also heightening the sensation of disorientation.

The scene opens with a camera flying over the raucous stadium crowd and a swooping sensation of height and movement. As we move around the stage, we hear the proximity of each amp and instrument, and within the crowd, we are surrounded by thousands of chanting voices. Even the long shots from the cheap seats should feel engulfing, transportive and irresistibly enjoyable.

Confusing plot aside, this is a prime scene to test surround sound, as it features an onslaught of gunfire, explosions and vehicles surrounding the viewer in an epic display. A lot is going on here, with helicopters dropping troops directly into the action, buildings exploding and reforming as the time continuity is warped and changed, and bullets flying from all angles; it's a sight to behold and it sounds excellent too.

This battle is intertwined with a much smaller scale, albeit equally tense sequence between the antagonist and his wife on a yacht, which cuts through the brash and loud action. A good sound system will nail the tension conveyed through the sound and contrast the two sequences perfectly, are your speakers up to the task?

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