I'm having trouble getting digital audio to output on the system I just built. I've got the ASUS P5Q Pro. I'm using the RCA output on the back going to my surround receiver. I can get Dolby Digital and DTS when I play movies, no problem. When I play Crysis or some of the other games with digital audio, I'm not getting it. I know this is a pretty popular mobo here, so I figured I'd ask. Google hasn't really helped much.

9/12/2008 3:39:12 PM

Are you sure that Crysis is producing a surround sound audio signal? Also, I have a different ASUS motherboard and I've noticed that it will send a 5.1 audio stream without the receiver recognizing it as such. However, the sound I hear will be in 5.1. Does the game have an in-game audio tester where you can verify that it's sending the proper signal to the correct speaker?

9/12/2008 3:48:01 PM

I found some steps on the internet for enabling 5.1 audio for Crysis, which I followed with no success. One of the other games, Civilization IV, has options for which type of audio you want to use, but they don't work either. None of the games have an in-game test (that I've seen). My surround receiver does a decent job with ProLogic II, but I want the real deal.

I just think it's weird that the codecs used for playing back movies in mkv files aren't having any trouble sending the 5.1 or 6.1 audio, yet the games won't do it.

9/12/2008 4:14:55 PM

I have Crysis and a P5Q, but I don't have a stereo with SP/DIF input yet.

9/12/2008 5:06:10 PM

Anybody else able to offer some ideas on what's going on here?

9/13/2008 12:28:41 AM

bttt - The Realtek ALC1200 doesn't support Dolby Digital Live or any of the other real time codecs, so there's no digital audio in games. It will play digital tracks in movies though.

I'm thinking of picking up this card... looks like a nice one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829271001
Although newegg doesn't list Vista as being supported, the manufacturer's site has updated drivers for Vista x64.

11/1/2008 3:48:10 PM