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Latest Update: The S/PDIF Passthrough issues in Win2k have been resolved in the latest drivers. Just grab the latest updates from Creative and it should work.
This feature is used to output the raw Dolby Digital track found in DVDs through the S/PDIF output available on the SBLive!
The SBLive! is not capable of outputting all its audio in Dolby Digital format (through the S/PDIF output). It is only able to output Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks that are already pre-encoded and made available on DVDs and other file formats like .AC3 or .VOB. This is because Dolby Digital and DTS are non-PCM formats, unlike the PCM format supported by the EU10K10.
To playback Dolby Digital or DTS audio, the PC needs to decode the audio into a compatible PCM format so that sound cards can reproduce it. Alternatively, the sound card can bypass its PCM circuitry and offer a passthrough of the non-PCM signal, straight from the source (like a DVD) to the S/PDIF output.
Typically, you will use a optical or coaxial cable to connect the SBLive! to a surround amplifier or 5.1 multimedia speakers supporting Dolby Digital inputs. To get the optical or coaxial output on the SBLive!, you will need a digital I/O card, or you can get a minijack-to-RCA cable if you have a 2nd or 3rd generation SBLive! card with the digital minijack output. More information is available on the Digital I/O page.
Playing Back Audio
When playing normal audio, like MP3 and EAX games, the SBLive! will only output in stereo mode.
Only when you use a supporting software DVD player, like WinDVD or PowerDVD, will the amplifier work in Dolby Digital mode. Remember that you need to enable S/PDIF output in the audio setup of the DVD player software.
Technical Details
Ways to Get AC3 Passthrough
There are two ways to get AC3 passthrough. The first way is for developers to use Creative's AC3API.DLL. The other way is to use a non-PCM wave output feature in Microsoft's Windows sound API to output compressed Dolby Digital or DTS signal that is read of DVD or files encoded with surround sound.
AC3API
This method is dependent on the AC3API.DLL provided by Creative. It also requires the specific DSOUND.DLL that is distributed with DirectX 7. Updating your system to DirectX 8 will break this feature.
So far, PowerDVD 2.55 and 3.0 are reported to support the AC3API method, while most others use the other method.
You can download the patch (see below) to make AC3 passthrough work with PowerDVD in Windows 2000. Alternatively, you can manually fix this by copying the DirectX 7 version of DSOUND.DLL and placing it in the \Program Files\CyberLink\PowerDVD program folder.
Non-PCM Wave Output
Most other players like WinDVD use this method to do AC3 and S/PDIF passthrough. This feature basically allows the sound card to output audio data that is not in the usual PCM format supported by all sound cards (ie. Dolby Digital and DTS signals). This page at Microsoft discusses this issue in detail.
Windows 2000 vs Windows 9x/Me
Both the AC3API and wave output methods work in Windows 9x and Me. So properly written software DVD players should work fine. However Windows 2000 is a little different...
The first method using AC3API still works in Windows 2000, but as I have mentioned above, it is dependent on DSOUND.DLL in DirectX 7.
The second non-PCM wave output method does not work correctly in Windows 2000 in its original release, as well as SP1. SP2 fixes this problem as mentioned in this article at Tech Extreme. Jared Peck, Senior Technical Coordinator at Creative Labs is quoted as saying that Service Pack 2 (SP2) will fix this problem.
Pre-SP2 Hope
Creative claims that the drivers are already coded in the same way as the Windows 9x/Me drivers with AC3 passthrough supported. Once the OS supports the non-PCM wave output method correctly, AC3 passthrough will work fine. WinDVD uses the 2nd method, so it will not work in Windows 2000 until SP2 is released.
May 19, 2001
Microsoft has finally released the service pack that is supposed to fix the AC3 passthrough issues. Click here for the SP2 page.
The Register reports that SP2 is reported to introduce some additional problems on some systems (doesn't Microsoft always do that?), including killing hibernation (see this discussion thread at BetaNews), however do let us know if it works and if your AC3 passthrough problems are solved.
Post-SP2 Syndrome
However, a majority of readers who have tried Windows 2000 SP2 still say that nothing is fixed. However this knowledge base article Q289226 - No Sound from Non-PCM File with Windows Driver Model Audio Drivers confirms that Microsoft has implemented the non-PCM wave output such that AC3 passthrough will work. (This article on non-PCM wave output at Microsoft also mentions that "Windows 2000 Service Pack 2 (SP2) should also contain these fixes.")
If your copy of PowerDVD works, it might be possible that you have applied the AC3 passthrough unofficial patch (see below) previously, prior to installing SP2, so it still works. If WinDVD works, then it will be a sign that things have actually improved.
So, the conclusion is that Creative did not include AC3 passthrough support in the drivers in the first place, contrary to what they have claimed! Or, they did implement it, as they have always claimed, but have not tested it to ensure that it works.
AC3 Unofficial Patch for Windows 2000
The patches can be downloaded from here. (The page moves frequently, so if that link doesn't work, click here.) You must have Live!Ware 3 installed. The older versions interfere with DirectX 8 files, but the newer 2.x versions do not.
The patches work for PowerDVD but not other software DVD players, like WinDVD.
Installing lw3ac3up ensure that the required versions of the following files are in their correct location for AC3 passthrough to work:
WNNT\SYSTEM32 directory should have:
- devcon32.dll (version 4.6.0.650)
- devldr32.exe (version 1.0.0.15)
- sblfx.dll (version 4.6.1.801)
WINNT\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS directory should have:
- emu10k1f.sys (version 5.12.1.3204)
- sfman.sys (version 4.10.0.3000)
- dsound.dll is replaced in version 1 of the drivers, but not in version 2 (it is merely copied to the PowerDVD program directory). So version 2 will not interfere with DirectX 8 installations.
To get Cinemaster to work, you need to install the first patch, and also the 2nd patch, cineac3.exe which is found at the same location. This will fix registry entries under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Ravisent and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Quadrant International, Inc. to enable AC3 output
This forum post has instructions to update the files manually. You don't want to do that, do you?
Links
Your Feedback
Here's some of your experiences with AC3 passthrough. If you have other methods to get it working, let us know how you did it.
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OK guys - I got the passthrough to work on Win2k.
Here's how... After smashing up my OS by repeatedly installing/uninstalling various driver
sets, I wiped the HDD clean and started with a fresh Win2k install then added SP2. Then I installed the Live 5.1 drivers on the disk that shipped with my Live MP3 5.1 card (not the LiveWare 3.0). I installed the WinDVD that shipped with my Creative DVD drive (don't have decoder card - just the drive).
My version is 2.2, so I patched it to 2.6. I then updated the Live driver with v3300 (unzipped it to a temp directory and updated through device manager - I had problems using the install program that comes with it, win2kupdate.exe I think). Fired up WinDVD and S/PDIF output now available, and my receiver switches to Dolby Digital when activated! Also dug around on other apps that come with the Live software package (mixer, speaker setup, etc) and all worked (the first time I tried by using the install program rather than using device manager S/PDIF worked but all other apps would crash). That's it, and all the patches/updates I mentioned I grabbed from this site (3300 driver update, WinDVD 2.6 patch, etc).
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I just want to confirm that :
- the patch works beautifully with Pwdvd 3.0
- It doesnt have any effect on Windvd (we knew that already, method not the same)
- I applied W2K SP2 .... out of luck : the SPDIF is still greyed out ... SP2 doesnt help
Should we wait for a hotfix !!!!!!!!
Too bad because video quality with Windvd seems better than PowerDVD (sharper and the colors are more natural)
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AC3-out through powerdvd 3.0 works now!!! Thank you so much! (Although I wasn't able to get anything to work until Tristan released 3.0b).
System:
SB Live 5.1
Windows 2000 SP2
PowerDVD 3.0
Original SB 5.1 Drivers
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I had Windows2000 + SP1 and I got AC-3 from PowerDVD3 (select S/PDIF in audio config) but not from WinDVD 2.2 (S/PDIF greyed out).
I then installed SP2 but no change - exact same as above.
Seems MS didn't fix it after all.
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Hi,
I am a programmer and for me, AC-3 Output works quite good under Win2K with Service Pack 2.
This is what I found out:
- PowerDVD
I have managed to get this to work before SP2 with the AC-3 Patch from Tristan. It works only when the DSOUND.DLL from DirectX 7 is available.
It seems that PowerDVD does NOT use the ac3api.dll but uses DirectSound for passthrough.
- Win2K SP2
Microsoft finally implemented AC-3 support for WDM-Drivers.
I have written a small player for ac-3 files (like the ones on the SBLive!5.1 CD) which works without problems under Win2K-SP2 and uses DirectSound for ac3-output. It works under DirectX 8 but like PowerDVD, the DSOUND.DLL from DirectX 7 must be avialable.
Regards,
Stefan Heimscheid
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Win2k Pro + SP2 (applied 22 May, there are differences from the unofficial release)
ATI AIW-Radeon
SB Live! 5.1 w/ Live Drive
Cambridge Soundworks DTT3550
LiveWare speaker settings:
5.1 speakers
Advanced: AC-3 off, Digital output
DTT3550 settings:
Fourpoint/5.1 DIN
Dolby Digial/PCM Audio: Digital DIN
.. NO OTHER SELECTIONS for DVD!
DVD: X-Men
PowerDVD 3: set to S/PDIF output
Tested with the THX audio test in X-Men, and got all speakers to sound. Interestingly, LiveWare's speaker test fails with these settings (but succeed with DD/PCM Audio turned off, and Multi-Channel set to Digital DIN). I'm currently 25 minutes into the movie and the synchronization problem is non-existant, except in one instance where I was messing with the Windows speaker control. Pause/unpause immediately cleared the problem.
WinDVD 2000M: no luck
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It seems that SP2 solves the Wave Out problem for Win2k - It just wasnt there in previous versions.
This allows AC3 passthrough throughout all Win2k supported Sound card with the exeption of Creative SB Live Series. The creative Drivers are the one broken for that function.
Creative blaimed Microsoft that the problem is their's, but now that microsoft add the wave out support it seems creative miss leaded us - thair drivers do not support the wave out.
Creative for a week now isnt saying anything - no response.
They only took off from their FAQ the claim that SP2 will fix the problem.
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Win2k SP2
SBLive! Platinum
LiveWare 3
Driver v5.12.01.3209
WinDVD 2.6 Multichannel (Registered)
"Enable S/PDIF Output" still greyed out.
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Hi,
yesterday I installed the AC3 patch for PowerDVD 3.0 with AC3 direct via S/PDIF out under Win2k and it works. I found that using the old dsound.dll will pass the digital signal through to my DTT2500. So I can have the same fun with DVD and DolbyDigital as with WIN98.
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AC3 out with WinDVD works after I installed SP2.
Now I can watch AC3-AVIs with digital out under Win2k.
I've got a Terratec DMX-Fire 1024 because of the SMP Problems of the Live, but maybe it works for the live owners too.
You can't believe who happy I am after I wiped crappy Win98 from my HDD.
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Win2k SP2 has been released. However, installing it still didn't let WinDVD do AC-3 passthrough, even when you force it (via registry settings) to. Same applied for PowerDVD VR-X, which now uses MS's standard interface. This indicates that there are still errors in the standard SBlive drivers and it is not passing the data correctly within the OS
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To enable s/pdif output with powerdvd 3.0 on Win2k, I did:
copy \winnt\system32\dllcache\dsound.dll "\program files\cyberlink\powerdvd\"
and that worked...
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AC3-out through powerdvd 3.0 works now. It can't work with windvd since windvd uses a different method of ac3 output that win2k does not yet support.
System:
Windows 2000 SP1
SBLive! 1024
Intel P3 platform(815E chipset)
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The patch has been removed - however I have posted the same thing on a 'more manual' level for SB Live! cards here.
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Pb with Cinemaster 2000 Fr Matrox, the AC3 is good, but is Crash DVD.
Patch Ac3 is installed and Cinemaster Ac3 PAtch is installed.
When I uninstall patch cinemaster AC3, the signal is not AC3, but the DVD is not crash.
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The Sound Blaster Live! has 4 separate S/PDIF digital outputs, with each of them carrying stereo (left & right)!
These outputs are available on a I/O card with the Digital DIN output.
The latest SBLive! 5.1 series uses 3 of these outputs to carry 6 channels of information.
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