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Topic: laptops/notebook HDMI with multichannel PCM output? (Read 5339 times) previous topic - next topic
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laptops/notebook HDMI with multichannel PCM output?

Anyone know of any models that do this?  In '09 when I bought my last laptop they were very scarce on the ground (i couldn't find any).  Laptop HDMI then was usually two-channel only, where PCM is concerned.

hard to tell now from typical specs whether they can  -- does Blu-Ray playback imply it?




laptops/notebook HDMI with multichannel PCM output?

Reply #1 –
Probably a really ignorant question, but shouldn't any HDMI device be able to pass through multichannel AC3?

laptops/notebook HDMI with multichannel PCM output?

Reply #2 –
AC3 is different than multichannel PCM output.  Even then I have come across some systems that couldn't natively output anything beyond 2.0 PCM without the aid of a third party plug-in/program.  I also don't think that Blu-ray playback capabilities imply multichannel PCM output capabilities either especially since most modern Blu-ray releases now use compressed lossless such as Dolby True HD or DTS-HD MA.  I haven't come across a new multichannel PCM Blu-ray disc in a few years.  The early ones were mastered that way (if they offered lossless at all) but not the newer ones.

Having said all of that, I would imagine notebooks are capable of multichannel PCM output so long as they conform to the HDMI specs of the port they are using.  In other words, if a notebook is HDMI 1.3 complaint, it should have those capabilities given that is in the HDMI 1.3 specs.  That would also be a gamble especially since companies use certain ports/technologies all the time without conforming to the specs of said ports/technologies.  The question at hand is likely something that needs to be asked directly to the manufacturer of the notebook at interest.  The tech reps have access to more information than consumers and, if they can't answer your question, they can forward your e-mail to someone who can.

laptops/notebook HDMI with multichannel PCM output?

Reply #3 –
Quote from: kornchild2002 on
AC3 is different than multichannel PCM output.


Ah sorry misread.  I thought he was saying that they wouldn't pass through, not that he wanted to decode and then output 5.1 PCM. 

laptops/notebook HDMI with multichannel PCM output?

Reply #4 –
Its not really that they want to decode and output 5.1 PCM, it just that they want a notebook that can output it (since the audio will technically be decoded by the receiver unless some type of transcoding is going on).  Whether or not that comes from other lossy/lossless sources doesn't really matter if the notebook itself cannot physically output multichannel PCM audio.  The right software can be setup for the decoding/transcoding operation (think even PowerDVD can do it) but the whole thing will be for nothing if the HDMI port on the notebook cannot output said audio.  Just out of curiosity, I put a Blu-ray in my nettop's drive.  It is a simple dual-core Atom nettop with 4GB of RAM running Windows 7 Home Premium.  It uses Nvidia's ION platform for hardware accelerated HD video playback.  I tried outputting multichannel PCM audio but it didn't work.  I then tried passing through the Dolby True HD and DTS-HD MA audio, that didn't work either.  The only thing the nettop could do was output lossy Dolby Digital, lossy DTS, and PCM 2.0 stereo audio from its HDMI port.  So it appears that the port itself does not conform to the full compatibility standards of later HDMI revisions.  Either that or my receiver was incorrectly reporting what was going on.  I doubt that last part since it accurately reports the audio it is receiving when I use my PS3, Xbox 360, or MacBook Pro.

laptops/notebook HDMI with multichannel PCM output?

Reply #5 –
kornchild2002 gets it.  A digital PCM stream over HDMI is decoded in the AVR.  I'm fairly sure my current (2009-vintage) laptop's HDMI is v3.1, but for *PCM output* it's definitely constricted to just 2-channel-- I believe that's a soundcard mfrs (Realtek) choice, to not implement every facet of the 3.1 compatibility standard  (the 'soundcard' here being integrated on the motherboard).  This seems to have been a very common constriction in 2009 laptop HDMI, though there were definitely PC (desktop) HDMI soundcards that could output 5.1 PCM digitally.  My question here is asking if anyone knows of a laptop brand or model with a 'soundcard' that has removed  that constriction on its HDMI PCM output.

laptops/notebook HDMI with multichannel PCM output?

Reply #6 –
Any Nvidia 4xx and 5xx should do it. Same as AMD 5000 or 6000 series. If you don't need Nvidia's GPU capabilities, then AMD has the better audio device. If you want bitstreaming of THD/DTS-HD as well, then double check the Nvidia hardware (AMD will do it), cause their desktop parts 465/570 and up don't do it. Also, any Intel chip since Arrandale/Clarkdale will do it, including Sandy Bridge. Most laptops with them have HDMI outputs can do full 7.1 LPCM and HD bitstream.

BTW my laptop can do 7.1 with its 9200m GS GPU (same as the 9600m GT). What GPU does your laptop have? AFAIK the only Realtek HDMI device is the one used by AMD and that's been able to do up to 7.1 LPCM since the desktop ATI 4000 series. Or your laptop manufacturer's could have done what some NV desktop parts did a long time ago and just piggyback an SPDIF device into the HDMI signal.