How to get 7.1 surround sound via HDMI

[LFC18]

What are possible options available to get a 7.1 surround sound on HDMI output. I am having a ATI AMD gpu. As per the specification it supports 7.1 audio channel. I am having a 7.1 surround sound system with a blu ray player. I had tried to test that on a HDTV by connecting everything altogether and then connecting the PC to the system via HDMI port. I am trying to play Remember Me here. But the sound output does not looks so great. Even on videos the output is dull.

[GoutamB]

HDMI is capable of carrying 7.1 surround sound audio. But there is somehow limitations. First thing you have to check whether the game which you are playing has support for 7.1 surround sound audio or not. Then you can move ahead with changes.

[Dorkfoot]

I am also working on that. 7.1 looks really complicated settings here. The connectivity all is not the only option. Now I am having a Windows 7 system. I had added Powercolor 5870 gpu on the same. I am having a Sony amplifier also with 7.1 audio channel. And I had hooked a HDTV on the same. First I was messing with the Catalyst Control Center here. I was using a older version before. Later on I simply upgraded that to a more newer one hoping to get proper audio output. But that does not work. I am having a video file which is a blu ray print of popular movie. When I play the same the audio output does not looks to be 7.1. Later on I found that my system is using Realtek HD Audio and ATI HDMI drivers for audio output. How to limit that to single one. I tried removing the older one but things does not looks to be working really well. While at my friends house he is having a Nvidia gpu which looks to be working great in terms of output output. The card offers support for Dolby Digital Live. So does that thing is needed on my gpu also. Adding a separate audio channel is possible for me directly on the pc, but what about getting the output on a HDTV.

[BonnieT]

I am not sure about the HDTV, but I am using a sound card which supports 7.1 audio channel. It is connect on my gaming pc where I can get great audio output. I think you must also do the same. Instead of relying on the HDMI interface connect your speakers to a good sound card.

[singham2011]

That is not the actual solution. If you check the specs of hdmi then it clearly supports Dolby Digital and 7.1 audio channel. So the output must appear. A number of time issue lies with the audio driver. If it is not new or if you are using the one which has no 7.1 audio channel support then you get such kind of problem. I will advice you to check that first. Go on the official website of and check the card specs. Whether it has support for 7.1 audio or not. If not then you cannot do anything. As mentioned above you will need to buy a good 7.1 sound card with good receiver. Without receiver you cannot get proper output. It is necessary that you must also purchase a good receiver along with the home theater system. Most of them offer you a standard player which does not really plays. It is also better to hook the entire thing directly on the pc itself and using the HDTV as the default audio output only. So that makes your job more easier.

[Emeryjon]

I too agree that adding a separate receiver will be more better because here the audio output is not compromised. You will need a good amplifier here or else the output will be affected.

[Omanand]

Many are having the same issue. I had seen a really long discussion on the same. The thing that I understood is issue here lies with the gpu not with the hdmi connection. The interface is capable of delivering rich music output. But if your gpu has no support for that then you cannot do anything. Even if you had connected a 7.1 surround sound system to your HDTV. It is necessary that you must verify the gpu specs first. There are very few gpu which comes with that specification. The second thing which matters here is the game support. I do not think almost all games comes with 7.1 audio output. They are mostly stereo. The last thing which can also affect the output is the audio driver. There is a great difference between a pc audio output and between the output of a hdtv. There is a processed sound quality here. Just hook everything on your TV and connect it to the pc via HDMI. You will surely get the difference.

[Amy_i3]

It is very complicated to find a graphic card with 7.1 audio output. I tried searching the same on various places but found nothing. I think here gpu mostly rely on the video output. You cannot expect audio output from them.