Digital audio

[inqztive]

I noticed all DVD and CD roms have a digital audio out. It's kind of interesting because the analogue sound out has only 3 cables that means it can support only 2 independent channels i.e just a stereo sound system. Where as the DVD movies may have sound track which is not just stereo like 5.1 surround sound. I can't understand how one can get 4 independent channel from 3 cables (1 ground and rest 2 are the 2 channels) analogue output that is connected to the sound card. To my mind to get the 5.1 surround sound properly we need to use the digital output. I may be wrong (correct me if i am). Now what are the hardware needed to use the digital sound output from the DVD ROM? My guess will be a sound card with digital input. Can someone throw some more light on this? e.g. which company manufacture such sound cards and what will be the price range.. and what will be the advantage of such sound cards...

 

[andri]

DVD-ROM doesn't decode anything. It just can read DVD discs, rest is up to the system. The software player decodes bot video and that 6-channel audio, as simple as that. That analogue CD Audio wire has no function when it comes to playing DVD movies.

It's a rather common mistake that people believe DVD-ROMs do MPEG-2 decoding.