HDMI killed dts.connect?

[_Rick_]

I'm starting to look into setting up a gaming rig to hook up to my TV - and while browsing mainboards, I realized that while dts.connect has been available in many Z170 boards, it has completely disappared in Z270 mainboards.

I looked arounda bit, and then realized, that with 8-channel LPCM over HDMI, there's indeed little reason left to compress surround sound to stream it over S/PDIF.

One question that has left me with, is whether I'll be able to stream audio over a mainboard-HDMI (which only works with an iGPU anyway) while streaming video out the GPU's HDMI. Why is this an issue? Because passing through 8-channel LPCM over HDMI-ARC to a receiver is apparently not widely supported.

Certainly, there's always the famous "a-hole" to work around, and simply plugging into the 6/8-channel onboard sound analog outputs, but haven't used analog outputs for a few years now, and I don't feel confident going back to that, especially not with onboard audio.

So, has anyone seen anything to supplant dolby digital live/dts.connect and their likes, or has otherwise helpful insightful commentary?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Isn't it just up to the GPU you have, whether or not it support sound over HDMI?

 

[bigboxes]

I've never tried it. I run my HTPC audio over optical (S/PDIF) from the motherboard to my receiver. I didn't realize that the DTS (etc.) was compressed. Learn something new each day.

My receiver doesn't have HDMI video switching since it's older. It would cost me $1500 to buy the equivalent today. Sounds great to me.

 

[_Rick_]

Isn't it just up to the GPU you have, whether or not it support sound over HDMI?

That also, but the key issue is that routing the hdmi signal through an AV-receiver to extract the audio will likely increase input lag by a noticeable amount. So even if my GPU gives me 8-channel LPCM (most of them should), it will go to the TV/monitor, and that will have to pass it on to the audio hardware - which is where my scepticism regarding the capabilities of most TVs to deal with multichannel PCM properly come in.
Hence I want to split audio and video inside the PC, and send digital multichannel audio directly to my receiver. Currently I'm doing that with Dolby live on my ASUS card, but for a while mainboards offered those capabilities

 

[bigboxes]

That also, but the key issue is that routing the hdmi signal through an AV-receiver to extract the audio will likely increase input lag by a noticeable amount. So even if my GPU gives me 8-channel LPCM (most of them should), it will go to the TV/monitor, and that will have to pass it on to the audio hardware - which is where my scepticism regarding the capabilities of most TVs to deal with multichannel PCM properly come in.
Hence I want to split audio and video inside the PC, and send digital multichannel audio directly to my receiver. Currently I'm doing that with Dolby live on my ASUS card, but for a while mainboards offered those capabilities

What about having your AVR do the video switching? You said gaming rig. Are you mainly concerned with gaming audio?

 

[_Rick_]

My medium-term plan is to build a part-time sim-pit around my 4k TV. So gaming audio is the key thing. For HTPC-stuff, so far the smart-TV components mostly provide everything I need.