Transformers on Blu-ray and Audio from a HTPC

[Golgatha]

Why oh why can't there be a 5.1 DTS or DD+ track on the Transformers Blu-ray? TrueHD is great and all, but I can't output that from my PC and there is no hardware or software, known to me at least, which will transcode the audio. At least my PS3 will do the job, but my video looks much better through PowerDVD with ATI's AVIVO magic going on.

Anyone here able to get TrueHD transcoded to a 5.1 DTS or DD source?

I'm using the latest PowerDVD 8, an ATI 2600 Pro PCIe card, and a HT Omega Striker sound card FWIW.

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: Golgatha
Anyone here able to get TrueHD transcoded to a 5.1 DTS or DD source?

Do you have PowerDVD 8 Ultra? Because, if you don't, I think that's your problem. The OEM version doesn't cut it, IIRC. How are you outputting, via analog or SPDIF?

You might want to try out Arcsoft's solution, too.

 

[Golgatha]

Originally posted by: erwos

Originally posted by: Golgatha
Anyone here able to get TrueHD transcoded to a 5.1 DTS or DD source?

Do you have PowerDVD 8 Ultra? Because, if you don't, I think that's your problem. The OEM version doesn't cut it, IIRC. How are you outputting, via analog or SPDIF?

You might want to try out Arcsoft's solution, too.

I have the full retail version of PowerDVD Ultra and 5.1 DD and DTS work fine through optical output for DVDs and Blu-ray discs, which have those tracks encoded on the disc already. From searching Online, I think the consensus is PowerDVD just doesn't transcode lossless audio down to DD or at least not to 5.1 surround DD.

I get some really awesome, high quality stereo sound though FWIW the French and Spanish audio tracks are in DTS and they playback in 5.1 mode just fine. The director's commentary is 5.1 DTS as well and works fine. The thing that kills me is a 5.1 DTS track would take up very little room in the 50GB disc (maybe a couple hundred MB or so), but apparently they just chose to omit it. I'm probably that 0.1% of people who have any issue with this omission, since I like to play my Blu-ray discs through my HTPC. Again, my PS3 transcodes on the fly from TrueHD to DD, so I can still view the disc and get 5.1 audio, but I would still rather it work on my HTPC too.

 

[XMan]

Try the 15-day trial of ArcSoft Total Media Theatre. It integrates nicely with Vista Media Center and properly downsamples HD audio to DD5.1.

Here.

 

[Golgatha]

Originally posted by: XMan
Try the 15-day trial of ArcSoft Total Media Theatre. It integrates nicely with Vista Media Center and properly downsamples HD audio to DD5.1.

Here.

I'll give this software a tryout even though it says it's not Vista 64 compatible.

 

[XMan]

I forgot to mention also, if your receiver has multi-channel analog in, you can use that to get 7.1 or 5.1 out of Power DVD, as long as you have the retail version. The OEM only supports SPDIF or stereo.