[Mac-Rumours]

Hi,

I've just built an HTPC using Ubuntu 11.4 and a Intel DZ68DB motherboard and am thinking about getting a cheap Pro Logic receiver such as the Philips HTS3520 http://www.p4c.philips.com/cgi-bin/dcbin...=en&scy=GB

My question is, can XBMC / Ubuntu / the motherboard output 5.1 surround sound in the correct format that this type of receiver can input (Dolby Pro Logic II or Dolby Digital over 2 phono inputs)?

[Malard]

I'm pretty sure that all that comes out of phono jacks is mono or stereo audio, although i'm probably wrong.

If you have SPDIF then you can just output raw PCM data into an amp for local decoding

[Mac-Rumours]

I'm pretty sure that all that comes out of phono jacks is mono or stereo audio, although i'm probably wrong.

If you have SPDIF then you can just output raw PCM data into an amp for local decoding

I know that phono jacks can carry multi channel audio but I don't know whether the OS, application or hardware is able to encode it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrix_decoder

The cheaper surround sound receivers such as the Philips HTS3520 don't have SPDIF, only phono jacks.

[bobo1on1]

Alsa can do it, check the downmix configuration in /usr/share/alsa/pcm/dpl.conf

[>>X<<]

You will only ever get stereo over two phonos which that AMP could then output as Dolby Pro Logic II the AMP only needs a stereo source to do this

Just output stereo from your HTPC and let the AMP do the rest using Dolby Pro Logic II that's what its designed to do create a 5.1 from a stereo source

[lightshow12]

Correct. I would invest in a optical SPDF card for your HTPC though so you can actually give your receiver the real 5.1 sound. If nothing else, your subwoof will get actual subwoofer signals from the real audio (rather than just stealing the low frequences from the main audio).