5.1 sound on VGX-XL301?

[Branigan]

Im trying to get 5.1 surround sound out of my PC to my AV receiver, it is connected to it via a digital coaxial cable & sound passes through it fine but cant seem to get 5.1 sound when playing DVD's and the like. Do you need to buy a sound card for the PC? for a machine this price and title (entertainment PC) I would hope it includes one.
Or is there any settings that need adjusting? Any help would be appreciated.

[Lar77]

You need to select S/PDIF output setting in the sound control panel or in the settings for WinDVD, I can't remember where sorry, I'm sure a quick look on the web or in the help section of vista will point you in the right direction. But your XL301 does do 5.1 sound.

You may also want to look at your AC3 settings if you have something like FFDShow installed.

[Branigan]

Thanks for that, i'll give it a go. Probably just me not being familiar with the vista layout.

[ChalkyWhite71]

on the XL201 stac97.cpl is the applet under Control Panel to access Dolby Dig surround settings. you can also run STAC97.CPL at a command line, if Vista allows DOS prompts these days?! 😉