Can you get Dolby 5.1 sound on a mini mac?

[busta]

Hi guys, Ive just purchased an optical lead to connect my mini mac (intel core duo, 1.8ghz with superdrive) to my yamaha surround amp in the hope that it can replace the ps2 I normally use for watching DVDs with 5.1 soundtracks but doing a trial run on the Pink Floyd Pulse DVD It doesn't seem to be working in proper surround (I'm getting sound ok but the amp is only saying its getting a stereo input). So:

1oes the mini mac support dolby digital?

2:If yes, what do I need to do to get everything working tickety boo? The sound option in preferences doesn't really help much.

I would use the mac support site but there is so much knowledge on PH and people reply far quicker!
Cheers guys,

Busta

[ThePassenger]

AFIK the mac mini only has stereo output (or did last I looked). I wonder if you could get some form of Firewire, USB sound device that outputted SP/DIF or TOSLink... worth investigating although it might be a bit pricey.

[busta]

ThePassenger said:

AFIK the mac mini only has stereo output (or did last I looked). I wonder if you could get some form of Firewire, USB sound device that outputted SP/DIF or TOSLink... worth investigating although it might be a bit pricey.

If so that is a bit disapointing. Not quite the brilliant media centre I always thought it was then!

I'll have a hunt for external sound cards and see what I can find

[_dave]

The current Mac Mini has a TOSlink socket (doubles as a headphone socket) and does output in 5.1...

[busta]

Yeah thats what mine has, but does it have the soft/hardware to output it? And if so, how do i 'switch it on' as it were. Or do i need to download some software to do it?

Busta

[ThePassenger]

busta said:

Yeah thats what mine has, but does it have the soft/hardware to output it? And if so, how do i 'switch it on' as it were. Or do i need to download some software to do it?

Busta

I had plum forgot about that. And my imac has the same arangment.

Personally if it's TOSLink then their has to be a laser involved (or a LED), I'd try just slapping a TOSLink cable in to the socket and see if OS X does 'something'... it has a habit of being like that.

[busta]

See the original post. Ive connected the toslink optical lead to the mac and my surround amp and just get stereo. I'll delve into the mac support network some time over the christmas break and see what I can dig up.

[PJR]

There are a few audio preferences in the DVD player app that you might want to look at, if you haven't done so already.
Also, check out OS X's built in 'Help' wotsit that you'll see most of the time in the menubar.. Lots of useful info in there usually.

P,

[murph7355]

The Mac Mini definitely outputs 5.1 (I use one as the centre of my home entertainment set up and it works fine).

I didn't have to do anything with it though - plug in the optical cable and it works.

The adapters for the TOSlink cable (to make it longer to fit in the optical connection on the Mac) can be flaky. Also, are you sure your amp's optical connection is OK and that you're on the correct input?

Is the DVD set to play 5.1 by default rather than stereo?

[busta]

Thanks guys, fiddling about with the preferences in DVD player seems to have sorted it. My faith in the mac has been restored.

Now I've just got to work out why my PS2 isn't outputting 5.1 when playing games (it works when watching films)!

Busta

[busta]

Firstly Merry Christmas everyone

Everything is now working fine in terms of sound output, but for some reason the volume control's don't work, on both the keyboard and the Apple remote. When I use one of the volume buttions the volume transparency apperas on the screen with a 'no entry' symbol below the speaker icon.

I can still adjust the volume using the volume bar in iTunes (not very convenient) so its not that the output voume can't be changed with an optical output.

Any ideas?

Busta

[thebluemonkey]

The volume control in itunes is resampling the audio file ( and loosing quaity at the same time) . The optical output doesn't have a volume control because it should be a bit stream output from the program. I think the only way to get around it is to use the analogue outs or use the DAC/Amplifier to control the volume.

[busta]

Boo hiss. I can get around it by using the volume control on my amp but it means using another remote!

Cheers anyway,
Bernie