Windows 10: Announcing Dolby Audio for high performance audio in Microsoft Edge

Hi there

Often the problem is the actual SOURCE ENCODING-- Analog has an infinite number of gradations whereas digital is obviously discrete so what the ORIGINAL A/D decoder (analog to digital) has to do is to chop up the original source ("digitise it") (which is usually a complex collection of sine waves) by a technique known as "Fourier Analysis" if you are a mathematician to which is then applied further compression mp3 for example. Your Sound system has to do the reverse process before the signal gets sent to the speakers.
People like Dolby Labs try and arrange their algorithms to produce the best possible sound for the arena's the sound will be listened in (Home, Studio, Cinema etc).

Since obviously there is a sensible limit in the number of "chunks" the A/D and D/A converters can sensibly handle the quality can very enormously and high quality converters are EXPENSIVE - this has nothing to do with the speakers which themselves are another entire issue.

If you plug in a poor source even to the most expensive system you will get poor sound out.

A 2,000,000 USD system will sound probably worse than cheap phones for example if just plugging in an AM Radio source !!!!

A final say on this -- High end (and I mean really High end) ANALOG recording can beat any digital system - but for practical processing power and size - professional digital studios are more than sufficient.

People who want a more in depth discussion on Audio systems etc -- this Forum is very good.

Hydrogenaudio Forums - Portal

Cheers
jimbo

 

Getting off topic as the issue is that it's not outputing dolby, only pcm

 

At jimbo45, I disagree with you about computer audio. I am running my computer audio system using WASAPI and my bit perfect output is connected via USB 3.0 to one of these;

Marantz NA8005 Network Enabled DSD DAC at Music Direct

which is in turn connected to my little hi fi.

If you want to know anything about computer audio as a hobby, go here;

Computer Audiophile - CA - Where HiFi and High Tech Converge

 

Demo sounded pretty good on my Logitech Z-5500 speakers. When you put them in Movie Effect all channels came alive.

 

Yes, but that the whole issue, your pc is decoding dolby and outputing left/right etc to your speakers, It's not outputing dolby to those who actually have a external dolby capable system. Thats the issue.

 

Exactly. In my system I use WASAPI to output bit perfect audio to my external DAC. With this Dolby on Edge, all I can output is a low bitrate PCM that has already been converted from Dolby, I do not get the actual Dolby signal. Something wrong there.

About WASAPI (Windows)

 

Hi there

All of this stuff still has to conform to the laws of physics - our ears hear ANALOG signals and so the speakers have to vibrate in such a way as to produce those analog waves .

Now just throw up any sound wave on an "Oscilloscope" or similar device -- you'll see that it has a complex wave form which is a set of SINE WAVES.

Now take any DIGITAL source and try and convert that into the same output that the Natural sound has.

It's not easy -- and it's simply physics.

Anybody who says that an original Analog system can be converted into a digital sound for recording and then converted back into a 100% replica of the original source is just PLAIN LYING -- you can't do it -- it's NOT POSSIBLE - Maths and physics prove it easily.

You can get pretty good stuff -- and to get the ultimate quality is going to be HIDEOUSLY expensive but you can never re-create the original sound source 100% exactly from a digital transformation - especially when TWO are involved -- original recording to digital, then the sound card to decode the digital stuff back into analog for your speaker systems.

I don't need any discussion here - it's simple MATHS 101. !!!!! As to the quality of your equipment that's another issue - but you still can't overcome basic physics -- like the speed of light can't be exceeded whatever you do.

Cheers
jimbo

 

This begs the question. Is Netflix or Hulu going to work in surround on the PC when connected to a home theater receiver as an Xbox One that also runs Netflix and Hulu which DOES surround sound? Be cool if so.

 

I agree 100% with your entire post execpt that speed of light thing. *Drink1

 

Sound is a bit like Wine everyone has got an opinion on what it should taste or sound like. I've tasted very expensive wine and very cheap wine, I liked the cheap wine better.
I've got an expensive sound system, a sound bar and computer speakers, admittedly the expensive one sounds best normally, and yet I like sound of all the systems at different times, and sometimes I even like the sound of one of the cheaper systems better depending on the type of music played and the mood I'm in.