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**voip-ninja** · 2011-11-02, 00:34

eskro Wrote:oh yeah, i never said i3-2100 doesnt support Bitstreaming hd-audio
in fact, it supports everything including 3D playback if your motherboard has HDMI OUT 1.4

This whole discussion started because the OP was told he needed an aftermarket GPU to go with his i3... but he shouldn't since sandy bridge supports HD audio bitstream.

That was the entire thing called into question. Now I can't comment on how it will work in XBMC or with other software packages, but if you have an HDMI capable motherboard, HD audio bitstreaming is most definitely supported in sandy bridge, and I've provided video to prove it.

WhiteLighter · 2011-11-02, 01:35

voip-ninja Wrote:since sandy bridge supports HD audio bitstream.

All sandy bridge chipset supports HD audio bitstream? even the G530? if so, why are we recommending a separate GPU then? :confused2:

**voip-ninja** · 2011-11-02, 01:45

I don't know which sandy bridge chipsets support HD audio bitstream and which don't, but as a platform, HD audio bitstream is part of the sandy bridge spec. So, if you pick a sandy bridge motherboard with HDMI it should be supported.

WhiteLighter · 2011-11-02, 02:36

I'll have to try it once I receive my MoBo in a day or two ^_^

wsume99 · 2011-11-02, 02:38

WhiteLighter Wrote:All sandy bridge chipset supports HD audio bitstream? even the G530? if so, why are we recommending a separate GPU then? :confused2:

Yes, all SB chips support HD audio bitstreaming. Check out AnandTech's SB Pentium Review for all the details. Here are their thought's on the SB Pentium and how if would function in a HTPC ...

Quote:To someone building a basic HTPC, a Sandy Bridge Pentium will do just fine. Personally I never play anything in 3D, never use the Clear Video HD features and never use Intel Insider so I wouldn't notice the difference between a Sandy Bridge Pentium and a Core i5 for video playback.

I've said this several times before and I'll say it once again ... I don't understand why people don't just try the SB graphics for themselves and if they find it doesn't meet their needs then they can buy a discrete GPU.
[Probably because some of the people on these forums are spreading so much FUD about SB graphics that they are scared away.]

@voip-ninja: maybe now you can understand where I was coming from when I made that comment in your thread about how refreshing it was to see some sensible discussion WRT Intel graphics. Keep up the good work!

bluray · (This post was last modified: 2011-11-02, 03:08 by bluray.)

voip-ninja Wrote:

This whole discussion started because the OP was told he needed an aftermarket GPU to go with his i3... but he shouldn't since sandy bridge supports HD audio bitstream.

obviously, you haven't read op first post. he wanted a gpu, and i suggested a better one for less money.

voip-ninja Wrote:That was the entire thing called into question. Now I can't comment on how it will work in XBMC or with other software packages, but if you have an HDMI capable motherboard, HD audio bitstreaming is most definitely supported in sandy bridge, and I've provided video to prove it.

you keep saying you can bitstream hd audio with i3 igpu, but you never give us any idea how you got it to work. i and others have tried it, but it didn't work. if you provide suggestion on how to bitstream with it, maybe we might be able to use your setup on our htpc too. we're always willing to try new idea if there is one!

if you don't know how you got it to work, just say it. we'll not going to ask further!

**voip-ninja** · 2011-11-02, 03:10

Hm, how did I get it to work?

1. Load Windows.
2. Load all the latest Intel drivers (that were out a week ago) for the chipset, video, etc.
3. Load the program YOU recommended to prove if it works or not, and it can clearly be seen on the video to be bitstreaming HD audio.

I don't know why others can't get it to work... and frankly I don't imply the implication that I've worked some black magic or am bending the truth that it works. As I pointed out, when I used the program you recommended it very obviously was working, but there were audio dropouts. Maybe that's the issue people are complaining about, I don't know.

bluray · 2011-11-02, 03:54

voip-ninja Wrote:Hm, how did I get it to work?

1. Load Windows.
2. Load all the latest Intel drivers (that were out a week ago) for the chipset, video, etc.
3. Load the program YOU recommended to prove if it works or not, and it can clearly be seen on the video to be bitstreaming HD audio.

I don't know why others can't get it to work... and frankly I don't imply the implication that I've worked some black magic or am bending the truth that it works. As I pointed out, when I used the program you recommended it very obviously was working, but there were audio dropouts. Maybe that's the issue people are complaining about, I don't know.

i suggested three players to bitstream dts-hd and truehd. did you got it to bitstream dts-hd and truehd with xbmc, mpc-hd or tmt 5?

**voip-ninja** · 2011-11-02, 04:04

tmt 5.

bluray · (This post was last modified: 2011-11-02, 04:18 by bluray.)

voip-ninja Wrote:tmt 5.

if you had hd audio dropouts using tmt 5, that's not good then. i haven't heard anyone having problem with hd audio dropout using tmt 5 with their discrete gpu. maybe, poofyhairguy is right about intel igpu.

maybe, op do need hd5450 to enjoy fluent playback.

my observation- if you had problem with hd audio droupouts using tmt5, i doubt that you can bitstream dts-hd and truehd using xbmc. it's much tougher to bitstream using xbmc than tmt5 and powerdvd11.

**voip-ninja** · 2011-11-02, 04:16

I don't know, did the OP say that HD audio was important? XBMC officially does not support it and this will become increasingly painful as Eden rolls closer to release and all of the add-ons, skins, etc, are geared towards it.

I understand that you (and others) are trying to be helpful, but I think it's important to ask questions about what is important to a user rather than making recommendations based on what is important to yourself.

As far as GPU goes, the only reason I commented at all is that there appears to be a misconception about the capabilities of the onboard GPU in the sandy bridge chips. They are quite capable and certainly offer less headaches as far as driver settings, etc, than ATI. With ATI, you have to adjust overscan on multiple resolutions, deal with some color balance and other driver related problems.

So, anyways, I put my .02 cents in on this, try not to get offended about it.

//edit - I now see his post about wanting HD audio "in the future possibly" I did not see that eventually. However, if he does not need that right away then I don't see why he could not use the i3 onboard graphics initially and buy a GPU later if it turns out he needs it. If anything, GPU gets cheaper over time and/or more powerful.

bluray · 2011-11-02, 04:42

voip-ninja Wrote:I don't know, did the OP say that HD audio was important? XBMC officially does not support it and this will become increasingly painful as Eden rolls closer to release and all of the add-ons, skins, etc, are geared towards it.

xbmc is not officially release hd version, but i'm enjoying bitstreaming dts-hd and truehd using their pre-eden with ati and nvidia gpu's since july.

voip-ninja Wrote:I understand that you (and others) are trying to be helpful, but I think it's important to ask questions about what is important to a user rather than making recommendations based on what is important to yourself.

in this case, we didn't suggested a gpu. if you pay close attention to op first post, he clearly listed hd5450. he have plan for it, and the price is right. in my case, i simply suggested a better one for the same model that he listed in his post.

voip-ninja Wrote:As far as GPU goes, the only reason I commented at all is that there appears to be a misconception about the capabilities of the onboard GPU in the sandy bridge chips. They are quite capable and certainly offer less headaches as far as driver settings, etc, than ATI. With ATI, you have to adjust overscan on multiple resolutions, deal with some color balance and other driver related problems.

most of us in here owns ati or nvidia gpu's. to suggested that igpu is less headaches is not true for some of us. i have better experiences using discrete gpu than igpu to playback 1080p video and bitstreaming hd audio.

voip-ninja Wrote:So, anyways, I put my .02 cents in on this, try not to get offended about it.

i never get offended by any of your comment. i just want to get to the bottom of it so others in here can make their own conclusion.

voip-ninja Wrote://edit - I now see his post about wanting HD audio "in the future possibly" I did not see that eventually. However, if he does not need that right away then I don't see why he could not use the i3 onboard graphics initially and buy a GPU later if it turns out he needs it. If anything, GPU gets cheaper over time and/or more powerful.

that is what we all said about hd. as you can see, the price is rising fast. i doubt that there will be another hd5450 1gb for $25 in the near future.

**voip-ninja** · 2011-11-02, 05:09

I just tested it with your XBMC special build, and HD audio also bitstreams there, but with dropouts. Possibly a codec/driver problem, but it is working, the hardware does support it.

**voip-ninja** · 2011-11-02, 05:14

Also, please read this article, in which the i3 was extensively tested for HD Audio, with the addition of ffdshow he got it to work perfectly for both DTS-HD and Dolby True.

http://doityourselfhtpc.wordpress.com/20...l-core-i3/

bluray · 2011-11-02, 05:54

voip-ninja Wrote:I just tested it with your XBMC special build, and HD audio also bitstreams there, but with dropouts. Possibly a codec/driver problem, but it is working, the hardware does support it.

i'm glad that intel included hd audio options. if it have hd audio dropouts using tmt5, it's probably is not ready for prime time yet!