DVD-Audio Problems w/ Audigy 2 Zs (1 Viewer)

[Adam Sanchez]

Hey all.

I'm having some major problems here and have tried everything to fix it.

This past week I built a nearly new computer. (About the only thing not new are my keyboard and mouse.) Included in my system is a new Audigy 2 ZS sound card and my problem is I can not get a DVD Audio disc to play! The funny thing is, it worked once and now it wont, no matter what I try.

When I put a DVD audio disc in, the creative audio player starts, but the play button is greyed out and it does show the track information but wont play anything. (I'm using the Creative DVD audio sampler that came with the card, it's the only DVD-A disc I have.)

I noticed something else last night that makes this whole situation even odder. The card also comes with a demo and features disc and I installed that on my computer to listen to the various sound features: DTS, Dolby, THX, etc. They all play samples fine... until I select the DVD audio comparison and play it's example... nothing plays! These sounds are coming off the HD since it was a full install, but even then it wont play DVD audio which I guess must be decoded by the card?

I have the sound card hooked to my DVD drive using the spdif cable. I dont know if I need to have that hooked up or not, but I do. I have tried to reinstall and uninstall the card every way I can think of but nothing else. I'm about to try to physically remove the card and take off every instance of creative software I can think of unless someone has a suggestion?

The card plays everything else fine, and my DVD Drive (a new Lite-on 16x DVD player plays other DVDs fine as well.

I'm really at a loss as to what's wrong. It played the disc once and never again. I couldn't even tell you what changed to make it not play anymore. Any help greatly appreciated.

 

[Adam Sanchez]

Nothing huh?

 

[Wayne Bundrick]

My only guess is that you might have the Soundblaster connected to your audio system using digital interconnect, and DVD-Audio playback works only with the Soundblaster's analog outputs.

 

[Adam Sanchez]

That could be the case. You are talking about the physical connections of the drive to the card right? My DVD player is plugged into the sound cards SPDIF plug, the 2 pin one. Switching 2 the 4 pin audio cable might help my problem? That one is already in use with my CD drive, but I suppose I could swap them.

 

[Wayne Bundrick]

No, not the connection from the drive to the card. That isn't even being used when you're playing a DVD (either audio or video) and it probably isn't being used when you play a CD either.

I'm talking about from the card to your amplified speakers or stereo system. How are you connecting that? If it's optical or S/PDIF, then DVD-Audio won't play.

 

[Adam Sanchez]

Oh sorry I know what you mean. My speakers are just normal analog speakers, plugged into the sound card Via 3 sets of stereo cables from the sound card to my 5.1 T5400 speakers.

I tell ya, I have tried everything suggested by me from the people at Creative and nothing works. I even got a working version of WinDVD which plays DVD Audio files and I can navigate the disc I have been using (Creative DVD audio sampler) and it will not play any sound.

It just simply seems that the sound card will not play ANYTHING related to Pure DVD Audio. Not off a disc, not off the hard drive, nothing. yet I can watch a DVD movie with sound just fine and it's in 5.1 and everything.

Is it possible the DVD Audio portion of the card got fried somehow? I don't know if I am making any sense. I know computers pretty well, but this is just baffling...