My Xbox 5.1 DD games aren't putting out sound in the front center speaker?? (1 Viewer)

[kurt_fire]

For example, on the boxes of both Metal Gear Solid: substance and splinter cell, it has a diagram showing a 5.1 setup saying "in-game dolby 5.1 digital". I know for a fact that my center channel works. It's not the wiring or anything like that. I have the sound from the Xbox connected to my receiver via a fiber optic cable. Movies played on my Xbox put out sound on the center channel, and certain games do, but games claiming to use that channel don't. How can I fix this? Or are these games mistitled by saying they use 5.1? Thanks guys as I'm extremely confused.

The center channnel doesn't put out sound during any part of the game, no the cut-scenes, in game, or on the menues. thanks.

 

[RudyN]

I currently have 2 Xbox games, Amped and Halo. All the channels light up on my receiver when playing them. I thought I read somewhere a while back that most Xbox games are actually 4.1 and don't use the center channel. I'm sure you have everything setup right since you said movies play through the center channel.

P.S. Didn't you ask about this a while back in the Basics Area? I thought I replied to a post about this subject before.

 

[kurt_fire]

thanks for the response so quickly. but on the back of MGS:S, it has a picture showing 5 speakers and subwoofer logo. you know which one I'm talking about, with a center square surrounded by 5 squares. and it says "in game 5.1 dolby digital". but in game, the center channel isn't putting out any noise. any more help guys?

 

[JamesDH]

Hey, what's up fellas. Many, many XBOX games are DD4.1 and are designed without the center channel in mind. Remember DD is capable of doing 1 to as many as 6 channels of audio(inc. subwoofer .1). Unfortunatly I think some developers are lazy or run out of time or are doing ports of games designed for systems(PS2&GC) only capable of doing stereo sound. A game that I have for example that has no center channel is Timesplitters 2, but there are many others that I can't think of. If you want to know which XBOX games have center channel and those that don't check out the review section at http://xbox.ign.com/
Many times they will mention if there is center channel support. So in conclusion don't worry about your system being messed up it's just the way the sound on some XBOX games are implemented by the developer. Hopefully in the future all XBOX games will be truly DD5.1. hope this helps...

 

[kurt_fire]

Yeah, I agree that a a lot of Xbox games are only 4.1 DD. But on the back of game itself it has the diagram showing a 5.1 setup. But the center channel doesn't pump out any noise? This is just baffling to me!

 

[Justin Lane]

Yeah, I agree that a a lot of Xbox games are only 4.1 DD. But on the back of game itself it has the diagram showing a 5.1 setup. But the center channel doesn't pump out any noise? This is just baffling to me!

Here's a simple solution....the packaging is mislabeled. Baffling can now end.

J

 

[Matt Bloxham]

I have the Xbox and Splinter Cell, and the Dolby Digital connection, the game is in 4.1. On the back of the packaging for Splinter Cell it says in-game Dolby Digital, but doesn't show the picture with the 5 boxes and the subbox. I don't know about MGS:S because I don't have it.

So yes your system is setup right, now you can have some fun playing an excellent game!

Matt

 

[kurt_fire]

yes, splinter cell is only 4.1 sound. But so is Metal Gear Solid: Substance, but on the back it has the logo showing DD 5.1 surround.

 

[AaronJB]

I believe "Halo" does have some center channel use when Cortana speaks. In the future, hopefully game sound designers will put the center channel to better use. However, XBOX games do decode wonderfully in Surround EX - Halo has a lot going on in the back center surround when decoded in EX, which makes for a 360 degree experience.

 

[JackS]

I think Aaron is right. It could be the feeling that over use of the center channel would subantially subtract from the seperation of the fronts and the overall impact of digital surround. I would expect that good use of the center would involve mostly dialog and less effects since the fronts l/r can pretty much image necessary center sounds even without a center channel speaker connected.

 

[Reid K]

weird mine uses it in all of those games (all of which I own). Is my set up messed then?

 

[JackS]

Probably not. We could always find a couple DSP's to fire up the center. Personally, if it's not discrete, I don't want to hear it. I don't play many games, but I do listen and watch concert DVD's. Some are recorded with subtle center info, and others are not subtle at all. In many cases, I will turn the center off completly . IMO, the very best concert DVD's have very little center activity. To each his own. Jack

 

[Reid K]

so what should I have my dolby digital set to get no sound out of the center?

 

[kurt_fire]

no, you want to have sound out of the center channel if the game produces it. like i'm confused about, mgs:s claims to have 5.1 sound but my center channel isn't putting out any noise during that game. it's weird/

 

[Jorge M]

Like it was said before, some games are mislabeled (MGS) or not labeled at all (TimeSplitters). Online reviews are usually the best bet for finding out; I'm partial to IGN myself.

I think that it's probably better for most games to use 4.1 anyway. True 5.1 would probably take more processing power which could be better used in other areas, seeing as most gamers probably sit in the sweet spot anyway.

Wow, I just re-read that last sentence and noticed that there's a lot of 'probably's in there, so it begs the questions: Wouldn't 5.1 encoding be a greater hit to the processor than 4.1? Don't you sit in the sweet spot when playing?

 

[Robert Spalding]

Probably.