OBS and Dolby 5.1 (AC3)

[streamfuchs]

Hi everyone,

maybe my topic is discussed earlier but because I could not find anything about it here are my questions:

I am using OBS for operating our local community cinema, with Stereo Audio so far.
Now we are thinking about using Dolby Digital 5.1 content coded as AC3 within the files.

When setting the audio preferences in OBS to 5.1 I can see 6 discret audio channels when playing content with ac3 coded audio.
Because I am using the monitoring output for PA, I like to get the AC3 stream out of my pc (via monitoring out and an asio driven audio device) to connect it to a suitable 5.1 amplifier.

1) Will this be possible at all with OBS (with windows 10 and windows 11)?
2) Any suggestion what kind of USB-toslink interface is recommended (Obviously our UCA 222 is not able to transmit AC 3 via toslink)

I would apprecate any help.

Thanks

 

[AaronD]

I don't think OBS is the right tool for you. If you're just playing files, then VLC by itself (not as a source in OBS) is probably a better fit.

Official download of VLC media player, the best Open Source player - VideoLAN

www.videolan.org

That's not to say that you can't also have OBS. Just, "right tool, right job." OBS is basically a live TV studio. It does really well with multiple cameras and other live sources, and a live audience, but not so well as an editor or for "simple" playback.

 

[streamfuchs]

I don't think OBS is the right tool for you. If you're just playing files, then VLC by itself (not as a source in OBS) is probably a better fit.

Official download of VLC media player, the best Open Source player - VideoLAN

www.videolan.org

That's not to say that you can't also have OBS. Just, "right tool, right job." OBS is basically a live TV studio. It does really well with multiple cameras and other live sources, and a live audience, but not so well as an editor or for "simple" playback.

Because we are providing a rundown with several different files VLC is not a suitable tool.
I need the possibility to provide fade in and out between the items and delive a "clean" rundown
That was the idea why I am using OBS.

 

[AaronD]

Because we are providing a rundown with several different files VLC is not a suitable tool.
I need the possibility to provide fade in and out between the items and delive a "clean" rundown
That was the idea why I am using OBS.

Can you run them through a video editor beforehand? Do the transitions in there, and export a single file that does everything?

It does sound, from your latest description, that OBS *should* be useful, but the big pile of band-aids that came from trying to make a bedroom streamer's toy into the capable tool that it is today, wrecks it. The devs know about that already, and they do want to fix it, but they also understand that the pile of band-aids is not maintainable. So they're taking their time to figure out what to replace it with.

In the meantime, I'd consider OBS to be practically mono or stereo, nothing more, except for maybe one specific case that most people aren't going to match. And even then, most things beyond the basic bedroom stream would probably benefit from doing all of the audio work *outside* of OBS, and bringing in the final, finished soundtrack as OBS's *only* audio source to pass through unchanged. It really is that much of a mess.

 

[streamfuchs]

Thanks a lot for your ideas.
Unfortunately I can not use a video editor beforehand, because the rundown must be done live, there is not a fix time scedule.
I have to react according to what is happening the very evening.

 

[Harold]

OBS' internals will feed out surround audio while monitoring/streaming PROVIDED the other end of the system is capable of receiving such. When you set OBS to 5.1 surround output, the audio tracks will have all 6 channels correctly.

Because you're using proper hardware 5.1 and not emulated headsets as your output devices, things should all "just work"

 

[streamfuchs]

So when using a audio interface like the GIGPORT HD+ e.g. with ASIO drivers and selecting this device as monitor output in OBS, the audio device will provide all 6 channnels?
Have I understand this correctly?

Can you or anyone else confirm this OBS behavior by own experiences?