two channel SPdif from 5.1 surround

[AndrewT]

Hi,
digital distribution around the room/house avoids much of the interference and degradation inherent in long analogue cables (if the source is already digital).

Is there a method of taking the 6channels from a 5.1 source and combining the signals into pairs in the digital domain?

rears as a pair, fronts as a pair and finally centre and sub as a pair.

Then each of the two channel pairs could be decoded at the receiver end (by conventional 2channel SPdif decoders).

What's available?
Or does the data protection system prevent this?

[rfbrw]

Demultiplexing a 5.1 datastream will not decode it.

[AndrewT]

Hi,
I guess that's why one would need some hardware.

Convert the 5.1 to 6 channels of conventional digital stream and then combine two channels together to form an SPdif digital data stream.
Then distribute.

And finally decode the two channel SPdif data stream into the two analogue outputs.
Or
plug straight into SPdif on the back of the speaker and let it do the two channel decoding.
Mine (Tannoy Reveal6D) have a left/right/mono switch just waiting for an SPdif input.

[rfbrw]

Originally posted by AndrewT
Hi,
I guess that's why one would need some hardware.

AKA The AC3/DTS decoder.

[AndrewT]

Hi,
does

The AC3/DTS decoder

send out digital data streams? or analogue?

All the decoders I have seem on domestic equipment send out either a 5.1 digital data stream OR 6 channels of analogue and sometimes both.
But I have never seen three data streams of 2channel information or 6 data streams of single channel information.

[rfbrw]

They exist but are not that common and are often very expensive. The Theta Casa Nova will set you back around £4000. The other option is to modify a player that allows access to the decoded digital data in 3x2ch form. 6 single digital channels would be virtually useless.

[lucpes]

Well, most of the times the 5.1 data comes as AC3 or DTS and that can be sent over standard SPDIF without any problems. Most of the available DVD players and receivers have this feature, and most pc soundcards cand send this info unaltered for a receiver.

I don't see why is would necessary to decode to analog and then encode again (further losing quality), when the means to transmit the information in the digital domain are available already.

[rfbrw]

Originally posted by lucpes
Well, most of the times the 5.1 data comes as AC3 or DTS and that can be sent over standard SPDIF without any problems. Most of the available DVD players and receivers have this feature, and most pc soundcards cand send this info unaltered for a receiver.

I don't see why is would necessary to decode to analog and then encode again (further losing quality), when the means to transmit the information in the digital domain are available already.

Perhaps you have failed to understand the OP's request. He wishes to send 3 SPDIF pairs. To do that, the AC3/DTS datastream has to be demultiplexed and decoded from compressed PCM to linear PCM.

[seoman]

it is possible,
if your dedocer has 3 separate dacs you can intercept it's data and clock signals and send it to 3 transcievers.
they will encode it to spdif.

link

the biggest problem will be adjusting the volume.

[dangus]

I don't see the point. Why not just transmit the original 5.1 bitstream to the remote receivers?