[Alsa-user] Surround over spdif

[Floris <jkf...@dd...>]

Maybe a simple question, but is it possible to
play a 6 channel wav file over a spdif connection?


$aplay -L

...
iec958:CARD=Audigy2,DEV=0
    Audigy 2 ZS [2001], ADC Capture/Standard PCM Playback
    IEC958 (S/PDIF) Digital Audio Output
...

sample file
http://www.halfgaar.net/media/chan-id.zip

$aplay -D iec958 chan-id.wav
Playing WAVE 'chan-id.wav' : Signed 16 bit Little Endian, Rate 44100 Hz, 
Channels 6
aplay: set_params:923: Channels count non available

$mplayer chan-id.wav -ao alsa:device=spdif -channels 6
MPlayer dev-SVN-r26940
CPU: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.60GHz (Family: 15, Model: 4, Stepping: 3)
CPUflags:  MMX: 1 MMX2: 1 3DNow: 0 3DNow2: 0 SSE: 1 SSE2: 1
Compiled with runtime CPU detection.

Playing chan-id.wav.
Audio file file format detected.
==========================================================================
Opening audio decoder: [pcm] Uncompressed PCM audio decoder
AUDIO: 44100 Hz, 6 ch, s16le, 4233.6 kbit/100.00% (ratio: 529200->529200)
Selected audio codec: [pcm] afm: pcm (Uncompressed PCM)
==========================================================================
AO: [alsa] 44100Hz 2ch s16le (2 bytes per sample)
Video: no video
Starting playback...
A:   6.2 (06.2) of 6.0 (06.0)  0.2%

aplay refuse to play the file while mplayer downmix the file and will 
only play the front left and right channels

Any dts or dolby digital dvd will play fine with mplayer -ao 
alsa:device=spdif -afm hwac3.

floris