Reply #14: DTS can be decoded [View All]

[necso]

on the computer and sent out as bunch of analog channels. The argument for having decoding done externally is that it is less noisy than pumping out a bunch of channels of analog. Personally I don't think that this is a big deal, but some might. And you are less likely to be able to upgrade the speaker system's decoding abilities.

There are some technical issues involved like the ability of the applications used to decode DTS (or whatever formats) and to interface the channels correctly with the soundcard -- or to just fling out encoded data.

WinDVD has a relatively nice FAQ page talking about this stuff (drop down a section). The table is nice but you have to look elsewhere for info about decoding formats as opposed to just driving channels. But it a matter of details and it is useful to figure out exactly what you want to do, because things could break down at some point.

http://www.intervideo.com/jsp/Faq.jsp?product=WinDVD

And I only provide this as an example of the possible issues with applications, soundcards and speaker systems when you move beyond stereo.