Ask A Geek

Q: I have a 5.1 surround sound hooked up to a Dynex 5.1 card. The problem is when I go to Sound -> Digital Output Device (SPDIF) -> Supported Formats -> Dolby Digital, all my speakers and bass work great in surround sound mode. Sometimes when I use other programs only my front two speakers work. How come I don’t always get surround sound?

A: This means that the other programs you are trying to use do not support surround sound. For the games double check in their settings to see if there are any sound options in there for enabling surround sound.

You should also check the receiver you are using. It might have an option to ‘mix up’ the stereo signal and attempt to make it more of a surround sound experience.

Q: I need help with Vista surround sound.

I have a 5.1 surround sound hooked up to a Dynex 5.1 card. The problem is when I go to Sound –> Digital Output Device (SPDIF) –> Supported Formats –> Dolby Digital, all my speakers and bass work great for surround sound. But when I use another program to test my surround sound, only the front two speakers work, but in the test they work great?