How to - Capture DVD 5.1 Audio - Coaxial vs. RCA Audio

[JBredensteiner]

Good evening,
-----I have a DVD player from ClearPlay (ClearPlay edits DVDs https://www.clearplay.com/), and I want to capture the DVD audio and video playback on my PC as either a WMV or a MPEG2. I'm choosing these two file types because I will be streaming the movies from my Vista PC to my XBOX 360, and these are basically the only video file types that can be streamed to a XBOX 360 via the MediaCenter app.

-----Anyways, I have told that the only way to capture 5.1 surround is to use an optical (SPDIF) connection, but my DVD play does not have a SPDIF port; however, my DVD player says that it has 5.1 surround pass through, and when it is connected to my receiver I hear what sounds like true 5.1 sound. Was I miss-informed, can 5.1 surround be captured on a PC using a RCA to Headphone Y cable? My motherboard is a AB9 Pro, and it has a SPDIF port, but unfortunately, the DVD player only has the normal red\white RCA ports and a Coaxial port https://www.clearplay.com/shopdetail.aspx?id=31

***** So, my real questions are *****

1) Can I capture 5.1 surround sound via a RCA (from DVD player) to Headphone (PC input) Y cable, or do I need to buy a PCI audio card that has a digital audio coaxial input port on it?

2) If true 5.1 cannot be played through standard red\white RCA cables, then why does my receiver playback 5.1 surround sound when I watch movies? I have played the little THX movie clips multiple times, and sound is being specifically directed to each individual speaker.

Thanks in advance for your help, Jon

[NiteLite]

2) If true 5.1 cannot be played through standard red\white RCA cables, then why does my receiver playback 5.1 surround sound when I watch movies? I have played the little THX movie clips multiple times, and sound is being specifically directed to each individual speaker.

Why? Are you sure you are not selecting Dolby Pro Logic II or some other enhancment?
I know of no way to hear true 5.1 DD or DTS thru 2 RCA (red/white) cables.
A digital coaxial or optical cable is needed. Digital sound needs digital output cables.
DPL II can simulate 5.1 sound very good. Amazing really how it can seperate 2 channels into 5 channels with different sounds from each of the 5 speakers. But my DD or DTS lights only light up on my Denon with one of the digital options. The 2 (red/white) cables will not work. And there is a difference in sound. Real separation comes in to effect.

Do you have a digital DD or DTS light on your receiver to indicate when digital sound is coming through?
For DVD-A or SACD it requires 6 cables for the 6 analogue outputs. (my receiver does have a one input option but my DVD-A SACD players are not of the same brand, so each requires 6 cables out from each player.)
Regards, NL

[guns1inger]

Unless the player has a DTS decoder chip and 6 output channels on the back, you cannot get 5.1 DTS from a DVD player without a digital connection to a decoding amplifier.

You cannot get 5.1 channels from stereo RCAs. The stereo output from a player is just that, down-mixed analogue stereo. Your amplifier might, using Dolby ProLogic II, make it appear to be a 5.1 mix, but you are hearing matrixed audio, not the original 5.1 AC3 audio from the player.

The whole process seems futile to me. Why not just put the DVD into your PC, rip the contents to the HDD, convert the format to what you want, and be done with it. You can keep the original (well, not quite original - clearplay butchered) AC3 audio if you wish, or convert the audio and video to whatever you want. And you don't have to go through the quality reducing analogue copy process you are proposing. It will also be a hell of a lot faster because you don't have to capture in real time.

[JBredensteiner]

Yes, I have the Dolby Pro Logic effect turned on on my receiver, so I guess that is what is simulating the sound.

Normally I would just rip the DVD onto my PC using DVDShrink, but I can only do that with PG-13 and below. I have to edit the R movies if I am going to watch them, which means I must do the real-time ClearPlay to PC capture. I guess I will just go ahead and use the RCA to Headphone Y cable and capture the movies like that; unless, one of you knows of a sound card that is capable of capturing sound from a digital coaxial cable.

Thanks for the help, Jon