Outputting 5.1 Channel Surround Sound from your Mac

I am trying to set up my late 2011 15" MacBook Pro to work with my Bose surround sound system. I have plugged the mini display port to HDMI cable into the HDMI port in my Bose system. When I checked the system preferences for sound, it showed the BOSE LS as an option which I clicked on but it says "The selected device has no output controls" When I went into applications and tested the speakers, there was no tone emitted. Also the screen on the tv only shows the original screen for my computer- the movie doesn't show up on the tv screen at all

I have followed all of the steps you have shown me (thanks for the screen shots) and my Bose system shows up on the sound screen, but I still get no sound response when I click on each of the 7 channels (defaults to 7.1 rear surround in utilities so it recognizes it) in utilities. Also, my tv only shows the screen pic of the galaxy which isn't even my home screen. Nothing from my computer shows on the tv except the galaxy photo that comes with the mac. My daughter's Macbook air works fine, so i am guessing it is something else in my settings?? Thanks so much for your patience here. I appreciate it!

My daughter's computer only plays in stereo. I just compared our settings and noted that I have a thunderbolt display on my computer and she doesnt. Her computer plays volume on 2 channels. It plays the test sounds when I check them. Mine does not. Does it maybe have to do with the thunderbolt port? Maybe my Mini Display Port to HDMI cable is the wrong kind? Mine is a Moshi.

To answer your question, I have the Mini Display Port to HDMI cable attached to the HDMI 3 port in the back of my Bose system. I am not really sure how the speakers connect, but what I see is a big cable coming out of the HDMI out video to tv port, 3 different HDMI cables coming out of their respective ports (including the Mini display) and a white and a red connector in the component 4 section.

Yes, I was able to drag my window over onto the screen- learned something new there thanks! (Embarassed ;/)

It's working! Not really sure what changed. I've been running the same tests now for two days. Maybe there was a cable that needed jostling. Thanks so much for your help! You've been great!!

Hi,

Please help me.

i have an imac 27" core i5 mid 2011.

i use toslink optical adapter to connect to my Yamaha receiver with an optical cable.

On System Preferences > Sound everything seems to be OK, it detected my optical cable.

When i go to Audio MIDI Setup , i have only built-in output on my left, it only shows 2 channel-integer, etc.I also tries to changed to 48000hz etc, but NO 6 or 8 channels output.Im stuck on my 2 channels which only gives me stereo.So i cannot have multichahnels to configure my 5.1 surround! why?

Is there a bug on lion mac osx 10.7?

I really need to fix this.

Thanks guys.i realy need some help here 🙂

I'm having the same problem as some others.

I use a Sony STR-KS360 receiver.

I've connected the MacBook Pro (13' Late 2011) to the receiver and the receiver to the TV (Samsung UN32D5000).

If I just turn the receiver on, I can select on AUDIO MIDI SETUP the option to 6 or 8 channel and 5.1 surround.

The problem is when I turn on the TV. The mac understands that it's connected to the television (not to the receiver) and the 5.1 audio output disappears, turning to 2 channel/stereo.

There is anything I can do?

Thanks.

Well, the main idea is to watch some movies from the Mac with the original 5.1 surround sound using the Home Theater and a bigger screen than the Mac's.

I thought the thunderbolt port with an adapter to HDMI could output both image and surround sound.

I don't know if I was clear. It appears to me that the Home Theater is mainly recognized by the Mac when just the Home theater is on. If both home-theater and TV are on, the Macbook "thinks" it's connected to the TV, not to the Home Theater - what's not true. When both devices are on , the macbook don't let me output sound in 5.1 channels.

The way everything is connected:

Mac > Moshi Mini DisplayPort to HDMI (connected to Thunderbolt port) > HDMI cable > HDMI-in port of the Home-Theater

HDMI-out port of the Home-Theater > HDMI Cable > TV

If just the Home Theater is on: Mac let's me to output surround sound

If both home-theater and TV are on: Mac allows only stereo sound output

Thank you for your help, parker612.

Analyzing everything, I think that there is anything I can do to everything work as I'd like. I think the home-theater do this "direct sound connection" to the TV because it lets me to output sound from it, from the tv, or from both. What's strange to me is that the only device that didn't recognize it properly is the MacBook Pro. For example, PS3 recognizes the home-theater perfectly: if I want the sound from the Home-Theater, it is outputed as 5.1 channels; if I want the sound from the TV, it is outputed as 2 channels. Everything with the same cable connection, working together if I want.

I really don't understand why I can't force the Mac to output with 5.1 channels.

Again, thank you for all your help. Sorry if you couldn't understand me well, since English is not my native language. There is no problem if you can't help me, I really appreciate your try and I was already about to give up to do what I was supposed to.

Have you tried VLC player with a movie you know has a surround pass through track. VLC will switch your reciever to Dolby 5.1 automatically when you go into VLC's preferences and select the proper surround track and audio device then hit play. My reciever auto swithces when I select the surround track and this has nothing to do with going to the audio / midi setup. As long as you are connected via sytem prefereneces / Sound, and have your output set to your reciever connected via the hdmi. Likewise with the apple dvd player, you can go into the preferences and select the surround audio track and the audio device. Itunes will not output 5.1 unless it is a purchsed movie. Handbreak movies made from dvd have to be played using VLC to get dolby 5.1 to work. I have found that only itunes playes the surround track out of the mac when it is a purchased or rented movie from the store. But again your amp should switch automatically to 5.1 when you are playing a purchased movie in itunes. I believe its a copy protect issue with dolby and itunes.

The differnece between setting your ouput to 5.1 via the audio midi setup is that this does set your outputs to surround but only with PCM audio for apps like Logic, FCPX etc. PCM surround audio is not dolby encoded. It takes an app, to tell your recever via software that it should switch from regular stereo to dolby digital surround.

Long story short is it is not that simple to just set your mac to output surround becuase all surround tracks are not the same, Dolby, or PCM. PCM is CD qualtiy or higher 5.1 or more independet mono tracks or channels. Dolby 5.1 is a muxed audio track called AC3 that has to be decoded by the reciever. A playstation knows what its outputting and tells your reviever to switch accordingly, so does your cable box. With your mac there are more things involved.

This is what I have found anyway after many hours of tinkering. I guess the apple DVD player is the easy is way to see if you can get surround working but you have to set the ouputs and select the surround track. If that works then VLC will as well. Quicktime will not output a movie's dolby surround but it can output PCM audio surround. Movies are almost always dolby digital encoded Blu Rays output in full PCM 5.1 mode. I have to try outputting a MKV file via my mac to my reciever.

Apple tv will play all your movies from your mac to your tv via home sharing in itunes even your handbreaked movies and always output the surrould track, that is really the easiest way to always have surrould movies playing without having to mess with your macs settings and different apps.

I think I just wrote a book, sorry...