FXSound does not appear as output speaker device although set as Default in Win 10

Just updated to latest version 1.1.1.16.0 and although FXSound is set as default, RealTek speaker/headphone was shown as the output speaker device with no other option in the dropdown. Having looked through previous posts and tried various troubleshooting suggestions. Nothing worked so I disabled the RealTek device in Sound Settings and Exclusive Mode. That removed the RealTek as the output device BUT it left the dropdown option blank and not as FXSound as I had hoped/expected. FX works though!
Have I missed something?

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In which program do you select the device?

The physical sound device does not need to be disabled on the system in order for FxSound to detect it.

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Hi Arandora,
Which device are you trying to set as the output device (and where)?

These are printscreens from my machine…
Currently using my headphones with a 3,5mm jack:

Windows Sound Settings

FX is installed on my Win 10 laptop and using sapeakers on my laptop. I have reinstated the RealkTek Device so Sound Settings as they were and shown below:

Ideally I would like to use FX on my BluRay Player to view on my Smart TV. But that’s for another Help. :slightly_smiling_face:

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If desired/necessary, you can also set FxSound as the Default Communications Device, and/or both (Default Device ànd Default Communications Device), if I’m not mistaken…
But, if the RealTek device is the one you’re trying to use, and FxSound works, then, what seems to be the problem?

Right-click on the “Speakers” device, and select “Properties.”
You can rename the device to anything you want, just make sure it says “FxSound Audio Enhancer” under “Controller Information.”
Could you please check if it actually says that?
And by the way, I used an old icon (.ico file) from an ancient version of the program, to give the device that appearance…

So you didn’t show the “no other option in the dropdown” screenshot.
Are you referring to a specific Windows app, or are you trying to find an option in the TV/TV app options?

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Also pay attention to the name of the audio output in the OS, if the question is about a Windows application.
Your name is “Speakers”, not “FxSound Speakers”. Depending on the program, the actual device name or editable audio output name from the OS settings will be present.

For example, I wrote the name in OS and choose in the audio player settings, in brackets the actual name of the device. 2023-03-29 00 40 43

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@Dolmatov:
Thanks again for your help. It’s great to have you here.

hi5

Yes, FX Sound Audio Enhancer is listed under Controller Information and Realtek (R) Audio is shown under Speaker/Headphone as Default Communications Device but also under Controller Information.

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“So you didn’t show the “no other option in the dropdown” screenshot.” - sorry, don’t understand.
“Are you referring to a specific Windows app, or are you trying to find an option in the TV/TV app options?”
I’m open to whatever is the best option. The audio output from my BluRay Player goes to the TV permanently with the Sound Settings Source on both set as Receiver ie BluRay Player.

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He’s referring to what you wrote in your opening post:

About the Blu-ray player:

Is it possible to share a screenshot/printscreen of your Windows Sound Settings with said “Receiver” device active?
What seems to be the reason you are unable to use it? Is the device not showing up in FxSound’s menu of devices?

Also,

If the thing that’s bothering you, didn’t occur in the previous version, you could simply just uninstall 16, and switch back to 15…
Since I don’t think there are that many noteworthy differences between the two versions.

Wait… I think I figured out what you meant:

Well, that’s normal: it is not supposed to.
You are correct in setting FxSound as the Default Device, since this is a required setting.
But FxSound is a virtual device, meant to function as an intermediary processing driver between your machine and your output source, and not as an actual audio device.
In other words, the actual exit point of your audio/sound, will always be another device (speakers, headphones, a soundbar, etc.), and not FxSound.

Please tell me if this helps!

That together with the other replies helps alot to explain my misunderstanding.
Thank you. :+1:

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The Windows Sound Settings are on my laptop where FXSound is installed and when the Bku Ray Receiver is active. All sound for my TV goes through the Receiver which is completely independent of my laptop so does not appear in FXSounds menu of devices and is output 5.1 on the speakers of my BluRay set up.

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FxSound can only process audio for devices connected to the machine it is installed on.
So, logically, you have to find a way to connect your receiver to your computer first, if you want FxSound to process its audio stream.

I searched for info on connecting a Blu-ray player to a laptop; found this on Quora:

Michael Toelle

Question: How do I play an external DVD player with HDMI to my laptop?

The short answer is, you don’t. The HDMI port on a computer is for audio/video output only, not input. The movie industry was behind this restriction to prevent movie piracy. If you still want to watch a DVD on your computer, you will need to connect an external DVD drive via USB to your computer. The same restriction also applies to Blu-Ray discs as well.

Dave Haynie

Question: Could I connect a regular Blu-ray player to a laptop, with an adapter? I know HDMI ports are output only, but if I had an adapter that let me plug my Blu-ray into a USB port, would it work?

Well, maybe.
What you’re talking about, capturing and re-displaying video via HDMI, is certainly possible. But that’s uncompressed video. So a basic Blu-ray’s worth of HDMI is about a bitrate of 4.9Gb/s. You might technically be able to capture this with USB 3.1 Gen 2 with some heavy buffering, but you’d really need a Thunderbolt port to actually capture it raw.
So you’re going to compress it. Somewhere around here I have a USB 2.0 HDMI capture device, which does its own on-board AVC encoding and will deliver compressed video to a PC at around 100Mb/s. That’s comparable to a professional camcorder, higher bitrate than a Blu-ray’s compressed video. But since you’re encoding on the fly in low cost hardware, the AVC encoding is not as good as professionally produced Blu-ray, so you want that extra bandwidth.
Only this won’t likely work anyway. Your average Blu-ray player outputs HDMI video with HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) encryption on it. That HDMI capture device is a recording device, so it will not be legal to decode the HDCP.
The right way to watch Blu-ray on a laptop is with a USB-based Blu-ray drive and player software such as Cybersoft PowerDVD or Corel WinDVD. These always bring the original compressed video from the Blu-ray, decode it, and play it for your laptop screen. You also have full interactive control. And of course, the external drives are much easier to travel with than a full-blown Blu-ray player.

I don’t want to watch a BluRay or DVD on my laptop and I understand the restrictions. I am looking for a means to play output from my laptop to the BluRay Receiver and use the sound qualities of FXSound and 5.1 Dolby in doing so. These are my current options:

  1. Connect my latop with an HDMI lead to a spare HDMI port on my TV.
  2. Connect my laptop with Wi-Fi over same network to TV using Windows Connect - very unreliable connection.
  3. Use Google Chrome’s Cast function to cast from an open tab e.g. a YouTube video to the TV.
  4. Use a Google Chromecast. I have recently installed a new Chromecast with Google TV (HD) device which in effect turns my old limited Samsung Smart TV into a full Samsung Smart TV with onboard access for instance to YouTube and Prime Video movies and series and many, many more apps. It is essentially an Android device and is implemented with access to the required Google Home on an iPhone. You can also use an Android Emulator to take Windows input and convert it to Android, giving access to many, many more apps and games in particular to install some such as Google or VLC through Google Play. I tried installing FXSound this way but it doesn’t work. Instead I installed the Android FX: Sound Enhancer which is a huge improvement on my Receiver but it does not have the features and flexibilty of FXSound.
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