What format for game audio?

[Sawtaytoes]

Game audio in Windows using the Spatial Audio API outputs to Dolby MAT or whatever DTS:X uses.

I'm curious how I can record this game audio in a way that it'll play back in Cavern Driver. For instance, if I want to see how many objects are being used in a game (rather than bed layer speakers), is that possible?

[VoidXH]

There is no recording endpoint (neither too many others) in the Spatial Audio API. You could rip it from the HDMI bitstream with a Blackmagicdesign card, but then you'd be at the same position as #166. Games don't use objects anyway, there's a thing called ISF for it. Objects are pre-rendered, and the output is strictly 7.1.5 (yes, 5). The only way to confirm this is currently through the Trinnov visualizer.

[Sawtaytoes]

What's ISF?

Also, if objects are pre-rendered, that explains why they don't show up in the Trinnov Visualizer. Someone on AVS forums had posted about that.

I'm curious about 7.1.5. What's the 5th height speaker supposed to be? Is it supposed to have audio come out from your AVR?

[VoidXH]

ISF is intermediate spatial format, made as a space saver for specific pre-rendered, thus technically channel-based content. The channels in ISF formats are undocumented. Trinnov displays them, but their order will still be undocumented.

[Sawtaytoes]

You could rip it from the HDMI bitstream with a Blackmagicdesign card

Which card in particular? You mean a PCIe one? Is there a USB device I could use to record the HDMI bitstream? Or is this something where I have to send the audio to a separate HDMI device (fake monitor) rather than sending it to my AVR?

[VoidXH]

Some DeckLink cards have HDMI inputs, however, no HDCP. Their API is completely open, you can make an audio separator script without actually owning a card.