In game Dolby Digital stops working in center channel?

I have my 360 hooked up to a Samsung HT-X40 Optical Input, and for some reason today the in game Dolby Digital stopped working. Well not completely, but the center channel stopped outputting sound, or it does it VERY sporadicly. I tried it with GH3 and Halo 3 and it works for like 10 seconds and then the center speaker goes dead. I don't think the problem is with the Samsung because it plays fine with DVDs, and also when I play movies on my 360 (Downloaded ones, not DVDs) the center channel works as well. Does anyone know why the in game DD would suddenly just stop working? All the other channels work fine but the center channel just dies. Has anyone else experienced this issue? I don't want to send my 360 into MS yet. I still have the 1 year warranty (since last I checked the 3 year only applies to RROD errors.) Has anyone else had problems with the center channel just not working?

TIA

Here's the rub.

Since you are playing games its an "artificial" Surround sound, instead of a "natural" sound. Meaning basically that the surround sound is artificially created by sound designers to move around the speakers based on where and what your character or screen is looking at. Look at a waterfall for instance, and the sound will be more focused in the front and sides (though in games it seems mainly in the side speakers) as you turn it will go from front to the side. As it should in a surround sound atmosphere.

The difference in games and films is that in films, no matter what, what you view is always the same. Sure the scene may change, but the sound designer always knows what is on screen at all times. So the sound is always more "natural". In games the player almost always has control over what is being displayed. So the sound is designed to stick with certain objects. So move, and the sound moves. That lends a much more artificial sound to it. Many games with surround sound will have certain times when one speaker will just cut out, and another will be louder. Thats just the way the game is designed.

As for Guitar Hero, for some reason most audiophiles prefer the majority of musical sound to emenate from the surround speakers and leave the center channel dead. That way you get more of a "surround" effect.

Hope that helps.

Also -

If your sound does keep skipping out, and you don't think its what I explained above, there are a couple of really easy things you can check on.

1. Make sure all your speaker wires are properly secured. People sometimes just don't understand how easily these things can come just a little loose and mess up your sound levels.

2. Check both ends of your optical wire for any dust build up. This can happen, and it WILL screw with the sound.

Other than that I can't see why it works for other systems but doesn't seem to work for the 360.

It's just the games. Well, i dont know about GH, but definetly Halo 3. I have my 360 hooked up to a 5.1 surround sound as well, and Halo 3 doesn't put out ANY sound through the center channel during the game. The only time something comes out of the center channel is during the cutscenes when people are talking.the05birdman

I am having this exact same issue with final fantasy 13.

Is this normal behavior? the only time audio comes out of the center channel is when the characters are speaking.

Is anyone playing ff13 having audio coming out of center channel other than when characters are talking?

i thought it was the game also, but i have two recievers kenwood and sony, just bought the sony, when i played movies the sony trumped the kenwood hands down, so i put the sony in the living room. now i'm not getting sound through the center channel, had the kenwood setup the same way (speakers) and would send sound through the center.... very wierd.... so far i havnt been able to fix it thinking about switching back