System Setup

Hello everyone,

I have a bit of a touch situation. I have a 46" HDTV in the living room connected to DVD player, xbox, wii, and PS2 in the living room. I also have a computer system running on a desk next to the Television, that was connected to the television via VGA.

This worked well for multiple purposes. My wife and I play World of warcraft, and this would allow us to play and periodically I could stick something up there (map or whatever) that we could both see in the room.

I also taken most of my movies and converted them to digital format, and have them on the computer next to the TV. Getting video to transfer to the television via VGA was no problem, but when watching movies using Media center, XMBC, or any of the others, all audio comes from the computer speakers on the side.

The other day, while running around Micro center, I grabbed a Geforce 9800 GTX Video card. This is a dual head card, with a converter for one of the DVI ports to output in HDMI. The video card also has an internal 2 pin SPDIF port so audio can be ported through that HDMI cable.

I have been using the onboard audio, and when I looked to hook it up, i found that my motherboard actually does not have an SPDIF port.

What would be a decent audio card that I could get that would have an internal SPDIF out port to connect to the video card, so audio can do over the HDMI cable? The sound cards I have seen seem to mostly have SPDIF IN ports, but no SPDIF Out..

Also, if I connect whatever sound card i get to the video card, is that going to suddenly port all audio to the TV? I dont really want my warcraft, or other games, audio to have to do through the television. What about Headphones? While playing warcraft, i make use of Vent for voice communication and use a headset for that.

I was almost wondering if purchasing multiple sound cards, and setting up the sounds for specific problems to go to a specific card might work? I am completely stuck on how to resolve this situation so I can still play games on the machine, but watch movies from the computer on the television.

Ideas?

Please?

[eugovector]

Hi Erimikos,

Am I understanding correctly that you want to run audio from a computer through HDMI to a TV, but also have a choice of running it to speakers by your computer or through headphones?

Yes, that pretty much covers it.

The video card I has is capable of putting out the HDMI signal, and currently that is what is running to the TV. The card also has the port to run audio through it, and to the television. However, it does not process the sound itself. It has the input for the sound internally, just need to figure out how to get the sound actually into that. I was half thinking of rigging some sort of adapter from my external SPDIF out port into a 2 pin connector that I just wire back into the back of the case, and into the video card, but would think there has to be a better way to do it.

Thanks for the help

[eugovector]

Yes, in that case you need either a motherboard or soundcard with an internal SPDIF connector, it's that simple...unless you're going to be playing blu-ray with Dolby TrueHD which is a pain to send, right now, across HDMI from a PC (but it sounds like you aren't).

Just read the specs on the soundcard/mobo and you should be fine.

The complication comes in that I was under the impression that pretty much all of the 2 pin SPDIF Connectors on the internal side of Sound cards were SPDIF Inputs, designed to have audio pumped in from CD/DVD Drives, when in fact what I need is SPDIF Out.

Its not somehow bi-directional is it?

[eugovector]

Yes, you definitely need an out, not an in, but many Sound Cards and Mobos have them.