Bay Trail MB with PCIe x16 and S/PDIF out

[Maiyr]

Hi all, Happy Holidays,

So am I blind or does this just not exist. I am trying to find a Bay Trail motherboard (Pentium 2900 would be nice) that has a PCIe x16 slot and an S/PDIF audio connector.

I will state why in case I am overlooking something...

I want to build an HTPC (streaming content only).
I want to use a discrete video card.
My audio receiver does not have HDMI in, but I want to stay digital and use an available optical in connection.

Thanks,

Maiyr

 

[Burpo]

No S/PDIF
http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Q2900M/

http://www.bvm.co.uk/ProductDetail.asp?fdProductId=992

http://www.logicsupply.com/components/motherboards/mini-itx/pd11bi/

"The Mitac PD11BI offers plenty of options for industrial installations. Also available are onboard connectors for S/PDIF, a parallel port, and PCIe x1 slot."

You might also be able to use an adapter/riser like this..

 

[therealnickdanger]

I am trying to find a Bay Trail motherboard (Pentium 2900 would be nice) that has a PCIe x16 slot and an S/PDIF audio connector. My audio receiver does not have HDMI in, but I want to stay digital and use an available optical in connection.

Do you only have S/PDIF optical (TOSLINK) on your receiver or do you also have S/PDIF coax (RCA-style plug)? Most audio receivers have both, so that might help you widen your search. They both send the same 1s and 0s.

Otherwise, something like this will do the job:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...9SIA24G28N5155

 

[Maiyr]

Thanks guys, Yes I do have the S/PDIF coax. I didn't even think of that. The search continues. Though good idea on that external sound card. That may be an option I could entertain.

Maiyr

 

[therealnickdanger]

Thanks guys, Yes I do have the S/PDIF coax. I didn't even think of that. The search continues. Though good idea on that external sound card. That may be an option I could entertain.

Maiyr

I bought a Sound Blaster USB 5.1 Live (I forget the exact name) and it worked very well for my old laptop, but it was limited to DTS and Dolby Digital bitstreaming and couldn't do modern HD audio bitstreaming. It was a lot more expensive that the link I posted, but you don't need anything fancy if you're going from digital to digital.

 

[Maiyr]

Duh, it just occurred to me that I have a converter that takes hdmi in and RCA L/R audio and Component video out. I am currently using that for a laptop I have connected to my TV that I want to get rid of. So I should be able to use the onboard hdmi on the ASRock shown above for the audio and a discrete video card for the video. This is all because I do not yet have an A/V receiver with hdmi in. Once I have that (another year or so) all of this audio shenanigans I am going through will go away.

I also noticed there are hdmi to s/pdif converters..... decisions...

Thanks, all,

Maiyr

 

[therealnickdanger]

Another option is if your AVR (audio/video receiver) has 6-channel analog input (5.1), just use the analog output from the motherboard with three 3.5mm-to-RCA converters. As long as your onboard audio doesn't totally suck, the quality won't be too bad.

Having personally spent tens of thousands of dollars on A/V gear over the past 20 years, when you go to buy a new AVR, spend extra to ensure that it supports every feature you want and anything on the horizon. Examples include 4K passthrough, Dolby Atmos, phono input with grounding wire, 1080p120fps, etc. Even if you don't need/want it now, three years from now, you might and not being able to will mean buying another new AVR.

 

[Maiyr]

Thanks for the good advice there nick. My last two A/V's have been Yamahas and I have been very happy with them thus far. I think their current line is called Aventage, or something like that, so I'll probably look at those before anything else.

Maiyr

 

[someEEguy]

No S/PDIF
http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Q2900M/

Unfortunately their overview page is misleading, the Specifications page says "1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 Slot (PCIE2 @ x1 mode)" as does the manual. So wouldn't use a discrete video card with that one, unless purely for another HDMI port or something...

 

[Maiyr]

Oh wow, I didn't realize that. Thanks for the heads up someEEguy.

Maiyr

 

[therealnickdanger]

Thanks for the good advice there nick. My last two A/V's have been Yamahas and I have been very happy with them thus far. I think their current line is called Aventage, or something like that, so I'll probably look at those before anything else.

Maiyr

Yeah, I bought an RX-A3000 brand new and it's been incredible for audio... except the internal circuitry is "HDMI 1.4a", but it can't pass 4K or 1080p at 120Hz. It can only output a max of 1080p at 60Hz, so it's not 100% compliant with the spec. Food for thought - don't trust the box or the manual, go by recommendations from other users.