Help: How can I connect Audigy to a Home Theater?

VBboy

Diamond Member
Nov 12, 2000
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What's the best way to connect the regular Audigy (without the break-out box) to a home theater system that has:

Digital inputs
S-Video inputs
Component Video inputs

** Edit: **
Also comes with these 6 inputs: 2 front, 2 rear, and 1 sub, 1 center.

I want to get 5.1 out of my computer, just like I would if I connected a Klipsch 5.1 or any other speaker system to it. Please help! I know very little about home theaters :)

** Edit: **
I would like 5.1 sound in GAMES, as well as when watching DVDs and playing MP3 (damn, I should've mentioned this first! ;))
 

thorin

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
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The "best" way would be to RTFM or call 1-800-HLP-LABS (er whatever) :D

Thorin

PS > Why did you list the video inputs of your home theatre system when you want to connect audio? OOps :p
 

Mavrick007

Diamond Member
Dec 19, 2001
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The Audigy OEM should have a digital mini jack that you can use to hook up to your receiver. You will need a mini plug mono headphone jack adapter to RCA connector to hook up to the receiver. If you had the break out box, you could hook up either the optical connectors or the digital coax up to the receiver.
 

VBboy

Diamond Member
Nov 12, 2000
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Originally posted by: thorin
The "best" way would be to RTFM or call 1-800-HLP-LABS (er whatever).

Thorin

PS > Why did you list the video inputs of your home theatre system when you want to connect audio?

Thanks and stuff, bu what's with the attitude? Did the zoo close early? ;)
I don't have an audigy or a home theater yet. I'm considering buying both. So no TFM or 1-800.
 

cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
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you NEED a receiver/processor that has analog 6channel inputs on it. then you run from the front output of the audigy or other sound card to the left and right front inputs via a mini din to RCA style cable. Same for rear. The sub and center cone from the other ports. It's available in the manual as to which plugs are for the center or sub.

You could get the hercules Game Theater XP and have a breakout box that can passthrough the signal through optical or coaxial Digital connections to your receiver. the same can be donw with the Audigy Platinum's breakout box. i prefer hercules because it's external so you can run the wires hidden and not out the front of your comp.
 

VBboy

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Nov 12, 2000
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Originally posted by: cmdrdredd
you NEED a receiver/processor that has analog 6channel inputs on it. then you run from the front output of the audigy or other sound card to the left and right front inputs via a mini din to RCA style cable. Same for rear. The sub and center cone from the other ports. It's available in the manual as to which plugs are for the center or sub.

Ok, thanks, but what about using that digital out from Audigy? In the manual that I downloaded (thanks to thorin), it says that this digital out provides a front, rear, and center/sub output. But I'm not sure if this is specifically meant for digital connection directly to Creative's speakers (like their 510D and some others), or for actual home theater's receiver.

 

cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
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it's only for their speakers...it's a lame way to say "You need our speakers to go digital" If you listen to the digital out from the audigy to their speakers and then the analog to a cheap home theater system the home theater will sound alot better.
 

thorin

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
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"Thanks and stuff, bu what's with the attitude? Did the zoo close early? "

? Sorry that's my bad I should have included some smileys .... I've edited the post ;)

"I don't have an audigy or a home theater yet. I'm considering buying both. So no TFM or 1-800"

? Maybe you should have said that in your original post ? :p

Thorin
 

Mavrick007

Diamond Member
Dec 19, 2001
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Originally posted by: cmdrdredd
it's only for their speakers...it's a lame way to say "You need our speakers to go digital" If you listen to the digital out from the audigy to their speakers and then the analog to a cheap home theater system the home theater will sound alot better.

You can use the digital out to connect to the digital coax on a receiver using a minijack converter to digital in so you don't necessarily need "their" speakers to get digital sound, but you can also hook it up to a receiver using the analog way of hooking up front, rear, and sub/center channels like you suggested, but that's alot of extra cables running around and not needed when you can just use the one cable and the converter.
 

Pariah

Elite Member
Apr 16, 2000
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"it's only for their speakers...it's a lame way to say "You need our speakers to go digital" If you listen to the digital out from the audigy to their speakers and then the analog to a cheap home theater system the home theater will sound alot better."

As Mavrick stated you can output digital audio in the form of DD/DTS surround sound to any receiver or piece of equipment that has a digital coax in. The part where "creative only" comes in is with any audio that is not encoded in a format a receiver would recognize, namely any gaming surround sound format. If you want digital gaming surround sound you have to use Creative's speakers. This is a software issue that has nothing to do with Creative Labs. For those people that don't want to have to mess around with multiple cables, a one cable digital setup to the speakers is a very nice option Creative has added to some of their sets. If you want surround sound gaming through a receiver you have to use the 5.1 analog I/O.
 

apriest

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Apr 25, 2002
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I have a DTS home theater with optical inputs and outputs on the receiver. Couldn't I plug in the Audigy or Extigy just like my DVD player is hooked up with a TOS optical cable? Shouldn't the receiver be able to decode that just fine? As far as component video, ATI is offering a component output module for the Radeon 8500 series cards. No, no support for the 7500 I have, or any other models that I know of either. :frown:
 

FluxCapacitor

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Aug 23, 2000
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Thanks and stuff, bu what's with the attitude? Did the zoo close early?

Just out of curiousity, but why did you mention those video inputs anyway? Asking a question isn't rude when it's a legitimate question.

Digital audio is completely seperate from video and uses different plugs. What that means is that digital input on your receiver (coax, fiber) is only receiving audio signals. The video signal (and video only) is transmitted via S-video, component video, or regular RCA video input. See? Not exactly a rude question after all and something a lot of people don't fully realize about their digital connections and video connections.

Anyhow, you really have 2 options to hook it up to an a/v system IMO.

1) use the digital input on your receiver, if you have one, from the Audigy's digital output.

2) use the analog inputs on your receiver if you have them (there should be 5 or 6, F-Right, F-Left, Center, R-Left, R-Right, and possibly Sub) from the corresponding outputs on the Audigy (you'll need mini-plug to RCA cables)


I personally don't know if option 1 works because I don't know how the Audigy outputs it's digital signal, but if it's standard format (like a dvd player or cd player) then it should work. Shouldn't be too hard to find out if you need to know. If it isn't standard output, you may need the breakout box to accomplish this.
 

Pariah

Elite Member
Apr 16, 2000
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Originally posted by: apriest
I have a DTS home theater with optical inputs and outputs on the receiver. Couldn't I plug in the Audigy or Extigy just like my DVD player is hooked up with a TOS optical cable? Shouldn't the receiver be able to decode that just fine?

Yes, you can.
 

cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
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another problem is the lact of surround for games this way. Without using creatives speakers you have to use the analog outputs.
 

apriest

Senior member
Apr 25, 2002
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Originally posted by: cmdrdredd
the audigy has no TOS link from it. unless you got the platinum

Ah yes! Thanks for clarifying that! Both the Platinum and Platinum EX should work with a TOS link though correct? The amp should be able to decode it as 5.1 like it was a DVD player or something?
 

cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
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yes with powerDVD 3.0/4.0 or WinDVD you can pass the 5.1 Dolby or DTS signal through the Optical or Coax ports and run DVDS from your Audigy to the receiver and decode the signal. You do need the platinum with the breakout box. That's about $200 most places I looked (granted it has been a while since I checked on the prices of these). As I said this method wrks great for DVD but you cannot play EAX/DirectSound Games this way. You'll only get 2 channel stereo and not 4.1
 

VBboy

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Nov 12, 2000
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Originally posted by: FluxCapacitor
Just out of curiousity, but why did you mention those video inputs anyway? Asking a question isn't rude when it's a legitimate question.

I don't know, just decided to copy and paste from the manufacturer's specs page :)
The home theater I'm thinking about is by the way this one:

Onkyo HT-S 650
 

apriest

Senior member
Apr 25, 2002
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VBboy, NICE! Not a bad setup! Mind if I ask how much? You have a DVD player and TV already or are you just going to use this with the computer? I've got a nice JVC setup that is now 2yrs old or so. It still looks and sounds impressive by today's standards though. The audio/video industry doesn't turn on it's head all that often, not like the computer industry! :p
 

VBboy

Diamond Member
Nov 12, 2000
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Originally posted by: apriest
VBboy, NICE! Not a bad setup! Mind if I ask how much? You have a DVD player and TV already or are you just going to use this with the computer? I've got a nice JVC setup that is now 2yrs old or so. It still looks and sounds impressive by today's standards though. The audio/video industry doesn't turn on it's head all that often, not like the computer industry! :p

Hehe, I don't actually *have* this yet, but will buy most likely in the next 2-3 days. www.Vanns.com - I can't link to the product because the session expires. $499, free shipping. I'll use this with my PC and watch DVD/video on my soon-to-be-bought 19" LCD :) Time to drop some money on my computer, seeing how it's only the most important thing in my life :) Sad, I know.
 

SNoWyV82

Member
Jun 6, 2002
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Just get a mono mini male to mono RCA female plug from radio shack and hook it into the digital out on the SB (all of them have it). Then run coax cable from that output to your receiver's digital input. I have the adaptor, I haven't bought the cable (can't find long inexpensive coax cable) so I have yet to try it out.
 

MortaniuS

Senior member
Oct 12, 2000
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Dont bother buying a audigy for home theatre they are a pain in the ass, i tried one. Go for a C-Media Solution. Many companies make them. I picked up a Aopen C-Media soundcard that comes with eh exact same riser as the soyo dragon (well duh its the same chip :p). The riser has optical in, optical out, coax in and coax out. ITs nice have all your optical and coax coming out the back of your computer instead of the front or stupid breakout boxes, plus the soundcard was only $40. Trying to convert that little digital headphone jack out from the back of the audigy sounds like shite.

I have my computer plugged into a onkyo txds787 ($1000) with infinity surround and velodyne sub, sounds awesome. And yeah i picked up that dvi to componant adapter from ati, all i can say is OMFG the quality OWNZ. No set top dvd player can come close.