HTPC HDMI card

Obsoleet

Platinum Member
Oct 2, 2007
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I want a video card with HDMI with audio for a HTPC. I'm wanting the 4870 1GB due to wanting to run 1080P. Do I need a native HDMI port on the card? Do the adapters cards include send the audio with the video like a native HDMI port does? I'd like a single cable if possible. This is for a 55" 120hz 1080P lcd.

Also, will HDCP get in the way of anything as far as streaming videos or any content if I use this? It needs to send a DD5.1 signal too.

Thanks
 

kylebisme

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2000
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HDMI audio is encoded into the video signal, the adapters just change the type of plug. As for HDCP, not having it would prevent Blu-ray video content though digital connections, supporting it simply removes that restriction. As for DD5.1, I'm not sure if the Radeons support bistream passthrough or not, but it doesn't rightly matter either way as your CPU can decode such bitstreams and the Radeons will output the resulting PCM.
 

Modular

Diamond Member
Jul 1, 2005
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Will this be passed through a receiver as well, or is it going straight to the TV? I'm assuming through the receiver and as such you should do a little research before you buy. I've read that the Ati cards have had issues passing through certain receiver models; something about the monitor profiles being messed up in some way. Sorry to be so cryptic, maybe someone else can chime in with more info and some links to the issue.
 

BoboKatt

Senior member
Nov 18, 2004
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There are loads and load of posts on various forums in regards to some ATI cards that have a DVI-HDMI adaptor and then the ATI CCC shows when connected to certain receivers as only DVI and you get no audio (even though you hooked up the cable from the audio card to the video card), or that they are simply not able to select 5.1 or 7.1 speaker out as a setting even though they have a 5.1 or 7.1 system.

Anyhow I went ahead and got a cheaper ATI 4550 with built in HDMI (for less than $70). You DO NOT need a 4870 1GB to do 10800p. Please read the write-up that Anand had a while back on the 4350 and 4550 as perfect HTPC cards under the Video section.

I installed it in my HTPC and then the ATI newest CCC drivers. You then need to go over to Realtek and dowload their newest ATI HDMI audio drivers. Once you install that and you are connected to a receiver through HDMI, you should be given the option to set your audio to stereo, 2.0, 5,1 or 7.1 based on obviously what speaker setup you have on your reciver.

The key is setting up the FFdshow and other codecs, what you use to play the movies etc and of course drivers. I output this to a 52" LCD. Everything works great. I even have one of the receivers that everyone said they had issues with (Onkyo) and I had no issues whatsoever.

The best you can do now is 8-channel LPCM over HDMI and hardware decoding for H.264/VC-1/MPEG-2 with this setup.
 

Obsoleet

Platinum Member
Oct 2, 2007
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I'm going with the 4870 not because of bluray but because I want to game at 1080P. I'm using the rig in my signature. I don't find a point in building another PC for a HTPC when mine will do a great job of that. Also no need to have my computer, which I think is a good PC sitting in the other room while I'm sitting in the living room all the time on the laptop. Might as well put it to good use by putting in a bluray player and gaming on my tv.

The tv and stereo setup is the new Vizio 55" coming out in January, and the 5.1 is Vizio's wireless add-on. So the receiver will be the decoder built into the TV itself for DD5.1. Nothing special but I'm not really wanting anymore than that for audio.

If I ever move in a girlfriend and have to move my computer back to a desk then I'll build a smaller, lesser powered HTPC and won't game on the TV anymore.. but until then I'm a free man so my PC and tv will be one.
 

kylebisme

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2000
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Originally posted by: Obsoleet
The tv and stereo setup is the new Vizio 55" coming out in January, and the 5.1 is Vizio's wireless add-on. So the receiver will be the decoder built into the TV itself for DD5.1.
That should handle 5.1 PCM output from the Radeon just fine, no need to passthough DD compress anything to it.

Originally posted by: Obsoleet
If I ever move in a girlfriend and have to move my computer back to a desk then I'll build a smaller, lesser powered HTPC and won't game on the TV anymore.. but until then I'm a free man so my PC and tv will be one.
Yeah, thebachelor life is good like that. ;)