HTPC in separate room, how to route audio from game systems?

[LucJoe]

Sorry for the awkward thread title, can't really think of another way to put it. My current set up is this:

• TV in living room connected to PC in office (HDMI)
• Speakers in living room connected to PC in office (4.1 system = 2x 3.5mm)
• PS3 / XBOX360 in living room connected to TV (HDMI)

The result is my game systems output sound through the terrible built in TV speakers. What's the best way to get good quality sound routed to my computer so it can output through my speakers?

My motherboard has an optical port which I was hoping to use as an input but it seems to be output only. It seems the only audio input is a 3.5mm jack... should I get some other sound card or a splitter or some sort to connect them directly to the speakers?

 

[Fallen Kell]

There is a full thread about exactly what you are trying to do and the long and short of it, you can't. Many, MANY people have essentially tried to use their PC/HTPC as an A/V receiver so that they would not need to spend the money for one. The problem is as you have found, there are just certain things that you simply can not do, and you can't do them because the MPAA/RIAA have essentially told the PC hardware manufacturers that they are not allowed to do these things. This isn't me ranting and raving saying this, the post had actual emails from the PC hardware makers which confirmed that they were not allowed to receive/decode certain audio formats (specifically DD, DTS, AC3, multi-channel PCM) from S/PDIF input devices due to MPAA/RIAA. There are some older devices out there which can do it, these are devices like Creative Labs Audigy2, but this will only work on Windows XP, as the Vista/Win7 drivers and OS functionality specifically removed this as a capability (again due to MPAA/RIAA pressure).

 

[ericlp]

I might want to check into a media player like popcorn hour or WD TV to see if that might do what you want. Your post is a little confusing to me.

 

[sdifox]

You are using pc speakers for your living room? I would say get reciver+speakers and then use hdmi from computer/consoles to receiver.

 

[Tiamat]

What sdifox said. This is the cleanest approach to fixing your woes especially in light of maintaining surround sound. If you had only stereo, it would be possible to rig your current setup to work by outputting rca stereo from your games to the 3.5 on the htpc.

 

[LucJoe]

I might want to check into a media player like popcorn hour or WD TV to see if that might do what you want. Your post is a little confusing to me.

Playing media is not a problem at all. I use the setup as described above with a VLC remote app on my phone and it works great.

The problem is getting audio routed from video game systems (PS3/360) to the speakers (connected to my computer)

You are using pc speakers for your living room? I would say get reciver+speakers and then use hdmi from computer/consoles to receiver.

I understand, and my PC speakers are admittedly ancient (Logitech Z560 circa 2001) but they put out a ton of power and are more than enough for what I'm doing (can't even turn them up past half). What's the point of decoding DTS5.1 when my 4.1 system is connected analog?

What sdifox said. This is the cleanest approach to fixing your woes especially in light of maintaining surround sound. If you had only stereo, it would be possible to rig your current setup to work by outputting rca stereo from your games to the 3.5 on the htpc.

I see, I might try doing that as stereo could be fine for games. Is there some sort of cheap box I could buy that goes between the computer and the speakers and can take other inputs? I'm thinking something like:

• Optical from computer -> box
• Optical from PS3 -> box
• box -> front and rear 3.5mm jacks to my old speaker system

Does this exist?

 

[Tiamat]

The box that does that is a DAC, and they are not cheap. Just do rca out from your games into an rca stereo to stereo 3.5 convertor plug from radio shack into your input of your sound card. Add y splitters to your input as needed depending on your number of devices