My Dream setup but how?

[bX510]

My current computer:
AMD 3000+ Venice
1.5 GB ram
250 GB Sata HD
200 GB Pata HD
AIW X800XL
I have creative speakers 6.1 (Is it possible to use these with my TV? For example, I want surround sound from my TV show and I can just switch to these speakers with a press of a button.)


I often watch anime on my computer, but i want to spice it up and be able to watch it on TV with a click of a button and get the good quality like i would on my monitor. I tried to do it with my AIW by connecting it to the TV, and the video doesn't show up. Also, i don't want to change my resolution everytime when i want to watch the videos on tv.

I have some speakers with my TV. I want to be able to use the speakers to play the music from my computer with a click of a button.

I would basically like to use the speakers for my computer and TV with a click or a switch.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

What do you mean the video didn't show up on your TV? No signal at all, or just video didn't play but you could use windows etc.?

You should be able to make profiles in the ATI control panel and then assign hot keys to that.

For example, hotkey1 = native res of your monitor + monitor set as primary device

hotkey2 = 640x480 + TV-out as the primary device




Does your TV have audio output on the back of it? If so, you can just send that to the line-in of your soundcard. You can mute/unmute that to get the sound going to your computer speakers. You'll likely only get 2.1 from that unless your speakers / soundcard / integrated sound has some sort of mode that allows for matrixing or "fake surround" from a stereo source.

As for the TV speakers with the computer as the source, you could run a splitter off your front L/R output and run one signal to your speakers and the other to an adapter and then one of the audio inputs for your TV (one that is associated with the input on the TV you're using for when you have your computer hooked up for video)

 

[bX510]

You know how you watch a video, and when you screenshot the video in the windows media frame it comes out blank. A lot of help there, thanks. Is there some 2nd opinion? Is there away to have my TV watch the videos that's on my computer harddrive, while i am playing a game at the same time?I am guessing the way you told me is cloning my monitor screen.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: bX510
You know how you watch a video, and when you screenshot the video in the windows media frame it comes out blank. A lot of help there, thanks. Is there some 2nd opinion? Is there away to have my TV watch the videos that's on my computer harddrive, while i am playing a game at the same time?I am guessing the way you told me is cloning my monitor screen.

That's probably a video overlay issue for them not showing up.

In the past I've just used a single device at a time so I've just set whatever that is as my primary. This doesn't necessarily mean cloning it, just setting whatever has the video playing on it as the primary display. I don't think you need to do that at all though.

As for gaming + video at the same time... that's probably not going to work very well. Browsing / regular computer stuff + video at the same time would be fine, but video + gaming is probably not going to fly.

 

[bX510]

When i connect my AIW to my TV with svideo, the quality seems to drop. Doesn't look as good as how you would burn a disc and play on DVD. Is there something like a harddrive that i can just copy my videos over to and then hook it up to the TV and choose from a list of what i want to watch.

Creative DDTS-100 - This is very useful and exactly what i am looking for. Let me make sure i understand this correctly. I can plug my old Sony TV (Tiniton) into this and be able to use those computer speakers with my Sony TV?

 

[Slammy1]

Actually, Anime is better played through a DVD than on a PC (scaling issue, I think). Often in HTPC discussions that point is brought up. There is an option to activate the S-Video in CCC, as YY metioned. If it's not plugged in, it won't autodetect. If you can see the desktop but not the video, try an update to the MMC (I've had that before). Also, make sure you run your resolution to something supported (i.e. 800x600 or 640x480 on a 4:3 display). Haven't had a lot of success with S-Video. I get things to display, it's just not that great. Definitely, look to component. if available. PCs really aren't designed to run at S-Video resolutions, unlike DVD players which have better scalers for what you're doing.

 

[bX510]

I don't like the MMC, i use VLC because its compatible with much more things. RCA plugs are the one with white,red and yellow plugs right? Is that what your asking me to use instead of s-video?

 

[Slammy1]

Component are the RCA-type red-yellow-green plugs, you're thinking of composite which has only 1 plug (yellow) for video? I understand about MMC, I don't use it myself (Zoom Player for DVDs), but I'm not familiar with VLC enough to give proper advice. I'd say check where you specify resolution in the program, set it for 640x480 (720x480 for 16:9). It sounds like it's an unsupported resolution/refresh. Check the documentation of the panel to make sure you don't run too high of a refresh, it could hurt the tv. This would be a good site to get some specific resolution/refresh recommendations:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=64

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: bX510
When i connect my AIW to my TV with svideo, the quality seems to drop. Doesn't look as good as how you would burn a disc and play on DVD. Is there something like a harddrive that i can just copy my videos over to and then hook it up to the TV and choose from a list of what i want to watch.

Creative DDTS-100 - This is very useful and exactly what i am looking for. Let me make sure i understand this correctly. I can plug my old Sony TV (Tiniton) into this and be able to use those computer speakers with my Sony TV?

You should really try to get component going. S-video looks decent, but component is going to be better, especially if you're hooking up to an HD display eventually. Don't even bother with Composite.

The Cretive device is mainly for audio. That would function to get digital audio converted to 5.1 analog that you could plug speakers into. If your outside source (your TV) is just 2 channel, don't bother with that, just use line-in of your soundcard.

If you have digital audio sources, I would say consider just getting a set of computer speakers that has digital inputs (Like z-5500s) rather than trying to do a patch job with some devices like the DDTS-100

 

[bX510]

Damn those z-5500 looks sexy. Its possible to have them play stuff from the TV right? So if i am watching channel 2, it can play the sound for that channel correct?


edit: i was looking through the hotkeys in catalyst control, I can't seem to find away to toggle to 800x600 res and then back to 1280x1024.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: bX510
Damn those z-5500 looks sexy. Its possible to have them play stuff from the TV right? So if i am watching channel 2, it can play the sound for that channel correct?

The speakers will be able to play whatever comes out of your TV's audio output jacks in the back of the set. You should make sure you have those to ensure that it will work though. Some budget sets will not have that. Anything that the TV's speakers would normally play should be routed out the back if you turn that feature on.

If you have that feature, you'll be able to run to the line-in on the side of the speaker control pod with an adatper. You can plug the computer into the 5.1 analog input of the control pod.

Honestly I don't know why you'd want to run sound from the TV speakers if you get a set like this.

As for how you do the hot key / profile thing, that will depend on your display drivers and videocard. Hunt around in the video display options for something like "profile".

EDIT: you need to stop editing

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Can you set up two profiles? One with 640x480 (this might look better than 800x600 on your TV) and with TV as the primary display, and then one with 1280x1024 and the monitor as your primary display?

 

[bX510]

"Honestly I don't know why you'd want to run sound from the TV speakers if you get a set like this. "
What would you suggest? But i was thinking of this... because if there's some good movies on local tv or if i want to use my dvd player, i can watch it with the speakers. I don't really know much about these audio stuff, but how would know if my TV is compatible with it?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

If your TV has two RCA jacks in the back of it with a label of "Audio OUT", then you can hook up to external speakers.

If you do that, you should probably use those speakers all the time.

A case where you might not want to is if you wanted to play a game on your computer or something while having the TV on for a show. In that case you'd probably want to keep the audio playing on the different systems independently.

 

[Aikouka]

Now, I can't answer much for ATi as I haven't used an ATi card in a long time, but I know nVidia's had a great solution for this for a long time. So, I assume ATi probably has it buried in there somewhere as well. In the nVidia control panel, you can set what's called a "Full Screen Video device" and what this does is it takes a video that's opened and automatically plays it full screened. I believe the video also stays on your screen, but I can't remember for sure, because I haven't used that in awhile.

Also, you can't take a picture using Print Screen on a video because it uses DirectX Overlays. The program that creates the DirectX Overlay must support screenshots (this is true with games and multimedia applications, that's why programs like Media Player Classic have a "Save Image" option).

Oh and component is Red, Green and Blue, by the way .

 

[bX510]

I'll post back with more questions when i get this set up ready.

 

[bX510]

I was about to buy the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic 7.1 Channels. Would that do good with the Z-5500 speakers or would something like this (Xi-fi Plantium http://creative.com/products/product.as...ory=209&subcategory=669&product=14065) be better with the Home theature set up i want.

edit: I read somewhere that using S/PDIF (optical) connection produces the better sound ? but the sound card (above) doesn`t have a optical jack (but there is 2 S/PDIF`s on the back of my M/B , it also has onboard 6 channel [Abit IC7). No clue what that is, but yeah would it sound better on another sound card?

with the X-Fi XtremeMusic 7.1 Channels and speakers, I can get surround sound during movies / games right? I read something about not getting surround sounds because of no dolby digital live or something.