Onboard audio, digital, analog - Is simple best?

[BonzaiDuck]

I've posted on AV Home Theater forums -- two threads -- answered another one from somebody with similar problem. I configured my GTX 570 nVidia HD sound to feed my Onkyo AV/Receiver. I still have RealTek (onboard audio) for 5.1 PC analog speakers set up for my P8Z68-V Pro mobo. Of course, Media Center can only be configured for one speaker system or another.

I can turn off the AV/Receiver -- which passes through video through the receiver to the HDTV, and I can reconfigure Media Center for the analog speaker set. But once I turn the AV/Receiver back on, and attempt to reset Media Center to "HDMI" speaker output, it's like riding a racing bike over a road with 5" pieces of rock: it is "hit or miss" until I can get the system reconfigured for the receiver, HDMI audio etc. without getting Media Center error of "video error . . . . files needed by Media Center missing . . . restart M__C__ or reboot the computer." If I had to go through this every freakin' time I want to turn the receiver off and then on again later for some show, Netflix move or broadcast, it will drive me nuts and take unreasonable time away from other stuff.

I am now proceeding on the theory that disabling the HDMI audio for the nVidia card and running a coax digital audio cable from the SP/DIF onboard audio output to the receiver could resolve this, enabling output with either speaker system (despite need to reset Media Center) with fewer problems. After all -- it's the same RealTek audio capability on the motherboard, and the drivers should be "more compatible."

Any thoughts? I just ordered the SP/DIF cable -- 25' for $40+shipping+tax from Cables-to-Go. Their tech rep seemed to think it would work as long as I can disable the nVidia sound drivers -- which -- I can . . . . Or just run my other HDMI cable which is DVI to HDMI instead of mini-HDMI-to-HDMI.


Thanks.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Like Slim Pickens says, riding the H-bomb from the plane to the ground in "Dr. Strangelove" -- YEEEEEEEEEEE!!!. . . . HAAAAA-AHHHH!! YEEEEEEEEEE!!! . . . . HAAAAAAHHHHH!!!

I have FINALLY got this sorted out. I dropped the RealTek analog "speaker" output to Logitech Z640 5.1 system, leaving only nVidia -driven "Onkyo receiver device" and RealTek digital coax and digital optical "not connected" devices.

Had the ONKYO running for two days with marvelous sound and HD TV. But . . . there's the heat. There's the power bill. There's the desire to switch back and forth between low-power speakers and the 600W Onkyo powered speakers.

I leave the LG TV "on" almost all the time, and use the energy-saving feature to shut off the picture while still listening to the broadcast or cable station selected from Media Center.

The ONKYO has a "standby passthrough" feature, which I THOUGHT . . . I'd tested . . . with unsatisfactory results. ALL . . I had . . . to DO . . . was reboot the computer when I did that.

So the procedure is this simple:

1) go into ONKYO onscreen setup menu
2) Change "Output audio to TV" from "OFF" to "ON"
3) Reboot the computer
4) Start Media Center

NO changes required in the 5.1 setup under either Windows or Media Center.

NO MORE "Video error . . . . files missing . . . restart Media Center or Re-boot computer" message.

NOW -- THE TV speakers become my computer speakers (stereo) with the ONKYO negotiating the HDMI sound channels into stereo (or maybe that's what the LG HDTV does).

THIS . . . . IS IT!!! THIS-IS-IT!!!

Meanwhile -- "Internet Radio" from the ONKYO . . . Russian hard-rock and heavy metal music from Moscow and St. Petersburg in SURROUND SOUND!!!

I LOVE IT!!! YEEEEEEEE-- HAAAAAAAAHHHH!! I'm the Bomb!