Sound Card Question

[giantpinkbunnyhead]

I was disappointed to learn that my $150 sound card does not have a digital out, which I now need so that I may hook my PC up to my home theatre receiver.

I went to the store looking for another sound card, and of all the cards available, only ONE had digital out, and it was a cheap $28 Dynex card. None of the more expensive, higher quality cards had it. I read a rumor someplace that the quality of the soundcard is less important with digital out because all the card does is pass the signal through. Is this true? Is there a better way to get a digital out from my computer? Will I regret that $28 sound card?

 

[her209]

Digital means bits. Number of bits means better. Higher numbers means more women will want to sleep with you.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=32&threadid=1961119&enterthread=y

If you can't use the 5.1 channel input with your HDMI input, then yeah, you can get a digital card.

Before you do that, would it be possible to just set your receiver on 6 (7 or 8) channel direct and then send the video straight to your display?

If you want to do gaming, you'll want to get a card that can encode dolby digital or dts.

If this is just movie/music watching, try this card
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=292003

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

ygpm

 

[fitzov]

You don't have a spdif or toslink output? That seems odd. What kind of card is it?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: fitzov
You don't have a spdif or toslink output? That seems odd. What kind of card is it?

It's an X-Fi Xtreme Music.

I think we have a solution figured out via PM.

5.1 analog cannot be selected while on HDMI input for the receiver.

Video is going to go straight to the TV with a couple adapters for DVI to HDMI back to DVI (because a DVI connection is too wide to fit through the wire routing holes to get up to the display).

Receiver will just handle the sound end of things and will use 5.1 channel direct input.

 

[fitzov]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: fitzov
You don't have a spdif or toslink output? That seems odd. What kind of card is it?

It's an X-Fi Xtreme Music.

I think we have a solution figured out via PM.

5.1 analog cannot be selected while on HDMI input for the receiver.

Video is going to go straight to the TV with a couple adapters for DVI to HDMI back to DVI (because a DVI connection is too wide to fit through the wire routing holes to get up to the display).

Receiver will just handle the sound end of things and will use 5.1 channel direct input.

Yeah, to bad the card doesn't have digital out--that means no dolby.

 

[Shawn]

why are you hooking the HDMI to the receiver? just go directly from the computer to the tv.

 

[giantpinkbunnyhead]

Originally posted by: Shawn
why are you hooking the HDMI to the receiver? just go directly from the computer to the tv.

My TV only has one HDMI input and it's already occupied by the DVD player. I need to run it through the receiver in order to gain HDMI switching.

 

[Shawn]

Originally posted by: giantpinkbunnyhead

Originally posted by: Shawn
why are you hooking the HDMI to the receiver? just go directly from the computer to the tv.

My TV only has one HDMI input and it's already occupied by the DVD player. I need to run it through the receiver in order to gain HDMI switching.

Do you really need to have the DVD player hooked up via HDMI? I doubt you'll be able to tell the difference between component and HDMI with a standard DVD. If you could hook up the HDMI directly to the TV then you could use any analog input setting on your receiver.

 

[giantpinkbunnyhead]

Originally posted by: Shawn

Originally posted by: giantpinkbunnyhead

Originally posted by: Shawn
why are you hooking the HDMI to the receiver? just go directly from the computer to the tv.

My TV only has one HDMI input and it's already occupied by the DVD player. I need to run it through the receiver in order to gain HDMI switching.

Do you really need to have the DVD player hooked up via HDMI? I doubt you'll be able to tell the difference between component and HDMI with a standard DVD. If you could hook up the HDMI directly to the TV then you could use any analog input setting on your receiver.

The thing is, all my component inputs are used up already as well. So that's not an option. I just have too many peripherals.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: fitzov

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: fitzov
You don't have a spdif or toslink output? That seems odd. What kind of card is it?

It's an X-Fi Xtreme Music.

I think we have a solution figured out via PM.

5.1 analog cannot be selected while on HDMI input for the receiver.

Video is going to go straight to the TV with a couple adapters for DVI to HDMI back to DVI (because a DVI connection is too wide to fit through the wire routing holes to get up to the display).

Receiver will just handle the sound end of things and will use 5.1 channel direct input.

Yeah, to bad the card doesn't have digital out--that means no dolby.

Actually it does have digital out via the "FlexiJack", but that wont get you surround sound from games, which is an important source in this case.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Shawn

Originally posted by: giantpinkbunnyhead

Originally posted by: Shawn
why are you hooking the HDMI to the receiver? just go directly from the computer to the tv.

My TV only has one HDMI input and it's already occupied by the DVD player. I need to run it through the receiver in order to gain HDMI switching.

Do you really need to have the DVD player hooked up via HDMI? I doubt you'll be able to tell the difference between component and HDMI with a standard DVD. If you could hook up the HDMI directly to the TV then you could use any analog input setting on your receiver.

Upconvertion might make a significant difference if that's coming into play.

Turns out I actually preferred the picture I got with component vs. HDMI from my own DVD player though heh.

 

[giantpinkbunnyhead]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: Shawn

Originally posted by: giantpinkbunnyhead

Originally posted by: Shawn
why are you hooking the HDMI to the receiver? just go directly from the computer to the tv.

My TV only has one HDMI input and it's already occupied by the DVD player. I need to run it through the receiver in order to gain HDMI switching.

Do you really need to have the DVD player hooked up via HDMI? I doubt you'll be able to tell the difference between component and HDMI with a standard DVD. If you could hook up the HDMI directly to the TV then you could use any analog input setting on your receiver.

Upconvertion might make a significant difference if that's coming into play.

Turns out I actually preferred the picture I got with component vs. HDMI from my own DVD player though heh.

Yeah, I have upconverting going on... the DVD player is a Denon 1930CI which uses that Faroujda DCDi technology (or something like that) for upconverting to 1080p and I can only say that this is simply the best upconverting job I've ever seen. *hugs his DVD player and native 1080p TV* I tried hooking it up via component before, and the image seemed too "colored". The reds were a tick too red; the blues a tick too blue, etc... but with the HDMI the colors seemed exactly right. Perhaps it was a TV setting... I don't know. But in any case... I'm tickled pink with how well the DVD setup is... it's so outstanding that I've actually abandoned my plans to get an HD player because I can't really tell a difference anymore. The guests LOVE it. My house has since become "the place to be" and they always bring food so I'm happy.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: giantpinkbunnyhead

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: Shawn

Originally posted by: giantpinkbunnyhead

Originally posted by: Shawn
why are you hooking the HDMI to the receiver? just go directly from the computer to the tv.

My TV only has one HDMI input and it's already occupied by the DVD player. I need to run it through the receiver in order to gain HDMI switching.

Do you really need to have the DVD player hooked up via HDMI? I doubt you'll be able to tell the difference between component and HDMI with a standard DVD. If you could hook up the HDMI directly to the TV then you could use any analog input setting on your receiver.

Upconvertion might make a significant difference if that's coming into play.

Turns out I actually preferred the picture I got with component vs. HDMI from my own DVD player though heh.

Yeah, I have upconverting going on... the DVD player is a Denon 1930CI which uses that Faroujda DCDi technology (or something like that) for upconverting to 1080p and I can only say that this is simply the best upconverting job I've ever seen. *hugs his DVD player and native 1080p TV* I tried hooking it up via component before, and the image seemed too "colored". The reds were a tick too red; the blues a tick too blue, etc... but with the HDMI the colors seemed exactly right. Perhaps it was a TV setting... I don't know. But in any case... I'm tickled pink with how well the DVD setup is... it's so outstanding that I've actually abandoned my plans to get an HD player because I can't really tell a difference anymore. The guests LOVE it. My house has since become "the place to be" and they always bring food so I'm happy.

I'd say that's a pretty good reason to stick with HDMI for the DVD player then :thumbsup: