Two 5.1 systems from HTPC input

[BonzaiDuck]

Hope this doesn't prompt any irritation.

My desktop Sandy Bridge system does double-duty with HTPC usage. I'd been told that "dedicated" was best, but it's like water off a ducks back. Hardly any CPU usage, processor never needs to rise out of the EIST energy-saving speed and voltage.

I run a mini-HDMI-to-HDMI cable to my ONKYO receiver that is "THX-certified" 7.1 (which is connected to a 5.1 speaker system). dGPU graphics card is nVidia GTX 570, so driver installation provides nVidia sound drivers for the HDMI connection.

THE PC drives a Logitech Z640 5.1 system from on-board audio -- as it had always done -- using the 3.5mm jacks at the I/O plate.

So far, the ONKYO has been on almost continuously, but I checked to see what would happen per the "standby-passthrough" to the HDTV if I turned it off. Speaker output reverts to the Logitech, of course.

At one point, I noticed sound for some game programs coming through the HDMI setup. I was able to reassign speaker output for one game, but it keeps reverting back to the nVidia->Onkyo output.

I had been concerned with the kWHrs due to running the ONKYO and an increase in the electric bill. INstead, I see the projected electric bill or KwHrs for this month will be $6 to $10 less than last year's using the same tiered rate schedule (my Excel E-Bill Forecaster I'd set up to track this is so accurate, I can know by the 15th of the month within +/- $5 what the billing will be after the 30th -- assuming no change in daily usage).

Does anyone have any insight on managing the two speaker systems? No matter what I do on an application-by-application basis, the default keeps coming up as the ONKYO after reboot. Isn't there some shareware program with a "mixer" that might make this easier?

 

[NutBucket]

So you onus for doing this is purely speaker placement?

 

[BonzaiDuck]

So you onus for doing this is purely speaker placement?

Partly it was speaker placement, but I upgraded my sound system to "HT" as part of a deliberate plan. Before I had the AV Receiver and JBLs set up, I'd reversed the Logitech Z640 speakers left to right and front to back . . . so when you see the helicopter gunships in "Apocalypse Now Redux" move from left to right, the sound follows them. The only shortcoming: I have to keep the subwoofer on the PC side of the room, rather than the HDTV side.

Right now, I can turn off the ONKYO, then reboot the computer, and the TV sound will come through the Logitech system just as before, while the HD video will appear without change on the HDTV across the room because of the ONKYO "standby-passthrough" feature.

I was probably "due" an upgrade to the old stereo rig. But I was obsessed with making the integration of HTPC, AV/Receiver and HDTV a success. I might have done fine by spending less.

This may be an "age" thing. It was so important to me to have a good stereo rig when I was 30 years old. When you have decent equipment that's 20 years old or older, and you're ready to apply for Medicare, you just don't care. You don't care about having the latest automobile or any number of contraptions.

The exception for me is my computer. Tho my age might incline me to let slip and fall behind, I just have to keep up. I postponed upgrading my 20-year-old analog TV until just last year -- replacing with a 42" LED_LCD model. The idea to upgrade the old stereo rig didn't hit me until a couple months ago.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

OK. Here's the saga . . .

As soon as I sete up the AV Receiver and JBLs, I configured Windows Media Center to it. That left the Logitech Z640 speakers as "Communication" speakers and the Receiver with nVidia driver for my graphics card as "default." I set up the HT (Onkyo receiver) system as 5.1 in Windows, then selected it as HDMI input in Media Center.

For a few days, this worked fine, and I experimented with the Onkyo's different mode settings after setting it up independently for PC input -- passing through with another HDMI cable to the HDTV.

I then wanted to test the "standby-passthrough" from the ONkyo, and turned the latter off with the remote. The TV blinked, resumed video, and the output continued through the Logitech Z640 PC 5.1 speakers. But when I rebooted with the HT AV receiver turned on, I would get a "Video . . . error . . . files weren't present . . . restart Media center or reboot computer" message. I installed a new graphics driver for my GTX 570 card, and everything seemed to work again.

So I tried to do it again a week or so later. Same thing happened. This time -- tried to reinstall the nVidia driver. Media Center would not play the "test" button sounds for speaker setup. Eventually, I was able to get Media Center to do this, but the volume control on the Windows remote would not change the output: I could only change the volume with the Onkyo remote.

Finally, I switched the Logitech speakers off after shutting down the PC; switched on the Onkyo; reconfigured the Onkyo/nVidia for Windows, and reconfigured to HDMI 5.1 in Media Center. First, the Test in media center wouldn't play again. I went back through the menus and tried again -- this time, with success.

But I still can only control volume through the Onkyo remote.

This is very troublesome if I want to use the AV receiver system for a while and then use the Logitech Z640 PC speakers for a while.

Any suggestions?

 

[BonzaiDuck]

OK . . . Here's a solution I think may work.

Here -- I'm speaking about my own hardware, but this may be useful to someone else who posted this problem. I'm adding post to his thread and mine as well.

Assume that "simple is best" and that RealTek analog 5.1 and digital audio output (RealTek) driven by same or compatible drivers. Therefore -- eliminate the nVidia audio thru HDMI, and use SP/DIF cable to connect onboard sound to the AV/Receiver. I cannot see why this will not work -- but it's just an extra $40 cable. Inputs to the AV/Receiver can be reassigned.

I cannot confirm this yet, but I contacted a Cables-to-Go rep (now called C2G), who was only concerned about ability to disable computer's HDMI audio. But like Dylan says in "highway 61" -- This can be very easily done . . . out there on Hi-way . . . sixty-one! . . "

Comment? encouragement? Whatever?

 

[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!