Using PC for Home Theater?

[Chadder007]

I was looking at getting a home theater system for the new house im moving too.... but then I was wondering if maybe instead of getting a separate receiver/blu-ray player/pvr, I could get just a PC with Vista Home Premium with a Tuner card and Blu-ray drive built in. I know I can use regular surround sound speakers for computers, but is it possible to hook up speakers that I would mount in the wall to the PC?
Would the PC serve as a sufficient audio receiver basically?

 

[Slick5150]

No, you'd still need a receiver. You'd hook the PC to the receiver, then the speakers to the receiver. PC sound cards don't amplify the sound so you can't hook speakers directly to them.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Chadder007
I was looking at getting a home theater system for the new house im moving too.... but then I was wondering if maybe instead of getting a separate receiver/blu-ray player/pvr, I could get just a PC with Vista Home Premium with a Tuner card and Blu-ray drive built in. I know I can use regular surround sound speakers for computers, but is it possible to hook up speakers that I would mount in the wall to the PC?
Would the PC serve as a sufficient audio receiver basically?

If by "regular surround" you mean typical HT speakers, then a PC cannot amplify the signal to these speakers like a receiver could.

 

[Tiamat]

what you are describing in you last sentence would be using your PC as a source component and perhaps even preamplifier. Unfortunately, there is no amplification from your PC so there would be no way to power your wall speakers. The only exception is if you have special on-wall speakers that happen to have built-in amplifiers, but these are not common at all. The closest to these would be professional active monitors like those that can be found at Guitar Center, sweetwater.com etc.

For normal speakers, you need amplification. This could be in the form of an external amplifier, or if you are on a budget, a receiver that contains the tuner, the preamp/processor, and amplifier all in one chassis.

 

[Chadder007]

k, thanks.
Ill be looking for a receiver too then.