Video but no audio via hdmi

[Xorp]

Been using coaxial spdif for what seems like eons, but finally got a HDMI-equipped video card yesterday; a GTX 460. Hooked it up via a 50 foot long Monoprice cable to my Onkyo TX-SR706 from a Windows 7 64-bit rig. The included mini-HDMI to HDMI adapter is in between the PC and 50ft cable.

Now the video is fine. No sparkles or dropouts at all. However whenever I try to play any audio, I get nothing. Not even a blip. Nothing from the Windows sound tests. The "Nvidia High Definition Audio" device is selected and active. The HDMI light on the receiver blinks repeatedly until I stop trying to play anything. Again, the video is fine during all of this.

Now my first guess is that the cable is too old. It's heavy gauge, but is probably nearly 4 years old and version 1.2. It's also 50 feet long like I stated before. Could this be the issue and a new v1.4 cable should solve it or is it something else? The fact that the video is perfect is the confusing aspect.

Thanks for any help!

 

[s44]

If you think it's the cable, try moving the computer and the AVR next to each other and testing again with a shorter cable.

Probably something else though.

 

[blotto]

Make sure you're plugged into the HDMI 1 port on the Onkyo. Don't know if it carries over to nVidia cards but ATI 4xxx and 5xxx cards only seemed to work well on HDMI 1 on the x06 series AVRs.

 

[Fallen Kell]

You really need to get a HDMI v1.3 cable to get the benefits of that card.

 

[alcoholbob]

Well, even if you do get audio, all you would get is stereo via the nvidia hdmi ports.

The ATI 5000 series on the other hand, has 8 channel linear pcm, dolby true hd and dts-master, dolby digital 5.1 and dts, and a host of audiophile sample rates including 88.2 and 176.4.

I would stick to spdif or an analog sound card...there's not much you will get out of the nvidia card even if you it to work.

Try this: Turn of HDMI audio on the Onkyo receiver. This will toggle off the audio passthrough to the TV. Your audio should work after that.

 

[alcoholbob]

You really need to get a HDMI v1.3 cable to get the benefits of that card.

HDMI is HDMI. It's just a copper cable. Only 1.4 cables are different and that's because there's a LAN/Cat5 cable embedded into the HDMI cable.

 

[s44]

Well, even if you do get audio, all you would get is stereo via the nvidia hdmi ports.

The ATI 5000 series on the other hand, has 8 channel linear pcm, dolby true hd and dts-master, dolby digital 5.1 and dts, and a host of audiophile sample rates including 88.2 and 176.4.

Total FUD

The GTX 460 will offer full bitstreaming audio capabilities, something the GF100 GPU powering the other GTX 400 series cards could not do. This means that the GTX 460 will be able to bitstream DTS Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD along with the 8 channel LPCM audio capabilities supported by the previous GTX 400 series cards. This brings NVIDIA up to par with AMD, who has offered bitstreaming on the entire range of Radeon HD 5000 series cards.

 

[alcoholbob]

Total FUD

Uh...GTX 460s lack PAP. Unless you consider downsampling to 16/48 "HD Audio", then sure. Enjoy your "HD."

 

[Xorp]

Uh...GTX 460s lack PAP. Unless you consider downsampling to 16/48 "HD Audio", then sure. Enjoy your "HD."

Most of my audio is multichannel FLAC.

 

[alcoholbob]

^

The Nordic Sound?

btw, did turning off hdmi audio work?

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

I know this is simple and you've probably already done it, but I have to ask, have you configured the input on the receiver to use HDMI?

 

[Xorp]

Turns out it was the cable. Everything works with a short one.

Bitstreaming DTS-MA and TrueHD with ffdshow works too

Edit: for the new cable should ebay still be avoided? Cheapest 50ft hdmi cable at monoprice is $38 shipped while ebay has them for $18 shipped...

 

[blotto]

For $20 is it worth the risk of a bad cable and possible hassle with a bad ebay seller? I'd stick with MP myself.

 

[mmntech]

I had this exact same issue. AV receivers won't accept non-standard resolutions. Make sure you set the display output in your video drivers to 480p/i, 720p, or 1080p/i. If it's set to something like 1336x768, it won't output sound.

I don't know why they cut the sound but still show the video. A lot of receivers are like that though.

Alternatively you can connect the tv to the card directly while just using hdmi for audio.

 

[s44]

Turns out it was the cable. Everything works with a short one.

Bitstreaming DTS-MA and TrueHD with ffdshow works too

Edit: for the new cable should ebay still be avoided? Cheapest 50ft hdmi cable at monoprice is $38 shipped while ebay has them for $18 shipped...

For 50' I'd actually go premium with the cable. That's really pushing the HDMI spec. Therefore an investment in the Blue Jeans Belden Series 1, though $135, may be worth it. Otherwise at least get the Monoprice -- this is no place to screw around with no-name ebay vendors.

 

[Fallen Kell]

HDMI is HDMI. It's just a copper cable. Only 1.4 cables are different and that's because there's a LAN/Cat5 cable embedded into the HDMI cable.

Not for the cheap-o cables. If it is an older cheap-o cable, the wires may not be able to handle the bandwidth requirements for sending the audio signal. If it is a 1.3 cheap-o cable, then it should work, but saying that the older 1.1 or 1.2 cables will work with the surround sound HD bitstream is pure speculation as you know they cut as many corners as they can on materials and construction to meet the price point. It "might" work, but since we know his system isn't sending audio, well....

I was also proven correct by the OP I might add...

As for cables to use, the monoprice are at least from a place that has a reputation that the cables work. Personally, I have been buying from RamElectronics. They are local to me and have even been able to do some custom lengths in the past for me (as they actually make many of their cables). Obviously a little more pricy than Monoprice, but very well done cables.

 

[alcoholbob]

^

Some of the cables use full tang for the connectors while others just wrap the copper around the connector and can come lose. Also high awg cables tend to bend and lose their connection due to their weight. I have plenty of high quality 22/24 awg cables that short due to sag from their weight and has to be used with an hdmi saver port.

The only reason why "bandwidth" might be limited is lower quality copper with reduced IACS values, it has nothing to do with being labeled as hdmi 1.2 vs hdmi 1.3. Nice try though.

 

[Fallen Kell]

The only reason why "bandwidth" might be limited is lower quality copper with reduced IACS values, it has nothing to do with being labeled as hdmi 1.2 vs hdmi 1.3.

Correct, and the cheap cables that were tested to handle the bandwidth needs of the stereo audio only, may not have enough bandwidth to push the surround sound bitstream due to the quality of the cable (you know, those IACS values...).

Also, I never said 1.2 to 1.3, as the OP didn't know what HDMI cable he had, only it's age, and it could easily be a 1.1 cable, which IS one of the ones I mentioned, which is also why bandwidth became a possible cause (which is why I said in my first post to get a 1.3 cable for that card).

 

[Modelworks]

50 ft is outside the recommended distance for HDMI without an equalizer on the cable midway. The resistance loss of the signal over the distance isn't the issue with HDMI. When you extend the length then the cable will start to pick up reflections. Think of reflections like water in a bowl. In a small bowl you can drop a pebble on one side and watch the waves hit the opposite side and quickly bounce off and interact with the wave you created, it interacts almost immediately with the current wave and you can rapidly send more waves to keep that reflected wave at the other end. That is like a short cable.

If you change to a large bowl and repeat it will bounce off the side but the waves that bounce off will take longer to get back to the other side. As you send waves from the start they will be effected by the reflecting wave for much longer periods of time before encountering a new original wave. This is like a long cable.

The signal voltage is fine on both ends, but because the cable is so long the signal becomes distorted to the point it cannot be decoded. To fix the problem you need an equalizer. An equalizer at the 25FT point between two cables makes sure the cable remains balanced and does not distort the signal. You can get one for about $15.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10419&cs_id=1041907&p_id=2849&seq=1&format=2

A lot of people are putting these at one end, but the best place is midway. If you have to though put it at the output end and not the input so it can adjust for the cable length. Putting it at the input just increases the voltage.