Computer to HDTV audio problems

[kabotabob]

The company I work for has a Vizio HDTV hanging on the wall to display content from our computer to the public as they enter our office. We have an HDMI cable running from the PC to the HDTV with a Sigma Tel video card so we can use both computer and HDTV screens at the same time. The problem comes with the audio. Audio should be traveling through the HDMI cable, from what I hear. Audio doesn't work through the HDMI cable, and when I run AV wires, the HDMI cancels that out completely. I can have either sound or video, but not both. Help. Computer is running Windows Vista (not my choice of OS's).

 

[avaserfi]

As far as I know computers don't yet have HDMI compatibility. So you probably have a DVI to HDMI cable running from the computer to the TV and DVI only supports video not audio.

 

[Hi Ho]

I can't find any info on Sigma Tel video cards but I have never seen a PC video card with HDMI that can pass audio along with the video. To do this, an audio chip would need to be on the video card.

What model is the Vizio? There should be at least one HDMI input that has analog audio inputs. This would allow you to run analog audio seperately. Another option is an amplifier and some seperate speakers that hang beside the TV.

EDIT: avaserfi, there are video cards available with HDMI.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010380048&Configurator=&Subcategory=48&description=&Ntk=&srchInDesc=hdmi

 

[avaserfi]

Wow, I hadn't realized they were released. I thought I had recently read HDMI was going to be released for computers in the next few months. Maybe it was an older article or they just ment fully functional HDMI. Thank Hi Ho.

 

[kabotabob]

Tried the AV cables

I tried the normal stereo AV cables that run from the jacks on the TV to my speaker jack on my computer. I made sure these were the jacks closest to the HDMI cable. When I did this, no sound came out while the video was plugged into the TV, when I removed the HDMI cable from the TV the sound works great. This leads me to believe that the HDMI cable carries sound to the TV from the computer and cancels out the AV cables. I have had 2 other people I know look at it, and both of them are confused also. I am trying my hardest to find the software and manual for the video card we installed. Maybe there is a setting there I haven't discovered yet.

The video card itself has a VGA plug, HDMI plug, and a "SPDIF In" jack. I do not know what SPDIF means..........yet. Maybe if i figure that out, it will solve my problem.

 

[Adam]

SPDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface Format) is just a digital audio connection, probably either an RCA jack or a minijack.

Some things that come to mind:
1. You might need to set up your computer software to output sound from the video card
2. You might need to set up the software to output PCM sound and not bitstream, depending on whether your TV can decode the bitstream or not
3. You could look at your TV manual and see if it can be set up to use the analog audio inputs even though an HDMI cable is attached

 

[gus6464]

Just because the video card has an hdmi output does not mean it will output sound as well through the connection. For the card to output sound as well as video it has to have an onboard sound chip on the card as well. HDMI on pc is still in it's baby stages so don't expect to get the same features as you do on a/v gear. Also HDMI will not be taking off in the pc world as the replacement for DVI because VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association) has decided to use a new connection called displayport which is set to replace dvi within the next year.