Connecting a PC to Your Home Theater

[Audioholics]

<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>We are consistently asked about connecting a PC to a home theater system. It's not as easy as it sounds. For example, while many sound cards on the market can pass Dolby Digital and DTS "raw" signals for decoding by the receiver, most EAX/A3D surround games are only able to be output via the sound card's analogue outputs. We give you a breif over view of how </FONT><A href="http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/specsformats/DolbyDigitalLIVE.php"><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>Dolby Digital LIVE</FONT></A><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2> and </FONT><A href="http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/specsformats/DTSInteractiveDTS610.php"><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>DTS Interactive</FONT></A><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2> have both offered solutions to allow for a real-time, digital 5.1 encoded signal&nbsp;from a PC to be made to your home theater system.</FONT></P><P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>[</FONT><A href="http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/specsformats/DolbyDigitalLIVE.php"><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>Dolby Digital LIVE</FONT></A><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [</FONT><A href="http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/specsformats/DTSInteractiveDTS610.php"><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>DTS Interactive</FONT></A><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2>]</FONT></P>

 

[Spiffyfast]

I have an MSI board that has an optional connector that lets me output digital audio. It has a fiber optic out, but it only does 2ch sound, I also have an 1/8" looks like a head phone kind of jack that supposedly outputs surround sound. Is there an adapter that I can get that goes from this to an RCA plug that I can use with one of my receiver's digital coax inputs?

 

[Audioholics]

It won't convert game-surround (EAX/A3D) to Dolby Digital unless it has Dolby Digital LIVE on-board, but you can use a standard 1/8" to stereo RCA cable to get coax S/PDIF digital out of that card.

It should work well for DTS/DD movies and PCM audio. You will need to make sure you enable DTS/DD pass-through for the card if you plan to use it that way.

 

[Spiffyfast]

It won't convert game-surround (EAX/A3D) to Dolby Digital unless it has Dolby Digital LIVE on-board, but you can use a standard 1/8" to stereo RCA cable to get coax S/PDIF digital out of that card.

It should work well for DTS/DD movies and PCM audio. You will need to make sure you enable DTS/DD pass-through for the card if you plan to use it that way.

Hmm..good to know, not sure if it has DD live onboard, but im sure a new card wouldn't be that expensive

 

[Sheep]

do it all the time

My mother board (A7N8X E Deluxe) has a coax output, as well as 6 hannel direct(computer style though). I play games and watch movies in dolby digital on my home theater all the time. My mobo has Nvidia(typo) soundstorm that will send dolby and dts signals out the coax output. S video from the graphics card and its all done. Now I wish I had highdef.

sheep

 

[Spiffyfast]

another thought, with the 6 channel analog output on the computer, could I get 3 1/8" to RCA and then run those to my multia channel inputs on the receiver, kind of like what is done with DVD-A and SACD?

 

[Sheep]

i don't think so

dvda and sacd are 6 rca cables, the computer 6 channel is 3

you would have to split it some how

this is my guess.

sheep

 

[jaxvon]

You'd need to get 3 1/8" to stereo RCA adapters. This would allow you to output multi-channel analog sound. But then, I don't know why you'd want to do this when you have the option of a digital connection that will be free from PC noise and hum.

 

[Dillyo]

Feedback/distortion from computer

Ive had my computer connected to my Onkyo SR601 amp for over 2 years now but just recently (within a few months) it has started to emit a loud distortion or feedback noise. I have tried lowering the master volume on the computer, but the louder I have to make the amp, the louder the noise is. Using different inputs has also been tried as well as different cables. The only way to get the feedback noise to stop is if i unplug the cable directly from my soundcard. This noise is not 24/7, but only goes away occasionally. Im thinking maybe its my sound card.. but its an Audigy 2, def. good enough to do this type of thing. Any thoughts would be appreciated! Thanks

 

[jaxvon]

Are you using the analog or digital output from your Audigy?

 

[Dillyo]

im using the analog output (the green one) from my sound card directly to the amp. I know the card has the capablility of outputting digital signal.. but there is no optical out. How would i go about trying the digital output?

 

[jaxvon]

You need to get a 1/8" to RCA adapter. This is a digital coax signal. Then just use a single 75-ohm RCA cable to connect this output to the digital coax input on your receiver. Computers tend to have a lot of noise in them. The digital output avoids this transmission of noise.

 

[Dillyo]

Good deal. Ill definitly try it out. Which one of the outputs (colors) would I use? Right now i have that 1/8th to RCA (i think thats what I have) but im connected to the AV1 on my amp. Can i just plug that into coax optical instead on AV1?

 

[jaxvon]

I'm not sure if the digital signal is on the tip or ring. I assume that you're using a stereo adapter right now, correct? Just try one, and if it doesn't work, then try the other RCA connection.

As far as the connection on your receiver goes, the digital coax is the orange RCA jack to the right of the optical inputs. For the RCA cable, you should use any decent 75 ohm cable. A composite video cable is the same thing, so it will work as well. If you don't have any 75 ohm cables to spare, you can also just be impatient and use a normal cable.

 

[Dillyo]

a SINGLE 75 ohm rca cable. I gotcha now. Currently Im using the dual with left and right into the analog input. But the single would go into the coax of my amp. Sorry for the stupid question, but I still gotta ask, is the output on the card that is capable of digital out the main (green) output?

 

[Dillyo]

Awesome. Thank you for your help! It def. worth a shot because as you said, theres alot going on it a computer and maybe my faster DDR550 ram is giving off some feedback or something. LOL. You make one thing better, something else goes wrong. Ahh well, sounds like this should work. Thanks again!

 

[jaxvon]

No, it's not. The green output is analog and you would get nasty digital sound if you hooked that up. The sound card should have a label, or your manual should detail which output is the digital one. It's a SPDIF output.

 

[Dillyo]

Hellz yea. So I got the "digital rca cable" and FINALLY the correct adapter and lemme just say once again, you guys rule! I can't believe how much of a difference using a digital output makes over analog. Besides the fact that the feedback noise is completely gone, the audio is 100% crisper, clearer, and more amazing. Thanks Jaxvon!

 

[jaxvon]

No problem! Glad you got it all up and running. Isn't amazing how much noise is bouncing around inside your computer? Anyway, all I ask is that you click the little scales o' justice on one of my posts to gimme some reputation chiclets

...Well you don't have to...but it'd be nice...

 

[Dillyo]

Honestly.. I'm really glad you brought the "karma" system to my attention. If it wasn't for that I would have never known it existed on this board. Im a huge fan of the karma system and you are indeed worthy of some positive karma! Thanks again.