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Question regarding HDMI and audio.

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Brutal-Force

Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2009
I will probably be considered a newb, but since I hooked up my computer to my TV in the living room, sound has daunted me.

Since the only hookup for sound input I could see was a 3.5mm Jack, I have my sound card going into my TV through a 3.5mm Jack. I also have optical out (its the Xi Fi from my Asus Maximus), but I have the optical out from my TV to my Stereo.

I do not hook up to my TV through HDMI, although I could, I am still using a VGA cable. I have not bought a HDMI cable until I get some answers cleared. Does sound go through the HDMI cable? If so, is this a better option than through the 3.5mm Jack? I can't go optical in to my TV, so should I go optical out from PC --> Stereo and HDMI PC--TV. Will this cause problems playing both at once, i.e. Blue-ray movies from PC to TV and Stereo?

Answers appreciated. I know very little about HDMI.
 
To my understanding, HDMI can carry both High def video and audio, up to and including 7.1 surround sound.

But if you're using a video card, you need to connect a crossover cable in order to transmit sound through the HDMI cable.
 
Some cards can transmit audio across HDMI without anything extra. I have the MSI GT240 1GB/DDR5 and it supplies both audio and video to my TV. I just put it in the PCIe slot, loaded drivers and off it went.

Some cards require a connection from the mobo to the top of the card. This connector is usually near the top left of the card if looking from the bottom of the case. I am not sure about the 260, but you might find some info on the thread I had a few weeks ago. ---> Here
 
you have to have a video card that will support the transmission of digital audio over HDMI... BUT that being said, any gfx card with HDMI can be hooked to a tv.. and IMO its better to go from your sound card to your audio receiver and gfx card to your tv.

You could easily get a dvi to hdmi cable and and go to your tv, then go from the digital out on your xfi to the receiver.
 
I don't think my card is actually HDMI, I think its DVI, My TV is HDMI.

504-07_lg.jpg

my video card is the one on the left, my tv is the one on the right.
 
I suspect that you will need to connect a 2-wire S/PDIF cable from the mobo to the gfx card if you are talking about the components listed in your sig. In fact, the Maximus doesn't have S/PDIF pins. You'll use the S/PDIF pins on the add-in audio card to go to the gfx card's pins. Then the adapater willl allow you to connect a DVI port on the card to either your TV or receiver with an HDMI cable.

Since the GX260's only do S/PDIF pass-thru you'll be limited to audio formats S/PDIF bandwidth can handle even though you have an HDMI connection. That's limited to 2-channel uncomressed PCM and 5.1 compressed DTS/AC3. No HD Audio formats (like those found on blu-ray). No 5.1/7.1 uncompressed PCM.
 
I run Optical from my PC to the receiver and HDMI as well. I only use 5.1 so I am not losing anything by doing this but if I was going to go up to 7.1 I would need HDMI only.

You can get a connection cable to go from your audio to pass through with the HDMI signal but I have little use and no need for this as my receiver only does pass through and does not accept HDMI audio.
 
I run Optical from my PC to the receiver and HDMI as well. I only use 5.1 so I am not losing anything by doing this but if I was going to go up to 7.1 I would need HDMI only.

You can get a connection cable to go from your audio to pass through with the HDMI signal but I have little use and no need for this as my receiver only does pass through and does not accept HDMI audio.


not true.... my downstairs htpc is hooked to a yamaha htr-5890 receiver w/ a 7.1setup via an optical cable from the sound card that just does spdif passthrough. i can do 7.1 Dts neo 6 + ES without a problem.

as far as the op

just grab one of these
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10231&cs_id=1023104&p_id=2404&seq=1&format=2

the hdmi and dvi video signal are exactly the same... its just hdmi has an extra wire or two to carry the digital audio.
 
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