Anyway to get ONLY audio from HDMI?

[grendel0501]

I use a home audio receiver for my pc's 5.1 speaker setup. I use the only HDMI connection from my graphics card, but if I want to connect my Vive Vr headset I have to disconnect the receiver. This isn't a huge deal, but sometimes when reconnecting you have to reboot so that newly opened windows don't get sent to the recevier. Which the computer thinks is a screen.

I need one of three things to make my pc audio experience alot easier.
(the first two are impossible to find)
1.) A sound card that outputs to HDMI. They actually exsisted for alittle while, but are gone now...
2.) A analog 5.1 receiver from the 1990's. One that had a seperate RCA input for each channel. Afew specialty companies still make these, but they are $1000+.
3.) A HDMI audio only driver for my motherboard HDMI output.

To try and solve the problem of having to switch the HDMI connecting out randomly I am thinking about using the motherboard's HDMI output. If I plug in the receiver nothing happens, I think I have to install the mobo's VGA driver for the HDMI to be noticed. But that leads to my question, before istalling the VGA on-board graphics driver, is there any chance theres a driver for audio only from HDMI's?

I know I'm not losing a huge amount of performance, but I don't like my computer wasteing resources sending video to the receiver.
And I don't like losing my cursor on a display I can't see.
Also if video/websites are displayed on the receivers video signal, the receiver will randomly resize its output and this causes the audio to stop for afew seconds while the receiver switches resolutions. With some sites this would happen over and over again.


You'd think there would be a better solution for people who use receivers for their pc audio, but I guess its alot less common than I think.
I tried optical, but I don't think my receiver can receive compress audio, and since HDMI has better quality I'd prefer HDMI.

Anyone else using receiver audio?
Maybe someone has a better way to get the job done?
Or a magic mobo driver that fixes all my woes in one single click?

 

[NiHaoMike]

Have you tried a HDMI splitter?

 

[grendel0501]

Have you tried a HDMI splitter?

I would think WIndows wouldn't properly see either the recevier or the Vive if I did that.

 

[EarthDog]

Doesn't your motherboard have SPDIF and your receive as well? Use that for audio instead of the GPU as a pass through and keep your vive on the GPU.

 

[grendel0501]

Doesn't your motherboard have SPDIF and your receive as well? Use that for audio instead of the GPU as a pass through and keep your vive on the GPU.

SPDIF is compressed and for some reason my receiver doesn't seem to properly recognize it.
Besides isn't SPDIF a much worse quality signal?

 

[EarthDog]

If you need Dolby true hd or or dts HD audio (higher res audio from bluray)hdmi is better. Otherwise, no difference.

 

[NiHaoMike]

What about a DP to HDMI adapter?

 

[wagex]

why not just use the hdmi out, into the receiver, then plug the receiver to your monitor.. you know the way it was designed to be. lol

 

[EarthDog]

why not just use the hdmi out, into the receiver, then plug the receiver to your monitor.. you know the way it was designed to be. lol

Good thinking... but wouldn't one be 'stuck' with that same audio source when using the PC? In other words, how do I listen to a different source on that receiver while still receiving video from that source?

 

[wagex]

Good thinking... but wouldn't one be 'stuck' with that same audio source when using the PC? In other words, how do I listen to a different source on that receiver while still receiving video from that source?

you cant have your cake and eat it too.

but you can buy an HDMI splitter, that would duplicate the audio to both the monitor and the receiver as well as the hdmi signal. you wouldnt be passing through the receiver anymore but i mean... theres only so many ways to make it work with hdmi.

 

[grendel0501]

I use to run the HDMI from the GPU, to the receiver to the monitor, but that caused the resizing errors that constantly caused the receiver to resize its internal image giving 2-3 seconds of silence. Its ok when it happens afew times a day, but afew times every 10 minutes is painful. Since then I switched over to a new monitor with a DP connection the resizing error went away because I stopped viewing videos/websites on the HDMI/Receiver display.
I prefer DP video and HDMI audio seperate, I assume some lag is added by passing through the receiver. Same with splitters or adapters. I fear any lag being added along the chain. And, I need 2.5k at 144hz. Isn't that near the limits of HDMI?

As for listening to other sources while using the pc, my receiver will allow me to switch to tuner (radio), while still maintaining the screen from the 'computer' setting, but thats about it.
Its not really that important though, I don't listen to the radio or other sources on this receiver.

 

[NiHaoMike]

DP to HDMI adapters add practically no lag - on the order of ns for the level conversion circuits.

 

[grendel0501]

DP to HDMI adapters add practically no lag - on the order of ns for the level conversion circuits.

This is probably the closest I can get to what I want.

Just hate the idea of losing some FPS to send some audio to my receiver...

 

[EarthDog]

Why are you losing fps for that?

 

[wagex]

Why are you losing fps for that?

supposedly anything that is not a direct cable from GPU to monitor.

 

[EarthDog]

buuuuuuuuut, there is a direct cable from the GPU to the monitor... right? The other is just for audio?

 

[wagex]

buuuuuuuuut, there is a direct cable from the GPU to the monitor... right? The other is just for audio?

he is saying he doesnt want to do anything like splitters, adapters, or running the cable through the receiver for fear of inducing lag into the system. Read Joe omgeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

 

[EarthDog]

Again I ask (regardless how this is hooked up)... why does one believe there is an FPS loss?

Links or was that a guess?

 

[wagex]

Again I ask (regardless how this is hooked up)... why does one believe there is an FPS loss?

Links or was that a guess?

his personal assumption with no factual basis. but who am I to tell him otherwise he seems pretty set in his beliefs.

 

[grendel0501]

Even though its a small resolution my gpu is still sending a 1360x768 signal to the receiver.
This video signal doesn't cost me any fps from my gpu? I imagine its a small amount, but I still figure something is being lost in this equation.
Also I assume this loss is something that happens with or without the DP-HDMI adapter.