Connecting TV to computer's surround sound

[XxRyanRJxX]

I got a new Philips TV with Monitor Out jacks, which has video and both L/R audio outputs. I have a Soundblaster Audigy Gamer on my computer, with the Creative Inspire 5.1 5300 surround sound speakers connected to it. Is it possible to hook up my TV's audio to my computer, therefore having surround sound for my TV? Is it even possible to have surround sound for my TV with my setup?
If it would matter, I have my Gamecube and PS2 hooked up to my TV with a Video Source selector box with S-video. On the front, it has an Output 2 plug, which I am assuming is simply a headphone jack. On the box it says you can use it to hook up multimedia speakers.

Any help with this, please reply! Thanks tons.

 

[voodoomelon]

Ok, heres the thing.
You can't really. Because the 5300's are comparitively low budget surround speakers, they have rather lowsy connectivity, which means you can only have them connected to an Audigy or simliar card for surround sound, or connected to a walkman, minidisc, tv for just Stereo sound.
What you'd have to do to connect the speakers to a TV to decode a Dolby Pro-Logic signal from the stereo on the TV, is have a Dolby Pro-Logic Decoder, which your Audigy or 5300's do no have.

But I presume you have a DVD drive on your computer, so why not just connect your computer to the TV, and leave the speakers plugged into the computer? - Unless you just wanna watch normal TV in surround sound, which only films support, and some dramas.

 

[SpaceyWilly]

Yeah I agree with voodoo; there wouldnt be any 5.1 audio output coming from a tv, the digital output would be coming from a dvd player or an HDTV tuner or a home theatre receiver. In fact Im surprised your tv has audio out at all, since it surely has it's own speakers and most tvs with speakers dont offer audio output. Anyways, unless it's a really really expensive tv, I dont think you'll be able to get any 5.1 sound from it, but your best bet if it did would be a SPDIF digital fiber optic connection, which I think is available as an add on for the audigy gamer. If your tv does have this for some reason, then thats what you'd use to connect it to your computer for 5.1 sound.

Oh and voodoo, not just films are in surrround sound these days... bruins games are too

 

[james.miller]

if you connect the tv to the audigy's line in, it'll decode in to some sort of surround sound mode you might get dolby prologic, but that's about all.

 

[voodoomelon]

'Bruins' games? Who or what is that?

No games that I know of decode a true Dolby Pro-Logic or Digital signal in real time. I know games are have 5.1 - 6 channels of sound, but it's not a real Dolby signal, even thought the box carries the Dolby symbol. That's why the Dolby Digital decoder light on the amp doesn't light up when a game is being played.
It's in development though, last time i heard.

Actually, most larger TV's that have speakers also have audio outputs for L & R, however the volume control doesn't seem to apply to them, they just output at a fixed level, so the speakers that you connect them can be adjusted accordingly.

 

[james.miller]

dolby prologic is not dolby digital. They are two different things.

dolby prologic is derived from 2 channel stereo. It converts 2 channel into 3 channel - 2 fronts and a rear "effects" channel. Then there's dolby prologic II, which still works on a 2channel signal, but converts it to true 5.1, but that's a little off topic.


my point is, even if he's only using 2 channel analogue from the t.v, you can bet your right arm that his audigy can do some kind of sorround sound processing on that signal. I have a feeling that the soundstorm is the only one that can decode into proper dolby prologic though.

 

[voodoomelon]

Fraid not James, he has no Pro-Logic Decoder. However you are right, I have my speakers connected to my TV as we speak, to the L & R outputs, and it decodes a Pro-Logic signal.
I don't care how old the standard is, bout 15 years now, it still sounds great.
Even the Coca-cola ad's are in Pro-Logic!!

 

[james.miller]

he doesnt need a prologic decoder if he connects the tv to the audigy does he? it might not be genuine prologic, but it'll still do surround decoding.

 

[voodoomelon]

James, I never said they were the same thing and actually ProLogic derives 4 channels from the stereo signal, you forgot the centre speaker.

And yes, you are right James, I completely forgot about the Audigy's cmss. It upmixes a stereo signal into what Creative calls a "convincing" 5.1 sound field. You could try that XxRyanRJxX, like James said, connect the L & R on the TV to the line in on the Audigy, and enable cmss, its in the Audigy surround mixer and Playcenter.

Although personally, I dont think it works very well at all, to much sound comes from the centre speaker and there isn't much definition between each seperate speaker.

 

[james.miller]

bah i forgot the center speaker lol. knew i'd forget something

 

[XxRyanRJxX]

When it got off topic I got a bit lost... not a problem though.

Someone care to make a sum of anything that I can do that will for sure work?

Thanks...

 

[Alacritan]

Buy a surround sound receiver. That's the only way.

 

[voodoomelon]

You could try that XxRyanRJxX, like James said, connect the L & R on the TV to the line in on the Audigy, and enable cmss, its in the Audigy surround mixer and Playcenter.

I presume your TV L & R audio outputs are phono connectors? If so, this is what you have to do.

- Get yourself a cable with 2 phono connectors at one end and a normal 3.5mm jack(just like on Walkman headphones) at the other end.

- Next, plug the 2 phono connectors to the TV to the L & R outputs. Then plug the 3.5mm end into the LINE IN on the Audigy.

- Boot up, and go into Creative Playcenter that came with the Audigy. Click the arrow that extends the Playcenter box to the right. Click 'cmss' at the bottom, and turn it to 'on'.

- Go into the windows volume control settings, and make sure that LINE IN is not muted.

- 'cmss' now upmixes the stereo signal coming from your TV into 5.1. You might want to turn the center speaker's volume down a bit though, to about 2 thirds of full, or to whatever you prefer.

Hope this helps.

 

[XxRyanRJxX]

thanks a lot voodoo... i bought the wire and it's workin great... gonna read the readme file about the cmss now so i can figure out how to mess with it.