DVD Player to PC

[rahvyn13]

So, I dont have a decent home system right now, but was planning to upgrade my pc sound, looking at a nice Soundblaster card and possibly some Logitech 5450's. My question is, is it possible to hook a dvd player into the soundcard, and have decent sound from movies that way? I realize the speaker setup wouldnt be optimized for pc use, but arranged more for home use. Anyone have a setup like this? and if so, do you like it?

 

[astrallite]

So, I dont have a decent home system right now, but was planning to upgrade my pc sound, looking at a nice Soundblaster card and possibly some Logitech 5450's.

Heh, there really an important need for you to have "wireless" speakers? You still have to hook them into a nearby outlet. Also, the drivers on the 5450s for all practical purposes are inferior to the 5500s. It's a pretty costly price to pay for what many consider not much of a benefit, a gimmick even.

My question is, is it possible to hook a dvd player into the soundcard, and have decent sound from movies that way? I realize the speaker setup wouldnt be optimized for pc use, but arranged more for home use. Anyone have a setup like this? and if so, do you like it?

What do you mean by this? Do you mean that you plan to play DVD movies on your PC? I wouldn't plan on it if you are going to buy PC speakers. Due to pure physics, PC speakers have problems voicing the midrange (3-8KHz), which is the "vocal" range. A lot of people have problems with insufficient DVD volume on PC speakers. This one of the primary reasons I upgraded to bookshelves.

The reason for this is because DVDs have a large dynamic range (from very loud to very quiet). Most of the wave sources you acquire (or..."download") are boosted by 12db or 400%. If this was done to movies, there'd be a huge loss in quality (as loud sounds would be clipped and all sound like the same volume level).

Just a warning of course. You are free to ignore it. Just a heads up in case you do buy a pair of PC speakers and find it inadequate for DVD listening--because no, it's not a software or settings issue. It's pure physics.

 

[rahvyn13]

That's what I was looking to find out. So, good pc speakers good for gaming, bad for movies / music. Thanks.