Hardware for 1st HTPC for DTS Output

FUNCTOR

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Dec 31, 2007
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Hey!

My Hardware:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo (e8400 I think)
Mobo: Asus P5K
Sound Card: SB Audigy LS
Video Card: and a choice of 2 - a fanless Radeon 2600 XT and a Radeon 4870. Both have DVI output.
I have a DVI to HDMI cable to connect them to my surround receiver.

Whenever I connect the DVI/HDMI cable, it says the cable is unplugged in the audio devices in Windows 7, but the video signal is showing up on my TV. I tried both video cards, I tried installing windows 7 on a clean HDD. Also spent hours playing around with various drivers versions.

Is there a hardware requirement to pass the audio through the HDMI receiver? The specs for the 2600XT and 4870 both say they support it, but I can't get it to work. My ultimate goal is to play movies with DTS sound through my receiver (it works for a laptop I have with HDMI output).

Any thoughts?

 
1) DVI is is a video display interface which is not a digital audio interface so that you can't get the audio signal by using the DVI/HDMI Connections.
2) HDMI is a newer digital audio/video interface so that it works on the laptop with the HDMI output when you play something in your laptop.

So you either get the new video card with the HDMI or use other audio cable to connect the reciever so that you can get the video and audio from your PC.

You can try to connect from sound card to the receiver. (Google it to see how to set up) I set up my HTPC that connects to receiver and to TV by the HDMI cables.
 

FUNCTOR

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Dec 31, 2007
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Those two cards have HDMI audio drivers with them, and DVI is interchangable with HDMI (same number of pins, just different connector) provided the audio signal is placed on the cable.

But I suppose I can try getting a new one.

So I don't need a special sound card to process the DTS. That's good.
 
Some cards can output audio through DVI. Most vendors would color code the DVI port yellow if it could pass audio. It's been a while... going off memory.

Anyway, to pass audio over DVI on these cards required a special DVI to HDMI adapter like this one. You can't just use a DVI to HDMI cable and you can't use just any DVI to HDMI adapter. You must use an HDMI-HDMI cable plus the special adapter. Even with the adapter, it can be a crapshoot whether or not it works because some card manufacturers don't match up well with the adapter.