Can I set up audio to play through two different outputs?

[bivouac]

I wasn't real sure how to ask the question, so I'll explain.

I'm wanting to set up my computer so that when I play games or do anything else, any audio plays though my computer speaker set up. But like if I'm like having a party or jus sitting around the room, listening to a playlist or something, I can easily switch the audio over to my TV's home theater audio set up. Hopefully without switching out cords and everything. I dont really wanna play games through my surround as how the room is set up, it would be disorientating, but music sounds wayyy better through it.

Is there a way to hook it all up to my computer, and then decide which output I'm wanting to go with at any given time?

 

[bivouac]

So nobody knows if this is possible?

 

[gamerk316]

Not usually.

Windows is designed to use one audio output device at a time. Since 99.9% of all applications automatically output to whatever device the system default is, you can't usually use more then one output at one time.

That other 0.1% of the time however, you *can* make an application use an output device other then the system default [Teamspeak, Ventrillo, Windows Media Player are just a few examples of programs that allow this], you can have two separate audio streams going from two separate outputs.

I'm not sure if you can have the same audio stream go out from two different audio outputs though; I doubt it.

 

[bivouac]

thanks, but i'm not wanting the same audio stream go through two audio outputs. im asking if i can hook up two different sets of speakers... can choose between which one i want to use. one at a time.

like for music, play through the speakers hooked up to a theater system and placed all about the room... then, if i want to play a game.. switch the audio output to the computer speakers. like a 'switch' of some sort.

you basically answered that the same audio cant play out of two outputs simultaneously. which i appreciate, but wasn't my question.

 

[dickysolo]

I am not sure if this answers your Question.

But, I have 2 audio outputs. I use the back panel output to my 5.1 Channel Speaker. And the front one is connected to an Audio Headphone. I can listen to both, I mean audio is working on both output at the same time. However, during night time, I just make the front panel to work by disabling the back panel output from the HD sound software that came with the computer. During daytime or while watching movies I enable the back panel to use the main Speaker.

I believe you too can do the same thing.

 

[bivouac]

Best answer selected by bivouac.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

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