Setup your Home Theatre for streaming movies from your PC with a HDMI cable

You need to edit your article and replace "HDMI" with DVI, as most PC's do not have HDMI video output they have VGA and DVI (and not all have DVI either). You can get adapters to go from DVI to HDMI but honestly it's not needed if you have traditional DVI and VGA TV inputs, I have both. There is no advantage to HDMI at 1080P resolution, VGA carries the video signal just fine.  There are other issues with sound over HDMI out of a PC, it doesn't always work. I run my integrated HD audio out of my PC as digital over 3.5mm Phono, into my TV which does conversion to Fibre Optic and then into my Receiver.  My Receiver does all the AV Switching automatically so it's no bother.

Hello: Brett

Thanks for the input.  The HDMI feed was what I was using to make the connection.  Actually, I think that there are the DVI to HDMI converter, at least I think I've seen the cable before.  I have a suggestion for you on the HD sound.  Try this, Load your HD drivers, if you have the chip set for HD.  Then hook up the HDMI cable between the PC and the Audio / Home Theatre system.  See what you think of the sound, and let me know.  I have the instructions for the setup if you need them posted on my website

Mark 

Mark,

You will not get HD Sound output over HDMI unless your video card supports sound output and must have an SPDIF input (according to the manual for my video card). I do plan on eventually changing over to HDMI just to eliminate two cables, but right now I'm not in a hurry. 

Great post though!

Hey: Brett

Check out the WIKI link, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI.   The version 1.3 released in 2006 supports DTS-HD Master Audio.  I did just happen to buy a new motherboard last spring, because my PC blew up, and that is when I tried this hookup with the HDMI cable.  I then loaded the HD drivers on the PC, and man I could tell the difference in the sound separation.  Other than the HDMI cable, loading drivers, and some configuration, I did not need to do anything else to configure.  And I definitely tell you the sound over an HT Audio (5.1) System that I plugged it into, made the separation is very very cool.  Let me know later, when and if you do decide to upgrade to HDMI, how the sound hits you.

Thanks for the input,
Mark

Mark,

Here is a snippet of a great article:

"We also came to understand that because HDMI integrates audio and video signals in a single-feed, you must bring those signals together inside your PC to make this technology work as promised. This means either plugging a cable into an S/PDIF header on your motherboard and into another header on the sound card, or using optical or coax digital audio cables to come out of the motherboard (or sound card) audio outputs and into a similar input on the graphics card. We hear that AMD/ATI will release a card soon that includes both a graphics processor and sound circuitry on a single board"

From: http://www.tomsguide.com/us/we-build-4-diy-hdmi,review-943-15.html

Concerning HDMI output from a PC.  Again I am not sure how you got audio output from your PC without running a SPDIF header from your Motherboard to your video card. If your video card is where your HDMI is plugged into, then there has to be a way to bridge the sound from the integrated audio on the Motherboard onto the Video Card. Now, perhaps your PC has HDMI ports that are not part of the video card, I do not know your setup. But I've been researching HDMI out from the PC and this is what I come up with.


Here is another snippet from the same article:

"This is where those who can settle for onboard graphics from their motherboard of choice will benefit most by buying a motherboard with an HDMI output, such as the Asus M2A-VM motherboard we tested in this story. It's too bad we didn't have time to benchmark the onboard graphics it delivers as well as the 7600 graphics card we tested. Because modern motherboards inevitably support at least 5.1 if not 8 channel audio as well, they can easily combine picture and sound without requiring any additional effort from their users."

If you are using integrated video and audio, then there is no additional wiring needed. I am using a separate video card and not using the integrated Intel graphics adapter.

Hello: Brett

The motherboard has is integrated audio and video, and my setup is 5:1.  I will look forward to hear what you have to say once you have heard an older song, an then re-listen to the same song over HD for your comparison.  I think it will be impressive!

By the way, it looks like HDMI is having some impact, check out the link to "BrainTech Blog", the link is on the first page. 

Thanks,
Mark

Brett:

I have an ATI 4350 video card that has an HDMI out on it. I just plug in the HDMI cable to my Pioneer SC 05, use TMT 3.0 in Windows 7 using my HDLS combo Blu-ray / HD DVD drive and have wonderful 7.1 DTS MA and DD with no problem. Even my ATI 2400XT video card using their DVI to HDMI passed the audio over the HDMI to my receiver. I just had to set TMT to SP/DIF over HDMI. It worked like a charm. The nice thing is even QAM channels over cable that broadcast in 5.1 are done so over HDMI. So I just one HDMI to my receiver and another to my monitor. No more Bell telephone behind the set.