Looking for a new HDMI out video card (1 Viewer)

Currently I have an ATI 3450 video card. When I was running XP, the HDMI out passed both video and audio. When I upgrated to VISTA Home Premium, only video was passed. This is a know issue for VISTA versions of Catalyst and looks like it won't be fixed. Not too big of an issue since I have digital out from my sound card but I would like to pass the HDMI signal to my new amp and then to the TV. Any recommendations?

I've almost never had any issues passing bitstream with Vista, though you may require something like FFDShow to handle it (this will be true of any other card you purchase).
I would recommend the ATI5450, as it's the cheapest viable card that supports passing DTS-MA/DD-HD and lossless 7.1 (LPCM) audio over HDMI..

At this point, Nvidia doesn't provide such a card at all (no DTSMA/DDHD in any of their offerings) which crosses them out for many.

Thanks. I looked up the card you recommended and the reviews on Tom's Hardware look good.

As for the problems with HDMI audio on the 3450, just do a Google search on "3450 HDMI Audio". Ain't pretty.


BTW, the primary reason for needing a new card is that my current one is showing signs of potential failure.

EDIT: I bought the card and it works exactly as advertised. Now that both my Blu-Ray and HTPC are on HDMI, I was able to remove six sets of cable from my rats nest.