nForce4 Onboard Digital Out (1 Viewer)

[Matthew Furtek]

I've finally gotten a Home Theater Receiver (Panasonic XR-55), and will be hooking it up to my computer this weekend. I'm hoping I can use the onboard sound.

I have this board:
http://www.biostar-usa.com/mbdetails...odel=tforce4+u

On the motherboard is an SPDIF connection, and it came with a separate PCI header. The PCI header has a yellow RCA-out plug (digital coax?) labeled "RCA" and what looks like an toslink (digital optical) labeled "SPDIF Out". The header has 3 wires, that plug into 3 pins on the motherboard, GND, SPDIF, +5 Vcc.

I'm sorry I set the question up like this, but I'm wondering if I will have to use the SPDIF out, or if I can also use the RCA. Since there is only 1 SPDIF cable, I'm wondering if only hooks up to the SPDIF port or if it goes to both.

The bracket looks like this.
http://www.vidabox.com/shop/images/l...racket_LRG.jpg

I'm guessing it will output through both ports...

 

[Dingiswayo]

It's one or the other, personally I use the optical. And yeah, you'll be fine with that. The receiver will do all of the decoding so you're all set.

Wait, I re-read your question; which cable do you have? The optical cable is a tiny thin little cable. It sounds like you only have the RCA but that works. Again, only use one.

 

[Christian Behrens]

SPDIF defines the protocol, not the physical interface. In other words, a digital connection (SPDIF) can go via an optical (Toslink) or electrical (coaxial, the ones via RCA) connection.

-Christian

 

[Matthew Furtek]

I should've clarified. The digital optical cable is labeled "SPDIF Out", and the digital coax is labeled "RCA". It looks almost exactly like the bracket in the picture.

The labeling is what has thrown me off... I thought both of them would output SPDIF... or maybe my conception of what SPDIF is, is wrong. I thought both of them would output a digital signal that would either go into my coax or optical inputs to the receiver.

Today I went to Radio Shack and bought a coax cable... too bad I didn't know monoprice was located close to me, or else I would've just ordered all my cables through them (RS didn't have a non-monster subwoofer or optical cable).