what about audio? (1 Viewer)

[PeterK]

I just read about running your tv dvd player through you computer. I can see how that works great for video but what about your audio? do many audio cards have dig. coax or optical outs to go to your reciever? is the quality as good as standard dvd player to reciever?

 

[SethH]

Lots of newer sound cards have digital ins and outs. I recently built a laptop and I'm using the on-board sound. The motherboard came with 1 optical input and 1 optical output. Also, my 3-year-old Dell laptop came with a little dongle thing that has a coax digital out. The quality should really be no different than a "normal" dvd player, unless you spent $1500 on a dvd player that has top-notch everything in it.

 

[Andrew_G]

Yes. The M-Audio Pro cards do the digital EXTREMELY well - to the point where a 1500 dollar DVD player doesn't even sound as good.

Most recording studios in the United States use one of those cards according to my understanding.

 

[Chris_HA]

I have the M-Audio Revolution 7.1 card with Coax out.

Love it!

 

[PeterK]

how does me m-audio compare with an audigy2?

 

[Chris_HA]

The audigy 5.1 is about $45 or so if you look. The REVO 7.1 can be found for about $80 or so.

I had the hardest time getting the Dolby Digital out working on an older SB card I had, and DTS was always dropping out. It also does not have an RCA style connector for the COAX out.

I believe that the SB cards do not pass a pure DD signal from the source, and hence the problem you can have getting 'sync' of the digital signal.

The M-Audio card has worked perfectly every time I have used it. The drivers are simpler to use and setup han the SB drivers.