Audio through HDMI

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  • jussi
    Veteran Member
    • Jan 2007
    • 2162

    Audio through HDMI

    I'm recycling my old comp to make an htpc. I took the advice here and went with a cheap video card. Does anyone know if there is a way to pass audio to the HDMI. Right now I can see the video but no audio. I know alot of the modern mobo have built in HDMI and automatically pass audio through. But my mobo is several years old. In fact all the components are, save the video card. Any suggestions? I'm running openelec.
    I reject your reality and substitute my own.
  • mpc
    Senior Member
    • Feb 2005
    • 979
    • Cypress, CA, USA.
    • BT3000 orig 13amp model

    #2
    The video card needs to have a digital audio input port - a few pins typically. Remember the audio cables from CD/DVD drives to the motherboard or sound card years ago? Now you need a similar cable from the motherboard/sound card to the video card to get the audio to the HDMI port. Some fairly recent video cards include a digital audio function so they can take the raw digital sound stream and mix it themselves into the HDMI.

    The annoying thing in Win7 is that you can direct the audio decoding either to a sound card's output port (SPDIF optical or coax port, or the multiple audio jacks), or to the video card's input... but not both at the same time. This is an annoyance for my new HTPC... I'd like to output sound to both the TV and to the surround processor. For normal TV shows I'd just use the TV speakers; for movies I'd power up the surround processor. With Win7 I have to go into the Control Panel "Sound" module and pick which one gets the signal. If I remember correctly, OpenElec is stand-alone, it runs on Linux or actually is built with Linux and doesn't require Windows. Good for it... probably doesn't have the same issue I have.

    mpc

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    • LinuxRandal
      Veteran Member
      • Feb 2005
      • 4889
      • Independence, MO, USA.
      • bt3100

      #3
      Originally posted by mpc
      The video card needs to have a digital audio input port - a few pins typically. Remember the audio cables from CD/DVD drives to the motherboard or sound card years ago? Now you need a similar cable from the motherboard/sound card to the video card to get the audio to the HDMI port. Some fairly recent video cards include a digital audio function so they can take the raw digital sound stream and mix it themselves into the HDMI.

      mpc

      Are you sure about that? I see no pins on the one he bought, but in the reviews they do mention the audio pass through. On serial dvd (haven't messed with blu ray), drives now, the sound is passed through the serial bus (no separate cable) and would expect it to end up though the pci-* connection.
      Jussi, one thing I have read a lot of, if people having sound muted somewhere in the audio settings. (so it sends it to the wrong output)
      She couldn't tell the difference between the escape pod, and the bathroom. We had to go back for her.........................Twice.

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      • thrytis
        Senior Member
        • May 2004
        • 552
        • Concord, NC, USA.
        • Delta Unisaw

        #4
        I've got an older motherboard (probably 5+ years) with a GeForce 210 card for my HTPC using HDMI audio. The video card will provide its own sound device, so you'll need to make sure that your application is sending the sound to that device and not to another sound device (like the one on the motherboard). Probably the easiest way is to set it as the default playback device. If you're using windows and looking at the mixer panel for muting etc, make sure you're looking at the right device.
        Eric

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        • iceman61
          Senior Member
          • Oct 2007
          • 699
          • West TN
          • Bosch 4100-09

          #5
          Originally posted by thrytis
          I've got an older motherboard (probably 5+ years) with a GeForce 210 card for my HTPC using HDMI audio. The video card will provide its own sound device, so you'll need to make sure that your application is sending the sound to that device and not to another sound device (like the one on the motherboard). Probably the easiest way is to set it as the default playback device. If you're using windows and looking at the mixer panel for muting etc, make sure you're looking at the right device.
          Exactly where I was going to go. Everytime I watch media center through my TV, I have to go in and change the sound destination to HDMI so it routes the sound through my HDMI cable. You need to make sure that your TV is routing sound to your Home Theater Receiver (cables from TV to your receiver if this is your setup)
          Last edited by iceman61; 02-03-2014, 02:15 PM.

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          • thrytis
            Senior Member
            • May 2004
            • 552
            • Concord, NC, USA.
            • Delta Unisaw

            #6
            I missed the bit about running OpenELEC, so sorry about the Windows comments. Looks like the place to get started with HDMI audio configuration would be at http://wiki.openelec.tv/index.php/HD...-_The_Easy_Way .
            Eric

            Comment

            • mpc
              Senior Member
              • Feb 2005
              • 979
              • Cypress, CA, USA.
              • BT3000 orig 13amp model

              #7
              My experience has been that if the video card drivers don't include an audio module then a cable from the motherboard sound port will be needed to get audio over HDMI. Many newer video cards and motherboards with integrated video (e.g. Intel HD3000/HD4000/etc. or the AMD APU processors) do include Windows audio driver modules that know how to "branch" into the processing chain of whatever sound chip is on the motherboard or whatever add-on sound card is in use. Not sure what/how Linux based systems implement this and Linux drivers that come with many add-on video cards often omit many of the features included in that same video card's Windows drivers. Not always...

              Mirroring the changes in CD/DVD drives, where optical drives once required a separate audio cable and then later models put the data onto the main interface (SATA or IDE/ATAPI cable), video cards are evolving along the same path but a few years later: initially requiring a separate audio cable while newer video card models use software modules to channel audio via the PCI-e interface. If the drivers support it that is... from the OP's question I assumed, rightly or wrongly, that his video card and driver set didn't have this capability... ergo my post about the old style cable.

              There are also adapter boxes that'll take video from DVI ports plus digital audio from a sound card or motherboard sound and merge them into an HDMI connection. I saw them while browsing stuff when I was collecting parts for my HTPC but didn't pay much attention to them as I used a new motherboard with video+audio already integrated into the HDMI port.

              mpc
              Last edited by mpc; 02-04-2014, 12:43 AM.

              Comment

              • jussi
                Veteran Member
                • Jan 2007
                • 2162

                #8
                Thanks for all the advice guys. I've been busy with family stuff so I haven't messed with the htpc till now. I used the little tutorial thrytis linked too, figured out which setting it was, changed it on my htpc and bam I have audio now. I totally forgot how loud my old cpu fan was. Will have deal with that in the future.

                Can anyone have a link to a beginner's guide to ssh commands. I don't want to become an expert. Just to a point where I don't feel like a total idiot. Luckily the tutorial thrytis linked too kind of held your hand through it.


                Thanks.
                I reject your reality and substitute my own.

                Comment

                • LCHIEN
                  Internet Fact Checker
                  • Dec 2002
                  • 20914
                  • Katy, TX, USA.
                  • BT3000 vintage 1999

                  #9
                  yeah I had to replace the PS in the HTPC because of the fan noise. You can still hear it a bit if you really strain but now its not objectionable.
                  Loring in Katy, TX USA
                  If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
                  BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

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