Output 5.1 sound to television/receiver

[fstrydom]

Are any of you connecting a pc to a receiver with a 5.1 instead of stereo connection.

If so, please tell me what equipment/connections you are using.

And if I can take a step back - are there any reason to require a 5.1 connection? (besides DVD playback)

Thanks!

[nanook105]

My MB has onboard with 6.1 digital out. I am running it to a Yamaha 5650 6.1 receiver. Sounds great. I am using a single digital audio (yellow plug) cable

[fstrydom]

That's great

What sort of connection do you have on the receiver?
How far is your PC from your TV/receiver?

The reason I'm asking all these quesions is that I don't want to place my PC next to my Tv and I'm trying to figure out all my options for making the distance between the two as flexible as possible before I buy restrictive equipment. I do not see any way to connect my current 5.1 sound card (3 cable output) to my receiver. Not to mention the 20 foot distance between pc & TV

[nanook105]

My receiver has four different types of audio inputs:

RCA (Red/White)
5-1/6-1 inputs - Basically RCA inputs, but left and right channels for front and back, center and subwoffer.
Digital optical inputs
Digital coaxial inputs

Just to get going, I used an RCA Y splitter to go from the computer (I think the green plug) to the red and white RCA jacks on the receiver. Sound was good/acceptable to my wife, but not to me.

Next, I tried the 5-1/6-1 connections. This time I used 3 RCA Y splitters to go from the three outputs on my sound card to the receiver. Sound was much better, but still not good enough.

I then tried digital optical with this device:

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduc...999-753&depa=0

I couldn't get it to work, even though the doc on my MB and receiver both said it would. I think it was because I had a 5 pin jumper, but this device had a 3 pin plug.

Finally, I tried the Digital coaxial input with this device:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...131-205&depa=0

It required a digital coaxial cable, but worked the first time I tried


Sound is great. My receiver thinks that it is getting Pro Logic sound. It's not digital dolby, but it is close.

My PVR is actually located in the basement in a closet below my family room entertainment center. I had to use usb extenders for my IR blaseter and Streamzap remote receivers. The cable run for the audio is 12 feet.

[fstrydom]

Once again - great info!

But still confused
I'm looking @ the asus Digital coaxial input but cannot find any details on asus website. I do not know if my mobo will support this. It's an older mobo that I want to use for PVR: A7v266-E.

Asus.com does not even list the connector as a product. Did your connector come with a manual, and can you tell me the supported mobo's please

Thanks for the great help!

[nanook105]

For some reason, Asus does not list these products on their site, not sure why. You need to validate that your MB has jumpers to connect to the device that I used. If it is, it should be in the original documentation/setup guide. The connector on my MB is a 5 pin (actually six with one blank in the middle), and is located right next to the jumper/connectors for the CD/DVD audio. Not sure if it would be in the same place for you.

The device didn't come with any documentation, but once I determined that the pins were a match, and that it was manufactured by Asus, I figured it was worth a $14 investment to find out.

Since you mentioned that it was an older MB, I am not sure that you will be as lucky.