Using Digital out + Analog sound, at the same time? How? (1 Viewer)

rasmuskarlsen

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October 9, 2008
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Hey. I wanna use Digital Toslink out to my Main Digital TV (And surround)

But at the same time i wanna send the sound signal to a second analog TV.

I have both Digital toslink and analog sound on my motherboard, in my HTPC.

How can i use both sound signals at the same time?
 

g0rsq

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August 18, 2010
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Hi

I have been involved with identical discussions at the "Green Button" forom for windows 7 media center (might be worth taking a look there!)

I presume you are using windows 7, in which case it seems a liecensing condition between Microsoft and hadware suppliers prevents this from happening, probably due to DRM restrictions!

However there are some workarounds:-

Try using VAC (Virtual audio cable) software in repeater mode. If you just want basic analogue stereo this will work fine. It should be possible to use VAC for multi channel audio, but it is not easy to implamentate.
VAC is free to try, and quite reasonable to buy.

Use a hardware solution. It is possible to split optical SPDIF with a splitter, then you can obtain an external decoder to convert one optical stream to analogue stereo. Works, but is messy. There are more expensive digital to multi-channel decoders available if you need a 5.1 output.

Finaly my personal solution, if you connect to second TV via HMDI (though you do specify analogue) is to use the optical output to your main TV surround set, and connect the motherboard SPDIF riser to a Video card that passes through digital sound to the HDMI output (You need a motherboard with both an optical SPDIF and SPDIF riser, both are usually active together) and connect to your second TV.

In theory it should be possible to split a SPDIF header between two outputs, but I have not tried it.

This is one big problem with Windows 7, which I do not think is present with Vista and earlyer operating systems.

It had me pulling my hair out for ages, as I presumed it would be easy to output a single sound source to two output devices.

Regards

peter
 

rasmuskarlsen

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October 9, 2008
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Hmm.. Can't seem to get it to work :/

But i didn't understand the last sentence you wrote:

"Finaly my personal solution, if you connect to second TV via HMDI (though you do specify analogue) is to use the optical output to your main TV surround set, and connect the motherboard SPDIF riser to a Video card that passes through digital sound to the HDMI output (You need a motherboard with both an optical SPDIF and SPDIF riser, both are usually active together) and connect to your second TV."

Can you please explain :)
 

g0rsq

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August 18, 2010
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Shame about the info aat the link, would have been a good workaround, i know this problem is a real pain right through the HTPC users!

OK I will try andf explain a little more clear!

My motherboard (Gigabyte GA-EG41MF-US2H) has several sound devices, including analogue, HDMI, and optical SPDIF on the back panel.

However as you have found Windows 7 only alows one of the three to be used at any time.

However this motherboard also has an onboard SPDIF header, to connect to either a coax SPDIF card, another optical SPDIF card, or to a video card with digital passthrough for HDMI.

After testing this SPDIF header I realised it was active at the same time as the optical SPDIF (I guess the digital signal is split somewhere on the motherboard).

So I can connect the Optical SPDIF directly to my AV amplifier, and the SPDIF header to the passthrough connector on my video card (Asus Bravo 9500 GeForce 9500-GT) which is output on the HDMI connector, which I take to the TV.

Both TV, and AV amp recieves sound together. i use a harmony remote to control which one I hear depending upon what i want to listen to.

I was lucky in selecting my motherboard, but I did specificaly seek out an optical SPDIF connector. I originaly thought the onboard HDMI would also output sound at the samee time, but I was of course wrong!

I guess you can get same results by either splitting the SPDIF header (two wires to each pin, it should work) or by splitting the optical SPDIF if you have either.

However this only gives two digital outputs, not the digital and analogue originaly requested!

One other quirk with my motherboard is that it is possible to output sound through the front headphone socket at the same time as any rear audio output (via the riser on the board), so this proves technicaly it is possible to do, but hardware vendors are restricted by software and licensing conditions. (nothing to stop you re-wiring the the connector for headphones to another connector if your motherboard also supports this).

Hope that helps, but will probably just make the situation more frustrating!!!

Have a look through this thread on Media center forum

http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/p/88972/452295.aspx#452295

Peter
 

henning

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  • June 30, 2008
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    My understanding is that you have a digital Amp. Wouldn't it be a possibility to use one of the analog stereo outputs of the amp and connect this one with the TV? I don't know whether this matches your setup, but it would be an easy solution with no extra hw/cost.

    cheers

    henning
     

    rasmuskarlsen

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    October 9, 2008
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    g0rsq --> Allright, but i guess that's only possible beacuse you passthrough the "extra" digital signal to the HDMI.. I guess there is no way i can use the same method on passing through the analog sound, since there is no way it can be "passed through".. :/

    What about that vac thing? I have tried installing it, but i can't seem to understand how it works :/

    Henning --> Is, that is possible possible. But it would require me changing volume all the time on the amp. And i fx. can't listen to radio on the amp then, and watch tv in another room, since the amp only can play one audio stream at the time. Further more, the volume level in the main living room, may not be equal to the second tv conected. So the volume is either way to high or way to low, so i constantly have to change the volume level on the amp (placed in another room)
     

    g0rsq

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    August 18, 2010
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    VAC is quite daunting!

    What you need to use is "repeater mode"

    With this you set up virtual audio connections, from media portal to each sound device you want connecting.

    It will take a little playing around to understand, and I think you need a batch file to start the repeaters each time you re-start the PC.

    If you struggle to find the information you need i will try and look at it, but at the moment (and probably next few days) am re-installing Windows 7 to give a nice clean media portal instalation as I have made the decision to get rid of Windows media center, as it is giving me too many headaches with utter frustration!

    regards

    peter
     

    henning

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    Henning --> Is, that is possible possible. But it would require me changing volume all the time on the amp. And i fx. can't listen to radio on the amp then, and watch tv in another room, since the amp only can play one audio stream at the time. Further more, the volume level in the main living room, may not be equal to the second tv conected. So the volume is either way to high or way to low, so i constantly have to change the volume level on the amp (placed in another room)

    The amp can only output one source, that's a point. The audio level isn't. If you would use an analog audio output for e.g. VCR recording, the level is not influenced by the master volume of the amp. But anyhow I understand that this doesn't match your requirements.

    Regs

    henning
     

    rasmuskarlsen

    Portal Pro
    October 9, 2008
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    Henning --> Is, that is possible possible. But it would require me changing volume all the time on the amp. And i fx. can't listen to radio on the amp then, and watch tv in another room, since the amp only can play one audio stream at the time. Further more, the volume level in the main living room, may not be equal to the second tv conected. So the volume is either way to high or way to low, so i constantly have to change the volume level on the amp (placed in another room)

    The amp can only output one source, that's a point. The audio level isn't. If you would use an analog audio output for e.g. VCR recording, the level is not influenced by the master volume of the amp. But anyhow I understand that this doesn't match your requirements.

    Regs

    henning

    Allright, but i guess that what i wan't is just to be able to output the sound from the HTPC, to my analog tv, without having to turn on the amp. (The amp is only on, when i wanna hear the audio from the SPDIF output from the HTPC)

    VAC is quite daunting!

    What you need to use is "repeater mode"

    With this you set up virtual audio connections, from media portal to each sound device you want connecting.

    It will take a little playing around to understand, and I think you need a batch file to start the repeaters each time you re-start the PC.

    If you struggle to find the information you need i will try and look at it, but at the moment (and probably next few days) am re-installing Windows 7 to give a nice clean media portal instalation as I have made the decision to get rid of Windows media center, as it is giving me too many headaches with utter frustration!

    regards

    peter

    I have tried playing around with the VAC.. And i doubt it's gonna work like it should...

    But the repeater mode thing youre talking about, i'm not sure i completely understand what it's all about?

    PS: I'm not sure what my motherboard is capable at.. But it's this one: Gigabyte GA-EG45M-DS2H
     

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