HTPC Audio out through TV

[ikonia]

Hi all,

not sure if this belongs in audio visual really, or even hardware. I've chosed OS/Apps because I'm wondering how much the OS/App can contribute to this. If its the wrong place - mods please move it.


I'm not really creating a HTPC more a proxy for watching / recording TV, and DVD playback in a spare room. I'm using an nvidia video card with TV out, and trying to connect it via a scare socket. This is all theoretical at the moment as I've not actually plugged it in yet.

I wondering more about the audio. I don't want to have to get seperate speakers, I'd like to put the audio in through the TV speakers.

I'm not after dolby or stuff like that - its just a spare room to watch TV/video's in etc.

What are my options for audio out and the TV ?

[DaBeeeenster]

Something like an audio jack (for the PC) to scart (for the TV). Or does your TV have phono inputs?

[schmunk]

It won't give you the best picture, but you can buy a Scart-6 phono lead, three of which can be used for composite video, audio left and right.

[ikonia]

schmunk - this is another problem I'm looking at

the TV is quite a big CRT 32'' Triniton, the visual input (again I've not tried this yet) is suggested to be poor from a "tv out" socket when put into a larger screen.

I believe Directhex has seen this also.

How to get the best picture onto the screen is going to be another problem which I'll be happy to accept suggestions on also.

[Timmy!!!]

You could buy/make a connector that converts the Dsub signal into RGB on a scart lead. This would produce fantastic picture quality.

I'll try and find a link.

Links for connections:
http://www.mediaatlantic.com/product.php/759/0/
http://www.js-technology.com/index.p...b3dd4479d5e500
http://ryoandr.free.fr/english.html
http://www.idiots.org.uk/vga_rgb_scart/

[ikonia]

really like these links,

some great solutions, when you say "This would produce fantastic picture quality"

do you really think it would be a good (I mean more than acceptable) picture to watch from say DVD playback or digital movie file format on the larger CRT TV ?

[Timmy!!!]

To answer that question lets compare the three possibilities you have.

Composite - easiest and quickest, but picture quality is bad with lots of bleeding colours and there is little you can do to combat this issue.

S-Video - Carries luminesance signal seperately so things are sharper, but there will still be colour bleeding and fuzzyness.

RGB - Red, green and blue signals carried seperately so there will be little to no colour bleeding (depending on tv) and sharpness will be great. Luminescance signal is carried on the Red signal. Excellent control over picture position and brightness. This will be clearest and noise will be minimal.

RGB is the best type of [analogue] connection commercially avaliable and it is used on high end equipment for superior picture quality. Most devices with SCART capabilities nowadays can transfer RGB signals such as dvd players and sky boxes. Of course the only problem with it is that it is most expensive by far.

[ikonia]

looking at the links you've sent out £145 -ish appears to be the winning price and I don't consider that the end of the world for the results your suggesting.

I'm certainly not up on the difference in TV land you mention above and the pros and cons, I suppose the best way is to try it and ask for advice when it goes wrong.

thanks for the input on this.

[Timmy!!!]

Yea if I were you I would hook it up via composite or S video, the other way is way too expensive and fiddly for me. Watching DVDs and films will be fine through the lower quality connections. But if you do want the best then that would be RGB.

Videos generally look fine through the lower quality connections, its just the small text that is unreadable. But this is due to the TVs low resolution more than anything else.

[turkster]

Yo nice links Timmy .

I might actually give the diy vga to scart lead a go. I have an old radeon 7500 in my htpc connected to an old 21 inch Tv via a composite to scart lead and although the picture is adequate (actually better than i was expecting) it could probably be better. Anyway if I kill the gfx card twill give me an excuse to buy something a bit more decent .

[DaBeeeenster]

I currently use an AverMedia AverKey Lite as mentioned in one of the links. The quality is OK but not great. There's definitely room for improvement. I'd be interested to hear your results with a home brew DSUB>SCART cable.

It's actually the one thing that I am not totally happy with in my setup. My mythbox is driving a 100hz 32" Sony Wega and the Avermedia converter is just not up to the job

Is there any other off the shelf solution (that's not 150 notes!) that might be better for me?

[ikonia]

DaBeeeenster I have the same TV.

I want the best quality picture I can get my hands on

I'll pay for the best dsub / VGA what ever to get the picture, I'm using an asus FX5900 - do I need a better card.

I'm open to all advice and product suggestions

[turkster]

Tbh the reported problems of getting a good connection between TV and HTPC card have prompted me to look more towards a projector (such as the BenQ 5120) rather than a Widescreen/100hz tv for my next Tv upgrade. That way you get a straight dvi to dvi connection with spare component inputs for DVD player etc.

I saw the BEnq 5120 at a friends a few weeks back and was very very impressed. And at around £750 tis cheap fopr a projector .

[Timmy!!!]

Tbh the reported problems of getting a good connection between TV and HTPC card have prompted me to look more towards a projector (such as the BenQ 5120) rather than a Widescreen/100hz tv for my next Tv upgrade. That way you get a straight dvi to dvi connection with spare component inputs for DVD player etc.

I saw the BEnq 5120 at a friends a few weeks back and was very very impressed. And at around £750 tis cheap fopr a projector .

Sounds awesome! I really want to do this but unfortunately space and money are against me on this one! Once my dad did bring home a projector from work to 'look after' it and we watched LOTR on it - so good!

[DaBeeeenster]

I might switch to a plasma/large LCD - that way I can just go Dsub > Dsub...

[ikonia]

I've got plasma in the Living room and LCD in the bedroom - they work great, but this is a spare room and I'm left with a spare Sony Wega....so I'm trying to make use of it, rarther than lash out another couple of grand and still be left with a TV, but I did think about an LCD / Plasma replacment.

I also looked at projectors and came pretty close to lashing out on this, however the positioning in the room makes the only place the projector could go, too close to the wall its going to project onto - then I'd still be left with the hassle of a spare 32'' wega and a 21'' triniton (which I'm still trying to get rid off)

I'm really looking for solutions that will allow me to get use out of the sony