hdmi audio only

fizzy

fizzy

fizzy

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Hi All,

I've got an ultra wide display connected via displayport, and want to hook up audio via hdmi to my home theatre amp.

Connected via hdmi from my nvidia 980ti to one of the amps hdmi inputs.

Setup audio preferences in nvidia control panel.

So far, I've only managed to get it to work when I have the TV switched on and input set to PC one on amp, and the tv setup as a second display in windows. Audio tests play sound from all 5.1 speakers.

As soon as I switch off the telly though, or disable the 2nd display in windows the audio connection is lost and the nvidia panel shows no audio connection available on hdmi. :(

Is there any way to setup the hdmi port for audio only? Don't want to have to have my TV on all the time too just to use the amp.
 
No, HDMI has to have video included in the signal as well for it to work. You've got to have a second display in Windows, whether it be from the same GPU, or from motherboard HDMI.

Somewhat surprised you have to have the TV on though for the receiver to output the audio from the PC. I'm not sure if that is normal or not, but it does seem odd.

When you turn the TV off, does Windows still see the second display?

I'm wondering whether it's the TV it's detecting connected to the receiver, rather than seeing the receiver itself as the second display. I always thought it was the receiver itself that was seen as the second display, regardless or whether the TV is on or not.
 
Marsman said:
When you turn the TV off, does Windows still see the second display?
Click to expand...

Nope, as soon as I switch off the TV, windows looses the 2nd display. Must some pass through hdmi signal device detection or something. :(

Ok well, I'll either have to keep the tv on as a second display or use some other means to connect to amp.
 
If there's no way around that using HDMI, then the only other option would be to use optical.

SPDIF needs Dolby Digital or DTS in order for 5.1 to work though, and as most PC games don't use either, it needs to be encoded on the fly using either Dolby Digital Live or DTS Connect. You can use optical from the motherboard if it has that, but you may need to use Realtek unlocked drivers to access them, as motherboard manufacturers tend to disable those features on a software level for all but their high end expensive boards. Probably so they don't have to pay royalties to Dolby and DTS with boards that sell for less money; or if you can't that to work, then get a sound card (internal or USB) with DDL and/or DTSC.
 
Yup, know how DD encoding works, looked into it before. I've had DD live sound cards before but wanted something more straightforward, and nvidia hdmi support multichannel in windows straight off.

If needs be I'll use 6 channel audio from the motherboard into the 6 channel input of the amp for gaming and such. I have a USB DAC for high quality stereo and headphones.

edit: It was my previous amp that had 6 channel in - this one doesn't. Just enabled onboard audio and hooked up digital optical connection - and strangely, I can now get audio over hdmi with TV off so long as I have an extended desktop. Double checked and can switch between optical and hdmi and they are different sound channels. Odd - possibly some strange behaviour on the amp. Oh well, will see how it goes.
 
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Getting odder. When I switch the amp on, windows refreshes the screen and makes the new "screen" on hdmi the primary screen. All icons disappear from my display port attached screen and when I try opening up display properties to change things it opens up on the other screen.... :(

Thought I sorted it by hooking up TV again when it did this, and set monitor to primary. Worked for a while but doing it again now. I just want it to remember that the display port monitor is primary one.

Was watching movies in surround sound on the PC great last night too.

Oh well, seems like stereo is the way to go for now. :D
 
It wasn't doing that before then?

I was thinking maybe it was something do with the HDCP handshake that you get with HDMI, but if it was that, it would done that from the word go.
 
Just tried it a few mins ago and it's behaving as I want this time. Odd. Did just update the nvidia drivers though. Possibly related, who knows.
 
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