[mythtv-users] Confusion about Output Cards.

[Jesse Guardiani]

Nick Ellson wrote:
> Ok, so DVI.. Is that the standard large white d-sub that I am using at 
> work for my 20 inch LCD? Or is that to do with the little black optical 
> connector on the back of my HDTV TV Set?
>   

May the google be with you:
  
http://www.interfacebus.com/Design_Connector_Digital_Visual_Interface_DVI_Bus.html


> What about Audio? How would I get the full dolby/dts whatever all they way 
> to my 6 speaker Sony Dream system (also has one of those little black 
> optical connectors, and RCA inputs)
>   

DVI only carries video, so you'll need to output that audio from your 
sound card. I'm not aware of
any linux software actually being able to generate or otherwise 
manipulate dolby/dts/thx/etc, so the
only way to do it is to use an external digital audio decoder (usually 
comes with the system) and use
an SPDIF connector to send audio from the sound card to the external 
decoder.

SPDIF comes in a number of different flavors, coax and optical being the 
ones I'm familiar with. I
personally have an optical output on my Turtle Beach Riviera card and I 
connect that to my external
decoder (Logitech Z-5500).

But, like I said, Linux can't auto detect or modify dolby/dts/thx/etc 
very well (at all?), so you have
to take the audio that already exists in your mpeg files and hand it off 
to the sound card directly
without modification. This is called "passthrough". You'll need to 
specifically enable this feature in
all of your applications, like mythfrontend, mplayer, xine, etc. Read 
more here:
  http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Configuring_Digital_Sound
 

> Or would I use a 6.1 sound card and run MORE wires :\ I am affraid of 
> that, my system is in a 19" rack in my garage. I can run cable under the 
> house to my TV, but it would be nice to know what to run (and I have a IR 
> Remote RF repeater so I can use whatever remote system works with Myth 
> TV.)
>   

I don't even know if those analog multi-port cards work under linux. I 
think they require the driver
to decode the sound stream in software and I don't think any linux 
drivers are that intelligent yet.
Buy a card with SPDIF if your current card doesn't have it.

-- 
Jesse Guardiani
Programmer/Sys Admin
jesse at wingnet.net