[mythtv-users] Slightly OT: How to connect HDTV+5.1 speakers to comp?

[Nick Morrott]

On 02/11/2008, Robert Johnston <anaerin at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 02/11/2008 4:41 PM, Bobby Gill wrote:
>  >     Depends on what inputs your surround app provides. Given you're
>  >     using Logitech
>  >     speakers I presume you have analog out from your myth system. If
>  >     your new
>  >     surround amp supports analog inputs it will have 6 RCA inputs, the
>  >     same as
>  >     your logitech speakers. Just plug them in the same way.
>  >
>  >
>  > I found this pic of someone's z-5300e's, exactly what I have:
>  > http://home.comcast.net/~violated/cables.gif
>  >
>  > So if the speaker system I buy has the green+black+orange cables which
>  > go from the system -> my computer (circled in red in pic above), then
>  > it's a straight connection (correct me if that's wrong).
>  >
>  > Now if it doesn't have that, what would I need?
>
>
> Some speaker systems would require a TOSLINK cable (That's the optical
>  fibre audio connection), others need a S/P-DIF (Single RCA connector).
>  Both are digital connections. a TOSLINK connector (On a PC) is a small

They're both S/PDIF, coaxial and optical just use different physical
media to carry the same digital signals. I currently use an optical
connection from my main frontend to my amp and it works great, plus
greatly reduces cable clutter. I use a coaxial SPDIF connection on an
older machine coupled to a Creative Labs 5.1 Desktop Theatre DD5.1
amp.

It's probably a "good thing" to read up on configuring digital sound
if you decide to go this route (see
http://mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Configuring_Digital_Sound and
http://mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Configuring_Digital_Sound_with_AC3_and_SPDIF).

More info on S/PDIF can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPDIF.

-- 
Nick Morrott

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