[mythtv-users] Most Cost Effective Portable Frontend

Tortise tortise at paradise.net.nz
Fri Sep 10 10:08:56 UTC 2010


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Eric Sharkey" <eric at lisaneric.org>
To: "Discussion about MythTV" <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
Sent: Friday, September 10, 2010 8:47 AM
Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] Most Cost Effective Portable Frontend


On Thu, Sep 9, 2010 at 3:49 PM, Tortise <tortise at paradise.net.nz> wrote:
>> It seems this option is better than a $300 netbook as it will play flash.
>> However, the DVI->HDMI adapter will not provide digital audio.
>
> I don't use digital video (currently) but understand its just digital and
> goes out over DVI also - search the list or others might advise you, might
> need to start a new theread and ask.

>That's not entirely accurate.

>A DVI cable is capable of carrying audio, but that doesn't mean every
random video card that had a DVI port is capable of sending it.
Whether it works or not with a random laptop I can't say.  I'd wager
not.

Good question Eric.  Searching around it seems very hard to identify which nvidia GPU's have the digital audio combining 
capabilities.  It seems it may be more an option implemeneted by some manufacturers and not others?  Does anyone know if the 
nvidia-settings acknowledges the spdif passthrough when its present on the graphics card?  (I don't have one setup to check)

>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Visual_Interface

from the above reference:

"DVI to HDMI
DVI is mostly compatible with HDMI. The main difference is that DVI typically carries no audio data in its TMDS channel, although 
increasingly, modern PC video hardware is providing audio (e.g., cards by NVIDIA[2] and ATI[3]), allowing the PC to send audiovisual 
data to a high definition television with an HDMI input. If a PC's DVI output does not provide audio, it can be patched in as part 
of the DVI to HDMI adapter."

If the Dell D830 does not output the spdif over DVI, (I expect Eric is probably correct) then one of these would likely work: 
http://www.evga.com/products/moreInfo.asp?pn=W000-00-000070&family=Accessories%20-%20Hardware combining the spdif and DVI outputs 
from the Docking station.  Sorry I haven't tested this though.






More information about the mythtv-users mailing list