CPU to TV/Surround Sound Receiver Issue

[Indecl]

After spending an hour or so trying to read through the 1,000's of HDMI sound issues, I decided to just register and post my problem because every "solution" I found is something i've already tried.

I have a HDMI cable going from my Desktop tower to my receiver, with HDMI output already as my default for sound. I get nothing, no music, no test sounds, nada. I tried to update my sound/video drivers and all of them said they were up to date. The receiver is on the correct input setting.

I also tried to back-feed it through my TV, with the HDMI going to the TV first, with my Digital Optical Audio cable running from my TV to my receiver. Again, no luck still dead as a doornail.

My Media Player is already set to playback through HDMI, and I cannot get sound from anything on my computer period.

Does anyone have a clue what to do? I'm out of ideas and honestly out of patience. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[fireberd]

What video card do you have? Does it generate it's own HDMI audio or does it use an S/PDIF connection to the PC? (and if it does use the S/PDIF connection, do you have it connected).

Filling out the full "My System Specs" would really help.

If you are using certain Dell desktops, they have an HDMI port on the rear but that is only HDMI Video and not Audio. On these models you must use a separate Video card that does have HDMI audio.

 

[Indecl]

I have a Nvidia GeForce GT 220, and it has an HDMI output. I only see VGA/DVI/1 HDMI on the outside of the card. The Desktop is something I bought off Newegg awhile ago, it's not really any brand.

Asus Board, Phenom II, GT 220, 4 GB RAM, etc.

The option to select HDMI appears when I plug the cable in, but it doesn't appear to do anything. I've gotten it to do video to the TV, sound is my issue.

 

[Sardonicus]

You might want to sign in to Newegg and look at your purchase history (yes, they keep it) and see if your card does use the S/PDIF connection. Even with an HDMI port, if your card was intended to use S/PDIF pass-through and you don't have it connected, you won't get sound through HDMI as Fireberd mentioned.

Here's an example of a card that use S/PDIF pass-through......
ASUS EN9400GT-1GB Geforce 9400GT Half-Height Videocard Review - PCSTATS.com

 

[Indecl]

NVIDIA GeForce GT 220 PCI Express 2.0 x16 is exactly what NewEgg says, trying to find the other parts out. Used the purchase history to fill in more of the computer specs Fire said would be nice to have on my profile. Doubt that'll help much, and i've tried simply google'ing my video card to see if it does have this S/PDIF connection, and the only thing i've found thus far is people getting sound from 2 speakers instead of 5. That's not my problem, my problem is I haven't gotten any sound from any speaker.

Edit: Ok, Nvidia's website says my card is HDA, SPDIF as Audio Input for HDMI

 

[Sardonicus]

You'll need the S/PDIF cable to get sound, then.

 

[Indecl]

You'll need the S/PDIF cable to get sound, then.

I was looking inside my case for a SPDIF out on my motherboard, I found the label for it but the closest connector to the label is a "COM1" plug. On my video card I can see a plug that looks similar to the SPDIF connections i've found looking around on the net, but I cannot see where the wire goes. Guess i'll have to open the tower up when I get home. Any tips/hints/whatever for figuring all this out so I can use this SPDIF mumbo-jumbo?

 

[Sardonicus]

HWiNFO32 Download
ASUSTeK Computer Inc. - Motherboards

Get your exact mobo info, download the manual and you'll see exactly where the pins are.

 

[Indecl]

HWiNFO32 Download
ASUSTeK Computer Inc. - Motherboards

Get your exact mobo info, download the manual and you'll see exactly where the pins are.

Came home, found the plug on my motherboard. Found out the connector I saw on the video card was for something else, couldn't find a SPDIF output on the video card. Nvidia's website says my card has SPDIF, so naturally i'm confused. I did some more research and apparently no one knows if my card can or can't do it. Some things say the card doesn't have SPDIF, others say it's integrated into the card and you don't need an adapter. Any other ideas?

 

[fireberd]

Who is the actual manufacturer of the Video Card? There are several different vendors that make that card and you need to go to that vendor's web site and look at their spec's for that card to determine if it has built in audio or does require the external S/PDIF connection.

 

[Sardonicus]

If you can get the info from Newegg, since they keep the pictures and full model number stored in your purchase history.

 

[Indecl]

Who is the actual manufacturer of the Video Card? There are several different vendors that make that card and you need to go to that vendor's web site and look at their spec's for that card to determine if it has built in audio or does require the external S/PDIF connection.

Did some looking around, saw someone say to download this quick thing to figure out who made it. Took a screenshot. Based off this, what's the actual verdict on my card?

*Edit* EVGA's website doesn't say anything about SPDIF, and says it (should) run high-def audio through the DVI and HDMI ports on the card in it's description.

Maybe you know or can find out more than I saw but there is one thing that came to mind; me connecting my monitor to the DVI port on the graphics card instead of the DVI port further up the tower wouldn't have anything to do with it would it?

 

[Indecl]

I can connect a 3.5mm to Yellow/White cable to my Aux port on the system, get sound, and actually have it play through all speakers. Every other attempt i've made to get any sort of sound from the computer to the surround sound has been a bust.

 

[stormy13]

Have you tried updating the video driver as the one you have is quite a few version old,

NVIDIA DRIVERS 280.26 WHQL

That and it also contains the necessary audio driver for the card, which has also gone through a few updates; you have version 1.0.15.0, while the latest driver updates it to version 1.2.23.3.

As for the cards that don't have a native audio chip on them this is what was being referred too,



which as far as I know all GT 220's have the audio built into the card. unless the manufacturer made a model of not following the Nvidia reference design.

 

[Indecl]

I went ahead and updated all the drivers, rebooted the computer, and still no dice. The HDMI test for sound won't work, nor will anything else. I set the HDMI as the default output and everything else like I did prior to the update.

Any steps I may have skipped or any other ideas?

EDIT* Actually, when I look at my sound options... should I be using "Digital Output Device (HDMI TX0)" or "NS-AV511-1 Nvidia High Definiton Audio"? I just now noticed the Nvidia one says not plugged in and i've been attempting to get it to work by setting the first one as default.

 

[stormy13]

The Nvidia one, that is the HDMI port on the card.

 

[Indecl]

The Nvidia one, that is the HDMI port on the card.

Progress! It now plays through the system via HDMI, and I was just about to post a big thanks to you guys and mark it as solved but when I went to lay down on my bed I noticed the music is only playing through 2 speakers. Is that another setting I have to work with?

The 3.5mm Stereo to Yellow/White plays off all 5, don't get why the HDMI doesn't.

*EDIT* Don't get me wrong, I still do appreciate the help.

 

[stormy13]

Seeing as most if not all music is stereo only (unless playing DVD-A), it is working as it should. You want it to play through all speakers you have to enable whatever your receiver uses to upmix a stereo signal to surround (Dolby ProLogic II, etc).

 

[Indecl]

Any idea how I can do that?

I still don't quite understand why my MP3 player goes through all speakers, and my Desktop connected via 3.5 to white/yellow goes through all but my HDMI doesn't... but then again I didn't know jack crap about any of this until I started this so it's not really a surprise.

In another idea, I tried to back-feed through the TV to the receiver and resulted in no sound at all. Next to none of this seems to make sense, at least not to me. Thank you again for all the help figuring out what has been figured out. I think i'll just stick with video going through the HDMI and just use my aux port for sound.