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maid:
I am a little confused here If we get a new receiver with HDMI do I not need a sound card with HDMI not video card? Our video card has DVI to HDMI to the TV.

DarkPenguin:

--- Quote from: maid on November 14, 2011, 08:21:32 pm ---I am a little confused here If we get a new receiver with HDMI do I not need a sound card with HDMI not video card? Our video card has DVI to HDMI to the TV.

--- End quote ---
I haven't been paying that much attention but the HDMI connection will be on the video card.  Cards like my ATI have a sound card on board.   This makes sense since audio and video both run down the HDMI cable.  So one stop shopping for video/audio.  I don't know if that is true for all video cards.  I think with some of the older Nvidia products you had to somehow join them to a discrete sound card.  (But once you did sound and video would use the same HDMI cable.)

No idea if that help or obfuscated things.

craigmcg:
I agree that it is confusing that in order to improve your digital sound, you need a video card to get HDMI. By the way, you would connect a new HDMI based system starting from the PC > Receiver > TV.

As mentioned earlier, if your current video card had built in sound (Google doesn't think it does), you would only need a new receiver. The Googling I did said that your video card has an SPDIF audio input (which doesn't support the high def audio you want), even though the connection from there on is by HDMI.

fitbrit:
Maid, I think I can guarantee that if you get an nVidia GTS450 or GT440 (at the least) video card, you and your husband will be happy. The card's HDMI can pass on decoded LPCM as well as bitstreamed HD audio to an HDMI receiver. There is no need to spend money on a sound card. You can let your new receiver do the digital to analogue conversion and even decode the HD audio too if you want. Also, using an nVidia card, as you do now, Red October HQ will run very well, using the video card's hardware as much as possible.

The only caveat to all this is that there will be some spending to do to get the receiver and the video card. You may not, like I said in my first post, notice a night and day difference in the sound quality between regular DTS and lossless DTS-HD MA. It'll also mean that your rips/downloads will be many gigabytes bigger. I do notice a difference, and I much prefer the HD audio, but if I had to I could still live with regular DTS or AC3

craigmcg:
Just to clarify-

I did not intend to suggest the purchase of a new sound card AND a video card/receiver upgrade.

I meant to suggest  either the purchase of a new sound card (using high def analog output to the current receiver) OR a video card/receiver upgrade (to use HDMI digital output).

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