HDMI for audio only - force a super low resolution?

[Mussels]

Wow, and here I thought it would be simple to send audio only through HDMI. One HDMI (or whatever) to the monitor, one HDMI to the receiver... that doesn't work?

apparently HDMI requires a video signal with HDCP or it gets narky.

AMD and intel have no fix, but Nvidia have this hidden option as discussed a few posts up that works fine.

 

[hat]

apparently HDMI requires a video signal with HDCP or it gets narky.

AMD and intel have no fix, but Nvidia have this hidden option as discussed a few posts up that works fine.

Wow, that's really crummy. I guess the right way to do it would be to make sure you get a receiver that matches video capabilities of your screen. HMDI from video card to reciever for video and audio, then HDMI out to your screen. That sounds pretty expensive. HDCP can go to hell!

 

[Grings]

Easier said than done, due to the expense of updating stuff every 2 years or so

I'm in a similar predicament, i have a 2011 (i think) tv with no hdmi arc to send audio to the receiver, which dosent support 4k so im boned again when i upgrade the tv, im just hoping the new 4k tv i get can send audio from the pc's hdmi to the receiver

 

[Mussels]

if you have an ARC TV and ARC receiver you'd be ok, but my 1080p, 3D capable receiver doesnt support that either.

I guess it'll be less of an issue in the future thanks to ARC, but a lot of people will be stuck in the same boat as me here.

 

[hat]

What happens when you want to use HDMI audio with your PC when you got a monitor that doesn't have that? Or doesn't even have HDMI for that matter? Just for the sake of argument... assume you want to use that kickass sound system with your computer and a VGA monitor...

 

[Mussels]

What happens when you want to use HDMI audio with your PC when you got a monitor that doesn't have that? Or doesn't even have HDMI for that matter? Just for the sake of argument... assume you want to use that kickass sound system with your computer and a VGA monitor...

duplicate or extend are your only options. both have limitations.

 

[hat]

Okay... how about a sneaky trick? Remember back in the early days of F@H when people were stuffing their machines full of video cards which wouldn't normally get used? They were using modified DVI-VGA adapters to fake a monitor and allow the card to actually be used. Could such a thing work for HDMI?

 

[Brusfantomet]

Okay... how about a sneaky trick? Remember back in the early days of F@H when people were stuffing their machines full of video cards which wouldn't normally get used? They were using modified DVI-VGA adapters to fake a monitor and allow the card to actually be used. Could such a thing work for HDMI?

Highly unlikely, DVI and HDMI are the same signals (hence passive DVI-HDMI converters) the DVI port usually also has the analogue signals (these ports a caled DVI-I) so to facilitate a passive DVI-VGA adapter, the modified adapters probably used a resistor to trick the card to output the screen signal.

Since the audio is baked into the blanking part of the visual signal the card would need to be tricked into outputting a screen on the port in question, DHCP comes into the equation here, it will make this much more difficult.

all in all i think its easier to have the HDMI output to the computer screen and duplicate the image.

 

[hat]

Yes, they did have resistor(s).

But what if you don't have a second screen?

 

[Brusfantomet]

use the same screen with multiple inputs, and if your screen only has one digital input you are kind of screwed.

 

[slozomby]

Okay... how about a sneaky trick? Remember back in the early days of F@H when people were stuffing their machines full of video cards which wouldn't normally get used? They were using modified DVI-VGA adapters to fake a monitor and allow the card to actually be used. Could such a thing work for HDMI?

the headless adapters can fake a monitors response. but I haven't seen any that will pass the audio portion of the signal out to another device.

there are hdmi audio extractors out there. but the ones I've looked at drop to stereo/optical out

 

[Mussels]

Yes, they did have resistor(s).

But what if you don't have a second screen?

your receiver shows as a second screen, even with no monitor attached to it.

 

[hat]

the headless adapters can fake a monitors response. but I haven't seen any that will pass the audio portion of the signal out to another device.

there are hdmi audio extractors out there. but the ones I've looked at drop to stereo/optical out

Looks like you may as well use a simple analog connection then, or SPDIF.

your receiver shows as a second screen, even with no monitor attached to it.

So yeah... HDMI into the receiver and back out the HDMI out to the monitor then is the "right" way to do it, then... Sounds really costly.

 

[slozomby]

So yeah... HDMI into the receiver and back out the HDMI out to the monitor then is the "right" way to do it, then... Sounds really costly.

that's the normal way. however if your receiver only supports 1080p and the monitor is 1440 or 4k you run into the problem this thread is about.

 

[hat]

What about 120/144hz? Do receivers affect refresh rate too?

 

[slozomby]

What about 120/144hz? Do receivers affect refresh rate too?

I'm sure they do as they show up as a monitor in windows. so if you were using a 144hz monitor behind a hdmi receiver it will likely only shows as a 60hz monitor.

edit: since pretty much all receivers are built for Home Theater where 60hz is the standard.

 

[Mussels]

What about 120/144hz? Do receivers affect refresh rate too?

indeed they do, you basically get 1080p 60Hz or 4K 30/60hz.

The only way to work properly i guess is a modern TV and receiver with ARC, where the TV has a HDMI 'out' for audio purposes. (and good luck finding a monitor with that, instead of running a TV)

 

[nomdeplume]

I did some digging into HDMI audio. Short answer is it doesn't work great as a direct line source carrying video along for the ride. Instead say you fed audio only into a passive preamp with a USB/spdif/coax. HDMI works great between it and the receiver.

Great if your workaround works with the equipment you have and some ingenuity. The need for a box in between is equally hard to accept. You do get a volume control and source switching but we're talking phonograph era tech updated to use digital cords.

 

[Mussels]

SPDIF etc do not work for PC gaming. You have a dozen more hoops to jump through to get that working at greatly reduced quality.

 

[Batou1986]

SPDIF etc do not work for PC gaming. You have a dozen more hoops to jump through to get that working at greatly reduced quality.

Yep every game works with 5.1 through HDMI or 3 x 3.5mm analog, nogo with SPDIF and even when I could get DD working it sounded flat compared to analog direct or HDMI.

 

[Mussels]

if i could get analog outputs -> HDMI input for the receiver that'd be just great.

I guess one day i'll need an ARC receiver to sort this crap out.

 

[Mussels]

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-HDMI...997251?hash=item3d1ed0acc3:g:pC8AAOSwgY9Xed2z

apparently devices like this are a thing, that would let me 'upgrade' my receiver to support ARC...

 

[hat]

I really wouldn't be able to complain if they had receivers that would support 144hz 4k. If you have a 144hz 4k monitor, how are you supposed to connect that kickass sound system to your computer? Have a generic second dummy monitor? Naw dude, dude naw.

 

[cadaveca]

SPDIF etc do not work for PC gaming. You have a dozen more hoops to jump through to get that working at greatly reduced quality.

If you have ASUS D2X, it does, but this is one of those rare cards that does encoding on the fly. It will even convert DTS to DD5.1/7.1 or vice versa, but as Bill mentioned earlier, won't do DD TrueHD or DTS HD Master Audio.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-HDMI-ARC-Adapter-to-HDMI-Optical-Toslink-Audio-Converter-4K-1080P-CEC-OK-/262509997251?hash=item3d1ed0acc3:gC8AAOSwgY9Xed2z

apparently devices like this are a thing, that would let me 'upgrade' my receiver to support ARC...

I have a similar device for this since my Dell WFP3008, which does have ARC, only outputs 2-CH. Sadly, the device I bought also only does 2 CH.

I have a relatively high-end Yamaha 7.1 HT amp connected to my gaming PC via SPDIF now, since it doesn't have HDMI. The number of games that work in 5.1 with it are very few, but some just work fine.

 

[Mussels]

googlerised it: ARC is garbage. Its basically coax SPDIF over two unused pins on the HDMI cable, and not true HDMI audio.

That means stereo sound, with DD/DTS 5.1 from pre-encoded material. Worthless. Makes me wonder what the use of a smart TV is, when you cant get proper sound out of any built in apps...