Radeon 4850 HDMI Audio

[libtech]

K, so I got a question for everyone that owns an ATI HD3XXX/4XXX series with the "HDMI" audio.

I know that you can do dvi to hdmi with the super awesome converter and voila --> audio and video on TV through the radeon card.

Now is there any way to use the AUDIO processor built in on the card to output sound for my COMPUTER speakers. (with the help of converters etc...)

If there isn't, what a useless function for the higher-end radeon cards.... (Most true computer monitors = dvi input, most of us own good old 2.1/5.1 computer speakers with the 1/8'' jack) You have got to be shitting me if ATI put all this engineering into an audio processor on their graphics cards only to have it work through HDMI... if that is the case, they should've left that out of my 4850 and put in a free anti-aliasing module or some bs like that....

(Who's gonna put a 4850/70 anyways in their tiny media center pc (with the intention of doing movies and shows, i'm ignoring the 0.001% of people like myself who will have a full god tower for their 32''/37'' tv, and will play some fallout 3 on there.))

Help is greatly appreciated, peace.

[logicaL!]

If your computer supports audio out, then I would just use that to connect to your speakers. Other than that, you are basically stuck with what you have. Most people will probably only use that features for HTPC builds, but it never hurts to include something like that (which is minimal cost) for high-end gpus (which could be in HTPC/Fragbox style PCs).

I bet that the audio on it probably isn't that great, and if you pick up a $30 refurbished Audigy 2 you should be fine. You can't really put an "Anti-aliasing" module on, it doesn't exist (its all handled through the Stream Processors on the GPU). The only thing you could add like that is a Physics co-processor (but compared to the audio chip, its 3x more expensive).

[jake]

I have my HTPC hooked up to my HDTV.  I have HDMI out from my PC to HDMI in on my TV.  I use optical out to go from my TV to my good old 5.1 computer speakers.

So, get a better sound card, or get a better amp and speakers.  Or don't use audio over HDMI just because you can.

[Labyrinthine]

Do you have at least onboard sound? Most mobos will at least come with some sort of built in sound.

As far as getting HDMI to analog signal - it's not happening. In some cases it's illegal and in the other cases it's impractical to produce one because the market would be so small. It may seem like a useless feature, but I don't think the 4850 was ever designed to be a soundcard.

For sound quality on the card, I'm pretty sure it's fine. I imagine it outputs 6mpbs 7.1 lpcm as most HTPC geeks would be looking for.

[libtech]

Well I'm running a creative X-Fi extreme gamer or something... But I thought the ati card would load all the processing into some of its stream processors, thus freeing up cpu cycles?

But really, I would just like to use an existing function on my card that I paid for (after all it's 7.1 audio.) It will free up a pci slot also (my onboard's terrible, hence i put a cheapo creative card in.)

It's not about what I have or have not (gots both onboard and pci card), but about maximizing sound quality while using the least amount of slots/space/cards and my component to its fullest.

To Jake:
I think you just have normal HDMI output, the ati adapters carry both audio+video - i would like to separate the audio component past that and reroute it back to good old speakers .

[logicaL!]

Well I'm running a creative X-Fi extreme gamer or something... But I thought the ati card would load all the processing into some of its stream processors, thus freeing up cpu cycles?

Why would you want to do something like that? The effect on a CPU of having onboard sound is somewhere in the range of 1-5% of the CPU (and since you have an X2 iirc then the total effect would be cut in half). The last thing I would want to do is waste some GPU time with audio processing (especially with a spare X-Fi).

Anyways the GPU audio is just about the same quality as the onboard audio because its a Realtek chipset.

[Labyrinthine]

Audio quality will be fine, there is little to no issue there.

The issue is the fact that it is near impossible downconvert the digital audio from the HDMI cable to analog and then route it back to the speakers. Your card is doing exactly what you paid for it to do - it can send out digital video to accompany the audio. The only what you will be able to do this is by finding something which can split the audio from the HDMI cable and then downconvert it to analog. Which, as I said earlier, is sometimes protected against by copyright and the rest of the time is very difficult to find.

If you have an extra receiver lying around which can do HDMI, then I imagine you send the HDMI audio/video into it and use the output to send the video into your monitor and the audio into your speakers.

[jake]

To libtech:
I understand what you're trying to do.

It's not conducive.

[libtech]

Well I'm running a creative X-Fi extreme gamer or something... But I thought the ati card would load all the processing into some of its stream processors, thus freeing up cpu cycles?

Why would you want to do something like that? The effect on a CPU of having onboard sound is somewhere in the range of 1-5% of the CPU (and since you have an X2 iirc then the total effect would be cut in half). The last thing I would want to do is waste some GPU time with audio processing (especially with a spare X-Fi).

Anyways the GPU audio is just about the same quality as the onboard audio because its a Realtek chipset.

Ah so it's just a realtek (which isn't terrible for onboard.) K well in that case I'm gonna hang on to my X-fi. But in regards to the X-fi, u should look up the new ones, they are not real x-fi chipsets (read the complaints on newegg ha) and use CPU cycle (up to 7-10%.) In most of my games (running at 1440x900,) my graphics card is wasting some of its power which is why initially I wanted to use the audio function. 

I found this ridiculous product for the conversion:
http://www.comp-u-shop.com/servlet/the-43603/HDMI-to-DVI--pls-/Detail
Quite a hefty price tag if you ask me....

In any case, the 32'' lcd I will be getting will def. have a hdmi (what tv doesn't these days....) So maybe soon I will be able to use my craptastic realtek ati audio....