HDMI Via Graphics and Sound Cards
Source: Tom's Guide | Keywords: HD, PC, Audio | Themes: Digital Entertainment
- 1. Following the PC Audio Chain for Blu-Ray Playback
- 2. PC Blu-ray Drives and Decoders
- 3. Commercial Blu-Ray Disk Decoders and HDMI Versions
- 4. High-Bandwidth Digital Copy Protection (HDCP)
- 5. Onward Through the Audio Chain!
- 6. Where Are the PC HDMI interfaces?
- 7. HDMI Via Graphics and Sound Cards
- 8. What’s the real problem?
- 9. Where’s the relief?
7. HDMI Via Graphics and Sound Cards
The other place where you’ll occasionally find HDMI ports—and will now typically find DVI-I with HDCP support—is on higher-end graphics cards manufactured since 2005: the NVidia 8500, 8600, and newer 8800 chipsets and AMD/ATI 24xx and newer chipsets. Invariably, if these cards accept audio input for “real HDMI output” (video plus audio, that is) it will be in the form of a 4-pin SPDIF header block or some kind of SPDIF input jack: RCA for coaxial, TOSLINK for optical. Here again, this puts the current generation of graphics cards at the same disadvantage in handling high-definition, high-resolution sound as other technologies that involve SPDIF—there’s simply insufficient bandwidth to enable transfer of Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD High Resolution, DTS-HD Master Audio, or high bandwidth forms of LPCM across the link.
Where do sound cards fit into this picture?
Currently, plenty of vendors are “talking” about HDMI sound output and high-definition audio support, but nobody sells a sound card that can output HDMI audio in a form that could feed into an HDMI output. Asus has announced its Xonar HDAV1.3 card for release sometime in Q3 2008 (they showed the card off at Computex in Taiwan on June 4, and have issued a press release with some interesting product information as well), and Auzentech has been promising an HDMI audio card since late 2006. But they, and other big players in the sound card world, such as Creative, M-Audio, HT Omega, are all struggling with the lack of a standard interface for moving high-definition audio around inside a PC. They also must deal with combining high-bandwidth audio with high-definition video inside an environment that meets HDCP requirements at all steps in the processing chain, as that specification clearly requires.
So far, the Asus Xonar HDAV1.3 appears to offer the best hope for high-def PC audio enthusiasts who want to move Dolby TrueHD or DTS Master Audio from a PC-based Blu-ray player into a properly-equipped receiver to make the most of 6 or 8 channel surround sound outputs. The Xonar HDAV will actually pick up the video through an HDMI input (presumably from an HDMI-equipped graphics card), then add the high-def audio to an HDMI output stream before shipping that output stream that combines high-def audio and video through its HDMI output to another device downstream. Interestingly, Asus is bundling the ArcSoft Total Media Theatre decoder with this product, according to reports from Computex (and confirmed by mention in the press release cited in the preceding paragraph) with this card as well.
As we write this story, Asus was unable to provide a precise release date or pricing information (we expect the Xonar HDAV 1.3 to cost upwards of $300 based on its capabilities and components). Even more interesting, the HDAV 1.3 will be available with a daughter card for high-quality analog audio, as well as its powerful digital audio handling capabilities, and even supports user swap-out of its operational amplifiers (op-amps) for audiophiles who might wish to use other plug-in modules to replace the Burr-Brown PCM1796, 123 dB SNR units installed by default. Figure 1 below shows the Xonar HDAV1.3 card in profile view; Figure 2 shows the unit (and its daughter card) installed in two PCI-e x1 motherboard slots.
Figure 1
This is another situation where even the highest-fidelity PC audio adapters currently available offer two sets of audio outputs: 6 or 8 channel analog, or optical and/or coaxial SPDIF. Either way, this rules out native transport of high-bandwidth Dolby or DTS formats, and also prevents transmission of high-bandwidth LPCM audio streams as well.
- Previous page Where Are the PC HDMI interfaces?
- Next page What’s the real problem?
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Oddly enough it turns out that mis-spelling is taken directly from the ASUSTek site and it explicitly states that the DAC is replaceable. While rather odd seeming, and clearly incorrect insofar as the spelling of Burr-Brown goes, it is consistent with the press release...
All this to protect from ripping the raw audio/video streams. HDCP is the creator of all the trouble, and still quite easily circumvented by the end user, or the hardcore pirate. HDCP is going to stop NOONE from pirating the works that are being placed on Blu-Ray, and is only serving to frustrate not only customers but the manufacturers of both hardware and software.
The only benefactors of HDCP are those who are making it, IE Digital Content Protection LLC. and their ilk. Too bad the executives at the MPAA are too focused on screwing their customers to actually work at MAKING money rather than "protecting" a possible future of milking money from old works.
Thanks for part 2. I've been waiting on this for a while.
"Likewise, the Radeon 4x000 graphics cards appear to promise a fuller melding of 7.1 LPCM and high-definition video in their circuitry through a single HDMI output, but they aren’t due to hit the market until around the same time, perhaps as early as late summer."
Do you mean Radeon 4x00 / 4000 series? And they're out now.
Thanks for part 2. I've been waiting on this for a while.
"Likewise, the Radeon 4x000 graphics cards appear to promise a fuller melding of 7.1 LPCM and high-definition video in their circuitry through a single HDMI output, but they aren’t due to hit the market until around the same time, perhaps as early as late summer."
Do you mean Radeon 4x00 / 4000 series? And they're out now.
AMD/ATI products from the 2000 series on (excepting the 2900) have all had connectorless input for HDMI sound. No SPDIF cable is required, as is the case for nVidia products. Plug in your 2000, HD 3000, or HD 4000 product, install the drivers, and voila sound at the HDMi interface. SPDIF cable bandwidth is not an issue. Other issues however do exist (as the article points out).
What exactly is wrong with using the analog-outs on your sound card??
This is a great article. I was considering the purchase of an HP s3500t to use as a compact HTPC. The current model allows for a Q9300 CPU, Blu-ray drive, 512MB 9500GS with HDMI out and an ATSC tuner with remote. It's a good-looking, compact, feature-packed box. I'm not too concerned with obtaining digital audio because the analog from the onboard 5.1 is fine and I'm only connecting the built-in speakers on the display. I'm assuming the only thing I need to get BD movies playing with this PC is the right playback software.
Perhaps THG should investigate the quality of the Motherboard amplifiers.
If the preamp in the PC was as good as the first stage of my Reciever/Amp, then the only downside of using the MB analog outputs would be the number of wires which to me is not a big deal.
When I asked ASUS Support what the SNR for the P5K MB outputs are, they said they didn't know.
I like many am buying new hardware now that is supposed to be HDCP compliant. However, if the Bluray disks don't currently have HDCP enabled, then we all may have a rude awakening some day when we find the HW that was supposed to work doesn't.
Does anyone know of a Bluray disk that is using HDCP now so I can verify HW works before the return policy expires!!!
I said it already but, can't find it in previous article. There's no real 7.1 thru analog connetion from PC, (PDVD/TMT) player software is a problem, try to play some HD DVD /Blu-ray 7.1 sound test with right sounds separation then you will know it by yourself, if it would be not enough all analog/SPDIF sounds are downsampled in player to 48khz/16bit because of lack of PAP implementation. And more : GFX cards like AMD/ATI HD2xxx/3xxx and all Geforce even 260/280 supports only LPCM 2.0 & DTS/DD 5.1 mode , so right now only AMD4xxx has LPCM 7.1 support. Go to avsforum to find more ...
Ed,
On page 7, when you talk about the Asus HDAV1.3, you say the output opamps can be swapped and then refer to the Burr-Frown (should be Burr-Brown) PCM1796. The BB PCM1796 is a stereo DAC not an opamp. Someone might get confused and think they can swap the DACs. You should fix this.
So why doesn't some company bite the bullet and design a solution that has a protected audio path that can work outside of MS PAP, instead of waiting for MS to get their act together on their PAP drivers? This would probably help those of us with XP as well, since PAP appears to be Vista only.