PC Gaming on TV with Home Theatre Sound

[Purply]

How does one go about connecting your PC to your TV and play games using your home theatre sound?

Currently I connect my PC via hdmi to the TV and home theatre system via hdmi to TV.

Unfortunately this method hasn't proven successful as I'm unable to get the home theatre sound to work when playing games.

Does one require optical audio cable(s) for this purpose?

TV used http://www.lg.com/us/tvs/lg-60PH6700-plasma-tv

PC used http://www.alienware.co.za/pX51-I74770-81000/Alienware-X51.aspx#tabs-2

Home Theatre System is some cheapie Samsung with one HDMI , optical audio and 2 USB ports

 

[TJ99]

1. Plug HDMI cable from your graphics card into AV receiver.
2. Turn on AV receiver and TV.

You put links to the TV and PC (which don't really matter) and leave out the most important bit, the AVR used. You say it has 1 HDMI port. Does that mean 1 input and 1 out or 0 inputs and one out?

 

[Tinuva]

Unless both TV and AV Receiver can do HDMI 1.4 which have return audio from TV to Receiver through the HDMI cable, you need to push the audio from the PC to the AV Receiver.

The other options are:
1. Return audio cable from TV to AV Receiver. Older TVs only have stereo out, some newer ones have spdif cable out. I personally never used this, because my TV is of the older type, eg. stereo out, I only use it when my parents watch SABC2/3 when they visit.

2. Send the audio direct from PC to AV Receiver. Optical audio cable will probably only give you stereo sound, unless you have a sound card that support DD or DTS encoding in real-time.
Most probablym if you want 5.1 sound, you will require to send the audio over HDMI to your receiver, and then let the receiver send the video via hdmi to the TV.

 

[Purply]

1. Plug HDMI cable from your graphics card into AV receiver.
2. Turn on AV receiver and TV.

You put links to the TV and PC (which don't really matter) and leave out the most important bit, the AVR used. You say it has 1 HDMI port. Does that mean 1 input and 1 out or 0 inputs and one out?

Sorry I'm very much a noob in this area, not even sure what AVR means.

Just checked, the home theatre system does in fact have HDMI in and HDMI out ports.

 

[CamiKaze]

Sorry I'm very much a noob in this area, not even sure what AVR means.

Just checked, the home theatre system does in fact have HDMI in and HDMI out ports.

OK what Home Theatre System (AVR means Audio/Video Receiver) do you have?

Example of an AVR:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/receivers-separates-amps-reviews/pioneer-elite-sc-79-review/

 

[Purply]

Unless both TV and AV Receiver can do HDMI 1.4 which have return audio from TV to Receiver through the HDMI cable, you need to push the audio from the PC to the AV Receiver.

The other options are:
1. Return audio cable from TV to AV Receiver. Older TVs only have stereo out, some newer ones have spdif cable out. I personally never used this, because my TV is of the older type, eg. stereo out, I only use it when my parents watch SABC2/3 when they visit.

2. Send the audio direct from PC to AV Receiver. Optical audio cable will probably only give you stereo sound, unless you have a sound card that support DD or DTS encoding in real-time.
Most probablym if you want 5.1 sound, you will require to send the audio over HDMI to your receiver, and then let the receiver send the video via hdmi to the TV.

Thank you for the input Tinuva, unfortunately it's like you talking in some foreign language has most of what you said has gone straight over my head.

Both can do 1.4 HDMI I imagine has it's both new tech.

What exactly is the AV Receiver?

 

[D1lb3rt]

Thank you for the input Tinuva, unfortunately it's like you talking in some foreign language has most of what you said has gone straight over my head.

Both can do 1.4 HDMI I imagine has it's both new tech.

What exactly is the AV Receiver?

AV Receiver stands for Audio Video Receiver. Sometimes also called a home theatre system.

 

[TJ99]

Sorry I'm very much a noob in this area, not even sure what AVR means.

Just checked, the home theatre system does in fact have HDMI in and HDMI out ports.

AVR = AV (Audio/Video) Receiver. It's the box that your speakers are plugged into, the heart of a home theatre system. It processes the audio signal, amplifies it and sends to the speakers, controls volume etc. Most also process and/or pass through the video signal to the TV. Usually the cheaper all-in one systems have the receiver/amplifier integrated with a Blu-ray/DVD player all in one unit and it sounds like that's what you have.

What you need to do is: Connect your PC graphics card via HDMI cable to your receiver/player thing's IN port (which you said it does have), and then another HDMI cable from the OUT port to your TV's HDMI in port.

You then set the input on your receiver/player to HDMI and on the TV you choose whichever HDMI port you plugged the other cable into. I used HDMI 2 as an example. Thus:

PC ==HDMI====(IN)=> Receiver/player =(OUT)===HDMI===(HDMI 2) =>TV

Then set up your PC to play sound through the HDMI port by going to your sound settings and setting the default device as "HDMI Audio out" or something similar. Effectively, all modern graphics cards have a little sound card built in and that shows up as a separate sound device. You want to activate that one and set is as default so all your Windows and game sounds use that and not the motherboard's sound.

 

[Purply]

Here is a link to the Samsung Home Theatre http://www.makro.co.za/p/8488/samsung-51-blu-ray-tall-boy-home-theatre-system/

OK what Home Theatre System (AVR means Audio/Video Receiver) do you have?

Example of an AVR:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/receivers-separates-amps-reviews/pioneer-elite-sc-79-review/

 

[CamiKaze]

Thank you for the input Tinuva, unfortunately it's like you talking in some foreign language has most of what you said has gone straight over my head.

Both can do 1.4 HDMI I imagine has it's both new tech.

What exactly is the AV Receiver?

Dude...read my post...

Take a picture of your HOME THEATRE SYSTEM so that I can see what exactly it is that you are talking about.

 

[Purply]

This sounds simple enough, thanks TJ99, will give it a go when I get home tonight

AVR = AV (Audio/Video) Receiver. It's the box that your speakers are plugged into, the heart of the home theatre system. It processes the audio signal, amplifies it and sends to the speakers, controls volume etc. Most also process and/or pass through the video signal to the TV. Usually the cheaper all-in one systems have the receiver/amplifier integrated with a Blu-ray/DVD player all in one unit and it sounds like that's what you have.

What you need to do is: Connect your PC graphics card via HDMI cable to your receiver/player thing's IN port (which you said it does have), and then another HDMI cable from the OUT port to your TV's in port.

 

[CamiKaze]

Here is a link to the Samsung Home Theatre http://www.makro.co.za/p/8488/samsung-51-blu-ray-tall-boy-home-theatre-system/

Ok it looks like you have 2 HDMI inputs on your receiver.
http://www.samsung.com/levant/consumer/tv-audio-video/home-theatre/blu-ray-home-theater/HT-F4550/ZN#

So I would plug an HDMI cable from your computer to the HDMI1 (input) port on the receiver.

Then I would plug another HDMI cable from your Receiver (Output) to your TV.

Then change the source on your receiver to HDMI1

 

[Ry4n]

What Tinuva said: "Most probablym if you want 5.1 sound, you will require to send the audio over HDMI to your receiver, and then let the receiver send the video via hdmi to the TV. " If receiver doesn't support this then you need HDMI to receiver and Display port to TV as an alternative.

 

[ScottulusMaximus]

Why the **** would you call a home theatre an AVR, just to sound clever?

Do what TJ99 said, HDMI from PC to HOME THEATRE in and then HDMI from Home Theatre out to TV... Job done

 

[Rickster]

TV -> HDMI -> PC

TV -> Optical Cable -> PC/HI-Fi (if you have one)

 

[Purply]

Just another quick question TJ99, I know the TV has 3 HDMI ports, but only one supports ARC. Do I have to use that specific on for this particular setup, or doesn't it matter?

Reason I'm asking is because the location of the HDMI(ARC) port is rather difficult to get to as the TV hangs from the wall and for some bizarre reason they decided to place it at the back of the TV, instead of on the side like all the other connections

 

[TJ99]

This sounds simple enough, thanks TJ99, will give it a go when I get home tonight

Don't thank me just yet, according to Samsung, that system does NOT have an HDMI input. :

http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/...blu-ray-home-entertainment-system/HT-F4550/XU

Number of HDMI Input0

 

[TJ99]

Why the **** would you call a home theatre an AVR, just to sound clever?

Do what TJ99 said, HDMI from PC to HOME THEATRE in and then HDMI from Home Theatre out to TV... Job done

The same reason you call an engine an engine and not a car, "just to sound clever lolololololol"

A receiver is PART of a home theater system, it is NOT the system. Just as an engine is a part of a car but not actually the whole car.

 

[flarkit]

Why the **** would you call a home theatre an AVR, just to sound clever?

No, because "home theatre" is a broad term encompassing a number of components, including the display or screen, the speakers, the audio/video receiver, as well as media sources including Bluray players, digital players, computers and gaming consoles. Since the issue appears to be audio related, using "AVR" refers to the specific item in the system which manages the audio input and output connections in the home theatre. This would enable helpful posters to assist the OP in solving his problem a little faster, nes pas?

Why would you post an insulting accusation instead of assisting the OP, just to be a troll?

 

[TJ99]

Just another quick question TJ99, I know the TV has 3 HDMI ports, but only one supports ARC. Do I have to use that specific on for this particular setup, or doesn't it matter?

Reason I'm asking is because the location of the HDMI(ARC) port is rather difficult to get to as the TV hangs from the wall and for some bizarre reason they decided to place it at the back of the TV, instead of on the side like all the other connections

ARC is to send sound in the other direction, thus from your TV to your receiver/player/whatever. So if you want your sound from your TV to play through the home theater speakers, you will need to use that port yes.

Edit: But if your player does not have an HDMI input, which appears to be the case, you need to connect the PC directly via HDMI to the TV, and then also the PC to the player/AVR with an optical cable if possible.