[david_nc]

I'm putting together a HTPC and have an HD3470 dual DisplayPort card. From everything I've read, this card should be putting out audio. I have no audio devices (in Device Manager) other than the integrated sound card. I have the latest Catalyst drivers, but I've read a couple of people say that they needed older drivers to get audio over HDMI or DisplayPort. I've found drivers for HDMI audio for XP but not for Win 7. Does anybody have any advice or suggestions for me on how to get this working? Thanks.


System:

Optiplex GX280

3GB RAM

1 TB Hard Drive

Dell HD3470 Video Card

Windows 7 Enterprise

 

[hirent]

I assume its a Dell branded ATI HD 3470.

The output ports would be DVI, not Display Port.

If you have the latest Catalyst drivers did you select the ATI HDMI driver while installing CCC?

You would need to choose 'Custom' install and ensure that the 'HDMI driver' is selected.

Also, in Win7 'Playback Devices', right click and check 'Show Disconnected Devices'. If this box is not checked, the HDMI port will not show up under Playback Devices.

Lastly, to get audio over the DVI port you will need this special ATI branded DVI-to-HDMI adapter .

This will allow the audio signal to pass through the DVI port. If you use a generic adapter, it will not work. Also, there is another ATI adapter (Black in color) which is meant for the HD 2000 series of cards. This Grey adapter is meant for HD 3000 & 4000 series of cards.

 

[david_nc]

Actually, it does have DisplayPort connections. See http://www.txcesssurplus.com/servlet...0-256MB/Detail . Although the ad says HDMI, they aren't.


I downloaded the latest Catalyst from AMD / ATI and did a custom install, but there was no mention of HDMI audio. In fact, I reinstalled the drivers but still saw nothing about audio (the reason for the re-install was in case I missed the audio option).

 

[Andrew Hornfeck]

Assuming they are both DisplayPort and not DVI or HDMI you may be right... I can't say whether DP is capable of handling audio or not. You did buy a custom card that Dell had built - there's no telling exactly what its capabilities, options or limitations may be.

 

[david_nc]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew Hornfeck /forum/post/19544224


Assuming they are both DisplayPort and not DVI or HDMI you may be right... I can't say whether DP is capable of handling audio or not. You did buy a custom card that Dell had built - there's no telling exactly what its capabilities, options or limitations may be.

DP can handle audio, but you are correct in that there's no telling what Dell did. I figured that DP / HDMI were more standardized when using a chipset that normally carries audio. The hard part is figuring out what Dell spec'ed in the card; I see very little info on their site about it. Perhaps I need to just go with another card altogether. Thanks!

 

[Andrew Hornfeck]

The HD34xx is a mild performer anyway, you could spend $10-20 and get the HD4550 (with HDMI audio) or $40-50 for the HD54xx (adding 7.1 LPCM audio). WHY do you need the audio INSIDE the HDMI anyway? CLEARLY the HD3xxx is not capable of 7.1 and if you have a SPDIF output then you can still pass the 5.1 formats...


I do recall dealing with another post whereby there was an issue of the Win 7 enterprise OS... not sure how it came out whether the enterprise version didn't include codecs, or just how limited it was over other versions...


So is the HD 3470 you describe the only video in the system? What are you trying to do with it? What are you wanting?

 

[david_nc]

It's pretty simple - I need HDMI audio because I don't have any available coaxial or optical inputs available on my receiver. I have a 5.1 system and don't need 7.1, so that's not an issue. The Enterprise version of Windows 7 is a licensing thing; that is, it's Ultimate with site / volume licensing. It contains all the Media Center, security (Bit Locker, etc), and other features of Ultimate... at least according to the Microsoft rep. at work. I may end up checking out the other cards, but it would be nice to have the dual HDMI outputs that this card has.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew Hornfeck /forum/post/19544560


The HD34xx is a mild performer anyway, you could spend $10-20 and get the HD4550 (with HDMI audio) or $40-50 for the HD54xx (adding 7.1 LPCM audio). WHY do you need the audio INSIDE the HDMI anyway? CLEARLY the HD3xxx is not capable of 7.1 and if you have a SPDIF output then you can still pass the 5.1 formats...


I do recall dealing with another post whereby there was an issue of the Win 7 enterprise OS... not sure how it came out whether the enterprise version didn't include codecs, or just how limited it was over other versions...


So is the HD 3470 you describe the only video in the system? What are you trying to do with it? What are you wanting?

 

[hirent]



Quote:
Originally Posted by david_nc /forum/post/19543405


Actually, it does have DisplayPort connections. See http://www.txcesssurplus.com/servlet...0-256MB/Detail . Although the ad says HDMI, they aren't.

Well, that'll teach me to be an all-knowing a$$!


I agree with the above, just get a new video card.

Newegg has a sale on a HD 4550 for $10 today.

Get it before they run out.

If you need HD audio bitstreaming then get a HD 5000 series card.

Here's a HD 5550 for $30.

 

[david_nc]



Quote:
Originally Posted by hirent /forum/post/19545944


Well, that'll teach me to be an all-knowing a$$!


I agree with the above, just get a new video card.

Newegg has a sale on a HD 4550 for $10 today.

Get it before they run out.

If you need HD audio bitstreaming then get a HD 5000 series card.

Here's a HD 5550 for $30.

Thanks for the heads-up on the cards on sale. I went ahead and got the 5550. I just hope that old P4 2.8 will suffice for a HTPC. It seems to do fine playing back ripped DVD's (using the 3470) - smooth and not choppy at all. If I need a more powerful system, I'll hold off for a while and replace the case, MB, and processor; I already have a 2TB hard drive and 3GB of RAM, so I'm good to go there.

 

[david_nc]

I received the Asus 5550 card over the weekend and got it installed. So far, it's worked flawlessly - nice, smooth video, Dolby Digital audio from ripped DVD's, no incompatibilities so far, etc.


The only problem is that the system is a bit sluggish running MC7; it's a Dell Optiplex GX280 SFF with a P4HT, 4 GB of RAM, and a 2TB hard drive. In everything other than MC, it's pretty quick. I went ahead and got an upgrade system on eBay - an Optiplex 755 with a Core 2 Quad 9400; I'll end up with 4 or 6 GB on that system with Win 7 64 Enterprise, the Asus video card, and the 2TB drive from the current system. The system also has a MC remote control and a wireless keyboard with trackball. It's all connected via HDMI to a Pioneer Elite VSX-23TXH, an Epson 705 HD projector, and a 19" LCD TV mounted in the in-wall shelf unit (thanks to the dual HDMI outputs on the Pioneer). I got a good deal on the TV from Newegg... to good a deal to pass up to keep from having to turn on the projector to play music, set the DVR, etc.


I started upgrading all this earlier this year. I started out with a tired old Zenith SD RPTV, a Sherwood DPL receiver from '95, and a standard old DVD player with no PC integration at all. It's turned out to be a very nice system that never fails to impress with audio and video (as well as the 'cool' factor). Much of this has been possible from what I've learned on this site... thanks guys!