How do I hook up my computer to my stereo?

Can I Hook Up My Desktop Computer to My HDMI Stereo?

• Answer:

  If any of the components on your home entertainment system have an HDMI input, including your AV receiver or sound system, you can connect any HDMI signal into it. If you use the HDMI output from your computer, however, it may only carry the video signals and not the audio. Modifying your computer to add digital audio to the HDMI port could be complicated and costly. Computer Audio Although most of the signals passing through a computer remain in digital format, audio must be changed to analog before it can drive a speaker. The audio card in a computer usually sends analog sound to both speaker and headphone jacks. You can use adapters in these jacks to add RCA-type push-in cords to connect computer sound to your home entertainment system. But to connect it from the HDMI port, you have to route the audio in your computer into your video card, and the video card must support HDMI audio. Video Card Computer video card quality, options and price vary widely. A simple video card with a composite video output may cost less than $100, or a complex video card with multiple inputs and outputs that supports both digital and analog formats could cost up to $3,500. The audio option in an HDMI video card increases its price. Most computers with an HDMI video card use the output only for the connection monitor. For laptops, they usually connect to presentation screens and the operator does the talking. So most manufacturers don't include the audio option, although you can order it. Converting Converting your computer HDMI output to include digital audio, in most cases, entails removing and replacing the video card, and in some cases, the audio card as well. After replacing the cards, you must reroute the audio into the HDMI video card, a process that may remove the audio signal from the speakers and headphones. If you want to return to using them, you have to change back. The actual quality of the audio will depend on the video and audio cards you install and the options you select. HDMI Audio Usage In a home entertainment system, audio is an essential ingredient. But many computer operators perform hundreds of functions that don't need audio. For those that do, speakers in the vicinity of the operator or headphones suffice. Computer operators don't generally need to fill a room with sound. For the few applications where the operator may need HDMI sound, such as in editing a music video, the cost of changing may be worthwhile. But for a stereo system, it may be wiser to buy a new DVD player with an HDMI output that is designed to integrate into the system.