tmiller9833:

I have your same configuration and can tell you I've tried to get this to work over the last few betas and now with rtm with no luck.  The audio interfaces in vista are supurb but they should allow not only input balancing but output balancing.

In my config I need analog audio to power a whole house dist (rf modulation over coax) and the optical to power local sound through a THX A/V reciever.  I've changed my setup to take the power the whole house through the A/V reciever but I sometimes don't want to hear the localized output.

I wonder, do you think adding a second sound card would work?  In other words, use the onboard sound card in SPDIF/digital audio mode, and then add a USB-based soundcard for analog audio output.  Would Windows (and MCE, in particular) output to both sound cards?

for what it's worth, my mobo (k8ngm2-fid) will do exactly what you're asking for

 

spdif to receiver, the 5.1 jacks on the back still active (just run right/left channel to the tv)

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HTPC#1: MSI K8NGM2-FID, Athlon X2 3800+, 1gb kingston ram, Nvidia Dual Tuner, MCE 2005

HTPC#2: ASUS M2NBP-VM CSM, Athlon X2 3800+, 1gb kingston ram, Hauppauge 150MCE, MCE 2005

I had both spdif and analog out working at the same time with my Creative Audigy NX or NZ or something card.  Unfortunately the spdif stopped working and I can't get it up again, so WTF.

As to running two sound cards, I don't think that will work, doesn't windows and/or windows apps require you to specify which device is going to handle the audio?

 

Tikker: are you using the onboard video on your mobo?

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Biostar TForce TF7050-M2, AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+, 2GB, Radeon HD 2400PRO 256MB, AverMedia A180 HDTV tuner, couple large HDDs, LG CCG-H20L BD drive, Antec NSK2400, Vista Home Premium, into 42" Vizio 1080p LCD TV and Onkyo TX-SR501 HTR via DVI and SPDIF.

you bet

currently using the onboard s-video, but once the new TV arrives, it'll be the onboard DVI connector

I'm very very happy with this mobo

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HTPC#1: MSI K8NGM2-FID, Athlon X2 3800+, 1gb kingston ram, Nvidia Dual Tuner, MCE 2005

HTPC#2: ASUS M2NBP-VM CSM, Athlon X2 3800+, 1gb kingston ram, Hauppauge 150MCE, MCE 2005

netarc:

Suffering from the same issue - realized today when I tried this that my HP z558 system (uses the RealTek drivers) won't output analog and digital simultaneously ... when one is selected (via MCE's "set up your speakers"), the other is disabled.

 

same issue with vista... with MCE2005, both analog and digital worked at the same time. with vista and the new realtek drivers, they do not. bummer!

mattsoft:

netarc:

Suffering from the same issue - realized today when I tried this that my HP z558 system (uses the RealTek drivers) won't output analog and digital simultaneously ... when one is selected (via MCE's "set up your speakers"), the other is disabled.

 

same issue with vista... with MCE2005, both analog and digital worked at the same time. with vista and the new realtek drivers, they do not. bummer!

 

Any update on this yet from anyone?  I'm suffering the same problem here. It worked perfectly in MCE 2005.  Now in Vista it seems that either Vista or Realtek want to only use one of the 2 hardware interfaces.  When you use one, the other one shuts completely down.  They have to fix this!  The new Vista MCE is too cool to go back to 2005!  :-\

DDHD:

Any update on this yet from anyone?  I'm suffering the same problem here. It worked perfectly in MCE 2005.  Now in Vista it seems that either Vista or Realtek want to only use one of the 2 hardware interfaces.  When you use one, the other one shuts completely down.  They have to fix this!  The new Vista MCE is too cool to go back to 2005!  :-\

i haven't tried re-installing Vista since this. it's just sitting on the shelf until I hear otherwise, or until I want to waste a few hours of my day installing it again. ugh...

I have this same problem with Vista. I'm using an Intel DG-965OT. Switching back and forth is terrible. For those who have worked around this using an external splitter and then decoder, can you share what make/model you are using? I'd like to hear if you have noticed a delay when playing stereo files?

Incidentally, I had this working in MCE 2005 using a different MB. Can't go back to that since I've shrunk down to uATX.

 

Tikker:

for what it's worth, my mobo (k8ngm2-fid) will do exactly what you're asking for

spdif to receiver, the 5.1 jacks on the back still active (just run right/left channel to the tv)

I have the same mobo as you and can not get it to work.  It works fine for analog TV, but when I wach a DVD or HDTV with a DD5.1 source I can only get one or the other depending on how I set up media center.  I can either do:
- DD5.1 to receiver but no 3.5mm jack sound to TV or
- receiver downmixes DD5.1 to PLII and I can get 3.5mm stereo to the TV

I want both since my wife prefers not to use the receiver.

Anyway, I had an idea... since my TV (Panasonic plasma TH-42PX60U) has HDMI, purchase this video card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814127237
edit: newegg link is dead.  Edit2: newegg has it back up.  Try here also: 
http://www.pcalchemy.com/product_info.php/pName/msi-nx7600gsmtd256e-geforce-7600gs-256mb-128bit-gddr2-pcie-x16-hdmi/cName/video-cards
(Also there is a Gigabyte 7600GS passive with HDMI that is supposed to come out in April.)

Use a y-splitter like this one:
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1090/cab-05/3-pin_Y_Cable_Splitter.html?tl=g35c34s277
from the motherboard SPDIF header (using only 2 of the 3 pins on the cable of course).  Split one off to my digital coaxial bracket and one off to the video card input and BAM!  I have HDMI to the TV for my wife and digital coaxial to the receiver for myself.  I can again watch movies and TV in all their surround sound glory and keep the wife happy.

Do you think this would work?  Will my TV take the SPDIF passthrough and convert it to stereo?  Do you see any problems with splitting the SPDIF header on the mobo?

Edit: I guess newegg has it back up on their site... here's info from MSI though:

http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/vga/vga/pro_vga_detail.php?UID=781

Any comments on whether my idea will work?

I had actually considered the exact same solution, but I bought a different videocard (long story short) and I'm still searching for another solution (and I don't know if it would have worked, but it looked reasonable).

My mobo (N4L-VM DH) has onboard SPDIF and multichannel (azalia)  jacks, but they get disabled by enabling the SPDIF.

Surely there's some kind of add-on card that can convert the signal from the onboard SPDIF headers to analog output for my TV while the mobo continues to output SPDIF out to my AV receiver?!

Anybody?

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HD160XT, Asus N4L-VM DH, Intel T5600, Geforce 7600GS, PVR150MCE, 1x2Gb Kingston DDR2 667 RAM, 2x500Gb Samsung HDs, Samsung DVD-/+R, Corsair 1Gb TurboFlash, Onkyo RC447M remote, Vista HP
OnkyoTX-DS595, Sonus Faber Concertino Domus, Kef KHT2005 5.1

piwikiwi:

Surely there's some kind of add-on card that can convert the signal from the onboard SPDIF headers to analog output for my TV while the mobo continues to output SPDIF out to my AV receiver?!

Heh.  My 5 year old DVD player will send a DD5.1 signal to the receiver (via digital optical) and an analog stereo signal to the TV simultaneously.  It's just crazy it's so difficult to get a frackin' computer to do it.

This is a royal PITA, it's true ... I can't figure who's to blame, whether it's the H/W vendors for writing sloppy/incomplete drivers, or MS for an overzealous and unfair-to-consumers audio DRM model ... I'm thinking the latter, as I seem to recall reading somewhere a claim that MS was requiring an either/or approach (w/respect to audio "analog out" v. "digital out") from h/w vendors, presumably in order to receive their "vista-ready" stamp.

If that's so, we're out in the cold ... unless one has access to hacked drivers =(

aeroguy:

piwikiwi:

Surely there's some kind of add-on card that can convert the signal from the onboard SPDIF headers to analog output for my TV while the mobo continues to output SPDIF out to my AV receiver?!

Heh.  My 5 year old DVD player will send a DD5.1 signal to the receiver (via digital optical) and an analog stereo signal to the TV simultaneously.  It's just crazy it's so difficult to get a frackin' computer to do it.

I just retired one just like it, so now (like a lot of us, I'm sure) I just have a good AV amp and the comparably sized and styled HTPC. Putting my DVD player back in the setup (and I have considered it) would really defeat the whole purpose.
Oh well, I'm sure we'll find a good way.

By the way, did anyone read that post about using a digital to analog converter? I never could find any reasonable hardware.

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HD160XT, Asus N4L-VM DH, Intel T5600, Geforce 7600GS, PVR150MCE, 1x2Gb Kingston DDR2 667 RAM, 2x500Gb Samsung HDs, Samsung DVD-/+R, Corsair 1Gb TurboFlash, Onkyo RC447M remote, Vista HP
OnkyoTX-DS595, Sonus Faber Concertino Domus, Kef KHT2005 5.1

piwikiwi:

By the way, did anyone read that post about using a digital to analog converter? I never could find any reasonable hardware.

I saw that post about the digital to analog converter as well. I was never able to find anything that seemed to match what was described. Seems so basic and obvious, my only concern was whether the conversion would introduce a (noticable) delay. If not then I'm ready to pay now. I really would like to get my multiroom working again. Anyone know of a product like this?