Connecting HDMI output from Laptop to Telly

wexfordman

Hi,

Just got a new HP Pavillion laptop, and it has HDMI output on it, so I hookled it up to my flat screen Great picture etc, but the sound still came from the laptop, and not from the tv. Anyone know how I can set it up so the sound comes through my tv also ?

Regards,
Wexfordman

Hal1

You need a cable to go from the headphone output to the line-in (phono type cable) on the tv. Available from any half descent electrical shop.

wexfordman

Thanks for that, I thought the Audio would go via the HDMI as well no ?

mossym

careful with that, headphone output is an amplified output, phono connectors on your tv are line level inputs, keep the volume on the headphone output down to avoind distortion or worse damage.

as for audio on the hdmi output, try looking in control panel/sound and audio devices, you should be able to choose what to use as an audio output, if the hdmi output is not listed there it is possible hp didn't hook up a digital output from your soundcard to the hdmi transmitter chip...would seem strange though. Anything in the manual about it?

wexfordman

Thanks All,

Actuae solution here http://infopirate.org/no-sound-through-hdmi-yet, seems I needed to tell my laptop which audio source was default. Pity it does not select automatically when I plug the HDMI cable in, bit of a pain having to go to the control panel all the time.

Anyway, plugged it into our new 42" lcd, and wathced a movie I had saved on the Hard drive, awsome experience, and played a little with media centre a bit more. Just discoreved the "Online Media" section of it. How do I go about getting some content on here (tv and misuc, lifestly pictures etc).

REegards,
Wexfordman

8T8

Are you using digital or analogue audio ?

Did HP actually build in a SPDIF output from the audio chip into the HDMI output on the laptop and thats why your changing the audio device in the control panel ?

If you don't want to switch between audio devices you could check to see if the TV has analogue audio inputs for the HDMI connection on it some do and some don't. You could then pipe the audio out from the headphones (keeping in mind mossym advice) and it should cut off the laptop speakers when using it so no need to change audio device anymore.

If this is Windows Vista and it's media centre software what you could try is go into the settings menu and into the speakers section and set it for digital audio and see if the test music plays on the off change it can switch audio outputs of it's own accord.

The online media section holds nothing for anyone outside North America if you wish to see whats in there with XP MCE you could change your location to USA in IE and it would enable the content, I do not know if that still works in Vista but you are not missing anything worthwhile.

wexfordman

How do you mean am I using digital or abnalogue ? I have only the HDMI cable connected from the laptop to the TV, and get audio and video through it now (once I changed the settings I described above). The laptop does have a seperate SPDIF output, but have never used it.

Thanks for the info on the online media, might tey and chenge it tonight just for the craic (I am using vista btw)

I am really impressed with Media Centre, think I am going to have to purchase a HTPC. Any recommendations would be appreciated. It woudl need to be reasonably priced, and quiet, as I will probably dump my NAS if I go the HTPC route.

Wexfordman

8T8

Your audio chip most likely has analogue & digital outputs when you switch to the digital SPDIF output in the control panel this is why you get audio through the HDMI interface.

But over analogue audio you wont and I presume the speakers built into the notebook are not hooked into the digital output which is why you must change back and forth.

As for a HTPC better off asking in the HTPC forum but there are new media extenders coming out at the end of the year so it may be worth sticking with the laptop for the time being and just get the MCE remote.

Also to correct the colour difference in the TV (by default it is set to computer black/white levels) I highly recommend you apply these changes in the ffdshow control panel;


You can make those changes without having to use ffdshow if you have an ATI GPU go into ATI control panel under advanced-colour section and tick box for MCE mode.