What are my MC7 audio options?
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NitDawg.
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October 20, 2010 at 10:05 am #25754
TV speakers in my TV are horrible. The TV has AV audio out via analog composite and digital coax. I know I can hook up my home theater system to it, but I want everything to run through the OEM MC remote control. Not to mention the complication of an AV receiver. Just looking for some lean options to stay true to the media center model.
Anyone have some ideas?
October 20, 2010 at 2:03 pm #28603I’d get a Logitech Harmony remote and run the pc audio directly to an input on the receiver,
October 20, 2010 at 5:32 pm #28604Seconded.
Love my Harmony 550.October 21, 2010 at 1:48 am #28605Thanks for the ideas guys. I have several Harmonys. I like them too, but like I said I am trying to stay with Media Center all the way. I find the OEM media center remote amazingly simple and effective. I have the same remote with each TV. The wife factor says that is a good thing. I am going to leave that alone.
Maybe I need one of those amplified sound bars connected directly to the TV.
October 21, 2010 at 2:08 am #28606What AVR do you have? Many AVRs will have a RS232 that you can hookup to your HTPC and have the PC control the AVR volume.
October 21, 2010 at 2:30 am #28607I programmed the volume buttons on my mce remote to control the speakers instead of the pc volume level. Some mce remotes are learning remotes.
I use a pc speaker system that came with a remote, so i learned the volume buttons from this remote.
October 21, 2010 at 9:01 am #28608Sorry. No RS232.
I am confused as to what I need myself.
I had considered built-in HTPC amplifiers to power the hometheater speakers, but the reviews on such a setup were not good. They recommended a special external amplifier specifically made for MC. You still controlled the audio through MC, but this amplifier would power up and down automatically with your media center. As I recall it was a little on the high side, so I thought there may now be some similar, yet less costly solutions.
October 21, 2010 at 8:42 pm #28609I have known some people to set their reciever to a specific volume level and then use MC to control volume sent to the reciever.
Though I don’t know what happens when you shift to material with varying volume levels like those stupid commercials.
October 22, 2010 at 1:40 am #28610A limitation of the MCE remote is the number of programmable buttons. Mine has 3 buttons, 1 for power, and 2 for volume up/down. I can’t use it to turn the TV and AVR on and off. You could get a soundbar with auto power, and use the remote’s learning buttons for TV power and soundbar volume.
October 22, 2010 at 7:56 pm #28611[quote=”Mast3rL33″]
I have known some people to set their reciever to a specific volume level and then use MC to control volume sent to the reciever.
[/quote]This is a good way to get sub-optimal sound quality when using analog output. Optimal sound quality for Windows 7/Vista is setting the master volume level to 0dB and letting an amp do the volume adjustments. To see the volume in decibels, you must open up the speaker properties, click on the Levels tab and right-click to select the decibels option.
October 22, 2010 at 8:09 pm #28612[quote=”swoon”]
This is a good way to get sub-optimal sound quality when using analog output. Optimal sound quality for Windows 7/Vista is setting the master volume level to 0dB and letting an amp do the volume adjustments. To see the volume in decibels, you must open up the speaker properties, click on the Levels tab and right-click to select the decibels option.
[/quote]A little off-topic but it is interesting to me to see how many sound card vendors still don’t use 100% volume for 0dB. I hate the inconsistency.
October 22, 2010 at 9:03 pm #28613Wouldn’t setting the master to 0 be mute? If I am connected via optical should I have the master audio set to 0, e.g. in Media Center would the icon in the top right be at 0 or mute and the amp would control the volume.
October 22, 2010 at 9:31 pm #28614[quote=”Meester.Rip”]
Wouldn’t setting the master to 0 be mute? If I am connected via optical should I have the master audio set to 0, e.g. in Media Center would the icon in the top right be at 0 or mute and the amp would control the volume.
[/quote]0dB is actually unity gain. Decreasing the signal level would be a negative decibel value. The zero you are thinking of is 0%.
October 23, 2010 at 2:41 am #28615[quote=”Meester.Rip”]
Wouldn’t setting the master to 0 be mute? If I am connected via optical should I have the master audio set to 0, e.g. in Media Center would the icon in the top right be at 0 or mute and the amp would control the volume.
[/quote]It doesn’t matter what the level is in Media Center when using digital out. The actual volume of the sound is going to be the same regardless of the number Media Center displays. Unless you do hit the mute button, then of course the sound will mute.
October 23, 2010 at 2:49 am #28616[quote=”htpc_user”]
[quote=”Meester.Rip”]
Wouldn’t setting the master to 0 be mute? If I am connected via optical should I have the master audio set to 0, e.g. in Media Center would the icon in the top right be at 0 or mute and the amp would control the volume.
[/quote]It doesn’t matter what the level is in Media Center when using digital out. The actual volume of the sound is going to be the same regardless of the number Media Center displays. Unless you do hit the mute button, then of course the sound will mute.
[/quote]For bitstreaming, I know this is the case. For PCM, I believe the volume control does have an effect.
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