Assign XBMC app to HDMI & PC speakers default audio device

I recently upgraded my graphics card to one that will pass the audio through the HDMI up a floor to my TV. It works/looks great & so does XBMC.

This machine is also used for many other tasks including gaming. I want all my audio to use the 5.1 PC speakers as Default Audio Device. Then i want to assign XBMC to use HDMI as default.

Right now i can not play BF3 because my girl is watching desperate housewives.. only 1 of us can use the audio.
This has to be resolved asap. Any ideas?

*I hear "virtual audio cable" software may do this.

I'm not sure about doing it as default,however I believe you can change which audio device a specific application uses in Windows 7, poke around in sound options. I only have one audio device on my current PC, but I seem to remember being able to assign different apps to different sound devices when I had USB headphones. Good luck!

I still have no resolution for this. I was thinking of running XBMC in a VM... but i see no means of connecting the HDMI to the VM. modern HDMI has an ethernet option built in.. but still i see no way to knit the 2 together.

All i need to do is tell 1 application (XBMC) to use HDMI for audio device.
everything else on pc use speakers (default)

sounds so simple.. yet...

well i am using IndieVolume in trial mode right now to play battlefield3 while my women upstairs watching mobwives over HDMI.

so far this is the only solution i have found. -anything that keeps me from having to watch that shit.

In XBMC there is an option for what sound device to use.

Its under settings > system > Audio output - Audio output device.

In windows set your PC speakers to be default

and in XBMC set it to use the HDMI connection.

^^^ yep

^^^^I tried this, but I still only get the default device in XBMC. I want to have hdmi playing through xbmc(digital audio) and analog audio through PC speakers. When I set PC speakers to default audio device, then it doesn't matter which device I select in XBMC, I only get the speaker output.

(2012-08-18 04:33)wsmuir Wrote:  ^^^^I tried this, but I still only get the default device in XBMC. I want to have hdmi playing through xbmc(digital audio) and analog audio through PC speakers. When I set PC speakers to default audio device, then it doesn't matter which device I select in XBMC, I only get the speaker output.

I've had the opposite problem.

Setting the output to HDMI forces all XBMC output to the TV (or receiver in my case) which is good at times, but in situations where I want to use the PC speakers instead I have to manually change it to PC.

What you could try is at the bottom changing the output away from Default audio device to the specific connection (for intsance mine says WASAPI: Name of my receiver (Nvidia High Definition Audio). Setting this and reloading XBMC forces it to that output device.

Now that i'm looking at this option, I don't really understand it's intended function, or more importantly, the top option for Audio Output doesn't actually seem to be what directs the sounds? It only enables or disables the abilities of if it will pass Dolby Digital? For example:

As mentioned above, i have my desktop running XBMC with 2 graphics cards (because it was my present to myself). One of which is running HDMI out to my Receiver + TV. The only other audio connection I have is the standard Mobo PC speaker slot that has your regular ol 2 set speakers and a subwoofer. However, If i set the top Audio Output to "HDMI", I still get sound through the speakers. That is, as long as the bottom Audio Output settings is set to "Primary Driver" or "Speakers". If I have it set to analog, nothing changes. If the Audio output is set to the Receiver, I still get sound on the receiver via the HDMI.

Maybe this could be a little more clear.

But to answer the OP's question, Try specifying the output at the bottom of the Audio Output section. Be aware that the selection will not take effect until after you close XBMC and re-open the program.

EDIT: I see this is what the others were suggesting, It's just awfully confusing with Audio Output at the top and Audio Output Device at the bottom. That, and the fact that you have to restart XBMC to even check and see if it works.

The top option is the device type - e.g. analog, optical or HDMI. It doesn't select the device, only limits the range of options. For example you can't passthrough DTS on an analog connection, nor multichannel PCM like FLAC over optical.

The bottom settings are for the actual output device(s), one for analog e.g. PCM, the other for encoded or passthrough formats like AC3 (Dolby), DTS, etc. They are what actually sets the device used for passthrough and non-passthrough streams.

They are where you would direct the output to the connected device. For example, for analog audio you could set the device to a soundcards analog outputs, and for passthrough formats to HDMI, etc.

Did anyone figure out how to get audio to output through hdmi and pc speakers simultaneously?