HDMI Graphics Card Recommendations.
#1
Hi,

I was hoping someone could recommend the best graphics card for use with XBMC?

Ideally I need the following features...

PCI-X
Full HD 1080P Support (I'm sure all have this)
5.1 surround support via HDMI
HDMI-CEC support. Don't know if there are any cards that support this or behave like pulse eight adaptor.

Any help greatly appreciated

Thanks
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#2
You mean PCI-E and not PCI-X right? Cause they're both things and PCI-X is kinda not a thing anymore...
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#3
Here are two choices-

1. EVGA 01G-P3-2615-KR GeForce GT 610

2. MSI R6450-MD1GD3/LP Radeon HD 6450

CEC adapter- PulseEight.....
>Alienware X51- do it all HTPC
>Simplify XBMC configurations
>HOW-TO Bitstreaming using XBMC
I refused to watch movie without bitstreaming HD audio!
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#4
You could also look at just about any 2nd generation i3/i5/i7 processor from Intel. They (nearly) all include integrated graphics on die which you can make use of so long as your MoBo supports it, and all of them are more than powerful enough to drive everything you requested above, including the i3. Then you don't have to spend cash on A) purchasing a discrete video card or B) spending cash to keep the discrete video card powered and cooled.

The one part I'm not 100% sure about is CEC.
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#5
Lol. Sorry. Meant. PCI-E!

Currently I'm actually running an i3 based dell computer (Inspiron 610 if I recall correctly).

It has hdmi out built in using intel HD chipset. I can't recall the specifics now but the HDMI on this system seems to only output 2 channel sound. I'm running it through an LG 42LG3000 tv and the sound goes from the optical out on the tv (serving as a pass through) to an LG BLURAY home theatre. I've wired it this way because I also have an Apple TV and an Xbox 360 connected.

I would like to try and get the sound from xbmc up to 5.1. Last time I played with it I noticed in the windows audio settings it would only let me choose 2 channel sound.

I'm currently running windows 8 but this problem was same on windows 7 too.

I just figured on board audio wasn't up to the job.
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#6
To get 5.1 you will have to connect it directly to the bluray. The tv is most likely downmixing whatever it gets to stereo
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#7
(2013-03-19, 23:20)PatrickVogeli Wrote: To get 5.1 you will have to connect it directly to the bluray. The tv is most likely downmixing whatever it gets to stereo

If this is true why have optical out?
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#8
(2013-03-20, 01:19)Cavemanuk2013 Wrote:
(2013-03-19, 23:20)PatrickVogeli Wrote: To get 5.1 you will have to connect it directly to the bluray. The tv is most likely downmixing whatever it gets to stereo

If this is true why have optical out?

And if this is true, why have digital pass through on HDMI??
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#9
Both flatscreen tvs I have owned have passed through AC3 audio, but to be sure is the 5.1 audio passed through from your 360 or ATV?

I have not seen a video card that supports cec, I'm pretty sure your only option is the pulse eight adapter.
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#10
Just to make sure that people understand me: a TV may accept a 5.1 input through HDMI, it may even accept Dobly and DTS passthrough. It then internally downmixes it to 2 channels or whatever it has and outputs it through the built-in speakers.

Why have optical out on a TV? To use external speakers, of course. I have a TV and have connected its optical out to my AVR, which has much better speakers than the tv. You could also feed one of those active soundbars.

What will happen when the audio is passed from the HDMI ports to the Optical output is another story. As I say, I believe most TVs just output stereo through the optical out. As theeedubb has said, what happens if you set the xbox or ATV to output 5.1 audio?
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#11
(2013-03-20, 09:12)teeedubb Wrote: Both flatscreen tvs I have owned have passed through AC3 audio, but to be sure is the 5.1 audio passed through from your 360 or ATV?

I have not seen a video card that supports cec, I'm pretty sure your only option is the pulse eight adapter.

You are quite correct, there is currently no known graphics cards on the market which have driver level CEC support, even if that bit existed, there still lacks the tie-in software to make it work
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HDMI Graphics Card Recommendations.0