Can I hack my S/PDIF out to an in port?

[kenhikage]

Hello Home Audio community,

My question relates to several pieces of hardware, so I hope it isn't misplaced.
Pertinent hardware:
Asus Rampage III Extreme LGA 1366 motherboard
5.1 Creative Inspire [T6160] (JPN) speakers
32" Toshiba REGZA [32A8000] (JPN) HDTV
AMD Radeon HD [6950] graphics card

I have six game consoles connected to my TV via 2 composite video RCA stereo plugs. Sadly, while I have connectors, this TV doesn't have component input. It is also connected to my computer via HDMI, which is then connected by three 3.5 mm TRS plugs to my cheap 5.1 surround speakers.

My question is, can I somehow send my game consoles' audio to my 5.1 speakers by either: 1) hacking my mobo's S/PFID out port into and in, or, 2) sending the audio through the HDMI cable?

If anyone needs help translating Japanese documentation, I'll be happy to do what I can.

 

[ssddx]

does your tv have the correct outputs to power the 5.1 speakers? this would be by far the easiest option and not to mention a power saving option. running the pc just for audio passthrough is not very economical. if not there is most likely an adapter so that you can connect them.

if not, what speaker outputs does the tv have? if any.

if you are in the tokyo vicinity you might want to stroll through akihabara to find such goodies. if not, i know japan has some nice websites to buy from.

hack spdif to input: not likely worth your time or money.
send audio through hdmi: do you mean the output to the tv? i dont think you can backfeed audio when sending video the opposite way.

if all else fails and your tv does not support speaker outputs then you do have a few options....

you could channel all audio to the pc. this would require all devices sending their audio cables to the pc and most likely a switch box and single cable going to a soundcard (which can support audio input).

you could also get a cheap receiver and have every device hook up to it and then power the speakers from this device. most likely some sort of adapter cables may be required though as home theater and pc speaker plug configurations are different. i would advise looking this up if you wanted to pursue this.

the nice thing about a receiver (i use one myself) is that every input device goes to one box. this one box sends one cable to the tv. this one box then has speakers connected to it. changing device inputs is as simple as turning a knob. no more flipping tv inputs, changing channels, flipping switches, etcetera.

i have your same motherboard as well. i run hdmi out to my receiver which has video passthrough to the tv. the audio is processed by the receiver as i have no soundcard. well, i do have the "onboard audio" which comes as a module for the motherboard but i dont have anything connected to it.

 

[kenhikage]

Thanks for all the advice. While an audio receiver would be the optimal solution, I don't have $300 to blow.

The only audio out my TV has is a headphone jack. Is there some way to split this for surround? It does have several audio inputs, so I was wondering if any of those could be reversed. My limited understanding is that S/PFID is the best audio my TV can receive.

Oh, and I built this desktop in Japan, but have since returned to the US.

 

[ssddx]

receivers do not have to be in the $300 range. i've seen used or refurbished models for $50 or brand new models for a little over $100. of course before you seriously consider this i would suggest reading up on how to hook up your current speakers which i assume are pc speakers.

sorry to say, the headphone jack is stereo. this means 2.0/2.1 only.

i do not think you can "reverse" any ports.

generally speaking both s/pdif and hdmi are the best options for sound input.

i was on vacation in tokyo back in april. quite a huge culture shock but quite a good experience. akihabara is like a geek haven. i saw products there i did not know existed!

back on topic....

you might be able to make due with some sort of audio switch with all the audio going to a box which then connects up to your pc via sound input from a sound card and then you can play sound via your pc speakers normally.

there are many things you could do to make it work, but quite a few most likely arent pretty. i prefer the simplest route myself. i'm sure there may be options we havent expored.. i am just listing what i can think of

 

[kenhikage]

Best answer selected by kenhikage.