Does a 5.1ch PC analog to HDMI converter exist or is possible?

[rspkers]

I've had an A/V receiver for a while now and have been so far forced to use an optical cable because the soundcard doesn't have an HDMI out. The GPU does, but I can't use that as I have a 3D monitor that doesn't use HDMI. So I've been looking for either an optical or 5.1ch analog (all 5 ports from soundcard, not just Red/White) into HDMI. As I understand it when you use Optical, the PC has to encode the digital sound first before hitting the receiver or you wont get directional sound, while HDMI or Analog does not need to be encoded first.

 

[Lutfij]

Unless the content you're viewing or hearing is not stated to have 5.1 surround sound then all the audio being passed through the HDMI port will be in stereo. HDMI can support both audio and video transmission but there is no such thing as 5.1 analog output to HDMI cable/adapter. If there are they are either too expensive or too cheap to be of any use.

The best route would be to purchase a soundcard that has support for 5.1 channel output or via the optical can provide the necessary sound processing for your receiver to pick up. You may want to look into the Asus Xonar DGX for that route. Further reading.

Speaking of setups, can you please pass on your full system's specs inclusive of your OS and audio equipment?