How to connect and get true 5.1 surround sound from Laptop

[phantom2000]

I recently got a Philips HTS3538 home theatre system as a gift. I want to be able to use it with my Laptop which is Dell Inspiron 15R. I have no idea how to do it. Any ideas? Follow the link to take a look at the port configuration in the sound system.

http/

 

[bignastyid]

You'll need to get an external sound card and an optical spdif cable.
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102035
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882876107

 

[phantom2000]

You'll need to get an external sound card and an optical spdif cable.
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102035
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882876107

Can't I use my HDMI port available on the laptop?

 

[ssddx]

no need for anything fancy

just hook up your laptop to your home theater system via hdmi.

your HT will play dolby digital surround from movies and games perfectly fine... provided your laptop has hdmi output

 

[bignastyid]

Yep, it does have an HDMI port must have missed it the first time i looked over the specs.

 

[phantom2000]

Yep, it does have an HDMI port must have missed it the first time i looked over the specs.

But the HDMI port on the player says HDMI Out. Not In.

 

[ssddx]

i didnt look up your home theater system..

yeah... looks like your htib doesnt support hdmi input (which is why i dont like most htib sets and why i dont normally recommend using them).

well... you have a few options.

-see if your television has a spdif optical output and if it supports 5.1 dolby digital. if yes... you might be able to hook up to the tv via hdmi and then run the optical to the htib.

-use a hdmi passthrough device which splits audio out via optical. something like this http/www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-HDMI-to-Analog-Stereo-Optical-Audio-Converter-Dolby-5-1-7-1-Decoder-/221156873859 but you really dont need the "analog" options it has. basically you just need the hdmi passthrough, hdcp support and optical split off for audio.

-get a real receiver to use with your home theater system. i know this isnt a very nice option but if you have alot of things you want to connect in the future its the easiest way to hook things up.

 

[phantom2000]

i didnt look up your home theater system..

yeah... looks like your htib doesnt support hdmi input (which is why i dont like most htib sets and why i dont normally recommend using them).

well... you have a few options.

-see if your television has a spdif optical output and if it supports 5.1 dolby digital. if yes... you might be able to hook up to the tv via hdmi and then run the optical to the htib.

-use a hdmi passthrough device which splits audio out via optical. something like this http/www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-HDMI-to-Analog-Stereo-Optical-Audio-Converter-Dolby-5-1-7-1-Decoder-/221156873859 but you really dont need the "analog" options it has. basically you just need the hdmi passthrough, hdcp support and optical split off for audio.

-get a real receiver to use with your home theater system. i know this isnt a very nice option but if you have alot of things you want to connect in the future its the easiest way to hook things up.

I'm not planing to use it with a TV. I don't even need the player. If I can somehow point the sound from the laptop to the speakers and the subwoofer, that's what I really want. Any suggestions on that?

 

[bignastyid]

Something like this may work.
http/www.ebay.com/itm/HDMI-to-HDMI-SPDIF-RCA-L-R-Audio-Extractor-Converter-/360713631249
You connect the converter to the laptop via HDMI then hook the converter to the receiver via optical spdif.

 

[phantom2000]

Something like this may work.
http/www.ebay.com/itm/HDMI-to-HDMI-SPDIF-RCA-L-R-Audio-Extractor-Converter-/360713631249
You connect the converter to the laptop via HDMI then hook the converter to the receiver via optical spdif.

Can't I use a different receiver? That supports HDMI. Please provide the ebay link if you can.

 

[ssddx]

what bignastyid listed is exactly what i was suggesting.

the hdmi would go to your tv (for video) while the optical spdif would go to your receiver (for sound).

the only negative is that you would need to swap your tv input (to the video input) since the receiver unit you have cannot provide it (no hdmi input) but since it has optical input it can play the sound out your speakers. its also rather cheap at $35.

getting a different receiver is going to cost more money (to get something decent you're looking at $150-200)

onkyo isnt a terrible budget brand to go with but i went with this sony for my parents since i picked it up for less than 200. decent selection of inputs, it has an on screen display and it can power large speakers. http/www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-STR-DH540-5-2-Channel-4K-AV-Receiver-725-Watt-Receiver-/161179613311?pt=Receivers_Tuners&hash=item25870db87f while perhaps not the best of all receivers it is fairly cheap with a large output. so no real issues and setup was easy. not a fan of the tuner but then again i dont like the tuner on my $550 receiver (my personal unit) too well either so no big deal.

edit:

since you have a dvd/receiver combo box... using a different receiver would likely involve getting a new dvd/br player. not sure if yours will send 5.1 out via hdmi when it is designed to be the device outputting the sound via its own receiver/amp. you would need to check (you can always just try it out to see first and get a dvd/br if it doesnt)

 

[phantom2000]

what bignastyid listed is exactly what i was suggesting.

the hdmi would go to your tv (for video) while the optical spdif would go to your receiver (for sound).

the only negative is that you would need to swap your tv input (to the video input) since the receiver unit you have cannot provide it (no hdmi input) but since it has optical input it can play the sound out your speakers. its also rather cheap at $35.

getting a different receiver is going to cost more money (to get something decent you're looking at $150-200)

onkyo isnt a terrible budget brand to go with but i went with this sony for my parents since i picked it up for less than 200. decent selection of inputs, it has an on screen display and it can power large speakers. http/www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-STR-DH540-5-2-Channel-4K-AV-Receiver-725-Watt-Receiver-/161179613311?pt=Receivers_Tuners&hash=item25870db87f while perhaps not the best of all receivers it is fairly cheap with a large output. so no real issues and setup was easy. not a fan of the tuner but then again i dont like the tuner on my $550 receiver (my personal unit) too well either so no big deal.

edit:

since you have a dvd/receiver combo box... using a different receiver would likely involve getting a new dvd/br player. not sure if yours will send 5.1 out via hdmi when it is designed to be the device outputting the sound via its own receiver/amp. you would need to check (you can always just try it out to see first and get a dvd/br if it doesnt)

Thanks. I will try the options,