True 5.1 from laptop?

[maxisbored]

Hey guys, i want to multipurpose my laptop as a home theatre system but to be honest, i'm totally amateur in regards to audio tech so i have some questions to ask before i get shopping.

My laptop has an spdif out, with Dolby® Advanced Audio V2 (whatever this means?) and HDMI out. Though my laptop is connected via HDMI to a projector. So my first question is, is it just as simple as using spdf out to a 5.1 system?

Or, would my best bet be to get a reciever, go hdmi to the receiver, then send the video back to the projector? I'm not exactly sure how all of this works, so if anyone could enlighten me on the basics, or maybe suggest a decent system around 150-200$ i'd be forever grateful


Thanks!

 

[americanaudiophile]

Either way will work. If you get a system with HDMI inputs then it will make it simpler to use too. Your price range may limit you to something that doesn't have hdmi so make sure it has spdif in.