Send audio from PC to receiver through HDMI without creating a phantom screen

[CCCC]

Hello,

From my PC I send video to my monitor (no speakers) and I send audio to my receiver via HDMI. This works very well, however the HDMI connection to my AVR creates a phantom screen (named Marantz) that is quite annoying as many times some apps are started in this screen or the miuse cursor goes there as well. It also consumes computing resources as it is another screen for the PC.

I have reduced these problems by setting the resolution of this phantom screen to the minimum and placing it in a corner (in the multiple screen disposition of Windows) but from time to time the cursor goes there or an app starts there

I know that with HDMI video and audio go together and for this reason the phantom screen is created. If I disable this phantom screen in windows, it also disables audio. Which are my options to get rid of the phantom screen? I have been thinking:

1) USB to toslink adaptor. I would send sound through USB that would be converted to toslink and then to the receiver. However I do not know if this suports multichannel (I have a 2.1 system in my PC setup) and also latency might be a problem

2) HDMI audio extractor to toslink. My only doubt here is: would the phantom screen still be created? As PC sends HDMI signal (audio+video) I am afraid that despite audio is extracted afterwards, the PC understands that I am connecting to a screen

Thanks!

 

[Berwhale]

What's your PC? The motherboard may already have an SPDIF header, in which case you can just add a SPDIF/TOSLINK bracket (though this may only output stereo)

Another option might be to get a multichannel soundcard with TOSLINK output. Something like this... https://www.amazon.co.uk/CSL-8-chan...5KP5A/ref=pd_lpo_d_sccl_2/259-3891647-9707830

I have a Sound Blaster X4 which people seems to do the job you want (according to Reddit anyway, mine it not close enough either of my AVRs to test). The X4 is 4x () as expensive as the one I linked to above, but obviously it comes with far better software and support. I picked mine up on sale on Amazon, you may see something similar on Black Friday, or there's the option to buy B stock for £69.99 from Creative (in the UK at least)... https://uk.creative.com/p/b-stock/sound-blaster-x4-b-stock

The X4 will encode stereo and multichannel to Dolby Digital Line and output on SPDIF you tell it to...

 

[nerdstrike]

Some old advice is to make the second screen a clone/mirror of the primary (if it'll let you). The computer overhead is low and you lose the extra desktop.

 

[Berwhale]

Some old advice is to make the second screen a clone/mirror of the primary (if it'll let you). The computer overhead is low and you lose the extra desktop.

It's worth a try, but I think cloning will set the resolution to match the lowest device, which won't be great if it's the AVR.

 

[nerdstrike]

I agree that's a possibility. Otherwise maybe it's worth turning off HDMI pass through on the specific input of the AVR to see if that also kills the sound channels.

 

[CCCC]

Thanks guys

1) of course my motherboard does not have toslink output

2) cloning the phantom screen is a bad idea as the primary would adopt its low resolution and refresh rate. And increasing the resolution and refresh rate of the phatom to match the primary, would consume DOUBLE resources fom my GPU, which, despite being a 5090, I need all the power available for VR

3) the soundcard of Amazon UK might do the trick. I understand it is USB-in and OPT-out with multichannel capabilities?

 

[Devnull]

Cloning the screen will not double the GPU resources, maybe adds a few percent more load.

 

[CCCC]

Cloning the screen is NOT an option. Thanks…

 

[Berwhale]

3) the soundcard of Amazon UK might do the trick. I understand it is USB-in and OPT-out with multichannel capabilities?

It might do, you may have to buy one to find out. On the other hand, the capabilities of the Sound Blaster X4 are well known and it can definitely solve your problem.

 

[nerdstrike]

Under the circumstances then I'd suggest eBay for something like a used Asus Xonar or Creative X-whatever card. You can probably pick something up a few years old for cheap. It wouldn't matter since you only really want the digital out. There were usb variants if your case is tiny or mobo lacks pcie slots/channels.

 

[CCCC]

Under the circumstances then I'd suggest eBay for something like a used Asus Xonar or Creative X-whatever card. You can probably pick something up a few years old for cheap. It wouldn't matter since you only really want the digital out. There were usb variants if your case is tiny or mobo lacks pcie slots/channels.

And why not the above soundcard or even this one https://amzn.eu/d/7aResu3 which is even cheaper? I just need 2.1 sound for simracing, not audiophile specs at all. It will basically output engine sound, rumble, revs, tyre friction etc not even voices or music. Sound quality is not key here, however the multichannel (for the LFE channel) is

 

[Berwhale]

And why not the above soundcard or even this one https://amzn.eu/d/7aResu3 which is even cheaper? I just need 2.1 sound for simracing, not audiophile specs at all. It will basically output engine sound, rumble, revs, tyre friction etc not even voices or music. Sound quality is not key here, however the multichannel (for the LFE channel) is

I'm fairly sure the cheap USB sound cards will only output stereo over SPDIF. My understanding is that any multichannel audio above 2.0 (stereo) needs to be compressed to be sent over SPDIF and this is what Dolby Digital Live does (or DTS Connect).

 

[CCCC]

Reviewers in Amazon say they are able to extract 5.1 sound…

 

[wwenze]

The HDMI extractor is fine. Or you can use a HDMI splitter.

2) HDMI audio extractor to toslink. My only doubt here is: would the phantom screen still be created? As PC sends HDMI signal (audio+video) I am afraid that despite audio is extracted afterwards, the PC understands that I am connecting to a screen

You put this between your real screen and the PC.

Reviewers in Amazon say they are able to extract 5.1 sound…

I've had people tell me they can get 5.1 sound via Standard USB driver in Android. This is why I tend not to believe the general public.

 

[kyuu]

Is it possible to connect your monitor via the AVR's video out? Or is the AVR an older model that doesn't support the resolution/refresh rate you are using?

 

[Berwhale]

Reviewers in Amazon say they are able to extract 5.1 sound…

It will certainly play 5.1 out of it's analogue outputs. The question is, can it compress and encode 5.1 and then send that out over the SPDIF. My understanding is that Dolby Digital Live or DTS connect is required to do this on SPDIF.

 

[CCCC]

Is it possible to connect your monitor via the AVR's video out? Or is the AVR an older model that doesn't support the resolution/refresh rate you are using?

AVR cannot handle 180fps nor 1440p

The HDMI extractor is fine. Or you can use a HDMI splitter.



You put this between your real screen and the PC.

Extractor is between the PC and the AVR yes, but the PC sends HDMI video+audio so the phantom screen would be created, depending on the EDID capabilities of the extractor… according to ChatGPT, a cheap extractor would make the PC to create the phantom screen

 

[nerdstrike]

And why not the above soundcard or even this one https://amzn.eu/d/7aResu3 which is even cheaper

Personally I like to avoid a separate box if possible, and I'd opt for something that definitely and provably performs the required capability. Whichever path is most cost effective and least likely to require returning to sender.

I'm a bit wary of anonymous electronics.. Lots of barely functional dross on Amazon/Temu etc and returns are a pain.

 

[Berwhale]

A few other things to note...

Dual Monitor Tools can be used to pin your mouse to your main screen and stop it going on to the AVR display... https://dualmonitortool.sourceforge.net/

You can move windows between displays using the Windows Key + SHIFT + CURSOR LEFT/RIGHT key combination. Applications should remember which display they were shutdown on and relaunch on the same display...

 

[wwenze]

AVR cannot handle 180fps nor 1440p



Extractor is between the PC and the AVR yes, but the PC sends HDMI video+audio so the phantom screen would be created, depending on the EDID capabilities of the extractor… according to ChatGPT, a cheap extractor would make the PC to create the phantom screen

An extractor, essentially a repeater, with one HDMI in and one HDMI out, has no capability to tell the PC that oh, your single HDMI cable is *somehow* being connected to 2 screens at once and that, your graphics card is, *somehow*, able to output two 2 screens at once on the same cable and socket. There is no chip inside the extractor that can do this function.

The phantom screen situation is legit when the extractor is connected to the GPU with no screen connected to the extractor. If you are connecting your screen through the extractor, there is no electronic capability for phantom screen to happen. There is only 1 cable connected to the GPU. The GPU sees one cable and one screen.