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

[CCCC]

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.

This is SO WRONG. For people in the same situation, do not follow that advice… an HDMI extractor will still have the issue of the phantom screen created, as expected

It happens that I have an HDMI extractor/repeater in the living room (for the PS5 and receiver that I have there). It is a $90 extractor. I have tried with the PC and the receiver and, as expected, the phantom screen is created as the PC sends the full (audio+video) signal through HDMI

 

[phofman]

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.

I would assume the primary monitor is connected to the PC via some other cable than HDMI (likely DisplayPort, or old DVI). Then the HDMI extractor does represent a second monitor (it reports its EDID) and makes the GPU to activate the HDMI video+audio stream.

 

[CCCC]

I would assume the primary monitor is connected to the PC via some other cable than HDMI (likely DisplayPort, or old DVI). Then the HDMI extractor does represent a second monitor (it reports its EDID) and makes the GPU to activate the HDMI video+audio stream.

Correct. I am using:

PC>>Displayport>>Monitor (for video 2k 180 fps)


PC>>HDMI>>Receiver (for audio)

 

[wwenze]

Correct. I am using:

PC>>Displayport>>Monitor (for video 2k 180 fps)


PC>>HDMI>>Receiver (for audio)

This is a pretty important piece of information.

With a more accurate picture, there are solutions depending on how much compromise you can accept.

a) Extracting from Displayport with 2k180 is in uncharted internet waters. Altho the below product exists and supports SST mode.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008262079377.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.3.40907d216Pn5xP&algo_pvid=c8fc0bb5-078e-4f84-bdca-51a7b0572fad&algo_exp_id=c8fc0bb5-078e-4f84-bdca-51a7b0572fad-2&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22order%22%3A%2242%22%2C%22eval%22%3A%221%22%2C%22fromPage%22%3A%22search%22%7D&pdp_npi=6%40dis%21SGD%2121.85%2112.46%21%21%2116.22%219.25%21%402140e03217623374046896238e3837%2112000044404765032%21sea%21SG%210%21ABX%211%210%21n_tag%3A-29910%3Bd%3Ad18d6e73%3Bm03_new_user%3A-29895%3BpisId%3A5000000190286789&curPageLogUid=cxZxgofwRUxX&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A%7Cx_object_id%3A1005008262079377%7C_p_origin_prod%3A

It does say TV for HDMI output, but no explicit mention of audio. Or how it handles EDID. I do not have personal experience with this product so the only help I can give is showing it exists.

2) Consider using HDMI cable to your monitor. Use HDMI 2.1 to guarantee 1080p240.

 

[CCCC]

My monitor is HDMI 2.0 and it is capped at 100hz via HDMI

 

[phofman]

Well then IMO the easiest way is not using HDMI audio (which inevitably creates the extra video output), but PCI-e or USB audio instead.

 

[CCCC]

I have not found an USB soundcard that passes 5.1 through tosslink

 

[phofman]

Neither does the HDMI extractor. Does your AVR have multichannel analog inputs?

 

[CCCC]

Nope… with analog inputs these USB soundcards would be valid

 

[phofman]

Maybe using another graphics card with HDMI output (second-hand for next to nothing) - according to

https://www.reddit.com/r/htpc/comments/huhc5h/second_gpu_as_hdmi_audio_card

it may work

 

[wwenze]

No longer useful in this case, but some extractors are weird

I have not found an USB soundcard that passes 5.1 through tosslink

Throw money to solve the problem. Sound Blaster G3 has Dolby Digital Live, for example.

 

[phofman]

User guide of that extractor says:

• To further process the audio signals digitally, connect a suitable device to the optical S/PDIF output via a Toslink fiber optic cable. To output audio in 5.1 format, set the ADV 2CH 5.1CH switch to the 5.1CH position. If stereo output is desired, set the ADV 2CH 5.1CH switch to the 2CH position. The ARC switch must then not be pressed and the ARC LED must not light up.
• To further process the audio signals in analogue form, connect a suitable device to the RCA sockets L and R. The ADV 2CH 5.1CH switch must be in the 2CH position

IMO that switch enables decoding of non-PCM multichannel formats to the stereo analog output/stereo PCM TOSLINK. In the 5.1CH position no decoding is active and the TOSLINK just outputs the incoming non-PCM format, if present. There is no multichannel PCM on the toslink.

 

[CCCC]

Maybe using another graphics card with HDMI output (second-hand for next to nothing) - according to

https://www.reddit.com/r/htpc/comments/huhc5h/second_gpu_as_hdmi_audio_card

it may work

I have a second graphic card, the one integrated in the cpu socket. I have tried and it creates a phantom screen, as expected

 

[phofman]

This sounds like a reasonable way

https://www.reddit.com/r/htpc/comments/huhc5h/comment/hhyfe6g

Yeah. Just make the Screen of the AV Reciver as small as Possible (Like 800x600) and move it Corner to Corner at the top Right Corner of the Screen. So the Mouse can't Escape to it

The suggestion to use a soundcard which can encode multichannel PCM to Dolby Digital on the fly is a good one too.

 

[CCCC]

No longer useful in this case, but some extractors are weird
View attachment 488058


Throw money to solve the problem. Sound Blaster G3 has Dolby Digital Live, for example.

But that is not a soundcard, it is an HDMI audio extractor that will create a phantom screen

At the end I will leave as it is, dealing sometimes with apps starting in the phantom screen, which can be annoying but bearable

Thanks

 

[CCCC]

So I have been trying a lot.... without success.
I have tried 2 different HDMI Audio extractors... and both created the phantom screen (as expected)
I have tried 3 different USB Soundcards with tslink/coaxial outputs, but all of them output 2.0 only

This should not be that difficult... it is digital to digital.

The only thing I have not tried, and I am not sure it exists today, is a Displayport Audio extractor. HDMI protocol creates a screen compulsorily, as video and audio go together, but for Displayport I do not know

 

[kyuu]

It's not that it's difficult, it's that your requirements are extremely oddball and there's likely no real demand for equipment to support your scenario. Most people in your situation would simply purchase an AVR that supports their requisite resolution/refresh and be done with it.

Alternately, you could purchase a cheap second monitor and either extract the audio from the HDMI connection to that or connect it through the AVR.

Or you can look to a device like this that might almost do what you want. Although it's limited to Displayport 1.2, that should be able to handle 1440p @ 180Hz if you use DSC. For the price of that device you could easily get a pretty good second monitor though.

 

[phofman]

@CCCC: Why can't you use only HDMI -> AVR HDMI input -> AVR DSP+audio -> AVR HDMI output -> HDMI to Displayport Adapter for 40USD -> your DisplayPort monitor?

 

[CCCC]

@CCCC: Why can't you use only HDMI -> AVR HDMI input -> AVR DSP+audio -> AVR HDMI output -> HDMI to Displayport Adapter for 40USD -> your DisplayPort monitor?

Because the AVR I have in this setup (gaming room) is only 1080p/60hz and I am playing 1440p/180fps. I cannot introduce the AVR in the Video path, it is only for Audio. Video goes directly from my PC to my monitor (1440p/180hz). There is no AVR in the market that can do 180hz (AVR don’t use DisplayPort)

I can send audio from PC to the AVR:

1) Through HDMI. But it creates an annoying phantom screen

2) Through USB/Tosslink. But it is only 2.0, and I need at least the LFE channel

 

[phofman]

Then - did you try the suggestion above to move the second screen corner to corner to the first one, so that the mouse (almost) cannot escape the primary screen?

Passing audio over HDMI (not ARC/eARC) requires the video signal to run, so IMO you will always have a second video screen in your system. If you cannot use linux (which of course allows setting the screens as needed, even detached from the primary screen so that the mouse has no way to escape by moving only) and have to stick to windows, then you will have to accept some workaround.