Can I run the audio and video from my PC through my TV as well as a theater system?

August 5, 2004 5:16 PM

I've bought this home theater system, a tv with s-video, and I've got the video card in my pc with s-vid and this s-vid+audio cable. Question inside.

Is it possible to have the audio and video from my pc run through the tv as well as the theater system?

posted by Scottk to technology (8 comments total)

At the same time? Or do you mean sometimes you want to use the amp and sometimes you want to use the television's little speakers?
posted by majick at 6:47 PM on August 5, 2004

The theater system doesn't appear to have any video inputs, so no.

But your question doesn't totally make sense to me. What is your goal?
posted by sad_otter at 7:49 PM on August 5, 2004

Sorry for the question being unclear.
Basically, I want to play movies off my pc on to my tv, which, in turn, is connected to that theater system.
I understand that running an s-video lien directly from teh pc to the tv would work using my computers speakers, but I'd prefer the ability to use the theater system.
posted by Scottk at 8:34 PM on August 5, 2004

Easy.

Run the s-video cable from the pc to the tv.

Run an audio patch cord from your computer's audio-out to one of the audio inputs on the theater box.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:25 PM on August 5, 2004

If your TV has ab audio out just run that to the sound system.
posted by chiababe at 2:10 AM on August 6, 2004

ROU_Xenophobe has the right idea, but looking at the cable you bought, you don't need a separate audio patch cord. It's included on the cable. From the description: "the audio and video portions can be separated as much as you need to reach your components." So you run PC s-video to the TV's video input (RCA) and separate the audio part of the cable enough to reach the audio inputs on your theater system.
posted by Otis at 5:05 AM on August 6, 2004

But then you'll be dropping from s-video to composite and lose a whole bunch of image quality. Get another s-video cable, they're cheap.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 4:40 PM on August 6, 2004

Thanks, all.
posted by Scottk at 7:23 PM on August 6, 2004