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Topic: Laptop S/PDIF (Read 4955 times) previous topic - next topic
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Laptop S/PDIF

I have an S/PDIF connection on my laptop that I would LOVE to connect to my surround system.  However, I have no idea how to make this thing work.  I only have expierence with the optical connection (and noting that the audio is way out of sync with the video in my system).  If there was a way I could hack together a connector without buying anything else (like I did with the long analog cable) then that would be great too.

Basically, I need to know what tells the computer that I have connected a digital cable to it, and what the difference in it and the analog tip is.

Laptop S/PDIF

Reply #1 –
It would be nice to know your notebook manufacturer and the type of sound card it comes with.  My notebook has a SPDIF outout and I use a digital coaxil audio cable to hook it up to my Logitech Z-680 system to get Dolby 5.1 surround sound in games and movies.

Initially, my audio was out of sync with the video.  I then downloaded the latest drivers for my soundcard from my notebook manufacturer's website and everything was fixed.

As far as digital connections go, for audio, there are three types: digital coaxil, digital optical audio, and HDMI (it is both digital video and digital audio in one cable).  Analog connections are everything else like 2.8 mm (might be 3.8 or 3.5 or 2.5 mm, I can't remember) headphone connections.

Laptop S/PDIF

Reply #3 –
If there is a separate S/PDIF output jack, it may always be active. Otherwise look to the Windows mixer settings. If your Koss has an S/PDIF input, simply connect a cable between the soundcard output and that input.
If the Koss has only an optical digital input (TOSlink), you need an extra box, such as the M-Audio CO2, to convert the format.

Normally S/PDIF uses RCA jacks and plugs. If the Koss supports S/PDIF input, it is almost certainly via such a jack. If the soundcard does not have that type of jack, you need a cable with the appropriate plug at either end -- RCA on one, 1/8" phono on the other. These are common, but often the 1/8" plug is stereo. You need it to be mono.

If the cable length is fairly short, like 3 to 4 feet, normal interconnect wire will work fine. Somewhere between there and the S/PDIF maximum length you will start having problems if the cable is not 75 ohm impedance.

Laptop S/PDIF

Reply #4 –
If the connecter is combined with the heaphone output then it is almost certainly optical.

You can connect it with an "optical 3.5 mm miniplug to toslink" adapter or connection cord.

Some images "by google":



Laptop S/PDIF

Reply #5 –
No dice.  I used that, and no success.  It fits, but its not optical.  It seems there is a mini coax as mentioned above.  I found a retractable one for minidisc players (I'll stick with sonicstage thank you) that could work, but thats 14 dollars that I don't have.
 

Laptop S/PDIF

Reply #7 –
I looked at the specs for the notebook and the official HP website doesn't list anything about SPDIF or any type of digital audio output.  It only mentions headphone output (3.5 mm analog output).

If you are talking about the HP dock then that offers both analog 3.5 mm headphone output and standard digital coaxil output.  Digital coaxil looks like this, the orange connector on the very far left: