How to get lots of things working together...

I'm building a new computer, and have made up my mind on most of the components (Asus A7V, TBird 800, 128M PC133 CAS2, Asus V7700 deluxe w/tv box, Pioneer DVD 115).

However, I'm not sure which sound card & speakers to get. I'm thinking about the Santa Cruz card & DTT2500 speakers, but have lots of questions:
1. If I play a Dolby Digital DVD, will I get Dolby Digital output (5.1 channels)?
2. If I watch TV, and its in regular Dolby surround, do I get surround? (Mainly this is for Farscape https://www.sharkyforums.com/images/.../2005/06/5.gif
3. If I play a game with surround, will that also work?
4. If yes to any of the above, what connections do I use? Will simply using S/PDIF work for all scenarios? Also, is there an internal connector from DVD drive to sound card?
5. Am I trying to do too much with my computer? https://www.sharkyforums.com/images/.../2005/06/5.gif

It seems I had more questions than that, so maybe I'm forgetting something - very little sleep the past week http://dev.www.sharkyforums.forums.relay.cool/

Thanks for any help - I'm also flexible about the card, speakers, DVD, etc if another combo would work better.

mr456

sorry https://www.sharkyforums.com/images/.../2005/06/5.gif

[This message has been edited by demon3d (edited September 26, 2000).]

i would go for a SBLive! even though i like cambridge speakers, and i have had them (FPS2000), you would probably be better off (in the long run) getting a dolby digital receiver. that's exactly what i did...now i don't have any use for my FPS2000.
1. Yes! Definitely! But it depends on your setup.
2. Yes! With Live!Surround option from SBLive! Or presets on a DD receiver.
3. Yes! SBLive presets for various games and Live!Surround.
4. Yes! I simply connect spdif to my receiver, and set it to the appropriate preset. There is an internal connector, but ONLY for CD audio. Use it for Games, DVD, CD Audio, etc.
5. NO!!!i will never waste money on a set top dvd player. i don't even have a hardware mpeg2 decoder. Powerdvd works flawlessly! just don't install windows 2000 until they fix the spdif pass through function...maybe creatives labs fault though(unsure about that). Enjoy!
BTW, Pioneer for dvd is a great choice.

i would go for a SBLive! even though i like cambridge speakers, and i have had them (FPS2000), you would probably be better off (in the long run) getting a dolby digital receiver. that's exactly what i did...now i don't have any use for my FPS2000.
1. Yes! Definitely! But it depends on your setup.
2. Yes! With Live!Surround option from SBLive! Or presets on a DD receiver.
3. Yes! SBLive presets for various games and Live!Surround.
4. Yes! I simply connect spdif to my receiver, and set it to the appropriate preset. There is an internal connector, but ONLY for CD audio. Use it for Games, DVD, CD Audio, etc.
5. NO!!!i will never waste money on a set top dvd player. i don't even have a hardware mpeg2 decoder. Powerdvd works flawlessly! just don't install windows 2000 until they fix the spdif pass through function...maybe creatives labs fault though(unsure about that). Enjoy!
BTW, Pioneer for dvd is a great choice.

i would go for a SBLive! even though i like cambridge speakers, and i have had them (FPS2000), you would probably be better off (in the long run) getting a dolby digital receiver. that's exactly what i did...now i don't have any use for my FPS2000.
1. Yes! Definitely! But it depends on your setup.
2. Yes! With Live!Surround option from SBLive! Or presets on a DD receiver.
3. Yes! SBLive presets for various games and Live!Surround.
4. Yes! I simply connect spdif to my receiver, and set it to the appropriate preset. There is an internal connector, but ONLY for CD audio. Use it for Games, DVD, CD Audio, etc.
5. NO!!!i will never waste money on a set top dvd player. i don't even have a hardware mpeg2 decoder. Powerdvd works flawlessly! just don't install windows 2000 until they fix the spdif pass through function...maybe creatives labs fault though(unsure about that). Enjoy!
BTW, Pioneer for dvd is a great choice.

I just read a review of the Pioneer DVD-115, and they said that it didn't have an internal S/PDIF connector. Anyone know if this is true?
Oh, and I found the review from a link on sharkyextreme.

Thanks,
Chris