How to connect a home theater to a computer

Today, to watch a movie with superb quality and sound, you don’t have to go to the cinema. Home theater is able to satisfy the most demanding viewer (or music lover). The equipment, among other things, can be connected to a PC. For what purpose it is done, we will tell about ways and possible malfunctions in our article.

Why connect a home theater to a computer?

Such a connection solves one of two problems:

  1. Computer games get a better image and powerful sound, you can watch movies and TV programs taken from the Internet using a home theater.
  2. Temporary replacement of the failed TV - in this case, the video will be broadcast on a computer monitor.

A malfunction in the receiver, or the lack thereof, can be solved by directly pairing the computer with the speaker system.

REFERENCE! Home theater components include a broadcast source (DVD player, satellite TV, etc.), a receiver (for converting and amplifying a signal), a speaker system (with or without a subwoofer), and a television showing the image.

Ways to connect home theater

The method chosen depends on the capabilities of the PC and the functionality of the hardware.

The first option is to connect the computer to the TV and speaker system. The circuit uses an amplifier, which can be a DVD player.

IMPORTANT! For stable and high-quality work, select the right adapters.

Connect the computer with a reinforcement device. We need adapters 3.5 miniJack - RCA. The first plug is plugged into the headphone jack on the front of the PC, indicated by an identical icon and painted in green. "Tulips" are included in the jacks of the player "AUX IN" ("Audio in"), the corresponding colors.

REFERENCE! In this and the following methods, you can use HDMI for communication between the PC and the receiver. This standard has the most reliable characteristics.

We connect the speaker system to the amplifier, using the necessary connectors, they can be called, for example, 5.1 CH Speakers Out, in an amount of 6 pieces (5 inputs for speakers and 1 for a subwoofer).

We interface the PC with the TV to transfer the picture. The choice of the type of wire will depend on the connectors on both devices. The most common and reliable standard is HDMI, but can be VGA, DVI or DisplayPort. In case of differences in formats, an appropriate adapter will be required.

Now the owner has the opportunity to watch and listen to files using a home theater directly from the computer.

The second method is to connect via a local network, via a Wi-Fi router or network cable.

We create the connection as in the first version, with only one difference: the adapter between the PC and the receiver is replaced with a network cable (in the case of Wi-Fi, the wire is not needed).

Procedure:

  • We are setting up the amplifier to receive a wired or wireless signal;
  • for a Wi-Fi network, further enter the password.

The advantage of this connection is that the computer does not replace any functions of the home theater and acts as an additional source of audio and video. In this case, you can configure full access to all computer folders with music and movies, watch Internet broadcasts.

The third way is to connect the computer to the speaker system, bypassing the player and the TV.

Adapters may be needed for the connection, a mini jack is a "tulip".

ATTENTION! As a rule, standard sound cards are installed on the PC, which can be damaged during long-term work with powerful acoustics. Therefore, we recommend purchasing an additional external sound module, which, plus everything, will have enough inputs to connect the entire group of speakers.

The fourth option is to connect a PC with speakers through the receiver, without participation in the TV receiver circuit. Here the home theater acts as a sound amplifier, and the picture is broadcast on a computer display.

To connect, you may need the above adapters, the algorithm of actions is the same, except for the TV.

ATTENTION! This method can be useful in case of failure of your TV.

What to do if there is no sound after connecting a home theater to a PC

If after connecting to the PC there is no sound, you should try to restart the OS and check the operation of the equipment. The operating system may not have automatically determined the new hardware as being used by default.

In the task pane using PCM, click on the speaker icon and select "Playback devices". In the list that opens, highlight the type of equipment (5.1) and click the "Default" button. Use "Apply" and "OK" to save the configuration.

REFERENCE! In the same window, by pressing the "Properties" button, you can further customize the operation settings by switching between tabs (balance, effects, etc.).

Another reason for the lack of sound may be the lack of setting the desired channel on the player. Go to the amplifier menu and activate the sound channels used. This can be done by selection.

Conflicts between different devices are possible when using all the components: speakers, TV, receiver. To resolve the issue, it is necessary to separate the video and audio signals. For this:

  1. The receiver is connected to the TV via an optical wire (the problem with sound is eliminated).
  2. TV and PC are mated with an HDMI cable.

We examined in detail the methods of connecting the computer and home theater. We hope that the article answered all questions from readers on this topic.

Watch the video: How to Connect Channel Speaker to your PC Manually. Like Theater (March 2024).

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