LAST UPDATE 9:40 AM EST 8/13/2009Added the ASUS Slimline card because it is widely available now. The rule is that a card will be added when it is available for immediate purchase at a B&M retailer or online distributor that is widely regarded as “reputable” but not before then.
The intent of this thread is to provide up to date information on what the CURRENT status of HDMI in an HTPC is. This first post will not attempt to rate or promote any particular solution. Instead it will list many of the features that are related to HDMI output and what solutions will provide or not provide those features. It will be up to the reader to determine what features are most important to them.
Please Note: That this thread is in a constant state of update. If you don't see an item listed or a feature listed please post a comment. The point of the thread is that no one person could test every card and every feature. It is up to the community to provide all of the information.
Windows XP and Vista with current drivers
Feature|IGP Intel G35|IGP Intel G45|IGP ATI 3200|ATI 4XXX series|ATI 3XXX series|ATI 2XXX series|IGP nVidia 8200/8300|IGP nVidia 9300/9400|Asus Xonar HDAV Audio Card|Asus Xonar HDAV Deluxe Audio Card|Asus Xonar Slimline Card|All Nvidia Based Graphics cards
Slot Type|IGP|IGP|IGP|PCI-E|PCI-E|PCI-E|IGP|IGP|PCI-E|PCI-E|PCI|PCI-E|
Blu-ray DTS-MA Bitstreaming|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
!(1)
|
!(1)
|
!(1)
|
X
Blu-ray DD True-HD Bitstreaming|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
!(1)
|
!(1)
|
!(1)
|
X
Blu-ray DTS-HD Bitstreaming|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
!(1)
|
!(1)
|
!(1)
|
X
Blu-ray DD+ Bitstreaming|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
!(1)
|
!(1)
|
!(1)
|
X
Blu-ray 7.1 Lossless un-downconverted PCM|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
*(1)
|
*(1)
|
*(1)
|
X
Blu-ray 5.1 Lossless un-downconverted PCM|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
*(1)
|
*(1)
|
*(1)
|
X
HD-DVD Bitstreaming(All HD formats)|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
*(9)
|
*(9)
|
*(9)
|
X
48 Khz 16 Bit Down Converted 7.1 Channel PCM|
Y
|
Y
|
X
|
!(2)
|
X
|
X
|
Y
|
Y
|
!(3)
|
!(3)
|
!(3)
|
X
48 Khz 16 Bit Down Converted 5.1 Channel PCM|
Y
|
Y
|
X
|
!(2)
|
X
|
X
|
U
|
Y
|
!(3)
|
!(3)
|
!(3)
|
X
Supports bit perfect 192 Khz 24 Bit FLAC with 7.1 Channel PCM|
Y
|
Y
|
X
|
Y
|
X
|
X
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
X
DD HDMI Bitstreaming|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
!(2)
|
!(2)
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
*(5)
DTS HDMI Bitstreaming|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
!(2)
|
!(2)
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
*(5)
7.1 Un-downconverted Analog Output|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
*(8)
|
X
|
X
24FPS Support|
!(4)
|
!(4)
|
!(4)
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
!(6)
|
!(6)
|
Y
|
Y
Hardware Video Acceleration|
X
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
*(7)
Supports PowerDVD versions 7,8,9|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
Supports ArcSoft TMT V2|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
Supports ArcSoft TMT V3(Currently TMT is the only software that can bitstream HD-Audio)|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
Supports ASUS version of Arcsoft's TMT(Currently TMT is the only software that can bitstream HD-Audio)|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
X
Supports WinDVD9|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
Dual digital monitor output Support|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Y
|
Y
|
Y
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Y
Current Average Street Price|
U
|
U
|
U
|
$65-$200
|
$30-$200
|
U
|
U
|
U
|
$180-$215
|
$215-$248
|
$150
|
U Key:
Y - Works Perfectly
! – Works Inconsistently (See note number below)
& - Works but disables other features (See note number below)
* - Limited Functionality (See note number below)
X – Does not Work
U - Unknown
- Card does not exist yet
(1) The HD Formats can now be bitstreamed in the ASUS version of TMT and in ArcSoft's TMT 3. The ASUS version of TMT comes with the Asus HDAV 1.3 and TMT 3 currently can be purchased at a discount from the ArcSoft website. There are reports that bitstreaming is inconsistent with Windows Vista.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=16966165&postcount=255
(2) The ATI cards do not support audio over HDMI for some HDMI inputs of some receivers. See this thread for a work around.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15202002#post15202002 The latest 9.1 ATI Drivers have also resolved this issue for Yamaha receivers.
(3) Users have experienced a DTS Bomb like noise when selecting 7.1 or 5.1 in the Asus version of TMT instead of the HDMI option.
Warning it is so loud it can easily damage your speakers!
http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx...ard_id=21&model=Xonar HDAV1.3&page=1&count=11 Look at the very last post on page 1. The latest drivers and TMT software claim to have resolved this issue. I have not experienced it since I have upgraded.
(4) There are some reports of 24p stuttering
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15249118#post15249118
(5) Some Nvidia video cards(ie: GTX 280) support SPDIF(Standard Dolby Digital, DTS, and 2 channel PCM) pass through over HDMI.
(6) All 2008 ASUS HDAV cards do not support 24 FPS. However, all 2009 cards do support 24 FPS. See the link below for details on how to tell what card you have. If you have a 2008 card you can RMA it for a 2009 card through your local ASUS supplier.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15741239#post15741239
(7) Supported on all 8 series and later GPUs, except for the Geforce 8800 Ultra, 8800 GTX, 8800 GTS (320/640MB). These cards do not support hardware AVC (h264) decoding.
(8) Supports un-downconverted 7.1 analog output only in the ASUS version of TMT.
(9) Supports Dobly Digital True-HD, DTS-MA, and DTS-HD bitstreaming with the HDMI option in ArcSoft's TMT V3. DD+ titles will not play any audio with the HDMI audio selected in TMT V3. However, they will play standard DD from DD+ tracks if the SPDIF option is selected. myAV has stated that it is unlikely that ArcSoft will ever fully support HD-DVD bitstreaming for all codecs. Cyberlink has stated that PowerDVD 9 will not support HD-DVD playback.