Digital audio to analog audio DAC on a PC?

Thanks for helping Mark!

I've finally found a driver that allows me to route my sound through my motherboard, however I have run into another problem.

The sound that is being input though the optical cables is coming from a PlayStation3. If you're familiar with it, there is a menu which allows you to select to play music, a video, or a game. The meanu makes clicking noises, before you select a game to play it plays a sort of theme song of that game, and I get sound when I play videos I have downloaded, but when I try to play music or games I get no sound. At my parents house I had the sound hooked up to their reciever with the same optical cable and was getting all the sound I wanted, but for some reason with my PC I can't get sound when in games or playing music.

Is their any reason for this or possible solution to fixe this?

I just re-read your message, Are you trying to get a digital input INTO your PC and then out to the 7.1 If so you need to use the software that came with your sound card to redirect where you are getting the input from. I use an M-Audio audiophile 192 card that I can tell what input and output I want to use and it does the conversion for me.

Your sound card should have a built in DAC and there should be an analog out on it.

If you only have digital/Optical output then you will need an external DAC to convert the Optical signal to analog. DAC's can run in any price range from moderiate to very expensive.

Some surround-recevers now have DAC's built into them where you can plug an optical cable directly into it and on the right input setting it should work. Some of these inputs are programable and may need to be set so you would have to check your manual on that.

Good Luck