Computer Setups

• Computer design primarily puts the user in mind and not an audience for the viewing screen. Therefore most computers route the audio to either speaker of headphone jacks intended for use by the operator only. Although many computers now feature an HDMI port, the idea comes from making a standardized connection from all video sources to all viewing screens. An HDMI port on a computer usually only makes a video connection to the monitor. Adding audio to the HDMI signal usually requires upgrading the video card to one that supports HDMI audio and then rerouting the audio into it.
  
  

Video Card Options

• Since video cards come in an extremely wide range of quality and prices, and since most computer users only need speakers or headphones, standard production computer options usually only include an HDMI video card that does not include sound. If the card does have the sound option, it probably has the audio routed to an analog sound card to drive external speakers or a headset. To see if your video card supports sound, click on "Display Adapters" in the hardware section of the device manager. Click on your video card to see its options, which vary widely with different models.
  
  

Adding the Sound

• If your video card supports audio, you will need to reroute sound away from your speaker or headphone jack into the video card. If the card doesn't support audio, you need to replace it, which could be an expensive and time-consuming operation. Also it will move the audio away from your speakers and you will have to reroute it back when you want to use them. If you only watch iTunes on your HDTV set for limited times, it may be easier to bypass the HDMI connection with other options.
  
  

Bypassing HDMI

• When you see the iTunes video on your HDTV set, you still hear the sound on your computer. You can use headphones as one option. Or you can get larger speakers with amplifiers that plug into your speaker jack. Another option is to use a USB adapter to connect your sound directly to the audio input jacks of your HDTV with standard RCA audio cords. Or, if you have an AV receiver, you can route the USB adapter output into it and listen to iTunes on your high-end speaker system, which may be better than on your HDTV speakers.