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Hello there,
I use a PC for my media centre at home, so I should be able to point you in the right direction.
Although, it would have been better with a little more specification detail... Like sound card etc.
FOR THE SOUND...
I have a 7.1 channel sound card with optical output so I connect to my reciever via optical. This is always the best choice as it sends the raw data (or PCM depending on the audio compression) to the reciever for it to be converted to the highest quality sound possible.
The next best choice would be a coaxial connection (looks similar to a single RCA jack), which can also transmit raw data (or PCM) but not quite as good as an optical cable can.
The last choice would be to simply connect via analog. Again your sound card would dictate what options you have. If you have 5.1 channel analog output, then you could hook up 3 cables (1 for front L/R, 1 for centre/subwoofer, 1 for rear L/R) to get the full home theatre range. If however you only have a regular 2 channel output jack, you can still get surround sound but you will have to enable pro-logic on your reciever (a kind of simulated 6 channel surround sound taken from a 2 channel source).
FOR THE VIDEO...
I am not sure I can help too much with this... I have heard of media streaming devices that can send video, audio etc. over a wireless link. With these devices you do not need direct line of sight. As far as I know infra-red is the only wireless method where you would need direct line of sight, and there is no way this would have anywhere near the required bandwidth to stream video, audio media etc. These devices use technology like Wi-Fi etc. I would think that these devices are best put to use when you want to deliver media to a room or somewhere the PC can't reach.
My choice would be to connect to the display device with the VGA connection, this would certainly offer the best quality picture. I know these cables can be thick and bulky but with some careful planning you should be able to conceal it effectively.
If you need to ask more questions to clarify what information I have offered, please go ahead.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 5. August 2006 @ 13:10
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