Adding audio line/digital out to a laptop - USB soundcards?

[Fozzybear]

I've bought an Acer 1355 from Staples and I am using it to play divx on my TV but the only output for audio is the headphone output. I can turn the level down and connect that to the inputs of my AV amp but I'm not keen on using the output like that. Can someone recommend a cheap way of getting a line out or a digital output from the laptop (especially one that will pass Dolby Digital). I've seen an £18 USB adaptor in Maplin that can give a line and an optical output, and Creative make the USB-based MP3+, which would seem to do the job, but I'd like some opinions before I splash out the cash. Anyone got any recommendations?

[Fozzybear]

No-one here use a USB soundcard?

I'd really like to hear from people with the Creative MP3+ as it looks suitable and is about £33 at amazon. Is it noisy, does it have any problems with pops and clicks? Can you set it up to send the dolby digital stream from a divx soundtrack to the S/PDIF output?

[stupidboyjj]

I just bought one of those Creative Mp3+ boxes yesterday after wanting to play music from my laptop through the hifi in the lounge, came across your post wanting to do similar things, it never occurred to me that these devices actually existed! So did a bit of investigation and the Creative thing was decently priced (about 34 quid I think from Scan) so I got one..just plugged it into the unused 'tuner' inputs on the amp, plugged the USB end into the laptop, it detected it and became the default audio out, winamp plays quite happily, the device is about the size of a cassette box and has a blue led on it which flashes when sound is going through it, only tried it a bit last night but it doesn't seem any noisier than any other hifi component.

Can't comment on the digital in/out bits as I don't have anything that uses those, but at 34 quid it's worth trying out.

JJ

[Fozzybear]

Thanks for that - didn't realise it was that small, which would be good. I think that this is what I need so might order one of from amazon where it's £33.21 and will raise a bit of cash for the forum's coffers.