USB soundcard with 5.1 output via optical or digital coax?

[MATTRESS]

I'm using an older computer as kind of an HTPC. It only has stereo 3.5mm jack output.

I'd like to hook it up to my receiver to watch movies in surround sound.

Is there a USB "sound card" that will give me 5.1 digital output using toslink / optical?

Thanks!

 

[obobski]

yeah, the X-Fi USB will do that, so will a few E-MU and M-Audio solutions, as passthrough

what this means, is that if you have source material, say a DVD, with 5.1 audio, it will be passed along via S/PDIF, although the device will not re-encode, say, a stereo signal into a multi-ch signal

I'd probably just get the X-Fi, its got the most multimedia/consumer geared options, costs the least, and takes up the least space