Does anyone know whether the Sony STR-DE575 supports the SPDIF
connector.  I was thinking of buying a HDTV card for my pc and would
like to attach it to my receiver.  Thanks.  Also I would like to know what
port on the back of the receiver is the SPDIF connector if there is
one.

Hello gregoryew,

Thanks for your question.

Yes, the STR-DE575 Sony receiver has one SPDIF input as noted on this
Sony page:

http://www.sel.sony.com/SEL/consumer/ss5/home/homeaudio/receivers/str-de575.shtml

...5.1-channel input for new high-resolution multi-channel audio
sources such as SACD

2 Optical digital inputs, 1 coaxial digital input 

S-Video output ...

SPDIF, by the way, stands for Sony and Philips Digital Interconnect
Format.It is one of three common digital connections including Toslink
optical and AES-EBU professional balanced digital connectors.

The coaxial digital input noted above is SPDIF, which looks like a
standard RCA or phono connector we have all used for many years on
home audio equipment, but carries a digital signal rather than analog.
The cables for SPDIF digital also need to be 75 ohm cables for optimum
performance, and although they may look like standard audio phono
cables, they are not.  However, coaxial digital and video cables are
both 75 ohm and are interchangeable. You will find that they often
have connectors that are yellow, which denotes video where black,
white and red are commonly used for analog audio connections.

The SPDIF digital input on this receiver is commonly used for decoding
Dolby Digital or DTS signals from a DVD player or other surround
source. Since the unit has 2 optical and one coaxial digital inputs,
you may find that these can be assigned by switches or software to
different settings on the reciver. For example, I have audio
selections on my system and any of them can be set to select the
analog jacks corresponding to that input or any one of the digital
inputs. Consult your manual for the exact operation of this unit.

This input will likely be grouped near the 2 optical digital inputs.
These are small recesssed square connectors and often have a small
removable cover to keep dust away from the optics of the connector.

Searching further, I also found the manual for this receiver at
http://www.agoraquest.com/manual_section.php in Adobe .pdf format:

http://www.agoraquest.com/manual_files/885_file.pdf

Page 5 of this manual shows the coaxial digital input as being on the
very left of the unit when looking at the rear panel and labelled
DVD/LD IN - COAXIAL and just below the two optical digital inputs. The
top of page 23 shows how to assign this input to the desired selector
- DVD/LD or TV/SAT.

I trust this answers your question. If anything is unclear, please do
ask for clarification.

Search strategy: Sony STR-DE575

Regards,

-=clouseau=-

Very complete answer.  Thanks for your help.