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  • SPDIF Input not working

    - by BiggJJ
    One of my motherboard has two SPDIF sockets. One input and one output. Under windows these work fine and I am able to achieve what I'm trying here. I want to set Ubuntu up so it will play the Digital input out the Analogue output(normal headphone jack). Under my input devices there is no digital options, and under configuration there is no option for Digital Stereo input I only have options for Digital output and Analogue input, when really I want it the other way around. Can anyone shed any light? error when starting gnome-alsamixer:

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  • Optical SPDIF audio from motherboard not working with receiver

    - by simon b
    Hi, I hope someone can help; I can't get my SPDIF optical out working through my receiver and all the responses I can see on the web assume you have a sound card, while I settled for the (seemingly high end) sound on my motherboard (Asus P7P55D-E PRO), which appears to limit some of my options. My set-up is a "new out of the box" one and is: *Windows 7 PC (using PowerDVD10 for DVDs/Blurays and Windows media player for music) *Asus P7P55D-E PRO motherboard - has 8-channel audio TRS jacks and SPDIF optical and coaxial out *An old Yamaha receiver, whose only multi-channel input options are optical in and 6 channel RCA in. However, it still can handle DTS and DD *Boston Acoustic Soundware XS 5.1 speakers I've currently got the SPDIF optical out from the motherboard connected to the in on my receiver, have SPDIF enabled in the sound menu and the light is glowing red down the fibre. But I'm getting no sound at all. What I want is to be able to play DVDs/BluRays in 5.1 but also to be able to play music in multi-channel mode (even though I know this will be "fake" multichannel; it's more about where I sit in the room and my requirement to use the sub because the Boston is a satellite/sub set-up) My questions are: *Will optical work at all for multi-channel? THe latest posts I can see suggest it does but some people seem to say optical only outputs stereo. Whom to believe? *Even if it does work, I've read that I have to disable AC-3 decoding, or make various other changes, which don't seem to be possible without the menu options that a sound-card brings. Is the motherboard-only option just too inflexible? *Although my SPDIF device is enabled in the sound menu, it insists under "Jack information" that it is a "rear panel RCA jack", when of course it is not (both TOSLINK and rCA jacks do exist). Has the PC just forgotten that it has an optical? *I think I could relatively easily connect the 8-channel 3.5mm TRS jacks to my receiver 6-ch input jacks by way of TRS/RCA cables, but would that not stop me from being able to play music from media-player in multi-channel mode, as I'm not sure the motherboard can cope *Or do I need to bite the bullet and buy a sound-card? And if so, how can I be sure the one I get doesn't have the same problem? Any thoughts gratefully received, Cheers, simon

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  • SPDIF passthrough not working in Windows 7

    - by adriangrigore
    Hi, I'm running Windows 7 on a computer with an Audigy Platinum eX sound card connected to a surround receiver via optical cabling. Sound works fine when listening to non-surround audio sources, such as windows sounds or MP3. However, when I view a DVD in Media Center and the SPDIF passthrough kicks in, I can only hear an awful noise instead of the movie soundtrack. Also, the receiver does not show the Dolby Digital or DTS symbol, but stays at Dolby Prologic, so it seems it doesn't identify the sound encoding properly. I could switch off SPDIF passthrough and use the sound card's decoder instead, but that's not an option for me since it would create more problems with regular MP3 playback via additional Stereo Receiver which is also connected to the same sound card. I've tried both the default Audigy drivers that come with Windows 7 and the latest drivers from the Soundblaster website, but the problem remains unchanged. Also, I have ensured that the receiver's Dolby Digital decoder is not broken by successfully connecting it to my PS3 to view a Dolby Digital DVD. Besides, SPDIF passthrough was working fine in Vista before I upgraded to Windows 7. Is there anything else I could try?

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  • MacBook Pro Boot Camp SPDIF passthrough?

    - by Ryan Zink
    I'm using Windows 7 through Boot Camp on a unibody Macbook Pro and am having problems using the SPDIF output. I get the expected Dolby Digital or DTS in some movies, but in other movies and in games (Source engine, StarCraft 2) where the output is enabled to 5.1, the output invariably shows up as Dolby Pro Logic, which means (I think) that passthrough is not enabled. The boot camp drivers for the sound card don't have any sort of control panel, and the Windows settings for enabling DTS and Dolby seem to work when I test those outputs in the sound settings. Is there some other setting or utility I can use to enable SPDIF passthrough for all programs?

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  • Enabling Surround sound on a Realtek ALC892 via SPDIF, on Windows 7

    - by Alex
    I have a problem with my ALC892, on an ASRock mainboard (ASRock 890FX Deluxe4). I get only stereo sounds if I use SPDIF connection, in general. My amp shows that is getting surround sound only when I use the Test feature of Windows 7. This test feature allows to know which formats are supported by the audio chip. The tests render correctly both Dolby Digital and DTS. You can find this test under Sounds, Playback Devices, Select Digital Audio, then "Properties". I am using Windows 7 x64, with the latest drivers from the official Realtek website. I also tested other driver versions, both from the Realtek website and from the ASRock one, but had no luck. Thanks for the help. Some specs: CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 MOBO: ASRock 890FX Deluxe4 (with onboard Realtek ALC892) Audio amp: Onkyo R-380 (works fine with other sources like PS3 and Xbox 360)

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  • Diverting sound output of MCE to SPDIF

    - by Saxtus
    I have an ASUS SupremeFX II audio card (which in fact is an onboard audio riser slot) with the default drivers that are pre-installed by Windows 7 x64 for this card. I am able to manually switch between analog output and SPDIF output by the means of control panel (or external utilities like STADS), a change that affects all applications. The problem is that by doing that every time I am about to launch Windows Media Center, except that it's not that elegant, also makes all other Windows application's sounds to pass through SPDIF too, bypassing analog output completely, blending with what I am watching at Windows Media Center. Is there a way to make SPDIF as the default playback device for Windows Media Center? I know other programs that have a setting like that (foobar2000 for example) working like charm, allowing me to even have different outputs working at the same time (tested with my current card successfully). But when comes to Windows Media Center... it just use what the default playback device is all the time. The only setting that I know of, is under: Settings General Windows Media Center Setup Set Up Your Speakers and what it does is to just change the default playback device for entire system. Please help!

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  • Get 5.1 surround sound from computer through a VCR config?

    - by Wedding Nails
    I'm posting to see if my idea of this setup is right and can be done. I currently have the following "equipment": a JVC VCR -quite old-, which has built in surround sound (aka it has several speaker outputs, which I believe is 5.1 and are connected to several speakers that are in every corner of the room), a computer with SPDIF optical output and a new flat screen TV (with built in HDMI). I want the computer to take advantage of the VCR's surround system (all the speakers in the room) in order to play mainly music and video always with all the speakers (5.1) and with the maximum sound quality. Currently, the computer plays sound only through the front speaker (I connect one output to the on board pc audio input) and the quality is really bad. As a side note, the computer video runs with S-video (old school), and the picture quality as you would imagine, is really bad with the new big LCD screen. My main goals are: to upgrade the picture with a new video card which would support HDMI (my tv has HDMI). to buy a SPDIF optical cable, connect one end to the VCR SPDIF input and the other end to the PC output This is theoretically what I've researched so far, and I came out with several questions: in this case, with the SPDIF cable connected, and all the configurations done in windows allowing the 5.1, will I get every content I play "converted" or played through all of my speakers? (I read this forum post). I already know that in order for this setup to play from all the speakers, the content/audio source has to be 5.1. but my question is, if there is a way to play from all of the speakers no matter what type of content I'm playing (that's why I said conversion there) I already know that HDMI cables carry digital sound. Is there a way I can only use said HDMI cord to the tv, and get sound through the VCR? (I'm not too sure about this, I would have to disable the TVs speakers and use the VCR surround as default, but I have no clue wether this can be done or not). Update: The ultimate question is, do I really have to rely on "sound virtualization" technology to get sound from all the speakers, no matter what content I play? (do I require a newer sound card, like a creative soundblaster with said technology?) Thanks!

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  • X-FI optical output not being recognized.

    - by Luciano
    Hello there! I have an issue and I don't know what to do! I have a SoundBlaster X-FI Xtreme Gamer, which has a spdif mini-optical output. I have it connected to a home theater, via a toslink cable and an adapter to fit in the mini plug. It used to work perfectly, but now it doesn't anymore. There is light travelling through the cable, but the HT doesn't pick up the signal. The sound card of the motherboard also has an optical output (regular, not mini) and it works ok, so the cable and the HT are fine, I think. What else should I try? Thanks, Luciano. PS: I only enabled the onboard card for testing, but usually it's disabled to avoid any kind of conflicts. PPS: I'm using Windows 7 64bit with latest drivers of everything, but like I said. It used to work.

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  • Dolby Digital Live (DDL) on Asus Rampage II Gene (Creative X-Fi Extreme)

    - by kevyn
    Hi there, I have an Asus Rampage II Gene motherboard which has X-Fi extreme built in. I can get it to work with Windows 7 ok using the Creative drivers, however when I try and install the DDL/DTS add on pack from Creative I get the error message: "There are no supported audio device available. You need to close the application. Click OK to close the application now" I don't understand it because I have the Creative software installed ok and supporting the sound without any problems. In Device manager the audio device comes up as 'High definition audio device' and uses driver: 6.1.7600.16385 from Microsoft. I tried using the Creative drivers which show up as 'soundmax HD audio' however these do not allow any of the Creative products to run properly. Please can anyone offer any help? Or even just confirm that DDL can work with my onboard sound? Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit 6GB DDR3 XFX GS8800 384mb Asus Rampage II Gene Intel i7 920 (2.66)

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  • How to split audio into multiple channels from optical S/PDIF or 1/8"?

    - by Josh M.
    I have a motherboard which has an optical S/PDIF output or 1/8". I'd like to "split" that signal into the appropriate channels so that I can then connect that to the wires behind my car's headunit which, in turn, run to the amp. The factory Bose amp just takes a single connector with a million wires running out of it, so that's why I would need to separate the signal into separate channels. On the other end there are four RCA connectors: front left, front right, rear left, rear right. The sub-woofer signal does not require an additional connection. Edit: Revised to include S/PDIF or 1/8".

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  • How can you convert audio (3.5mm) to S/PDIF?

    - by SSumner
    I have a monitor that I want to use as my 'TV' for my gaming system. I connect it via HDMI, so sound and video go through the monitor, but I want sound to my headphones, which travels via optical (S/PDIF) cable. The monitor (Dell U2713HM) has a 3.5mm audio jack on it for line out, but I couldn't find anything that simply plugs in an converts the analog audio signal to a digital one so I can plug in a S/PDIF cable. What sort of device do I need to do this? (I am not asking for shopping recommendations, merely what options allow this conversion. I would prefer the smallest option, as space is limited).

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  • Enable multiple audio output on Windows 7

    - by patrick
    For Windows 7, 64 bit: I have a digital SPDIF output to my stereo, which controls speakers in other rooms. I also have a set of speakers connected to the regular audio jack at the computer. This allows me to send music to the kitchen while my child plays games on the computer. Works great. Except when I'm playing games and still want to listen to music. ;-D I know I can manually switch WMP to play through the speakers instead of SPDIF, but I was wondering if there's any way to enable simultaneous audio out in Windows 7? Virtual Audio Card is a non-starter because I'm running 64 bits and the VAC driver isn't signed.

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  • No 'Hardware' tab in audio and no profiles

    - by Gene
    If I run the 12.x ubuntu (latest May 2012) from the CD, I get full audio settings, and sound playing in speaker. Profiles let me change analog to digital in/out. Once I run install from the same CD onto the laptop HD, once it boots the first time, after selecting audio settings, there is no 'Hardware' tab and no way to change profiles. Worst part is the audio device is set to SPDIF so nothing comes out of the speakers. Very off how booting off the CD I can get analog audio, and installing to HD and booting seems to limit the profile to something useless. Laptop is a 5 year old Dell D820 with Nvidea 128meg video on a 1920x1200 screen and T7200 CPU. I suspect if I could get the damn HARDWARE tab back in audio settings, I could just select the proper Analog profile - just as is the case if running from a boot CD. Searched the web, no similar problems found... any help appreciated!

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  • No analog audio in 13.10

    - by danepowell
    I've installed 13.10 on a machine that was previously running Windows 8, and audio output isn't working out of the box. It worked fine in Windows, and the speakers work fine when hooked up to a laptop, so it must an incompatibility between Ubuntu and the motherboard. If I go to sound settings, "Built-in Audio" is selected (SPDIF is also available). This is an Intel Z77 motherboard with an integrated Creative CA0132 sound chipset. I've tried booting a live image of 13.10 (to check for a corrupt install), and the same problem exists. If I boot a live image of 13.04, the only audio output listed in sound settings is a "dummy" card. I've already tried basic troubleshooting steps, such as removing pulseaudio config directories, force-restarting alsa, and making sure the speakers aren't muted in the alsa mixer. At this point, I'm totally stumped :(

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  • what is the best mid/high-end class audio/music creation audio sound card?

    - by Chris
    Hello, I have a computershop myself, and I repair computers. But one of the things I really don't know (yet) is the performace od audio cards for music creation with midi. I have searched and searched and came up with some good reviews, but after browsing for a couple of hours I could't see the trees trough the forrest :-D (it's a dutch expression) At one moment I thought the M-Audio - Delta 1010LT would be a good PCIe card, later on I read that this card was released years ago. (but that could be false information) Also any personal expierence would be great, but not necessairy. I have searched a few cards, and I hope someone can help me make a choice for a friend of mine. He's buget is between $100 and $350 I know there are audio cards from $ 500 - $1850,- this is just too expensive. The following specs are crucial: ASIO Midi Mic in minimal 5.1, 7.1 recommended it's not for airplay, but just to compose music at home. using Ableton and midi keyboard. 1. M-Audio - Delta 1010LT: 8 x 8 analog I/O 2 mic preamps or line inputs S/PDIF digital I/O (coaxial) with 2-channel PCM SCMS copy protection control digital I/O supports surround-encoded AC-3 and DTS pass-through 1 x 1 MIDI I/O directly drive up to 7.1 surround (bass management software included) software controlled 36-bit internal DSP digital mixing/routing +4dbu/-10dBV operation individually switched in software word clock I/O for sample accurate device synchronization 2. RME HDSP 9632: * Stereo Analog Ein- und Ausgang, symmetrisch*, 24-Bit/192kHz, > 110 dB SNR * Optionale Erweiterungsboards mit je 4 symmetrischen Ein- und Ausgängen * Alle analogen I/Os voll 192 kHz-fähig, also keine Reduzierung der Kanalzahl * 1 x ADAT Digital In/Out, 96 kHz-fähig (S/MUX) * 1 x SPDIF Digital In/Out, 192 kHz-fähig * 1 x Breakout Kabel für koaxialen SPDIF-Betrieb* * Also bis zu 16 Ein-und Ausgänge gleichzeitig nutzbar! * 1 x Stereo Kopfhörerausgang, parallel zum analogen Ausgang, aber eigene Pegelanpassung * 1 x MIDI I/O für 16 Kanäle Hi-Speed MIDI über Breakout Kabel * DIGICheck, RMEs einzigartiges Meter- und Analysetool mit Spectral Analyser, Professionelle Level Meter 2/8/16-Kanalig, Vector Audio Scope und diversen weiteren Analysefunktionen * HDSP Meter Bridge: Frei skalierbare Levelmeter mit Peak- und RMS Berechnung in Hardware * TotalMix: 512-Kanal Mischer mit 40 Bit interner Auflösung 3. EMU 1212M (1212 M) PCIe: * Top kwaliteit convertors 24-bit/192kHz convertors. * Hardware gestuurde effecten. * DSP zero-latency hardware mixen en monitoring. * Analoge en digitale I/O plus MIDI. * EMU Production Tools Software Bundle - Cakewalk SONAR , Steinberg Cubase LE, Ableton Live E-MU Edition **EMU 1212M PCI-e inputs/outputs:** * 2 balanced jack inputs. * 2 balanced jack outputs. * 24-bit/192kHz ADAT I/O. * 24-bit/192kHz Coaxiale S/PDif I/O switchable to AES/EBU. * MIDI I/O. 4. M-Audio Audiophile 192: - Up to 24-bit/192kHz audio - 2 balanced analog inputs (1/4” TRS) - 2 balanced analog outputs (1/4” TRS) - S/PDIF digital I/O (coaxial RCA connectors) with 2-channel PCM - SCMS copy protection control - Digital I/O supports surround-encoded AC-3 and DTS pass-through - Direct hardware input monitoring via separate balanced 1/4” TRS monitor outputs - Software routing of inputs and outputs - Digital I/O can be routed to/from external effects - 16-channel MIDI I/O - ASIO, WDM, GSIF 2 and Core Audio driver support for compatibility with most applications - 64-bit driver support for Windows - PCI 2.2 compatibility - Apple G5 compatible - Incompatible exceptions - Includes Ableton Live Lite music production software, so you can make music right away - Works with other Delta cards Technical Specifcations: - Compatibility - ASIO - WDM - GSIF 2 - Core Audio

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  • How can I stop Ubuntu from playing audio from 2 interfaces at the same time?

    - by Solignis
    Hi there, I just loaded Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick on my home machine. The machine is running a Core2Duo E6750 on an MSI motherboard with an Nvidia GTX260-OC Graphics card. The problem I am having as stated in the title is for some reason Ubuntu is playing audio through my headphone coming out from the computer and it is also playing the audio at the exact same time through the HDMI connection coming out of the graphics card, it has a plug to allow this. What is going on, I have never seen this before. Most importantly of all can it be fixed so that I can sepertate the 2 interfaces, the one is a standard PC audio IO and the HDMI one is connected through the mobo's internal SPDIF. More information can be provided if required.

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  • graphics cards with no HDMI output

    - by Noam Gal
    I am currently looking at Gainward GTX260 896MB GS GLH, but I've seen it also on the x275 version - the card doesn't have an HDMI output, only two dvi and one tv out (s-video?). They claim they support HDMI using a dvi-HDMI converter. Will I get a true high definition quality on my TV (assuming it supports it) like that? Or is it not as good, and I should stick to cards that have an HDMI output (ATI), or pay way too much for x295? What about connecting the audio? The x260 comes with an internal spdif cable - does that mean I can connect my soundcard to my graphics card, and have the audio come out through the dvi, and into the HDMI cable? Or am I mixing it all up here, and I have to somehow connect the sound to the TV using a seperate cable (Hoping it has a seperate audio-in for the HDMI channel)?

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  • Why does my audio keep reverting to stereo?

    - by GraemeF
    I have an ASUS P7P55D LE motherboard with onboard sound and I am running Windows 7 64-bit, and I am using the SPDIF output from my motherboard to my receiver. On my receiver I can see which audio channels are in use (i.e. stereo or 5.1) In the audio interface properties I can test DTS Audio and Dolby Digital outputs and both work fine, but when I try to play a game with 5.1 sound (I've tried Left 4 Dead and Dragon Age Origins) it reverts to stereo. I was getting this behaviour with the default Microsoft drivers so I installed the latest from the ASUS website but there is no difference. I notice that in the Advanced tab the Default Format only allows me to choose from various 2 channel formats so maybe that is something to do with it? How can I get 5.1 output all of the time?

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  • Audigy 2 Coaxial to Coaxial/Optical connection possible?

    - by Chris
    Hello, The original question is deleted, and asked again below with accurate information. Edit: Excuse me for my ignorance, my friend has a Logitech Z-5500 set. I thought after comparing those systems on Google images that he had the Z-680, but he hasn't. This set has a single Digital coaxial for DVD or CD players or PC sound cards (requires coaxial cable, sold separately) cable. This single cable was connected to the orange tulip connector (SPDIF coaxial out) on the backside of his onboard HP Elite m9070, this connector is broken. How can I use the digital out with a single cable coaxial cable on the Audigy2 (see image below) (I have the following converters for my disposal, can I use one of these? 3.5 mm male - coax optical mini optical male - toslink optical female 2 x toslink optical female, toslink coupler, optical audio extension note: Is it possible to connect a toslink cable with an mini optical male - toslink converter on the digital out of the Audigy 2? (see image below)

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  • Sound problems in Windows 7

    - by Plastkort
    hi! I hope I reached the correct forum for this question. I have a media computer with a third party audio card (Soundblaster audigy SE) I use a coaxial digital audio cable connected to a Onkyo TX SR508. if I use normal audio, the sound seems very low, I have to set volume atleast to 62 in my amplifier to hear anything, however if I set digital SPDIF I have no means of controlling the audio volume from the PC (only from the amplifier) and this can be nasty if I toggle between movies that uses Digital AC3/THX and movies wihtouth, if I look at movies capable of AC3 the volume gets VERY loud if amp is set to 62, 32 is more than enough volume when using passthrough. so this bothers me is how can I get the same amount of volume with or without digital output? I tried also other soundcards, internal red light Digital audio cable... if I connect to my television I get ok sound on any sound source via HDMI... help :)

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  • No digital audio output with Asus Xonar DG

    - by Lunatik
    I've purchased an Asus Xonar DG as replacement for faulty onboard audio in a Medion 8822 as it has an optical output which is all I really need to feed my HTPC. I uninstalled the previous drivers/devices, switched the PC off, inserted the Asus card, powered up, disabled the onboard audio in the BIOS, then installed the driver that came on the CD (same version as on Asus' website as of today) and everything went perfectly - no errors. I set the audio devices up in Windows and in the Asus utility (SPDIF enabled, 6-ch audio) as I would expect to see them work, but the only thing is I have no digital audio from test tones within Windows/the Asus utility, PCM audio or Dolby Digital from DVD. Analogue audio is fine. I've uninstalled things and reinstalled a couple of times now, as well as trying almost all combinations of analogue/digital outputs but can't get it sorted. Does anyone have any tips on how to get this working? This card has just been released so there isn't much out there to go on. Notes: The light on the toslink port is lit. OS is Vista 32-bit SP2 and all up to date, pretty much a fresh install with almost no 3rd party applications installed This page seems to suggest that a digital output device in Windows is not needed with Xonar cards as it was with the previous Realtek so I have it set to Analog. The only other output device is S/PDIF pass-thru

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  • No digital audio output with Asus Xonar DG

    - by Lunatik
    I've purchased an Asus Xonar DG as replacement for faulty onboard audio in a Medion 8822 as it has an optical output which is all I really need to feed my HTPC. I uninstalled the previous drivers/devices, switched the PC off, inserted the Asus card, powered up, disabled the onboard audio in the BIOS, then installed the driver that came on the CD (same version as on Asus' website as of today) and everything went perfectly - no errors. I set the audio devices up in Windows and in the Asus utility (SPDIF enabled, 6-ch audio) as I would expect to see them work, but the only thing is I have no digital audio from test tones within Windows/the Asus utility, PCM audio or Dolby Digital from DVD. Analogue audio is fine. I've uninstalled things and reinstalled a couple of times now, as well as trying almost all combinations of analogue/digital outputs but can't get it sorted. Does anyone have any tips on how to get this working? This card has just been released so there isn't much out there to go on. Notes: The light on the toslink port is lit. OS is Vista 32-bit SP2 and all up to date, pretty much a fresh install with almost no 3rd party applications installed This page seems to suggest that a digital output device in Windows is not needed with Xonar cards as it was with the previous Realtek so I have it set to Analog. The only other output device is S/PDIF pass-thru

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  • Looking for Remote Control that works with everything (even Windows 7 Media Center)

    - by T Reddy
    Using my Google-Fu, it seems that the most basic of things one gets with any DVR is the remote control. Had I known it would be difficult just to get a consumer IR receiver for Windows 7 I may not have bothered to build an HTPC. But too late, I already have the HTPC ready to go (minus the CETON card...) So I'm moving away from TiVo, I hate paying the monthly fees and my box is ancient. I'm looking for these solutions to my HTCP setup...I want to: Switch audio from HDMI to SPDIF via the remote control (i.e., switch from TV to Receiver) (as a side note, the built-in audio on the mobo has software to do this). Pressing the volume button on the remote will always change the TV's volume (or the Receiver's if possible) and NOT the PC's volume. The remote/receiver works well around 25 feet. Bonus if the IR Receiver can work with my existing TiVo remote (or other remotes laying around the house) I read a review of the Bluetooth TiVo remote...it sounds promising...but I'm not sure if it is great for Windows 7 HTPC?

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  • Surface V2.0

    - by Dennis Vroegop
    It’s been quiet around here. And the reason for that is that it’s been quiet around Surface for a while. Now, a lot of people assume that when a product team isn’t making too much noise that must mean they stopped working on their product. Remember the PDC keynote in 2010? Just because they didn’t mention WPF there a lot of people had the idea that WPF was dead and abandoned for Silverlight. Of course, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. The same applies to Surface. While we didn’t hear much from the team in Redmond they were busy putting together the next version of the platform. And at the CES in January the world saw what they have been up to all along: Surface V2.0 as it’s commonly known. Of course, the product is still in development. It’s not here yet, we can’t buy one yet. However, more and more information comes available and I think this is a good time to share with you what it’s all about! The biggest change from an organizational point of view is that Microsoft decided to stop producing the hardware themselves. Instead, they have formed a partnership with Samsung who will manufacture the devices. This means that you as a buyer get the benefits of a large, worldwide supplier with all the services they can offer. Not that Microsoft didn’t do that before but since Surface wasn’t a ‘big’ product it was sometimes hard to get to the right people. The new device is officially called the “Samsung SUR 40 for Microsoft Surface” which is quite a mouthful. The software that runs the device is of course still coming from Microsoft. Let’s dive into the technical specs (note: all of this is preliminary, it’s still in the Alpha phase!): Audio out HDMI / StereoRCA / SPDIF / 2 times 3.5mm audio out jack Brightness 300 CD/m2 Communications 1GB Ethernet/802.11/Bluetooth Contrast Ratio 1:1000 CPU AMD Athlon X2 245e 2.9Ghz Dual Core Display Resolution Full HD 1080p 1920x1080 / 16:9 aspect ratio GPU AMD Radeon HD 6750 1GB GDDRS HDD 320 GB / 7200 RPM HDMI In / HDMI out Yes I/O Ports 4 USB, SD Card reader Operation System Embedded Windows 7 Professional 64 bits Panel Size 40” diagonal Protection Glass Gorilla Glass RAM 4 GB DD3 Weight / with standard legs 70.0 Kg / 154 lbs Weight / standalone 39.5 Kg / 87 lbs Height (without legs) 4 inch Contact points recognized > 50 Cool Factor Extremely   Ok, the last point is not official, but I do think it needs to be there. Let’s talk software. As noted, it runs Windows 7 Professional 64 bit, which means you can run Visual Studio 2010 on it. The software is going to be developed in WPF4.0 with the additional Surface SDK 2.0. It will contain all the things you’ve seen before plus some extra’s. They have taken some steps to align it more with the Surface Toolkit which you can download today, so if you do things right your software should be portable between a WPF4.0 Windows 7 Multi-touch app and the Surface v2 environment. It still uses infrared to detect contacts, so in that respect nothing much has changed conceptually. We still can differentiate between a finger, a tag or a blob. Of course, since the new platform has a much higher resolution (compared to the 1024x768 of the first version) you might need to look at your code again. I’ve seen a lot of applications on Surface that assume the old resolution and moving that to V2 is going to be some work. To be honest: as I am under NDA I cannot disclose much about the new software besides what I have told you here, but trust me: it’s going to blow people away. Now, the biggest question for me is: when can I get one? Until we can, have a look here: Tags van Technorati: surface,samsung,WPF

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