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16 Posts
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13221
November 25th, 2003 00:00
SPDIF output help
first the subject....
Inspiron 5100.... 2.66ghz...512meg ram....big high res screen....
On the side i am a audio hobbist and have a pretty good set of speakers that i have put together. (Vifa D27s and Seas P17RE drivers for those who may know...) Anyways, like every other laptop out there the sound output from these laptops is by no means audiophile quality. Also the speakers are apart of a surround sound setup so i would like to take advantage of the AC3 output capabilities through the SPDIF output on the computer
so far i have tried several several DVD programs. A AC3 decoder to take place of the windows one that outputs to the SPDIF.
I read that the sigma Chip outputs to the SPDIF all the time in PCM...but the reciever is not seeing anything there. Also read the data sheet for the Sigmatel chip and it didnt I measured the SPDIF output with a multimeter and only measured 5 millivolts...which to me means that there is no signal there, although it maybe possible that the frequency of the out put (44.1khz) maybe too high for my multimeter to meaure.
Anyways none of the programs except one allowed me to select the SPDIF as output, so i assume there is some sort of software issue that isnt allowing it to work. So how have you guys gotten yours to work? Im getting a little frustrated with it and dont really have much time to play with it anymore.
PCBLAYOUT
36 Posts
0
November 25th, 2003 12:00
DTS or AC3-Output only appears when you playback DVDs AND the audio properties of WinDVD are set to SP-DIF out. Otherwise your receiver will always show 'PCM-Audio' because WinDVD will internally mix it down to pcm stereo which is necessary to hear sound on the laptop-speakers or audio-outputs.
SP-DIF itself must be enabled in the wave-mixer (see the extended functions below the master slider) or you won't have any signal at this port. When you use SPDIF i recommend to set the master- and the wave-volume to maximum to avoid digital signal attenuation which decrease the audio resolution.
With the settings you have an excellent sounding laptop even for music or DVD use.
benjlv
16 Posts
0
November 25th, 2003 17:00
yeah i have heard of this option that supposed to be there, but i have no such option. Just a advanced button that has a bass and trebble contol inside and a option to turn the PC sounds on and off. Seems i am missing something or maybe its just a option for the 8500's?
Thanks for your reply...
benjlv
16 Posts
0
November 27th, 2003 05:00
Came across service docs for the 5100 and 8500 today. turns out that i dont have the option because the 5100's simply dont have the SPDIF enabled on the Sigmatel 9750 chip that is used for sound. I am rather disapointed with this fact because all it would have taken dell was to tie a resistor to ground instead of 5volts postive. The difference between the two is depicted in sigmatel's datasheet here http://extranet.sigmatel.com/library/audio/generalaudio/st012-an1-1.pdf
Other than that the output would have to be run to the connector that is already there on the back of the computer. But such is product placement and all.
Those who want surround sound will need to either modify their laptops(i dont reccomend this unless you are well versed in electronics or can afford a new motherboard) or get a USB sound card from creative labs or somewhere else.
I myself am looking at the creative labs, but i may build something similair to this but much smaller.
http://www.overclockers.com.au/~mwp/dac3/
PCBLAYOUT
36 Posts
0
November 27th, 2003 12:00
Creative is rather expensive an d not even small. Take a look at M-Audio Sonica USB Series or Terratec Aureon 5.1 USB.
To the SPDIF out... I do not mean the 'Enable SPDIF'-Checkbox in the Wavemixer menu. But if the 5150 has got this option, disable it.
I've meant the audio properties of WinDVD itself. You'll enter it with a right mouseclick on the play area. Select properties and click the tabsheet 'audio' .
There you see all possible audio options. The Platinum Edition has several decoding modes from 2-channel audio to 5.1 or DTS etc. and also SPDIF. If SPDIF is not greyed out in the menu, it means, that there is a SPDIF-driver available..even if it is for the docking station which has an SPDIF port. Select 'Audio' instead of SPDIF.