Outputting multichannel sound through the optical link??
Outputting multichannel sound through the optical link??
- Subject: Outputting multichannel sound through the optical link??
- From: Simon Thorpe <email@hidden>
- Date: Fri, 5 Feb 2010 16:57:50 +0100
Hi,
This is a question that I've been struggling with for a long time.
Multichannel sound files have been standard on Macs for a long time.
I can easily generate 5 or 7 channel AIFF recordings with Logic
Studio for example.
Currently, I can play them using an expensive firewire interface
Roland FA-101 and routing the analog audio signals to the analog
audio inputs on my 7.1 channel Onkyo amplifier.
OK, it works. But it's pretty stupid. Why convert digital to analog
and back to digital when all Macs have a nice optical digitial
connector which will happily send multichannel movie soundtracks to
the amplifier?
From my understanding, in order to play a multichannel audio file, I
would have to use software like Compressor to generate a Dolby
Digiial or DTS or AC3 formatted file. This seems excessively complex.
Is this really necessary? Is there no way just to send the
multichannel audio directly out through the optical link? Are there
no home theatre amplifiers that could understand a non-proprietry
dumb multichannel stream?
My ONKYO amplifier seems to have the ability to recognize loads of
different formats - Dolby Prologic II, Dolby True HD, DTS HD, DTS
NEOS, DTS ES etc etc.... Can a Mac generate anything through the
optical link that can be understood by such an amplifier?
If (as I suspect), the only answer is to generate a propriety format
that is not part of the Core-Audio specification, can I ask why? What
would be so terrible if Macs could talk directly to multichannel
amplifiers? Is someone out there deliberately making life difficult??
I found a web article in 2007 that describe the situation then,
http://www.buildamediaserver.com/How-Tos/0BE6E2C4-1B6D-4689-825C-4E60BD5A02BC.html
Has nothing changed?
Hoping that someone knows the answers....
Simon
_______________________________________________
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.
Coreaudio-api mailing list (email@hidden)
Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription:
This email sent to email@hidden