Just what comes out of SPDIF?
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From: Walton on the Naze Essex.
Just what comes out of SPDIF?
Wikki says a lot about it, but that's the problem. So much detail and no real overview.
Terms like Biphase mark code abound, and that's fine, if only they didn't assume substantial prior knowledge.
In my Audio thread, I'd hoped that this output might be connected to sound to overcome a difficult problem. But scoping the output of the few pins on the Mother Board, really didn't show me very much.
This signal was on one of the pins. It had a fairly high DC 'bias' I think about 10v, with a signal a little over half that.
I could see no real evidence of modulation when music was playing. Just these multiple waves which might account for the above phrase.
One thing is certain, I can't connect it to an ordinary audio input.
This is the simplistic level I need to start at when I'm learning. If anywhere it had said that it has to be decoded at the other end of the connecting line, that would have made sense. It (Wikki) just assumed I'd know.
If I buy an amp that has the appropriate input, is it reasonable to assume that such a signal, on a single pin, would convey stereo audio. I don't know what the other pins do.
What would the normal connector look like if I'd had a case with a ribbon to the M-B?
My good leads are back 'home', and there may be some noise on this picture, but it was reasonably stable. This wave is easily capable of carrying complex data, but as mentioned I could see little fluctuation.
Terms like Biphase mark code abound, and that's fine, if only they didn't assume substantial prior knowledge.
In my Audio thread, I'd hoped that this output might be connected to sound to overcome a difficult problem. But scoping the output of the few pins on the Mother Board, really didn't show me very much.
This signal was on one of the pins. It had a fairly high DC 'bias' I think about 10v, with a signal a little over half that.
I could see no real evidence of modulation when music was playing. Just these multiple waves which might account for the above phrase.
One thing is certain, I can't connect it to an ordinary audio input.
This is the simplistic level I need to start at when I'm learning. If anywhere it had said that it has to be decoded at the other end of the connecting line, that would have made sense. It (Wikki) just assumed I'd know.
If I buy an amp that has the appropriate input, is it reasonable to assume that such a signal, on a single pin, would convey stereo audio. I don't know what the other pins do.
What would the normal connector look like if I'd had a case with a ribbon to the M-B?
My good leads are back 'home', and there may be some noise on this picture, but it was reasonably stable. This wave is easily capable of carrying complex data, but as mentioned I could see little fluctuation.
Last edited by Loose rivets; 24th April 2010 at 21:30.
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From: Chez Sprog
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From: Walton on the Naze Essex.
To quote me.
That is the issue. Until buying this part build, I knew next to nothing about modern systems. Even less about 'theater' sound. It's sinking in slowly, but eating up time I just don't have.
It does have a HDMI out, and that may have worked with the Samsung 46" that I've just sent back for full refund. I've got no such input on the Amp, (Sony do-everything machine) That has got optical in...just to taunt me.
So, academic until I'm back here later in the summer.
Wikki says a lot about it, but that's the problem. So much detail and no real overview.
That is the issue. Until buying this part build, I knew next to nothing about modern systems. Even less about 'theater' sound. It's sinking in slowly, but eating up time I just don't have.
It does have a HDMI out, and that may have worked with the Samsung 46" that I've just sent back for full refund. I've got no such input on the Amp, (Sony do-everything machine) That has got optical in...just to taunt me.
So, academic until I'm back here later in the summer.
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From: is everything
Rivets, it's basically digitally-encoded 20-bit audio data. There are accompanying bells and whistles that tell the audio device whether it's 2-channel or 4-channel (in consumer terms, whether it's stereo, Dolby Digital or DTS). It's also used to carry the raw digital data from, say, a CD deck to a preamp. There are three sampling bit rates in the standard. The default 48 kbps, 44.1 kbps, and one I forget but is probably 32 kbps. SPDIF is a consumerised version of an older professional standard called mumblemumblemumble. The 44.1 kbs was set by a desire to move raw CD data bitstreams around studios, 48 kbps for DAT, and 32 kbps for some other reason.
There are two cabling methods: bog standard 75-ohm coax and optical. Coax used to dominate when optical was expensive, but now optical is as cheap as chips and has other benefits such as no possibility of earth loops between devices.
Wikipedia would probably be your friend, except you state it isn't. The "optical digital out" in #2 is SPDIF over TOSlink.
There are two cabling methods: bog standard 75-ohm coax and optical. Coax used to dominate when optical was expensive, but now optical is as cheap as chips and has other benefits such as no possibility of earth loops between devices.
Wikipedia would probably be your friend, except you state it isn't. The "optical digital out" in #2 is SPDIF over TOSlink.
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Loose you can already made HDMI cables that split the cable into what every you like.
If you can tell us what inputs your amp can accept we can advise which able to go for.
And whats the motherboard again?
You might find that the spdiff is on a 3.5mm jack out but the amp will accept a normal coax input. Again you get cables pre made for this.
If you can tell us what inputs your amp can accept we can advise which able to go for.
And whats the motherboard again?
You might find that the spdiff is on a 3.5mm jack out but the amp will accept a normal coax input. Again you get cables pre made for this.
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Ok 3.5mm female jack output.
This is what my netbook has
3x USB 2.0 ports
1x HDMI™ (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) with HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) support
1x external display (VGA) port
1x Headphones/speaker/line-out jack with S/PDIF support
1x Microphone-in jack
1x Ethernet (RJ-45) port
1x DC-in jack for AC adapter
And has S/PDIF next to the black socket.
Your a bugger I am going to now have to go and get a set of speakers to play with it now.
This is what my netbook has
3x USB 2.0 ports
1x HDMI™ (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) with HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) support
1x external display (VGA) port
1x Headphones/speaker/line-out jack with S/PDIF support
1x Microphone-in jack
1x Ethernet (RJ-45) port
1x DC-in jack for AC adapter
And has S/PDIF next to the black socket.
Your a bugger I am going to now have to go and get a set of speakers to play with it now.
Last edited by mad_jock; 25th April 2010 at 14:13.
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From: Walton on the Naze Essex.
Feeling guilty about taking up so much bandwidth and indeed,contributor's time, I thought this thread might be of general interest as a separate issue. It does of course relate to the other problems but I'll try to keep it specific to SPDIF - This picture however, is ripped from t'other thread.
This is all I have. If there ever was a ribbon for this, I didn't inherit it. It tallies with the scope that there is only one pin on the connector that carries data. Struggling to use improvised leads, I failed to note the frequency of the "carrier" Do they call it that? But 40khz is not out of the ball-park.
It is obvious that a very definite device for de-coding has to be on the end of whatever cable/fiber that I end up using. Sadly, my 'Clearance' Sony 50 CD/tape/radio thing, only has CD optical OUT in addition to the very basic RCA sockets IN.
The computer has these few pins. HDMI and DVI. They are marked OUT. So any hope of using my Sony UP Converter DVD player INTO the computer, seems stymied.
At the end of the day, there is a signal on that 3rd pin, I guess I need to try it into a suitable device to see if it works, then go from there.
Funnily, as mentioned on the sound FAULT thread, the sound was going last night, and is still going this morning.
This is all I have. If there ever was a ribbon for this, I didn't inherit it. It tallies with the scope that there is only one pin on the connector that carries data. Struggling to use improvised leads, I failed to note the frequency of the "carrier" Do they call it that? But 40khz is not out of the ball-park.
It is obvious that a very definite device for de-coding has to be on the end of whatever cable/fiber that I end up using. Sadly, my 'Clearance' Sony 50 CD/tape/radio thing, only has CD optical OUT in addition to the very basic RCA sockets IN.
The computer has these few pins. HDMI and DVI. They are marked OUT. So any hope of using my Sony UP Converter DVD player INTO the computer, seems stymied.
At the end of the day, there is a signal on that 3rd pin, I guess I need to try it into a suitable device to see if it works, then go from there.
Funnily, as mentioned on the sound FAULT thread, the sound was going last night, and is still going this morning.
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From: Walton on the Naze Essex.
I came to exactly that conclusion when I first looked at this pdf manual.
However, the ribbon to the front plugs for instance, is marked F_Audio and has the same blank pin as the F_Audio that is silk-screened by the plug you see next to the SPDIF. I can only conclude they are a cheaper type of plug, despite looking like jumper pins.
I thought I was going to kick everything into action by putting jumper links on, right at the get-go.
However, the ribbon to the front plugs for instance, is marked F_Audio and has the same blank pin as the F_Audio that is silk-screened by the plug you see next to the SPDIF. I can only conclude they are a cheaper type of plug, despite looking like jumper pins.
I thought I was going to kick everything into action by putting jumper links on, right at the get-go.
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From: Chez Sprog
You have prompted me to check my mobo manual. The pictures you are showing us from the manual are not jumpers, they are connectors for your AC97 onboard sound. In other words, the motherboard has audio output as distinct from a separate plug in soundcard.
You either do or you don't have a cable to connect that set of audio pins to the audio output on the motherboard. If you do, connect them. If you don't, no audio output from the pc.
You either do or you don't have a cable to connect that set of audio pins to the audio output on the motherboard. If you do, connect them. If you don't, no audio output from the pc.
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From: Walton on the Naze Essex.
Hi Sprogett
This thread was to learn about this technique of transferring sound.
In some ways it was unwise to separate my treads, but I wanted this one to address the issues specific to SPDIF. This way it might be interesting to a broader range of readers, interested in interconnecting kit.
On my sound problem thread, Bush and others have put a lot of work in to try to sort out why the on-board sound is intermittent. The Realtek system is on the M-B and has RCA plugs that are on the edge of the mother board with soldered wires straight into the board.
The whole notion of this thread was to learn how to achieve a work-around simply to bypassing the normal sound - there being some evidence that it's only the latter part of the sound system that gets cut off.( green bar in the Volume control bounces up and down when music is playing.)
Right now, the RCA output is fine, and with the Realtek menu popping up as I put the speakers in. BUT, it's done this before, then failed as I plonk meslef down to watch a movie.
This thread was to learn about this technique of transferring sound.
In some ways it was unwise to separate my treads, but I wanted this one to address the issues specific to SPDIF. This way it might be interesting to a broader range of readers, interested in interconnecting kit.
On my sound problem thread, Bush and others have put a lot of work in to try to sort out why the on-board sound is intermittent. The Realtek system is on the M-B and has RCA plugs that are on the edge of the mother board with soldered wires straight into the board.
The whole notion of this thread was to learn how to achieve a work-around simply to bypassing the normal sound - there being some evidence that it's only the latter part of the sound system that gets cut off.( green bar in the Volume control bounces up and down when music is playing.)
Right now, the RCA output is fine, and with the Realtek menu popping up as I put the speakers in. BUT, it's done this before, then failed as I plonk meslef down to watch a movie.
