[Openal] Implementing a Mac-based system

[Matthew Tata]

Hi Ray,

Thanks for that info.  Can you or anybody else on the list think of a  
way to get 7.1 surround from a Macbook Pro using OpenAL?  Or am I  
limited to buying sound cards for desktop machines?

Cheers,

Matt




On May 11, 2007, at 9:32 AM, Raymond Balogh wrote:

> Hi Matt,
>
> 1. Yes, but I don`t think it will help in your case. Optical and  
> Coaxial SPDIF outputs (like the one you mentioned handle  
> multichannel sound only in encoded form (Dolby Digital or DTS and  
> their variants). That means there is an encoded bitstream sent  
> through the output and it can be anything from 1.0 mono to 7.1  
> surround based on what encoding has been used. If the source is not  
> encoded you will only get stereo signal using the mentioned SPDIF  
> connection.
>
> 2. The S750 does not have digital inputs. You would need an  
> external device to convert digital signal to analog and feed that  
> to the speaker system.
>
> 3. I don`t know :-)
>
>
> Regards,
> Ray
>
> On Thu, 10 May 2007 22:27:54 +0100, Matthew Tata  
> <matthew.tata at uleth.ca> wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I use OpenAL in conjunction with a Creative soundcards and speakers
>> to do auditory research.  We're transitioning our entire lab (slowly)
>> to Apple computers and I need some advice on the hardware setup.
>> Most of what we do requires using Powerbooks and Macbook Pros, which
>> have optical digital audio out.  Last I heard these only supported  
>> 5.1.
>>
>> 1.  Does the digital output from a Macbook Pro handle 7.1 speakers?
>> 2. Do I need an entirely new system with a digital tuner and
>> speakers, or is there a way to use my existing Creative S750  
>> speakers?
>> 3.  What is the approximate latency between when my code calls for a
>> source to play and when the sound actually plays with such a system?
>> I need it to be reliably +/- 2 ms or less.
>>
>> I greatly appreciate all the help I've gotten from this forum.
>> Thanks yet again.
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Matt
>>
>> --
>> Matthew Tata, Ph.D.
>> Assistant Professor
>> The University of Lethbridge
>> 4401 University Drive
>> Lethbridge, AB T1J 3M4
>> ph. (403) 394-3994
>> fax (403) 329-2775
>>
>> matthew.tata at uleth.ca
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
> -- 
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