Sapphire Board with HDMI, inc. Sound

[Dave Baumann]

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=28838

Shame they didn't make it silent though.

 

[AlphaWolf]

Is that just a vivo product or AIW?

 

[digitalwanderer]

Hmmm, can you say "HTPC market"?

 

[Sxotty]

Hmmm, can you say "HTPC market"?

Not if the sound sucks, I am kind of wondering exactly what the quality is of the sound. If it works well and will work with a surround system then I will agree though

 

[kyleb]

Well for HTPC the main consern consern is passthough of pre-encoded stuff which really isn't an issue. But most likely you want to hook your video up to your display and your audio up to a reciver, in which case having them combined into HDMI isn't of any use.

 

[Jawed]

Is the audio in HDMI in digital or analogue form?

Jawed

 

[Dave Baumann]

Well for HTPC the main consern consern is passthough of pre-encoded stuff which really isn't an issue. But most likely you want to hook your video up to your display and your audio up to a reciver, in which case having them combined into HDMI isn't of any use.

I would look at it as a convenience. i.e. when I'm watching a DVD I'll invariably be using my amp and getting DD from it, but when watching stuff recorded from TV via TiVo I'll just have the sound through the TV - similar thing could occur with a Media Center by pumping sound through and HDMI on the graphics.

Is the audio in HDMI in digital or analogue form?

AFAIK Digital.

 

[kyleb]

I suppose so, I just figure that most HTPC users wouldn't bother with built in speakers. And yeah both audio and video though HDMI are digital.

 

[Sxotty]

Unfortunately, my receiver, an onkyo 6 channel doesn't have any hdmi inputs, it has component and s-video though. If you had HDMI on your receiver you could then use switching and it could be pretty handy.

 

[Graham]

How does HDMI compare with the likes of DVI and digital optical cabel?

currently I'm using a combo of digital optical and component, but then again I don't have an hdtv.

 

[digitalwanderer]

How does HDMI compare with the likes of DVI and digital optical cabel?

I'm pretty sure that DVI & HDMI's viddy signal is the same, HDMI just also carries sound.

 

[Sxotty]

I'm pretty sure that DVI & HDMI's viddy signal is the same, HDMI just also carries sound.

I thought it had different encryption standards as well or something? So one cannot copy digital media (sony lost money b/c they are so afraid of piracy they will not make products that actually work well what the hell is their problem anyway, they need to quit hating and start producing again.)

 

[digitalwanderer]

I thought it had different encryption standards as well or something? So one cannot copy digital media (sony lost money b/c they are so afraid of piracy they will not make products that actually work well what the hell is their problem anyway, they need to quit hating and start producing again.)

Ach, you're right....I remember reading a bit about that too.

Quality wise I read it is the same, but HDMI has the encryption....thus why I ordered a DVI cable.

(Sorry, I'm new to the HD stuff and am still learning...but I'm working at it. )

 

[kyleb]

DVI supports HDCP as well, so really no difference there.

 

[Ty]

DVI supports HDCP as well, so really no difference there.

Some DVI.

 

[_xxx_]

This idea has no future and will soon be forgotten. NV tried it a few years ago as well with zero success.

EDIT: meaning sound on the gfx-card, of course.

 

[Guden Oden]

NV tried it a few years ago as well with zero success.

EDIT: meaning sound on the gfx-card, of course.

May have had something to do with
A: the gfx card was crap, and very expensive.
B: nvidia was a tiny unknown startup company at the time.

The situation is entirely uncomparable. Nothing is similar between the disastrous NV1 failure and this product, other than both cards carry both gfx and sfx hardware.

*Edit: First attempts at constructing ballistic missiles were spectacular failures (*boom*). You're not suggesting we should have abandoned all ideas of rocketry based on first initial setbacks?

 

[_xxx_]

I'm just saying that sound has lost nothing on a GFX card and we won't see that idea live anyway due to involved costs (because of the more complex layout, extra R&D etc). You wouldn't be able to update the sound only, let alone the fact that every mobo will have Azalia.

 

[Sxotty]

I'm just saying that sound has lost nothing on a GFX card and we won't see that idea live anyway due to involved costs (because of the more complex layout, extra R&D etc). You wouldn't be able to update the sound only, let alone the fact that every mobo will have Azalia.

My personal opinion is that if the video card makers are not idiots they should simply put a plug on the video card where a sound solution can pipe in the music data, if they made it a standard then you could add sound to HDMI, but let some other utility do the work for the sound and it simply pass through into the hdmi cable. But of course trying to get them to do anything consistent is akin to trying to get pigs to fly.

 

[kyleb]

Some DVI.

The standard for DVI supports HDCP, whether or not it is actually implemented is up to the manfuacture, same as HDMI.