Re: [linux-audio-dev] good intro article on mLAN

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Subject: Re: [linux-audio-dev] good intro article on mLAN
From: Tom Pincince (stillone_AT_snowcrest.net)
Date: Fri Feb 16 2001 - 23:15:18 EET


>ready to go within a short time would be immense. i mean, can you
>imagine the implications of running a (working) version of ardour with
>mLAN ?

Lack of 1394 support is the only thing keeping me from becoming an
ardour beta tester. Since I use a 68040 mac with digidesign hardware,
jumping into linux audio will require me to build a system from
scratch. This system will support the new DVD-A spec for 6 channels of
24/96. This will cost a minimum of $3K for just the a/d/a gear which
would currently need to be of the adat optical variety. Since I have a
fully functional 16/44.1 system that I have been using for 5 years, I
have $0 invested in adat optical gear, and CD will be more popular than
DVD-A for a while, I am inclined to wait and upgrade to linux and 1394
simultaneously.

I do want to upgrade to linux as soon as I can include 1394, so I follow
1394 closely. In this light I found the article to be misleading. For
most of the article, the author treated mLAN as synonymous with the A+M
protocol, correcting this only at the end. The articles linked at
Steve's site are clearer. My understanding is that mLAN is a
proprietary management layer that sits on top of the A+M protocol,
controlled entirely and licensed by yamaha. The license is royalty
free, but it is still a license. Digital Harmony, mentioned in the
article as developing an mLAN - compatible interface, has nothing to do
with mLAN. They are an intellectual property company that helps product
manufacturers develop 1394 interfaces based entirely on the 1394
standard with the A+M protocol. They have entered relationships with
quite a few high profile companies in both pro audio and consumer
hi-fi. Yamaha has received very little support. This may be because
the chipset that supports 8 channels of 24/96 i/o is not yet available,
or it could be a deliberate boycott of the proprietary nature of mLAN.
The most interesting product announced by digital harmony is the crest
fb-88, 8 channels of 24/96 i/o compatible with ohci cards. The main
thing is that this could take a while to sort itself out, and mLAN could
still be a bust. 1394 support for linux is only as relevant as the
availability of hardware products, and it is still all vaporware.

I happen to have a friend who recently took a job with digital harmony.
Being code ignorant, I don't know what to ask that could be helpful
regarding linux, but I am willing to forward any questions.

Tom


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