Re: [LAU] What audio interface to use for a Linux-powered surround preamp?

Sorry to reply to such an old topic, going through my Linux Audio folder for the first time in a few months (been to busy to keep up lately.)

I hope things have progressed nicely :-)

For audio I would also have suggested RME. It looks like you have chosen to go one of the fully digital routes, to get all the AES you need straight out of the card. If you had really wanted some analogue options alongside it then RME do ADAT<->AES converters, so could have been used with one of the more general purpose cards with ADAT. http://www.rme-audio.de/en_products_adi_4_dd.php

As to video. There are some HDMI capture cards available, EG Black Magic if on a tight budget, but from a quick reading it seems they all only support the baseline of 2 channel audio on HDMI, rather than the possible 8 channels.

A solution could be to use a HDMI->HDSDI converter, although being broadcast equipment generally not cheap, but these can be found supporting the full 8 channels and HDSDI ingest cards will generally support all 8 channels too.

Converter (they also do cards but couldn't find one suitable for you.) http://www.dveo.com/broadcast-systems/HDMI-to-HD-SDI-converter.shtml

For professional video cards DVS and Deltacast seem to have good Linux support, Black Magic to a lesser degree (and they're really prosumer at best.)

http://www.deltacast.tv

http://www.dvs.de

Neither has an off the shelf product that will help with HDMI ingesting but still may be worth looking at/talking to.

Or maybe all Black Magic need to do is a firmware update for the Intensity or Deklink Studio HDMI input cards . http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/intensity/ & http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/decklink/


Or has the HDMI switch done away with the need for a lot of this? I
would of used a basic switch, which are available cheaply, then into the
 computer using one of the above methods...


Good luck with it all anyway.


Dale.

> From: gheskett@wdtv.com
> To: linux-audio-user@lists.linuxaudio.org
> Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:21:12 -0500
> Subject: Re: [LAU] What audio interface to use for a Linux-powered surround preamp?
>
> On Monday, December 19, 2011 07:50:53 PM Johan Herland did opine:
>
> List only reply..
>
> > On Tue, Dec 20, 2011 at 00:19, gene heskett <gheskett@wdtv.com> wrote:
> > > On Monday, December 19, 2011 06:16:06 PM Fons Adriaensen did opine:
> > >> Be very careful with what you read on 'audiophile' forums. 99% of the
> > >> high-end audio business is based on ignorance and hype these days.
> > >
> > > Chuckle. Â I have to disagree a wee bit Fons, you under-estimate the
> > > percentage that is all smoke and mirrors, its at least 99.9% these
> > > days. :)
> > >
> > > Lots of card claim 24 bit, but a monotonicity check will often fail
> > > before the 14th bit has been fully tested.
> >
> > Is this on pure digital devices (where you should expect bit-perfect
> > results)?
> >
> > Are you claiming that manufacturers in practice don't meet the specs
> > listed for their devices?
> >
> > Does this seem like a trend, or are there just some interfaces with
> > bugs out there?
> >
> > Are some brands notoriously worse than others?
> >
> > (just curious, since one wouldn't want to buy crappy equipment)
> >
> >
> > Have fun! :)
> >
> > ...Johan
>
> TBT, I am a bit hardware oriented, and I base that statement on reading the
> data sheets on what look to be interesting bits of smart sand I have found
> links to.
>
> As I am not privy to what chip is on audio card x, at any one week n, I
> think to actually name names & model numbers (something else I have learned
> to miss-trust, dealing with ATI's video cards, which can get changed at
> about the same rate we change underwear, can be exceptionally educational)
> is generally pretty frustrating. So other than the card I presently use, I
> won't give any name, rank or serial numbers. Why? Ears are at least as
> variable as eyeballs. My eyes for instance, have had glass in front of
> them for the last 71 years. My color vision OTOH, is very very good.
>
> I don't claim to have ears that matched Larry Klien's when he was doing all
> his pundrity in the audiofile rags 30 years ago, but at my age, I think
> they are generally not lying to me when I listen to something for several
> hours, with a rather eclectic mix of music, and do not get tired of it.
> Toss in a bit of digital aliasing, a bit of monotonicity errors, then add a
> 3rd order intercept of 40db or less for the two tone so the net total
> distortion approaches .5%, and these old ears are screaming for some
> silence in 5 to 10 minutes.
>
> However, I have been amazed at the number of folks out there who can listen
> to 5% THD and a 20 db intercept on a two tone signal, with a bit of
> aliasing thrown in, and absolutely cannot hear it, the difference to them
> is a total shrug. It boggles my mind to think of what they are missing.
>
> OTOH, given the class of folks who seem to inhabit this list, I think there
> are some altogether decent ears here. Your tastes in music might assault
> me, and mine would yours I'm equally sure, but the technical ability I hear
> in most of the samples posted so far is far better done than the average
> garage band console can pass. You are being 'picky' and for that I salute
> you all. Technically, the state of the art in making music seems to
> continually improve. And its people like you that are part of that driving
> force behind that.
>
> Thanks for reading this far. I'll get me coat now.
>
> Cheers, Gene
> --
> "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
> soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
> -Ed Howdershelt (Author)
> My web page: <http://coyoteden.dyndns-free.com:85/gene>
> We will have solar energy as soon as the utility companies solve one
> technical
> problem -- how to run a sunbeam through a meter.
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Received on Sun Feb 19 16:15:02 2012