New PB digital audio specs question.

I just looked at the specifications posted on the developer note for the new powerbooks. The digital audio in/out is very welcome. As I read through it, I found that the PB is listed as providing digital audio output via SPDIF AND AC3 formats. The question is, does anyone know if that AC3 output means its passing multichannel AC3 to be decoded outside? or is it a stereo AC3? Can anyone check? thanks... btw, the specs look good for digital in/out.

Thanks for your post, Machive 6.1. I had in fact read that article... in only states the following about AC3:
During playback of a 1KHz, full-scale sine wave (S/PDIF output format, 44.1KHz output sample rate, 24-bit sample depth, unless otherwise specified) the digital audio output has the following nominal specifications:
Jack Type: 3.5mm Analog/Optical Combo Jack
Output Data Formats: S/PDIF (IEC60958-3), AC3
Output Sample Rates: 32KHz, 44.1KHz, 48KHz, 64KHz, 88.2KHz, 96KHz
Bits per Sample: 16 or 24 (S/PDIF),16 (AC3)
Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20KHz, +/-0dB
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR): >130dB
Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise (THD+N): <-130dB (0.00003%)
Channel Separation: >130dB
It is not clear whether that is multichannel or stereo AC3 output...
Anyone has tried it?

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Digital audio output question

Right now I have my Mini's audio output connected to my amp with a stereo mini jack. But as I understand it the audio out jack can also accept a digital (toslink) connector. There is surprisingly little documentation on exactly how this works or what cables are needed. Anyone care to enlighten me?
Thanx

Hi David,
Many people use the toslink optical audio cable.
There are different brands available.
I purchased several of these when they were on sale from Apple.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/TL955LL/A?fnode=MTY1NDA3Ng&mco=MTA4NDk5MjQ
Note the tip adapter in the second and third photo.
This adapter lets you plug the cable into the audio out jack for the digital audio out portion.

New G4 (Digital Audio) processor cooling fan?

The OEM processor fan on my 800 MHz G4 is kind of annoying and the SilenX fans have worked out pretty well for me but I don't know the dimensions of the processor fan and how much CFM it puts out. I don't want to lose any airflow. Does anyone know?

Remove the fan and read its label. Google the exact part number from the underlying manufacturer, such as Sunon \[not the Apple part number]. You can usually find the specs for the fan, along with the realization that exact replacements are only available in the handy 10,000-pack.
You should learn:
air moved in cfm
noise generated in dB
type of bearing provided
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Digital Audio Input Specs

I'm looking for detailed specs or info about the digital audio input (mini 1/8" hybrid input) on the MBP. More specifically, I would like to know if the audio passed through (at up to 24 bit/192kHz) is free at the receiving end (within Logic) from sample rate conversion and work length truncation as well as handled "transparently" (without going through internal level control, dithering or noise shaping of any kind).
In other words, Is the 1/8" spdif audio input "transparent" and suitable for professional audio recording via a high end AD converter?
Thanks to anyone who has some info on the subject.

thanks for the link to that doc, actually had seen it already. it's good but it doesn't really give exactly the information audio pros are looking for.
as for the wordclock via BNC, that is not necessarily true. word clock is also a part of the spdif spec, it can be included in the stream. back in the day, eons ago when I had a DAT recorder and a yamaha 03D digital mixer, I would always make sure that the DAT recorder was the clock master, and the 03D synced to it. there was never any need for a BNC connection, it all went through the spdif itself. sending wordclock through BNC cables is really for when you have many digital devices and you need to chain them together to sync wordclock, it's not necessary for just going between two devices.
but, do you know for a fact that somehow the spdif on the MBP simply leaves out wordclock data? if that's the case, then why does it give you options for choosing which source to use as the clock? if it were only possible via BNC cables, then having that option would be pointless unless there were BNC ports on the MBP, last time I checked there weren't any.
...I guess we really need proper info on this..

HT2844 iMac 27"(late 2009), Audio in/Optical digital audio out port, stopped recognizing my new Bose speaker system, previously working...

Hello,
My iMac 27"(late 2009), Audio in/Optical digital audio out port, stopped recognizing my new Bose speaker system, previously working through that port. I tested the speaker system through my iPhone, and it works fine. I hooked it up to the Headphone out/Optical digital audio in port, and it works through that port also. I did a computer restart, I also checked all wiring and did a system repair on the computer. I also restarted the computer in mode where I could use the system utility, and the computer still did not correct the matter, and it reported everything as being "ok". I wented into "sound", through system preferences, and the computer does not recognize anything I plug into the Audio in/Optical digital audio out port. When I plug the speaker sysytem into the headphone out/optical digital audio out port, it does recognize the Bose speaker system as being "headphones".
Reading through a lot of forums, I hear everything from compatibility, to the port being stuck, and on and on. Since the port was working before, and just quit working one day, I wonder if there is a capacitor or fuse or some type of similar thing is blown, and causing the port to be unfunctionable. Maybe the port went bad, but before this time, I had never used it, and the computer does not move around, and I never plug in and pull wiring out unless needing to, and that being rare.
Here is a link to Costco, where I bought the system, and the exact system I have, if this is any help: http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&sku= A4092931&ST=pla&dgc=ST&cid=262075&lid=4742361&acd=1230980794501410
By the way, I am running OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5). I upgraded to Mavericks about a month ago, and expeirienced a number of issues, and had to take my iMac into Apple. Talking with the tech, I decided to wait for a while more before I upgraded to Mavericks. I try and keep the computer maintained.
If any of you have any ideas regadrding wear and tear, and fix I can do, etc., besides having to take my computer into Apple? Thank you, and potentially all of you, for your time and effort in helping me with this issue. Thank you kindly.
davE

Okay, davE, first, you have posted in the "Mac Pro" forum (not Macbook Pro), so we can't be super helpful
but we help you. First, hold down the Option key while clicking on the speaker icon at the top of your screen. This should show you all the inputs and outputs you have. you could check in "About this Mac" then "More info" to see whatever's recognized. Then, maybe, fire up Audio MIDI. your speaker system should show up there. something might have gotten set incorrectly. You can test it there. I guess you are using the good ol' analog cable for connection, and it works on your iPhone, so the cable isn't bad. You could try this. it 's an adapter which might solve your problem
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004HBWYQ6/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00
depending on which model of Bose speaker you have, you might try doing a product reset
turn off speakers...unplug power cord from outlet...wait 1 minute..plug cord into outlet..turn on speakers..
\\turning off automatic standby||
press and hold top of control pod for 6 seconds until you hear 2 tones that go from high to low
other than that ,I don't know
John B

Question regarding mic plugged into audio in/optical digital audio in port

So I have this external headset... headphone/mic set combo... I plug the headphone jack in the headphone slot and the mic jack in the audio in/optical digital audio in port slot in the back of my IMAC. I go to my system preferences select "sound" and "line in - Audio line in port". But when recording, it's still recording from the internal mic? How do I just record just from the external mic??? What am I doing wrong? I've read all the other questions regarding how to get the external mics to work, but it's still recording from the internal mic? Help?
Mac OS X (10.4.9)

I never expected APPLE wouldn't make a mac that didn't have a proper mic jack?
It has a proper one, a good one, a professional one, not the toy that comes with most PCs. Apple has used line level analog audio input for years.
From Wikipedia;Line level is a term used to denote the strength of an audio signal used to transmit analog sound information between audio components such as CD and DVD players, TVs, audio amplifiers, and mixing consoles.
In contrast to line level, there are weaker audio signals, such as those from microphones and instrument pickups, and stronger signals, such as those used to drive headphones and loudspeakers. The strength of the various signals does not necessarily correlate with the output voltage of a device; it also depends on the source's output impedance, or the amount of current available to drive different loads.

New 15" HD PB's have digital audio in/out - what about older

I'm wondering if the digital audio in/out capability on the 15" is new to the HD 1.67's or was this on earlier models? I have a 1.25GHz and I'm guessing I don't have it on mine.
Thanks,
Tim

This feature has been introduced to 15" with the release of the new PBs.

Install OS X on a Digital Audio G4 with a new HDD

I picked up a Digital Audio G4 from a university surplus sale and I thought I'd play around with it. Unfortunately it came with no Hard Drive, but I managed to scrounge one up. I've got a set of OS X 10.4 install CDs that I know work but I can't seem to get the computer to boot to CD. When I turn it on I get a few minutes of blank screen, followed by a blank grey screen for as long as I keep the computer on. No error beeps, no startup chime (though I'm not even sure the speaker works), just a blank grey screen. What am I doing wrong?

Do this:
Extended Hard Drive Preparation
1. Boot from your the Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger, Leopard or Snow Leopard.)
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID (for Intel Macs) or APM (for PPC Macs) then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.

Digital Audio I/O Question

Can the digital audio in/out ports on the Mac Pro pass 192kHz spdif signal?
Thanks!
Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Welcome Rusty.J. Great post however For that type of signal, its best to buy a independent soundcard/interface, Can't expect so much from just having a factory computer that already does so much other stuff, which is second to none.
Good interface aren't that expensive compared to five years ago, therefore adding a interface should,nt be too much of a big deal if your serious about what you do, and if you,re force in use-ing Spidf, or getting Audio quality to that level.
<Can the digital audio in/out ports on the Mac Pro pass 192kHz spdif signal?> The highest it will give on the out of spdif is 96 khz in AC-3 encoded audio format.
And the best in on spidf is also 96khz/ sample rates: 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, or 96 kHz that i have already mention.
Fr. BlayZay.

Digital Audio Question

My G5 has these digital audio ports.
Can I hook that up to a theatre surround sound reciever and jam?
Is that what digital audio is for?
Thanks

The Digital Output on the iMac can output whatever Digital Audio your Cable can carry and your Amplifier can Decode.
Unfortunately, most Surround Sound Amplifiers can only accept 5.1 Dolby Digital 2, 5.1 (or 7.1) DTS and 2.0 Channel LPCM.
Your Mac can Pass-through Dolby Digital 2 or DTS (from DVD Player, for example), but 5.1 and 7.1 Audio encoded in other formats (like AAC or WMA) has to be downcoded to 2.0 LPCM to be sent over Optical Cable to your Amp.
If you really have to playback that carefully crafted AAC 5.1 Audio track with surround sound, you will have to use the Analogue Input of your Amplifier, and an Analogue Sound card like the Griffin FireWave.

The Mother of All G4 Digital Audio Project?

Alright, my apologies right from the get-go: I'm new to this user-friendly and intuitive world of Macs. So if this post is long-winded and excessive, please excuse my bad manners and blame it on living in the world of PCs and M$ for far too long.
To start, the one thing I've found that is consistent no matter what computing world I've explored is the cost of upgrading... but first, let me explain a couple of things.
For one -- I'm finished with my PC. I'm fairly computer saavy, and have never bought a pre-built system in my life. My first computer I built in the 8th grade from spare parts and a Pentium 90 chip. Although I've enjoyed my time playing around and working with PCs in the past, I've recently become a father (and my wife is now at home 24/7). Suffice it to say I don't have much time to troubleshoot my PC as often as I use to, and with my wife using the computer more and more, I really would like to be able to offer her something intuitive and easy to use (unfortunately, this usually isn't a common description of anything related to the world of M$ and PCs).
Anyways, her entire extended family has been Mac based for awhile now, and I've grown more and more desirous of owning a Mac at home. Well, about 4 months ago I was given an old G4 Digital Audio for free. This gift, coupled with my increasing frustration with the PC, has lead me to contemplate ditching the PC (selling it off), and trying to fully pimp out the G4 to its maximum capacity. FOR CHEAP.
I realize that a Mac Mini would be pretty cheap and cost effective, or perhaps just selling the G4 and putting that money towards something else (like a Mac laptop) might make more sense... but I'm limited on a couple of fronts.
1) There is the issue of some money having already been invested into this G4.
2) I need to keep costs down, while also retaining the ability to expand (my PC currently has 3 HDDs at a total capacity of 800gb)... and it just doesn't seem feasible with a Mac Mini.
3) I already have the G4 -- and in my wife's eyes, expanding this rig is cheaper than buying a brand new Mac (this point is clearly debatable).
4) We really just need a solid system at home, easy for her to use, while having enough muscle for me to use the Adobe/Macromedia/Final Cut software packages.
So... I'd like to start pushing this G4 to its limits performance wise, while not breaking the bank unnecessarily. I've looked into upgrading the logic board and CPU, maxing out the system memory, purchasing a SATA controller board and new HDDs, and finally springing for a new video card. My question is this:
Can anyone shed some light on upgrade options that would suit my needs, without giving my wife reason to leave me?! For example, when looking to upgrade the G4 to a wireless system, I opted to purchase a Belkin Wireless G (F5D7000) instead of a official Airport card. It works flawlessly, is G compatible, and was only $25. Are there similar options when looking at SATA controller cards (the Sonnet cards are really pricey)? PC133 memory -- should I buy new or look for sticks in older PCs? Buy a pc video card and tweak it to work in a Mac, etc? Should I buy a single cpu upgrade, or spring for the pricey duals (is the performance benefit in OSX and the various design software packages worth it? - I've seen varied reports on this)? 1.6ghz vs. dual 1.4ghz??
Any help in this endeavor to build the Mother of All G4 Digital Audios would be wonderful. I know this post is lengthy, but I needed to vent some frustrations, and ask for a helping hand in this transition from PC to Mac! Thanks to all who've read this beast of a post -- and if anyone has anything to contribute (either suggestions or directions to some relatively cheap upgrades - new or used), it would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks again!

Hi-
I'll keep things brief.
CPU- The following will give you the most bang for the buck-
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/MEG42M1500/
Memory- Doesn't have to break the bank, but, you must buy quality-
http://eshop.macsales.com/MyOWC/Upgrades.cfm?model=163&type=Memory&TI=1047&shoup grds=Show+Upgrades
http://www.datamemorysystems.com/viewcat.aspQ_C_E761
Graphics- a flashed PC 4x AGP card will give you the most for the cheapest
Sata Controller Card- the following is hard to beat:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/SATAPCI2P/
Or, get the bundle:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/SATAM500GPCI/
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/SATAM10TBPCI/
If you need cheaper, or used, check:
http://groups.google.com/group/lemswap
or, eBay.
Good Luck!
G4 AGP(450)Sawtooth Mac OS X (10.4.8) 2ghzPPC,1.62gbSDRAM, ATI9800, DVR-109,(IntHD)120&160,LaCie160,23"Cinema Display

Processor and Graphics query for G4 PowerMac 'Digital Audio'

Hey all, two questions here...
Question 1
Ive got ANOTHER new processor and graphics card for my Digital Audio G4. The processor i had in it before was a Sonnet Encore ST/G4 1GHz, ive replaced this with the same make of processor but at 1.4GHz. The processor works fine and the machine runs fine, but it isn't listed properly in the system profilers...
In OS9 it's speed is described as "about 656Mhz" and in OSX its described as 0MHz!
Im not too worried since everything seems to be working fine, but i want to be sure that its not going to suddenly blow up on me, and if anyone else has had things like this happen with these processors or configurations. Ive still got the 1GHz should anything go wrong, but newer, more powerful stuff is always good!
Question 2
The new graphics card i put in is a ATI Radeon 9600 Pro PC & Mac Edition. Ive read a few things on the internet about it sometimes not working with DA Power Macs but thought id chance it anyway, i can always sell it on if it didn't work...
Well the card works in both OS9 and OSX and displays everything fine, its recognised by both systems and everything. The only problem is i can't change the display settings, on both systems the only display option ive got is x736 (or whatever it is thats closest to it), there are no other options available, i can't choose anything else in the Recommended menu, not can i change from Thousands to Millions of colours.
Of course its generally agreed that these cards work better on G5s than G4s, despite it saying on the box that it supports G4s. Ive also downloaded the ATI Displays Control Panel to see if i can control it that way, but to no avail. Does anyone have any info or words of advice on this?
Cheers all!

Good to hear, thanks!
Do follow the advice to add as much cooling as you can, & use the best Ceramique Thermal Paste you can find.
Did you clear all the Caches yet?
At this point I think you should get Applejack...
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/15667/applejack
After installing, reboot holding down CMD+s, (+s), then when the DOS like prompt shows, type in...
applejack AUTO
Then let it do all 6 of it's things.
At least it'll eliminate some questions if it doesn't fix it.
The 6 things it does are...
Correct any Disk problems.
Repair Permissions.
Clear out Cache Files.
Repair/check several plist files.
Dump the VM files for a fresh start.
Trash old Log files.
First reboot will be slower, sometimes 2 or 3 restarts will be required for full benefit... my guess is files relying upon other files relying upon other files! :-)
Disconnect the USB cable from any Uninterruptible Power Supply so the system doesn't shut down in the middle of the process.
Just sits there occupying very little space & never interfering, unless you need to invoke it in Single User Mode.
Look for the 10.3 version of AppleJack 1.4.3.1 (326 KB) (For Mac Jaguar and Panther), here...
http://mac.oldapps.com/applejack.php

Macbook pro 17" digital audio option not showing in Audio preference pane

I seem to be having a problem with the Digital Audio setup with my macbook Pro 17" 2006, running Snow Leopard, when I go to select the SPDIF option in the Audio Prefernce Pane it doesn't give that option!, like it did in Leopard and Tiger of which I had running on this Macbook pro.
Running Snow Leopard this option seem to be missing, I looked in the Midi Setup etc in Utilities as that how I worked around it in Tiger as well as Leopard.
I also have the same problem with my other newer and last of the Macbook Pro 17" model as ti doesn't show in the Audio Preference pane either. Is this an omission in the OS or with my hardware as had no proble,s connectiong to a Sony MD and Tascam MD rack system before. I can always go back to using the older OS if thats the problem but find it hard to believe that All of my Laptops 15" & 17" are all up the swany with the same SPDIF problem.

also posted this question in the MacBook forum. Problem eventually solved by trashing iTunes preference files & the iTunes application, then re-installing iTunes.

Leopard on a Digital Audio G4 - can't access certain sites

Specs:
Digital Audio PowerMac G4
1.5GB RAM
1.7GHz G4 Sonnet Encore/ST; previously 733MHz stock G4
Leopard (10.5.8)
Network is controlled by a router running DD-WRT v24-SP2.
I am having a horrendous time trying to get this specific Mac to access certain websites - namely, anything to do with Google or Yahoo. I can't get to YouTube, I can't get to ANY Google site (including non-US domains), I can't get to Yahoo (or any of its services, like Flickr, del.icio.us, Zimbra, etc...)...obviously, this is getting a tad frustrating. I've been relegated to searching with Microsoft Bing for the time being...oh, the irony...
At any rate, I've tried flushing the DNS cache (dnscacheutil -flushcache), flushing the routing tables (route -n flush, route -v flush), assigning a new IP on my LAN, using other DNS servers (OpenDNS and Verizon), putting the machine in the router's DMZ, and sacrificing a kitten to the flying spaghetti monster.
None of these things have worked. I cannot figure out for the life of me what the problem is. It's not a DNS issue - I can ping google.com and it resolves it to an IP...of course, pinging fails since I can't actually connect to it. I've also tried connecting to other known good IPs for google.com.
I don't see this problem on any of my other Macs running OS 9, Tiger, and Leopard. I don't see it on any of my machines running Windows (XP Pro, Vista Ultimate, Server 2003). I don't see it on my iPhone or my boyfriend's iPhone. I only see it on this one machine, and it used to not be a problem. I'm going nuts trying to figure out what happened.
Any help is greatly appreciated.

Nope. In fact, here's a comprehensive list of what I've tried:
using other DNS servers
flushing the DNS cache
flushing the routing tables
removing the ethernet interface and re-adding it
creating a new location in the networking preferences pane
installing an Airport card and using that instead of ethernet to connect to the network
setting up a static DHCP IP on my router (using MAC registration), releasing the old IP, and picking up a new one
putting the machine in the router's DMZ
trying tracert or ping to get to external domains and IPs
clearing out /tmp in case some temporary file(s) were causing a problem
setting up a new user account and logging in with it
There is something low-level in the system that's causing this problem. Trouble is, I have no clue what it could be. I'm right now downloading the combo updater in the total off chance that it will replace whatever corrupt file is breaking my Internet connection.

OS9.2 freezes as soon as desktop loads on my Digital Audio

Recently, a couple of my friends have been giving away their G4 PowerMacs due to their age. Since I've never really had much experience with Macs, (I'm more of a linux/windows guy myself) I decided to take these machines off of their hands, in an effort to further my knowledge about computing history, and to potentially increase my productivity by not making it so darn tempting to play video games.
The machine in question is my G4 Digital Audio. The only specs that I'm aware of are that it has a 733 mhz processor and 512 mb of RAM. There is no Airport card installed and the internal battery (the one keeping the clock on) is dead. I wanted to turn this into a dedicated OS9 machine, so one my pals let me borrow his OS9.2 install disk, which let me succesfully reformat the hard drive and install the operating system. Everything was succesfull until I restarted the mahcine, where it would freeze as soon as the desktop fully loads. The system wouldn't completely freeze up, I was capable of moving the mouse around, but I cannot click on anything and the system clock is frozen. I was able to restart it with extensions, narrowing it down to a problem with one (or more) of the extensions or something wrong with the internal battery.
I'll try to narrow down which extension(s) cause the problem, but if I can't manage to solve the problem I have no idea what else could cause this to happen. Could the dead battery have anything to do with this?
Thanks in advance for any help, it is greatly appreciated.

It would be a good thing to replace the internal battery; a too-weak or dead one can cause booting irregularities. You can get a replacement at places like Radio Shack for about US$18, cheaper on-line.
You say you used a loaned OS 9.2 install CD. If you mean a gray or bue-label OS 9.2 Software Install CD, that disk would not be valid for a G4 DA model; it may not have been able to install the software that is needed by the hardware on your model.
The G4 DA models came with a model-specific version of OS 9.1 (a retail OS 9.1 Install CD is not adequate), but can also use a retail (white label) OS 9.2.1 Install CD.
Will it boot successfully with Extensions Off? To try that, restart or boot, immediately press the Shift key, keep that held down until you get the message "Extensions Off". Althugh this allows the machine to boot, since most extensions are disabled (off) it presents a very limited system - no internet, no printing, etc. However, it is one way to check the hardware, and can verify that a problem may be caused by an extension conflict.
Freezing at the point that the desktop loads can be caused by several things other than an extension conflict.
Something in the Startup Items folder could be causing that. You can access that when booted with Extensions Off; you'll find that folder in the System Folder.
The Desktop file could be mangled. To replace that, start up holding the Shift key down, When you get the Extensions Off message, relese the Shift key and press both the Command and Option keys, keep them held down until you get a splash screen asking if you want to rebuild the desktop. OK that, and after that process has completed do a normal restart.
When you reformatted the hard drive, did you set the format as Mac OS Extended?

New PB digital audio specs question.

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