[sclug] Re: Codec

[Tony Sumner]

On Mon, Apr 05, 2004 at 10:53:23AM +0100, Alex Butcher wrote:

> Sounds as though either the driver for your sound device doesn't support
> variable output sample rates, you've got a limited sound device that doesn't
> support variable output sample rates (i.e. it's not AC'97 2.1+ compliant),
> or (possibly), some other process has a lock on /dev/dsp. Do you have KDE's
> arts or esd running, perhaps? ... Windows probably works because
> its driver is doing resampling to 48KHz in software

It's either the first or second (the device is 2.1 compliant but not
2.1+). But this makes Patrick's point; Windows 'just works' and RH
could too if the driver did resampling. So a naive user like me has to
wait months and read lots of stuff before getting the right answer
from an expert, which is (I guess) to buy a sound card with driver.

Re this AC97 Codec. I have a file endoftheworld and I played it like this:

  Script started on Mon Apr  5 13:20:55 2004
  % file endoftheworld
  endoftheworld: RIFF (little-endian) data, WAVE audio, Microsoft PCM, \
  8 bit, mono 8000 Hz
  % play endoftheworld 
  sox: Unable to set audio speed to 8000 (set to 48000)

  Script done on Mon Apr  5 13:21:28 2004

What I got was a little white noise and then the 'song'. Does that tell
me whether it is the first thing or the second? (... thinks) Sounds as
if the codec is fixed at 48kHz, play does resampling but RealPlayer
(which is what plays BBC programmes) doesn't. Anyway I think I can
afford to get a sound card and find out. Thanks for your help.

Tony