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SPDIF out for E1705 / 9400 - Page 2

post #21 of 108
6/22/06 at 2:54am
do you suppose there's any way to get it to work with 5.1 for games? If so I can save $80 on a usb soundcard
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post #22 of 108
6/22/06 at 12:43pm
The SPDIF connection to my Pioneer receiver from my e1705 works great. I get perfect quality digital sound out of it. I have my SVIDEO hooked up to my TV and the SPDIF going to the receiver.

That sounds like you may have some dirty power in your house if every switch in the house affects it. Either that or your house's ground line isn't grounded very well. If it works OK at somebody elses house that would be my best guess.

I doubt this is an option but I have a Monster Powercenter 3500 for my stereo equipment and when you plug it in it will tell you if it has a solid ground. Also a UPS system will tell you the same thing. A UPS will also tell you if you have dirty power. If you want you can go to the store and temporarily buy one to get it to test your electrical and then after you're done return it. (I know thats kinda underhanded but do what ya gotta do
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post #23 of 108
6/22/06 at 12:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pinko
do you suppose there's any way to get it to work with 5.1 for games? If so I can save $80 on a usb soundcard

If the game supports 5.1 digital audio then yes it should work fine with 5.1 games.
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post #24 of 108
6/22/06 at 4:54pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by enfiniti
The SPDIF connection to my Pioneer receiver from my e1705 works great. I get perfect quality digital sound out of it. I have my SVIDEO hooked up to my TV and the SPDIF going to the receiver. That sounds like you may have some dirty power in your house if every switch in the house affects it. Either that or your house's ground line isn't grounded very well. If it works OK at somebody elses house that would be my best guess.
For a second I really thought that there is an issue with the electrical wiring in my house. But the desktop in the same room connected to the same receiver with SPDIF continues to work great. I'll still take the laptop to a neighbor this weekend and see if the receiver receives anything at all when an external monitor is connected. I also couldn't test if connecting the S-Video out to the TV will help or not because my TV doesn't have it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by enfiniti
I doubt this is an option but I have a Monster Powercenter 3500 for my stereo equipment and when you plug it in it will tell you if it has a solid ground. Also a UPS system will tell you the same thing. A UPS will also tell you if you have dirty power. If you want you can go to the store and temporarily buy one to get it to test your electrical and then after you're done return it. (I know thats kinda underhanded but do what ya gotta do
All the components (my monitor, projector, desktop, receiver and the laptop) were actually connected to a good quality surge protector which has a ground indicator, that shows everything is fine. But who knows ? I contacted Dell again and the rep who is taking care of this issue seems to be very knowledgeable. He said there was a similar problem reported in Ireland. So for now, I guess I just got 2 bad laptops (until I find otherwise after the test at neighbor's house ).
Quote:
Originally Posted by pinko
do you suppose there's any way to get it to work with 5.1 for games? If so I can save $80 on a usb soundcard
Some games have dolby out (probably some GTA versions). For others without live dolby out, you'll need a 5.1 USB sound card. Unless a new version of Ac3filter starts handling this as well.
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post #25 of 108
6/22/06 at 5:38pm
Now for my next question (oh boy, more questions!)

When you have the adapter and a 5.1 ouput hooked up, the audio drivers (in my case audigy hd software crap) detect everything correctly? it will let you choose headphones/2.1/5.1 and the CMSS will upmix correctly?
To make it short, i'm wondering how well the drivers support the 5.1.

Also, I just got some 5.1 headphones, and they have a fancy "svideo" type plug (i'm not sure the proper name, but its the kind used in pro audio equipment), but theyre also have a small reciever/amp w/ external power for extra bass. If they cant be used w/o the external power, do you know where to find male "svideo" to 3 x 3.5mm male headphone jack cable?

I suppose I should just order one and find out, but I have a feeling it will be a waste of space/money.

Thanks for the replies. I'd doll out some rep, but i'm all tapped out for today.
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post #26 of 108
6/23/06 at 7:45pm
If the cord you are talking about is a 7 pin S-Video cable then the best place to find an adapter like you are talking about is here:

http://www.svideo.com/7pin.html

What do you mean by 3 x 3.5mm headphone jack cable? Why do you need 3 3.5mm plugs to come off the adapter?
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post #27 of 108
7/3/06 at 9:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by pinko
When you have the adapter and a 5.1 ouput hooked up, the audio drivers (in my case audigy hd software crap) detect everything correctly? it will let you choose headphones/2.1/5.1 and the CMSS will upmix correctly?
To make it short, i'm wondering how well the drivers support the 5.1.

5.1 is ONLY supported for Dolby Digital or DTS passthrough. 5.1 sound from games will not and cannot be sent to the S/PDIF connector. Unless the game implements Dolby Digital Live, which most games don't.

Quote:
Also, I just got some 5.1 headphones, and they have a fancy "svideo" type plug (i'm not sure the proper name, but its the kind used in pro audio equipment), but theyre also have a small reciever/amp w/ external power for extra bass. If they cant be used w/o the external power, do you know where to find male "svideo" to 3 x 3.5mm male headphone jack cable?

3x3.5mm is for analog surround out, and is not supported by these laptops (or any that I know of). So, if you have a set of analog 5.1 headphones you are out off luck

You would need something like the Creative HQ 2300D headphones, but then again, that wouldn't help you in games. Or the Audigy 2 NX - that would be my advise for you...
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post #28 of 108
7/6/06 at 7:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by rexian
Can anyone with E1705 / 9400 / M1710 and an SPDIF connection to receiver please verify this for me ? I mentioned XPS because apparently they use the same audio.

I'm having a similar issue:

http://www.notebookforums.com/thread161713.html
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post #29 of 108
7/6/06 at 8:11am
Here's one place to buy the adapter:

http://www.svideo.com/7pinwspdif.html

http://www.showmecables.com/showProd...ategory_id=439
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post #30 of 108
7/6/06 at 11:17am
Dell support today gave me the (European) part number "70tvd" for this. It is also supposed to be part of a so-called "video cabling kit" which also includes the component version of the same adapter.

I tried the accessories dept, but they had *no* idea what those number are. Will try spare parts tomorrow...
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post #31 of 108
7/6/06 at 1:18pm
Alright, after reading, what I'm getting out of this is that this adapter everyone is talking about basically makes the S-Video output S-Video and Audio... Wouldn't that be the same as just using a 3.5mm to R/L RCA Audio w/ my normal S-Video Cable...
Cause that's what I do.
Or does using the special S-Video connector to get the audio do something special?
Looks like it makes no difference.
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post #32 of 108
7/6/06 at 6:25pm
The audio is digital audio out (S/PDIF), not analog stereo. It supports Dolby Digital and DTS, and can thus feed your home cinema system with surround sound (5.1) from DVDs...
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post #33 of 108
7/6/06 at 6:42pm
Hrmm.... I see... So it's better, guess I'll have to grab me one of them cables
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post #34 of 108
7/6/06 at 7:25pm
Well as long as you have a stereo/amplifier that supports digital audio and can use the signal the thing spits out anyway
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post #35 of 108
7/10/06 at 1:56am
Thread Starter 

Update on SPDIF issue !

I returned the replacement system Dell sent as it too had the same issue as my original one. It could be that I received 2 back to back defective systems, but it could also be my receiver. It's a 3 year old one and even though works great with the desktop, it could be because desktops are more forgiving than a laptop's mainboard with everything on it. Just echoing what the Dell support said.

I already lost a lot of time on this issue, so thought of finding a solution myself and ordered a Turtle Beach USB sound with optical out through toslink. Would have gone for Roadie, but decided to back off hoping Creative (or someone else) will launch an Audigy 2 ZX like Express Card (or USB based like Roadie) with dolby live (just dreaming but possible).

It's cheap, small and has good reviews. The main reason for me is the toslink out which will isolate the laptop's ground from receiver's for sure. The Dell person also said this probably would be a better solution. I'll update how it goes after I receive it in 2 days.

If any of you have any experience with this product, please share.

Thanks !
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post #36 of 108
7/10/06 at 6:10am
I'm pretty sure that will work for you, rexian - good for you! But sad that Dell cannot fix this issue.

I'm pretty sure there is a genuine issue with the BIOS/mb on these laptops. My SEK7000 ($1000) Marantz receiver is *not* the culprit...

I won't give up trying to get the "dedicated XPS support line" to fix this issue. Not until they have an explanation. I did buy maximized support options, too, so.... I'll be back...

(As a side not, I'd need something with digital coax instead, as my Creative HQ 2300D headphones don't take optical...)
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post #37 of 108
7/10/06 at 7:05am
Just an update - the Dell part numbers are 70tvd or 044ctv, and they are all over the web.

Unfortunately, it seems they are not for sale by Dell in Europe. I think Dell sells them in the US, though. :-(


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post #38 of 108
7/10/06 at 12:53pm
I'd really like to see if it has something to do with the ground in your house. I have an old ass crusty Pioneer receiver that works great with my laptop. The receiver is really finnicky too. Sometimes the center channel will get quiet but if you go beat on it a couple times it works fine

So I doubt its your receiver that is the culprit. If at all possible get something that can check the ground in your house (UPS system, Monster Power Center or Voltmeter) and see if its ok. It really does sound like an electrical issue outside of the laptop itself.

Another question. Did you get a replacement power adapter when you got the other laptop or did you use the old one? If so maybe it is a problem with the power brick.
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post #39 of 108
7/10/06 at 3:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by enfiniti
I'd really like to see if it has something to do with the ground in your house.

Another question. Did you get a replacement power adapter when you got the other laptop or did you use the old one? If so maybe it is a problem with the power brick.

I know this was directed at rexian, but I'd like to add that

1. I've had the electrical system checked for other reasons recently, so I doubt I have a ground issue.

2. I've checked with two different AC adapters.

So for me, it really feels like it's the laptop.
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post #40 of 108
7/10/06 at 6:57pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by m94mni
I'm pretty sure that will work for you, rexian - good for you! But sad that Dell cannot fix this issue.

I'm pretty sure there is a genuine issue with the BIOS/mb on these laptops. My SEK7000 ($1000) Marantz receiver is *not* the cuprit...

I won't give up trying to get the "dedicated XPS support line" to fix this issue. Not until they have an explanation. I did buy maximized support options, too, so.... I'll be back...

Thanks. I too hope it'll be ok. I didn't give up because Dell couldn't fix it, just got bored. Especially because I found a cheap work-around with the Turtle Beach thingy.

Quote:
Originally Posted by m94mni
(As a side not, I'd need something with digital coax instead, as my Creative HQ 2300D headphones don't take optical...)

I believe your pair has an optical input too. Just like Turtle Beach, it's a 3.5mm one, so you might need a toslink adapter unkess they already sent you one. Turtle Beach Micro comes with the optical 3.5mm --> toslink adapter.
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