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Re: Witcher 2 and Nvidia cards

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Zaghadka  <zaghadka@hotmail.com> wrote:
>HQ audio streams through HDMI output to a television and/or audio decoder.
>Since HDMI-out must have audio pins by spec, video cards now need to be able to
>handle DRM schemes that might limit sound quality through HDMI (The protocol is
>called HDCP, IIRC).

A video card with an HDMI output isn't required by the HDMI spec to
carry audio.  Strictly speaking I don't think it needs to support HDCP
either, although such a video card couldn't be used to play Blu-Ray discs.
However, any current ATI or NVIDIA card should support both HDMI audio
and HDCP.

The "HD audio" in the driver name actually refers to Intel High Definition
Audio, a standardized audio controller interface like those that exist for
USB, Firewire and SATA controllers.  Chances are the built-in soundcard
on your motherboard uses the same controller interface.  Windows includes
a generic HD audio driver, but it's probably an NVIDIA specific driver
that's being refered to here..

HDMI audio isn't necessary any higher quality than a standard digital
or even analogue audio connection.  In a normal non-surround setup
it's just going to be 44.1/48 kHz 16-bit stereo audio, the same as
an optical or coaxial SPDIF connection.  With surround sound though
it can make a difference, as HDMI is capable of transmiting 8 channel
uncompressed audio.  With SPDIF you're limitted to a lossy compressed
Dolby Digital or DTS stream.

For games HDMI can have a bigger advantage than just higher-quality
surround.  HDMI lets you have 3D positional audio through a single digital
connection with having to use a real-time Dobly Digital or DTS encoder.
(You can also use analogue audio, but that means running 3 or 4 cables
just for the audio.)

Well more information that anyone asked for or needed to know, but there
you go.

					Ross Ridge

-- 
 l/  //	  Ross Ridge -- The Great HTMU
[oo][oo]  rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca
-()-/()/  http://www.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/~rridge/ 
 db  //	  

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Thread

Witcher 2 and Nvidia cards Zaghadka <zaghadka@hotmail.com> - 2011-05-17 20:32 -0500
  Re: Witcher 2 and Nvidia cards "Mark P. Nelson" <markpnelson@sbcglobal.net> - 2011-05-18 21:29 +0000
    Re: Witcher 2 and Nvidia cards john.dsl@frontier.com (John Lewis) - 2011-05-19 01:13 +0000
    Re: Witcher 2 and Nvidia cards Zaghadka <zaghadka@hotmail.com> - 2011-05-18 20:20 -0500
  Re: Witcher 2 and Nvidia cards Rin Stowleigh <rstowleigh@gmail.com> - 2011-05-18 21:58 -0400
  Re: Witcher 2 and Nvidia cards PW <emailaddyinsig@ifIremember.com> - 2011-05-24 19:33 -0600
    Re: Witcher 2 and Nvidia cards Zaghadka <zaghadka@hotmail.com> - 2011-05-24 22:00 -0500
      Re: Witcher 2 and Nvidia cards Ross Ridge <rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca> - 2011-05-25 03:42 -0400
        Re: Witcher 2 and Nvidia cards Zaghadka <zaghadka@hotmail.com> - 2011-05-25 17:06 -0500
          Re: Witcher 2 and Nvidia cards Ross Ridge <rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca> - 2011-05-26 02:38 -0400
            Re: Witcher 2 and Nvidia cards Zaghadka <zaghadka@hotmail.com> - 2011-05-26 05:23 -0500
              Re: Witcher 2 and Nvidia cards Ross Ridge <rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca> - 2011-05-26 14:41 -0400
                Re: Witcher 2 and Nvidia cards Zaghadka <zaghadka@hotmail.com> - 2011-05-26 23:07 -0500
                Re: Witcher 2 and Nvidia cards Ross Ridge <rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca> - 2011-05-27 16:50 -0400
                Re: Witcher 2 and Nvidia cards Zaghadka <zaghadka@hotmail.com> - 2011-05-28 15:56 -0500
      Re: Witcher 2 and Nvidia cards PW <emailaddyinsig@ifIremember.com> - 2011-05-25 10:34 -0600

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