User`s guide

24
User's Guide Fireface 400 © RME
12.2 DVD-Playback (AC-3/DTS)
AC-3 / DTS
When using popular DVD software players like WinDVD and PowerDVD, their audio data
stream can be sent to any AC-3/DTS capable receiver using the Fireface's SPDIF output. For
this to work, the WDM* SPDIF device of the Fireface 400 has to be selected in >Control Panel/
Sounds and Multimedia/ Audio<. Also check 'use preferred device only'.
(*In some cases MME is not
supported)
The DVD software's audio properties now show the options 'SPDIF Out', 'Use SPDIF' or 'acti-
vate SPDIF output'. When selecting these, the software will transfer the non-decoded digital
multichannel data stream to the Fireface.
This 'SPDIF' signal sounds like chopped noise at highest level. Therefore the Fireface 400
automatically activates the non-audio bit within the digital data stream, to prevent most SPDIF
receivers from accepting the signal, and to prevent any attached equipment from being dam-
aged.
Multichannel
PowerDVD and WinDVD can also operate as software decoder, sending a DVD's multichannel
data stream directly to the analog outputs of the Fireface. All modes are supported, from 2 to 8
channels, at 16 bit resolution and up to 192 kHz sample rate. Up to 48 kHz, playback is also
possible via the ADAT outputs of the Fireface.
For multichannel playback, a WDM streaming* device, or the correct** MME playback device of
the Fireface 400 has to be selected in >Control Panel/ Sounds and Multimedia/ Audio<. Also
check 'use preferred device only'. PowerDVD's audio properties now lists several multichannel
modes. If one of these is selected, PowerDVD sends the decoded analog multichannel data to
the Fireface.
* The option Interleaved in the Settings dialog has to be activated.
** Certain MME playback devices of the Fireface support multichannel playback (Interleaved) with 2, 4, 6 and 8 chan-
nels:
-- Fireface Analog (1+2): Up to 192 kHz, playback on the analog outputs 1-8
-- Fireface ADAT (1+2): Up to 48 kHz, playback on channels 11-18
Thanks to TotalMix, the software's playback channels can be routed to any hardware outputs.
Therefore a playback at 96 kHz using the analog outputs can also be done via both ADAT
ports. This also removes a limitation in some software (like PowerDVD 5), which always uses
channel 1 as first channel of a multichannel playback.
The channel assignment using PowerDVD is:
1 - Left
2 - Right
3 - Center
4 - LFE (Low Frequency Effects)
5 - SL (Surround Left)
6 - SR (Surround Right)
Note 1
: Selecting the Fireface to be used as system playback device is against our recommen-
dations on system optimization, as professional cards are not specialized to play back system
sounds, and shouldn't be disturbed by system events. To prevent this, be sure to re-assign the
selection after usage, or to disable any system sounds (tab Sounds, scheme 'No audio').
Note 2
: The DVD player will be synced backwards from the Fireface. This means when using
AutoSync and/or word clock, the playback speed and pitch follows the incoming clock signal.