RME Audio Hammerfall Multiface II User Manual Download

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User's Guide HDSP System Multiface II

12.2 DVD-Playback (AC-3/DTS) under MME

AC-3 / DTS

When using popular DVD software player like WinDVD and PowerDVD, their audio data stream
can be sent to any AC-3/DTS capable receiver, using the Hammerfall DSP's SPDIF output. For
this to work the SPDIF output wave device has to be selected in >

Control Panel/ Sounds and

Multimedia/ Audio

<. Also check 'use preferred device only'.

You will notice that the DVD software's audio properties now allow to use 'SPDIF Out', 'Use
SPDIF' or to 'activate SPDIF output'. When selecting these, the software will transfer the non-
decoded digital multichannel data stream to the Hammerfall DSP.

This 'SPDIF' signal sounds like chopped noise at highest level. Therefore the Multiface auto-
matically activates the non-audio bit within the digital data stream, to prevent most SPDIF re-
ceivers from accepting the signal, and to prevent any attached equipment from being dam-
aged.

Multichannel

PowerDVD can also operate as software decoder, sending a DVD's multichannel data stream
directly to the analog outputs of the Multiface. Supported are all modes, from 2 to 8 channels,
at 16 bit resolution and 48 kHz sample rate. Playback via the ADAT output of the Multiface is
also supported.

For this to work an output wave device of the HDSP 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 HDSP.

The device selected as

Preferred Playback Device

defines the first playback channel. Choosing

ADAT 3/4 and 6-channel mode, playback will happen on channels 11 to 16. Choosing ADAT
5/6 and 6-channel mode, even the SPDIF output will be used for the last (highest) channels.

The available modes depend on the number of channels available above the chosen de-
vice! When selecting ADAT 7/8, the 6-channel mode will not be available.

The channel assignment using PowerDVD is:

1 (first chosen playback channel) - Left
2 - Right
3 - Center
4 - LFE (Low Frequency Effects)
5 - SR (Surround Right)
6 - SL (Surround Left)

Note 1: Setting the card to be used as system playback device is against common sense, 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 this setting after usage, or to disable
any system sounds (tab Sounds, scheme 'No audio').

Note 2: The DVD player will be synced backwards from the HDSP card. This means when us-
ing AutoSync and/or word clock, the playback speed and pitch follows the incoming clock sig-
nal.

Note 3: PowerDVD 5 no longer supports a starting channel other than channel 1. Use TotalMix
to send audio to the ADAT port if necessary.

Note 4: In WinDVD 5 and 6, a channel-separated 5.1 playback using the HDSP requires a
change in the registry. Start regedit, go to >