Any consumer use for a sound chip codec?

[mikeford]

I was searching for a sound card on ebay and turned up a bunch of auction listings for I think it was a realtek AL882 sound chip codex, one of those square chips with a dozen or so legs on each side. I'm having a hard time guessing what anybody would do with one, any ideas?

 

[Modelworks]

Plenty of uses. Electronics hobbyist can use it for input for other projects. Or to repair a broken chip on a board.

 

[exdeath]

They make for a cheap DAC/ADC.

 

[mikeford]

So perhaps some kit or something exists that would use them? One of the listings was talking about tubes, so maybe its part of some DIY thing.

Would it be likely these chips included licensing for Dolby Digital Live, that was one of the claimed features, DDL not whether it was licensed or not.

Would it be likely these chips could replace another chip enhancing features etc?