"if you want to stress the cpu while recording sound - go Intel"?

[nivw]

I used to read this forum, first post.

Using biostar Ideq 200V with windows 2000, I installed a winTV card to use it as a Tivo. I connected the output of the TV card to the line in of the onboard sound card.

listening to the audio I hear that the sound level goes down ever so often - then comes back.



I RMAed the board to Biostar, and they said that it may be due to the lack of hardware sound encoding in via chipset. So when encoding sound via soft - cpu high usage bursts may cause sound problems.



The rep sugestted upgrading the board to an Intel one wich has a hardware encoder for 50$.

So I will have to buy a new Intel cpu. -> 190$ or more :-(



any ideas, that may help? does it happen Linux?



10x,

Niv

 

[Jiggz]

I wouldn't buy another CPU. Instead I'll fine me another AMD mobo with hardware encoder. Hardware encoder is the preferred but with today's CPU you should do fine with just software encoder. The sound level going up and down maybe the problem with the encoder and not the mobo or CPU. Try using another encoder and make sure you set your Processor performance for Programs while the memory for system cache under System properties. If you can play DVD normally without any problem, you should be able to do audio easily; Since a DVD movie usersway more CPU and other resources than any audio programs out there.

 

[sandorski]

Get a Soundcard. Audigy 2 should do it, but doublecheck what kind of Hardware Encoder you need and whether the Audigy 2 has it(I would think so).

 

[SilentRunning]

Originally posted by: sandorski
Get a Soundcard. Audigy 2 should do it, but doublecheck what kind of Hardware Encoder you need and whether the Audigy 2 has it(I would think so).

It would seem that for TIVO like recording that you picked the wrong card. You really should have gotten a card with a hardware video encoder like THIS ONE. The video encoding is eating up more of the CPU than the audio encoding.

 

[Fisher999]

Originally posted by: SilentRunning
...It would seem that for TIVO like recording that you picked the wrong card. You really should have gotten a card with a hardware video encoder like THIS ONE. The video encoding is eating up more of the CPU than the audio encoding.

That very TV tuner card to which silentrunning is feferring is available ober here at PCAlchemy for $84.95 plus shpping.

 

[Joepublic2]

"if you want to stress the cpu while recording sound - go Intel"
................................................................................... _
...More like "if you want to pass the buck on shi||y engineering - go Biostar".

If I'm understanding your question correctly, the volume should remain at a constant level, unless you change it through a driver control. If your sound device's volume changes without you changing it, it's defective. The cpu load doesn't have anything to do with it.

 

[nivw]

Thanks to all that replied,

Originally posted by: Jiggz
I wouldn't buy another CPU. Instead I'll fine me another AMD mobo with hardware encoder.

where can I find such a SSF motherboard?

Originally posted by: Jiggz
Try using another encoder and make sure you set your Processor performance for Programs while the memory for system cache under System properties.

The sound chip used is C-Media CMI9739A. I used the drivers provided at the Biostar site. I couldn't find any other drivers. any hints on how to change the software encoder?

Originally posted by: sandorski
Get a Soundcard. Audigy 2 should do it.

As this is a SSF I have only one pci , and one AGP. currently I used the pci slot for the TV card, so I can't plug any other pci card. going for a usb sound card, would be more costy and I imagne it won't be supported under Linux.

Originally posted by: SilentRunning
It would seem that for TIVO like recording that you picked the wrong card. You really should have gotten a card with a hardware video encoder like THIS ONE. The video encoding is eating up more of the CPU than the audio encoding.

Why would I one use mpeg-2 today instead of mpeg 4? using the mpeg 4 - H264 OS codec I encoded a 30 min at 512X384 show to 120 Mb. As this machine is ment to serve only aa an HTPC, why would I invest in taking the load of the cpu? I paid for a 2Ghz CPU, why not stress it?

Originally posted by: Joepublic2
If I'm understanding your question correctly, the volume should remain at a constant level, unless you change it through a driver control. If your sound device's volume changes without you changing it, it's defective. The cpu load doesn't have anything to do with it.

you undestud fine. is it common to have the RMA/Tech rep offer an upgrade fot the price difference of motherboards? there was no mention in Biostar of such problems, yet they offer to upgrade the motherboard to Intel VERY quickly. is it common practice?

Niv

 

[nivw]

Thanks to John Robinson replay over at the unichrome ML

Seems my Ideq 200V board doesn't use VIA chipset to handle sound. in fact it uses the same chip the 200T (the board they want to upgrade me to for 50$) uses, the C-Media CMI9739A .
In the next AMD/VIA based SSF , Biostar replaced the suond chip to the C-Media CMI9761A which has 2 channel 16 bit ADC. That improved chip may solve the problem I reported.

Niv