M-Audio Sonica USB [13/20] Using the sonica with a software dvd player

Using the Sonica with a Software DVD Player

The Sonica will work with any software DVD player.What type of audio

signal your DVD player sends to the Sonica depends on the setting in your

DVD player software.

Generally, your DVD player software will provide a series of audio setup

options or preferences.The exact location of these audio options may vary,

so check your DVD player’s documentation for more information. It is

from these setup options that you will be able to change or direct the

audio output of the DVD player.

The choice of audio settings within software DVD players, and the way they

are named,will vary and may be limited by the version,or `level’,of your DVD

player. The choices within your player’s settings may include stereo analog

output, S/PDIF output, or 5.1 surround output. Here is a breakdown of how

these settings might appear and how they affect the output of the Sonica:

2 Speaker: When the Sonica is chosen as your computer’s audio

device (see sections,“Sonica and the Windows Sound System,” and

“Sonica and the Macintosh Sound Manager”), this setting will send

a stereo signal to the Sonica’s outputs.

Use S/PDIF: When you have the Sonica digital output connected

to the digital input of a surround sound receiver,choose this setting

to send the encoded surround signal (Dolby Digital, DTS) to the

receiver.

6 Speaker: If your DVD player is capable of decoding a surround

sound signal, such as Dolby Digital and DTS, and you are listening

to a set of stereo speakers or any stereo setup, you may make this

selection.Then, in the Sonica Control Panel (see the next section),

choose 5.1 Cinema Mode (Windows only). This combination of

settings utilizes TruSurround XT to provide the best surround

sound simulation from stereo speakers.

NOTE: At the time of this writing, Macintosh OS 9 will not allow you

to send a digitally encoded surround signal, such as Dolby Digital

(AC3) or DTS, from a digital audio port such as the Sonica’s optical

digital output. Mac OS X is expected to support this capability

sometime in the future.