S/PDIF Page
The S/PDIF page of the Delta DiO Control Panel gives you control of the S/PDIF
inputs and outputs. This is also where you set up the digital audio format, and select
between the coaxial and optical inputs, choosing which is the current active digital
input. To display this page, click the "S/PDIF" tab of the Delta Control Panel.
Within the "Digital Input" group, you select which digital input is active, the Coaxial
(RCA) or Optical S/PDIF input. Only one digital input may be active at a time while
the other is ignored. Click the radio button next to the desired input to make it
active. Once an input is selected, it is constantly monitored to determine if the
incoming data is valid or not. A "Valid Input Detected" message will appear when
a valid digital signal is seen at the selected input. Conversely, the message "Invalid
or Not Present" will appear when there is no signal at the selected input, or when the
signal is corrupt or has become degraded for any reason.
Within the "Digital Output Format" group, you choose the digital audio format of the
digital outputs. The default setting, "Consumer," is a true S/PDIF format and is rec-
ognized by all consumer devices. The alternate "Professional" setting is an
AES/EBU type bit stream, but electrically it is S/PDIF. This is a work-around that
works successfully with some but not all AES/EBU devices.
For both consumer and professional output formats, the "Advanced" checkbox will
allow you to force the settings of a few particular status bits in the outgoing digital
audio stream. The advanced option is for expert users only; otherwise select
"Restore Defaults" to allow the Delta DiO drivers to handle the default status bit set-
tings automatically. When "Consumer" and "Advanced" are both selected, the group
"Consumer Format Advanced Settings" will appear. Conversely when
"Professional" and "Advanced" are both selected, the group "Professional Format
Advanced Settings" will appear.
Consumer Format Advanced Settings (Copy Mode):
Copy protection, also known as Serial Copy Management System (SCMS), is writ-
ten into the S/PDIF subcode, a reserved part of the S/PDIF digital stream that is inde-
pendent of the actual audio data being transmitted. It can be used to inhibit the
amount of copies that can be made, or allow for unlimited copying. Three SCMS
modes are available. "Original (Copy Permitted)" indicates that the source material
may be copied by a receiving device. "1st Generation" indicates that the source
material is a first generation copy. Most devices that are capable of recording will
reject material with this SCMS mode set. The final option is "No SCMS" which may
be used to override the other two modes and allow a recording device to successful-
ly record the audio data. Different devices and similar devices by different manu-
facturers may behave differently and require you to set these bits by "trial-and-error"
until proper operation is achieved.
Consumer Format Advanced Settings (Emphasis):
This status bit is used to indicate if pre-emphasis has been applied to the outgoing
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