connecting a DVD player to PB17

[mainstreetmark]

Howdy -

My dilema.

When I watch DVDs these days, I plug my altec lansing speakers into the powerbook and watch DVDs on it. I want to improve the sound. So, I was looking at "home theater" systems, which include several inputs and all that, but still, I think the Powerbook will only dump stereo, and s-video doesn't even carry sound (does it?)

So, in order to get surround sound, it appears that i'll need the audio hooked to a DVD player directly, which is fine, but as I don't have any sort of display, except the powerbook, can I display the DVD on the Powerbook, without actually playing it on the powerbook?

Technology.....

 

[jxyama]

S-video is strictly video information...

i don't think there's a way to extract surround from PB 17" or way to input the video info into PB and play on the screen...

even if you could display ext. DVD player output in the 17" PB screen, the screen is too small... you'd be very close the screen, but speakers would need to be further away for the surround to work well.

i think the best bet is to purchase a regular TV...

good luck.

 

[RiseAgainst]

This will do it...

this will hook up to 7.1 from your USB.

http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=products.main&ID=eee876ef2e6cbb4ac377f83c406e8885

 

[cpjakes]

If you want surround out of your Mac, try an M-Audio solution like the Sonica Theater. It's a USB to optical audio converter that works with Panther's DVD Player to give surround sound in Dolby Digital and DTS formats. It can also be your iTunes stereo out to your receiver.

I have an original Sonica that works like a charm and have heard nothing bad about the Sonica Theater. With these devices, you can play the video on your PowerBook and then listen through an external system. I've used mine on both a PowerBook and Desktop.

Good luck...

cpjakes

 

[jxyama]

ahh, very nice solutions!

good thing you asked, because while i don't need surround out of my PB, this is good information and i wouldn't have know about it at all...

 

[billyboy]

In my experience, the Sonica usb card, not the theatre version, is crud playing through Panther. Music through VLC is spot on, but the same tracks are slightly distorted in iTunes. I cant comment about Panthers DVD and surround sound, but movie sound is awesome in VLC.

Until M audio get a Panther specific driver out, or someone can maybe explain which prefereces I have wrong, I think Ill stick with audio through VLC.

 

[cpjakes]

I have never had a problem with levels/distortion with my Sonica, I'm not sure what settings might affect that, maybe the Sonica System Preference, turning off all those enhancers. That, combined with any EQ anywhere else in the system, especially the iTunes EQ.

I would try disabling the Sonica Sound Enhancer and the iTunes EQ and see how your tracks play. You could be boosting similar frequencies too much and that would cause it.

cpjakes