MacBook Pro - headphone light

[joseph2166]

Why is there a light in the MacBook Pro's audio socket?!

 

[matticus008]

It's for digital optical connections. Completely normal and nothing to worry about. 🙂

 

[ChrisBrightwell]

Optical audio output.

 

[designed]

Same with the iMac, don't worry about it. "It's not a bug, it's a feature" 😀

I only wish is that the optical out would give out surround sound outside watching movies.

 

[matticus008]

I only wish is that the optical out would give out surround sound outside watching movies.

It does. Obviously the source has to be encoded in surround in order for it to work, but the hardware doesn't discriminate.

 

[howesey]

Same with the iMac, don't worry about it. "It's not a bug, it's a feature" 😀

I only wish is that the optical out would give out surround sound outside watching movies.

In DVD Player.

Preferences -> Disc Setup -> under audio select "Digital Out - built-in audio".

AC3 will then output rather than PCM. Enjoy DD and DTS. 🙂

EDIT: Misread. LOL.


Unfortunatly, SPDIF does not allow for more than two channels. One way around it is to output as AC3 for example, like on a DVD.

 

[Arcus]

Why is there a light in the MacBook Pro's audio socket?!

There is a fire inside the MacBook. Get your cat to pee on it to put it out..

 

[designed]

Unfortunatly, SPDIF does not allow for more than two channels. One way around it is to output as AC3 for example, like on a DVD.

Yeah, I tried that and it's nice AC3/DD goes through with no probs but it just frustrates me that I can't utilize my surround system properly when listening to mp3s, unlike with my PC with SB Live!. I guess I'll have to get a 3,5mm -> 2x3,5mm headphone jack share thingy and plug my old analog cables to it, that's close enough. Thankfully I'm not that much of a audiophile, I just like the richer soundscape the four speakers provide instead of just two.

 

[JoeG4]

But MP3s aren't surround sound! Your "SB LIVE!" was faking it, and there are probably apps out there that will happily dupe the additional channels, I'm actually surprised your speakers don't have controls on the decoder to adjust that stuff (mine do) -- I can use ProLogic II or a number of other things to get 2 channels turned into 5.

That said, a dual jack won't do you any good since it won't pass the optical signal through 😉