Digital I/O & Mini-DIN

No Digital Out With Windows Media DRM-compatible Players

This article highlights the "feature" in the Audigy and Live! drivers, where the digital output will be shut down when a player like Windows Media Player or PlayCenter is playing Windows Media DRM-enabled files.

To protect against unauthorised duplication, Sound Blaster Audigy [or Sound Blaster Live!] shuts down its digital output when encrypted files are played back through a Microsoft DRM supported audio player (for example, Creative PlayCenter).

Get Coaxial Output from the Yellow Digital Minijack Output

Mark from 3DsoundSurge mailed me that it was very easy to get coaxial output from the yellow digital out on the new SBLive! cards. Just get a mono minijack-to-coaxial/RCA cable from your local hardware store. It shouldn't cost you more than five bucks!

Mathias Svensson sends in his picture of the signals available in the yellow minijack digital out:

Minijack Digital Out to Mini-DIN Cable

If you are using a new SBLive! card with the yellow minijack digital output and need to connect to Cambridge SoundWorks speakers that support the Mini-DIN input, you can get a cable from Creative by calling them and quoting the serial numbers of your SBLive! card and Cambridge SoundWorks speakers. Check out this news post at AGN Hardware.

Here's some information provided by Harvey Fong from Creative:

The mini-jack to S/PDIF, and mini-jack to S/PDIF/MiniDIN adapter cables are
now included in currently shipping FPS2000, and DTT2500 systems. It will
also be a component of the DTT3500 systems as well. (This is packaging
information for the Americas only, I don't know if it is similar for the
other business units.)

Earlier packaging did not have the adapter cables included in the box,
however the Americas Customer Services department will supply the necessary
adapter cable without charge to Creative/Cambridge customers in the
Americas. This cable is also available for purchase for customers of other
speaker systems that have a standard coaxial S/PDIF connection.

Click here to find out how to contact Creative for these cables.

Mini-DIN Pin Assignments

Thanks to Age Kamminga for providing us with this diagram from the SBLive! PDF Manual. This connector is used to connect to four-channel supporting Cambridge SoundWorks speakers like the FPS2000 and DTT2500.

Pin	Signal
1	GND
2	GND
3	MIDI_IN
4	S/PDIFO#2
5	S/PDIFO#1
6	S/PDIF_IN
7	MIDI_OUT
8	S/PDIFO#0
9	S/PDIFO#3

4 S/PDIF Outputs

As you can see from the above diagram, there are 4 S/PDIF outputs numbered from #0 to #3. Each of these outputs carry two channels of sound - left and right. So theoretically, the SBLive! is capable of handling 8 discrete channels of sound. Creative was touting 8-channel speakers capability in the early days when the SBLive! was launched, but things seems to have died down. Do you want 8-channel speakers? Do you think they are feasible? Drop us a mail and tell us what you think.