NetBSD Audio Improvements Are On The Way For Better Performance & Less Stuttering

[phoronix]

Phoronix: NetBSD Audio Improvements Are On The Way For Better Performance & Less Stuttering

Being squared away for the NetBSD 8.1 release are audio improvements within the kernel...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=NetBSD-8.1-Audio-Improvements

[Candy]

Less stuttering ?

They probably removed all functions starting with pulse.*

[rene]

that reminds me, I still need to continue logic analyzing why the optical s/pdif input does not work on most Macs w/ Linux/ALSA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgWcIGFSIsw

[M@GOid]

that reminds me, I still need to continue logic analyzing why the optical s/pdif input does not work on most Macs w/ Linux/ALSA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgWcIGFSIsw

Let me tell you, it will not improve. Years ago I was about to buy a friend's surround 5.1 receiver. My interest was on the optical input. Testing it, I discovered a good amount of lag. Thinking it could be the much maligned Pulse Audio, I tried on Windows 7 and the same thing happened.

Long story short, optical sound connection is on the way out, because of HDMI audio. Nobody cares to fix bugs on the SO or even on games. That's right, games. Even surround sound is bugged these days, since the demise of 5.1 kits on PC, today's 99 percent of users only cares about stereo, 2.1 if you stretch a bit.

[mulenmar]

...today's 99 percent of users only cares about stereo, 2.1 if you stretch a bit.

Of course they do. You only NEED left and right channels and proper positioning to create an acceptable soundstage. Toss in a center channel if you're feeling fancy. Invest in decent stereo speakers and an amp, then pump your 44.1kHz/16-bit FLAC out through a decent soundcard to them.

This audiophile BS has *got* to stop. Unless you're running a concert or movie theatre and actually need to have dozens, hundreds, or thousands of people feeling like they're right in the center of the music, you are wasting your money and time making rich people richer, and pretending you didn't make a stupid decision ("It can't be stupid, *I'm* not stupid! I can totally hear a difference that doesn't vanish under double-blind testing!") about what to spend that money and time on.

People figured that out, and went back to stereo. Besides -- let's face it -- everyone know how to plug a set of utterly-awful no-name speakers into their computer: take the 3.5mm plug and plug it into each of the "headphone jacks" on the back of the computer until you hear the music.

[F.Ultra]

Of course they do. You only NEED left and right channels and proper positioning to create an acceptable soundstage. Toss in a center channel if you're feeling fancy. Invest in decent stereo speakers and an amp, then pump your 44.1kHz/16-bit FLAC out through a decent soundcard to them.

This audiophile BS has *got* to stop. Unless you're running a concert or movie theatre and actually need to have dozens, hundreds, or thousands of people feeling like they're right in the center of the music, you are wasting your money and time making rich people richer, and pretending you didn't make a stupid decision ("It can't be stupid, *I'm* not stupid! I can totally hear a difference that doesn't vanish under double-blind testing!") about what to spend that money and time on.

People figured that out, and went back to stereo. Besides -- let's face it -- everyone know how to plug a set of utterly-awful no-name speakers into their computer: take the 3.5mm plug and plug it into each of the "headphone jacks" on the back of the computer until you hear the music.

A center channel is completely useless unless you have a setup where people can be positioned very long relative distances to the left/right speakers. Even worse is when people use a specific center speaker which now means that the audio changes in character when it pans from left to right.

However higher than 2.1 is not "audiophile BS", the audiophiles have always preferred 2.0 and have loathed the surround amplifiers since they first appeared. However some will use a computer as a media device for their TV setup as well so there does exist reasons to go beyond 2.1 since movies on a big screen is a completely different matter than games on a monitor.

[F.Ultra]

Less stuttering ?

They probably removed all functions starting with pulse.*

Your post is actually funny in the opposite direction. This is about less stuttering in the Kernel side and pulse lives in user-space, but more funny is that people have always complained that pulse introduces stutter when "I have never experienced any stuttering on BSD evah" but now somehow that "no stuttering" is less than before :-)

[aht0]

Your post is actually funny in the opposite direction. This is about less stuttering in the Kernel side and pulse lives in user-space, but more funny is that people have always complained that pulse introduces stutter when "I have never experienced any stuttering on BSD evah" but now somehow that "no stuttering" is less than before :-)

Do differentiate between Net, Open- and FreeBSD's. Audio is always been claimed to be better on Open and Free. Mr "I am FreeBSD port maintainer". My ass

[F.Ultra]

Do differentiate between Net, Open- and FreeBSD's. Audio is always been claimed to be better on Open and Free. Mr "I am FreeBSD port maintainer". My ass

I only maintain server related packages for the FreeBSD ports so have no relation what so ever to their sound architecture. And for the record this was not a post to claim that sound was bad in BSD-land, it was just a light hearted poke at the people who claim that pulse rapes their pets and sets their home on fire.

[aht0]

I only maintain server related packages for the FreeBSD ports so have no relation what so ever to their sound architecture. And for the record this was not a post to claim that sound was bad in BSD-land, it was just a light hearted poke at the people who claim that pulse rapes their pets and sets their home on fire.

You do realize that each BSD is in effect distinctive operating system in it's own right, sometimes as different from it's fellow than Linux is, or even more?