Xonar HDAV 1.
E3867 First Edition V1 June 2008 Copyright © 2008 ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form or by any means, except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes, without the express written permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (“ASUS”).
Contents Contents....................................................................................................... iii Notices........................................................................................................... v Safety information....................................................................................... vi Trademarks................................................................................................... vi License........................................
Contents 7. 8. 9. 6.9 DS3D GX and DSP Modes............................................... 50 6.10 VocalFX............................................................................. 52 6.11 Video – Splendid HD......................................................... 55 6.12 DVD/Blu-ray playback over DH/DVS/DDL/ Multiple Analog Speakers................................................. 60 ASUS GamerOSD........................................................................... 68 7.
Notices Federal Communications Commission Statement This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: • This device may not cause harmful interference, and • This device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
Safety information • Before installing the device on a motherboard, carefully read all the manuals that came with the package. • To prevent electrical shock hazard or short circuits, switch off the power supply before installing the device on a motherboard or connecting any singal cables to the device. • If the device is broken, do not try to fix it by yourself. Contact a qualified service technician or your retailer. • Before using the product, make sure all cables are correctly connected.
1. Introduction 1.1 Package contents • ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.3 card • ASUS Xonar H6 DAC extension board (ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.3 Deluxe only) • H6 extension board cable x1 • HDMI cable x1 • DVI-to-HDMI cable x1 • Stereo RCA-to-3.5mm cable x4 • S/PDIF TOSLINK optical adapter x1 • Support CD (including ASUS Gamer OSD and RMAA V6.0.6 utilities) • Quick installation guide • TotalMedia Theatre Bluray Disc/HD-DVD Software Player (ArcSoft) CD 1.
1.3 Specifications summary Items Description Main Chipset ASUS AV200 High-Definition Audio Processor (Max. 192KHz/24bit) Audio Processor Video Processor ASUS Splendid HD Video Processor TI Burr-Brown PCM1796 *1 on AV card; *3 on H6 DAC Extension Board (123dB SNR, Max. 192kHz/24bit) 24-bit D-A Converter of Digital Sources: ( 24-bit A-D Converter for Analog Inputs: Cirrus-Logic CS5381* 1 120dB SNR, Max. 192kHz/24bit) Output Audio OPAs Swappable DIP-typed NS LM4562 *4 (Ultra low THD+N~ 0.
Analog Input Jack: Front-Panel Header Other Line-level Analog Input (for CD-IN/TV Tuner): Digital S/PDIF Output Digital S/PDIF Input 3.
2. Hardware overview 2.1 Xonar HDAV card layout 7 1 8 9 2 3 10 4 5 6 No Item Description 1 HDMI In port Connects to the DVI port of a graphics card using the bundled HDMI-to-DVI cable for DVI signal transmission, or connects to the HDMI Out port of an HDMI graphics card using an HDMI cable. 2 HDMI Out port Connects to a device with HDMI support. 3 S/PDIF Out port Coaxial and optical TOSLINK combo digital output port.
6 S/PDIF In port Optical TOSLINK digital input jack. Connects to external digital audio sources such as MD players, CD players, or DVD players, for audio recording or loopback. 7 Front panel audio header Connect one end of the front panel audio cable to the front panel audio header on the Xonar HDAV 1.3 card, with the other end to the chassis-mounted front panel audio I/O module.
2.2 H6 DAC extension board layout 1 2 3 4 7 5 6 No Item Description 1 Right Side Surround Out port Connects to the surround channel input on 4/5.1/6.1/7.1 powered analog speakers. 2 Left Side Surround Out port Connects to the surround channel input on 4/5.1/6.1/7.1 powered analog speakers. 3 Center Out port Connects to the front center input on 5.1/6.1/7.1 powered analog speakers. 4 Subwoofer Out port Connects to the front subwoofer input on 6.1/7.1 powered analog speakers.
3. Installing the hardware 3.1 Preparing your computer Before you proceed with the following installation steps, it is recommended that you disable the onboard audio device in the BIOS settings, or uninstall any other sound cards on your PC. (For BIOS setting or uninstallation of other sound cards, refer to the user manuals of your motherboard and sound card.) 1. Power off your computer and disconnect the power cord. 2. Open the computer chassis. 3.
3.2 Installing the Xonar HDAV 1.3 card Securing the Xonar HDAV card and the H6 DAC extension board: 1. Carefully insert the Xonar HDAV card into the PCI Express x1 slot and the extension board into the other adjacent slot. Ensure both the Xonar HDAV card and the extension board sit properly in place. 2. Secure both the Xonar HDAV card and the extension board with screws or metal brackets. 1 2 Connecting cables: 1. Using the extension board cable, connect the Xonar HDAV card to the extension board.
Connecting to a discrete graphics card: 1. Install a discrete graphics card on your motherboard. 2. Using the bundled HDMI-to-DVI cable, connect the DVI Out port of the graphics card to the HDMI In port of the Xonar HDAV 1.3 card. If you are using an HDMI graphics card, connect your graphics card with the Xonar HDAV 1.3 card using the HDMI cable that comes with your graphics card package.
3.3 1. Connecting to a TV tuner card If you have a traditional PCI or PCI Express TV tuner card on your PC, you may need to connect it to the Xonar HDAV 1.3 card to send the tuner card’s sound to your PC speakers. 2. Secure the PCI/PCI Express TV tuner card and screw it into the back-panel. 3. Connect the audio output header from the TV tuner card to the Aux-In header of the Xonar HDAV 1.3 card.
4. Installing software 4.1 Installing the card driver Ensure that you have installed the VGA card driver before installing the Xonar HDAV driver. Otherwise, driver installation error may occur. 1. After you have installed the Xonar HDAV card, turn on your computer. Windows® automatically detects the HDAV card and searches for device drivers. When prompted for the drivers, click Cancel. 2. Insert the support CD into the optical drive.
4.2 Installing the TotalMedia Theatre software 1. Insert the TotalMedia Theatre installation CD into the optical drive. If Autorun is enabled in your system, the setup starts automatically. If not, run setup. exe from the installation CD. 2. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the installation. 3. When prompted, enter the license key located on the installation CD sleeve. 12 ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
5. Connecting speakers and peripherals 5.1 Connecting digital speaker systems (Home Theater) The Xonar HDAV 1.3 supports Dolby Digital Live and DTS Interactive technologies, which transcode any audio, including games and music, into industry-standard Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1 surround bit-streams. This makes playback through your home theater system possible, creating an immersive and impressive cinema surround sound experience.
5.2 Connecting Headphones 5.2.1 Connecting Stereo Headphones (Xonar HDAV card) SPDIF Out Front Right Out Front Left Out Stereo RCA-to-3.5mm cable The Left/Right Front Out ports have a built-in high-quality amplifier to drive headphones. Connect your stereo headphones to the bundled stereo RCA-to-3.5mm cable, and then connect the Left/Right ends to the to Front Left/Right Out ports on the Xonar HDAV card. 14 ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
5.2.2 Connecting 5.1 channel Headphones 1 2 3 (H6 DAC extension board) (Xonar HDAV card) 2 Right Side Out Left Side Out 3 1 Front Right Out Center Out Subwoofer Out Front Left Out No Item Description 1 Front Left/Right Out Connect the front-channel 3.5mm plug of your 5.1 headphones to the bundled stereo RCA-to-3.5mm cable, and then connect the Left/Right ends to the to Front Left/Right Out ports on the Xonar HDAV card. 2 Left/Right Side Surround Out Connect the side surround-channel 3.
5.3 Connecting Analog Speaker Systems 5.3.1 Connecting Analog Power Amplifier 1 2 3 4 (Xonar HDAV card) 1 Front Right Out Front Left Out (H6 DAC extension board) 2 Right Side Out Left Side Out 3 Center Out Subwoofer Out 4 Right Back Out Left Back Out 16 ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
No Item Description 1 Front Left/Right Out Connects to the “left front” and “right front” input ports of the analog amplifier with the mini-jack-to-RCA cable, and then connect the other end to the bundled stereo RCA-to-3.5mm cable. Finally, connect the Left/Right ends to the Front Left/ Right Out ports on the Xonar HDAV card.
5.3.2 Connecting 2/2.1 Channel Speakers 2 Speakers 2.1 Speakers 1 1 (Xonar HDAV card) 1 Front Right Out Front Left Out No Item Description 1 Front Left/Right Out The Left/Right Front Out ports have a built-in high-quality amplifier to drive headphones. Connect the 2/2.1 speaker set’s 3.5mm plug to the bundled stereo RCA-to-3.5mm cable, and then connect the Left/Right ends to the Front Left/Right Out ports on the Xonar HDAV card. 18 ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
5.3.3 Connecting 4/4.1 Channel Speakers 4 Speakers 4.1 Speakers 1 1 2 2 (H6 DAC extension board) (Xonar HDAV card) 2 Right Side Out Left Side Out 1 Front Right Out Front Left Out No Item Description 1 Front Left/Right Out Connects to the Front input port of the 4/4.1 speakers with the mini-jack cable, and then connect the other end to the bundled stereo RCA-to-3.5mm cable. Finally, connect the Left/Right ends to the Front Left/Right Out ports on the extension board.
5.3.4 Connecting 5.1 Channel Speakers 5.1 Speakers (Xonar HDAV card) 1 2 3 1 (H6 DAC extension board) Front Right Out Front Left Out Right Side Out 2 Left Side Out 3 Center Out Subwoofer Out No Item Description 1 Front Left/Right Out Connects to the Front input port of the 5.1 speakers with the mini-jack cable, and then connect the other end to the bundled stereo RCA-to-3.5mm cable. Finally, connect the Left/Right ends to the Front Left/Right Out ports on the Xonar HDAV card.
5.3.5 Connecting 6.1 / 7.1 Channel Speakers 6.1 Speakers 7.1 Speakers 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 (Xonar HDAV card) 1 Front Right Out Front Left Out (H6 DAC extension board) Right Side Out 2 Left Side Out 3 Center Out Subwoofer Out Right Back Out 4 Left Back Out ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
No Item Description 1 Front Left/Right Out Connects to the Front input port of the 6.1/7.1 speakers with the mini-jack cable, and then connect the other end to the bundled stereo RCA-to-3.5mm cable. Finally, connect the Left/Right ends to the Front Left/Right Out ports on the Xonar HDAV card. 2 Left/Right Side Surround Out Connects to the Side Surround input port of the 6.1/7.1 speakers with the mini-jack cable, and then connect the other end to the bundled stereo RCA-to-3.5mm cable.
5.4 Connecting Microphone 1 2 2 (Xonar HDAV card) 1 Front Right Out Front Left Out 2 No 1 Mic In Item Description Front Left/Right Out port/Headphone port Connect the headphone’s 3.5mm plug to the bundled stereo RCA-to-3.5mm cable, and then connect the Left/Right ends to the to Front Left/Right Out ports on the Xonar HDAV card. Microphone Input Jack Connect the microphone’s 3.5mm plug to the Mic-In port on the Xonar HDAV card for voice communication, recording, or karaoke.
5.5 Connecting Line-In Audio Sources (Xonar HDAV card) Front Right Out 1 Front Left Out Line In No Item Description 1 Line Input Jack Connect the 3.5mm plug of the CD/MP3 Player or any other Line level analog audio sources into this Line-In jack for sound recording or real-time Dolby/DTS sound processing through the Monitoring path (See the “Mixer” section of the driver guide). 24 ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
5.6 Connecting Digital Audio Sources (Xonar HDAV card) 1 SPDIF In 2 No Item Description 1 Optical adapter Plug the optical TOSLINK adapter into the S/PDIF-In combo connector 2 Optical cable Connect your MD/CD/DVD player’s S/PDIF out port to the optical adapter with the TOSLINK optical cable You can also use a coaxial cable for a S/PDIF digital connection. Just plug the coaxial RCA male connector to the S/PDIF-In combo jack and connect the other end into the coaxial S/PDIF output on the player.
6. Xonar HDAV Center 6.1 Xonar HDAV Center GUI 1. After the driver installation is complete and your computer has been rebooted, you will find the Xonar HDAV Center’s icon in the system tray on the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. Double click this icon to open the Xonar HDAV Center utility. If the icon could not be found in the system tray, launch the Xonar HDAV Center from the Windows desktop by clicking Start > All Programs > ASUS Xonar HDAV > Xonar HDAV Center. 2.
No Item Description 1 Support link Clicking this button will lead you to the ASUS official website. 2 Display Area This display area shows the 10-band signal meter, volume level, and the status of the Dolby/DTS technologies, EQ, and DSP modes. Note: this area just displays information, but is not used to alter settings. 3 HDMI mode Click this button when you connect the Xonar HDAV 1.3 card to an HDMI device. 4 Sound Card mode Click this button when you connect the Xonar HDAV 1.
6.2 Audio-Main Setting 6.2.1 HDMI Out mode / Analog Out mode Select the appropriate mode corresponding to the device you connect the Xonar HDAV 1.3 card to. HDMI Out / Speaker Test / Speaker Swap Click the HDMI mode button and configure the related settings when you connect the Xonar HDAV 1.3 card to an HDMI device. 1 2 3 No Item Description 1 HDMI Out The HDMI Out setting is used to match your actual speaker setting, such as headphones, 2 speakers (or 2.1), 4 speakers (or 4.1), 5.1 speakers, 7.
Analog Out / Speaker Test / Speaker Swap Click the Analog mode button and configure the related settings when you connect the Xonar HDAV 1.3 card to powered analog speakers or digital home theater systems, etc. 1 2 3 No Item Description 1 Analog Out The Analog Out setting is used to match your actual speaker setting, such as headphones, 2 speakers (or 2.1), 4 speakers (or 4.1), 5.1 speakers, and 7.1 speakers. Xonar HDAV 1.
6.2.2 Sample Rate The sample rate determines the number of audio samples per second that the Digital-to-Analog Converters (DAC) and S/PDIF digital interface will output. The Xonar HDAV 1.3 card can support sample rates up to 192KHz (44.1K, 48K, 96K, 192KHz). Usually audio CDs and MP3 files are 44.1KHz; DVD-Video uses 48KHz; DVD-Audio or other HD media may contain 96KHz or 192KHz high-definition audio content.
6.2.3 SPDIF Out/DDL/DTS Interactive Xonar HDAV 1.3 is capable of outputting Dolby Digital Live and DTS Interactive, which are real-time encoders that transcode any audio, including games and music, into industry-standard Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1 bit-streams on-the-fly. This is ideal for playback through a home theater system, creating an immersive and impressive cinema surround sound experience. It enables a single digital connection to carry high quality Dolby Digital or DTS 5.
6.2.4 Audio Channels (For Vista only) This setting only appears in Windows Vista. Vista will deliver the audio channels to the audio driver according to this setting, no matter what the original audio content is or how many channels they have. Therefore, you need to set this in accordance with your audio content before you play it. Please note that this setting is synchronized with Vista’s system speaker configuration and changing the setting during playback will cease the audio playback program.
6.2.5 7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter The 7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter has the following major features: • Expanding/upmixing audio to 7.1-channel surround sound • Virtualizing 7.1 surround sound over any set of speakers • Shiftable virtual speaker positioning allows you to adjust the best sound field easily without moving physical speakers and wires 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 No Item Description 1 Shifter enable/disable Click this check box to enable the 7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter.
6.2.6 Dolby Pro-Logic IIx Dolby Pro-Logic IIx is a 7.1 surround upmixing technology and is widely used in home theater systems, TVs, game consoles, and car audio systems. It can expand stereo audio, such as MP3, CD, and TV programs into immersive 5.1 or 7.1-channel surround. 2 3 4 5 6 1 No Item Description 1 Dolby Pro-Logic IIx enable/disable Click this check box to enable Dolby Pro-Logic IIx. Clicking the text bar will switch the right window to the Pro-Logic IIx page for manual adjustments.
6.2.7 DTS Neo:PC DTS Neo:PC is another 2-to-7.1 channel upmixing technology, using a sophisticated algorithm from DTS Labs. It can spread stereo audio such as MP3, CD, and TV programs into an immersive 5.1 or 7.1-channel surround sound environment. 2 3 4 5 6 1 No Item Description 1 DTS Neo:PC enable/ disable Click this check box to enable DTS Neo:PC. Clicking the text bar will switch the right window to a DTS Neo:PC page for manual adjustments.
6.2.8 Dolby Headphone Dolby Headphone creates a stunning multi-channel surround experience over ordinary stereo headphones for playing 3D games, watching 5.1 DVD movies, and listening to music. Dolby Headphone produces surround sound cues so realistic that you will believe you are listening over speakers in a well-controlled studio. Dolby Headphone can also improve listening comfort and reduce "listener fatigue" from long listening over headphones.
6.2.9 Dolby Virtual Speaker Dolby Virtual Speaker technology simulates a 5.1-speaker surround sound listening environment from as few as two speakers. Dolby Virtual Speaker also creates a wider two-channel environment during playback of stereo CDs and MP3 content, and when combined with Dolby Pro Logic® II processing, delivers a virtual 5.1-channel surround listening experience from any high-quality stereo source.
6.3 Mixer/Volume The mixer page is designed to control the volume for playback and recording on the Xonar HDAV 1.3. In addition, the Xonar HDAV 1.3 also provides a high-quality digital monitoring function for hearing the recorded audio from the speakers. You can also process the input signals with all playback sound effects such as Dolby and DTS technologies. 6.3.1 Playback Volume 1 6 2 3 4 5 No Item Description 1 Playback volume tab Click this button to show the playback volume page.
6.3.2 Recording/Monitoring Volume 1 8 9 2 3 4 5 6 7 No Item Description 1 Recording Volume Tab Click this button to show the recording volume page. 2 Left/Right balance This horizontal slider controls the volume between the left and right channels. 3 Recording volume slider Drag this slider down to decrease the recording volume; drag up to increase the recording volume. The tool-tip reveals the percentage number from 1 to 100 in terms of the full scale level.
6 Monitoring button Click this button to monitor and loopback recording audio to outputs (PC speakers). Therefore, the recording volume will influence the monitoring signals from speaker outputs. The audio will be mixed into the streams you are playing out from your PC and all DSP effects will be applied to the source, too. A typical benefit is to apply Dolby Pro-Logic IIx 7.1-ch spreading for your TV audio, CD, MP3, or stereo game console audio from Wii, Xbox, PS2/PS3/PSP, etc.
6.4 Effects 6.4.1 Environment Effects Environment effects can be used to create realistic listening experiences that mimic different environments. There are a total of 27 environment options, which can be applied to all 2D sound sources, like music. 3 1 2 No Item Description 1 Default environments These four buttons activate Bathroom, Concert hall, Underwater, and Music Pub environments, respectively.
6.4.2 10-Band Equalizer The equalizer can modify the audio output for different frequencies, and be used to compensate for deficiencies in your speakers/systems. There are 12 default patterns and you can also make your own settings. 1 3 2 4 5 6 No Item Description 1 Default equalizer options There are 12 available equalizer patterns. Click one to apply it.
6.5 Karaoke The Xonar HDAV 1.3 provides powerful features for Karaoke, including KeyShifting, Vocal Cancellation, and Microphone Echo. Key-Shifting can change the pitch of Karaoke background music, and Vocal Cancellation can reduce the original vocal in songs and keep the music and symphony for karaoke. 5 1 2 3 4 No Item Description 1 On/Off Click the switch to turn on or off the functions on this page.
6.6 FlexBass FlexBass, an advanced bass management and enhancement mechanism, allows you to select each satellite speaker’s type for optimal sound performance from the speakers. (Small: common speaker that cannot produce low frequencies; Large: wide-band speakers that can produce low frequencies well). It comes with an adjustable crossover frequency for the boundary of the bass signals.
4 LFE Crossover Frequency Adjusts the cut-off frequency (50~250Hz) for LFE (lowfrequency effects) signals. Xonar HDAV 1.3 will filter out the bass signals below the crossover frequency from small speaker channels and forward them to the subwoofer. The higher the crossover frequency, the more bass signals will be subtracted. ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
6.7 AEC (Acoustic Echo Cancellation) Xonar HDAV 1.3 provides advanced Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC) for best voice communication quality over your speakers. AEC technology can eliminate upto-40dB speaker echo return and suppress noises into your microphone for easier conversation experience. AEC is an innovative feature to make Xonar HDAV 1.3 the best sound card choice for online chatting in VOIP applications (Skype, MSN, Google, QQ, etc.) or online gaming.
2 1 No Item Description 1 AEC Click to open the AEC function page. 2 Enable AEC Click the checkbox to enable AEC function. An alert message will pop up: This message implies that the speaker configuration will be set to 2 speakers and all sound effect processors will be suspended except AEC function. Click “OK” to accept it or “Cancel” if you want to enable it later. Checking “Don’t remind me again” will not display this message again. ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
6.8 Smart Volume Normalization Smart Volume NormalizationTM (SVN) automatically keeps all music or video/TV audio output at a constant level to reduce manual adjustment hassles inherent with sound sources of different loudness. It allows you to listen to various content, like MP3, TV program, DVD video and even games with consistent sound level. The following graph shows how different signals 1 & 2 will become the same level (for example, 10dB below full scale) after you turn on SVN.
3 2 1 No Item Description 1 SVN On/Off Click this button to enable SVN. This button is outlined blue when active. 2 SVN blue light When SVN is enabled, the master volume knob will be illuminated by a blue light. It will be lit red if the volume is muted. 3 SVN display When SVN is enabled, “Smart Volume” will be lit up at the bottom of the volume meter and the volume meter will show the level. ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
6.9 DS3D GX and DSP Modes Xonar HDAV 1.3 is introducing an innovative technology –DirectSound 3D Game Extensions v1.0 (DS3D GX 1.0)- to restore DirectSound 3D Hardware acceleration mode and its subsidiary EAX effects on Windows Vista for 3D games. Unlike some proprietary API like OpenAL, DS3D GX doesn’t require games to support OpenAL API. All existing games compatible with Microsoft DirectX and DirectSound 2D/3D will be supported with DS3D GX technology.
3 4 2 5 1 No Item Description 1 GX Mode DirectSound 3D Game Extensions mode to support EAX and DirectSound 3D Hardware extensions for lots of DirectX/ DirectSound3D games on Windows Vista. 2 Hi-Fi Mode This mode is set for Hi-Fidelity playback, where all effects will be cleared to keep the original digital data and analog output quality as high as possible. 3 Music Mode This mode is set for Music playback. 4 Movie Mode This mode is set for DVD Movie playback.
6.10 VocalFX VocalFX is an innovative voice processing technology to let your voice get into the realistic game landscape (VoiceEX) or to emulate the background scenes in online chat (ChatEX). It also allows you to change your voice pitch to disguise who you are (Magic Voice). These features dramatically increase the fun for voice communication on PC. 3 4 5 1 2 No Item Description 1 VoiceEX It produces realistic and dynamic environmental reverberation for your voice in 3D gaming communication.
For 3D Games 1. Check the check box of VoiceEX and Local VoiceEX. 2. Make sure you and your team member can talk to each other in the game. For VOIP 1. Press App List 2. If you don’t see the VOIP application of yours in the list, press Add.(Make sure the Skype and MSN Messenger are the latest version) 3. Look for the application’s location and Open it. ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
4. Your VOIP application has been added into list. 5. Check the check box of ChatEX and Magic Voice. 6. You can use ChatEX and Magic Voice when you chat online. Click the checkbox to enable VocalFX function, then a prompt message will pop up: This message implies the record device will be set to microphone. Make sure the GX function is enabled. Click “OK” to accept it, or “Cancel” if you want to enable it later. Check “Don’t remind me again” if you don’t want to see this message pop up next time.
6.11 Video – Splendid HD Splendid HD is a utility that upgrades the visual performance for your LCD monitor or LCD TV with the advanced HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia interface) output. 6.11.1 Activating Splendid HD To use the Splendid HD: 1. Click the Video button on the Xonar HDAV Center. 1 2 4 3 Click if your display is an LCD monitor Click if your display is an LCD TV 2. Click the Splendid On button on the Xonar HDAV Center; clicking this button again will disable this feature. 3.
5. You can also set hotkeys for each mode, which enables you to switch modes quickly. Follow the steps below to set a hotkey. a. Click the Hotkey textbox following: to display the b. Click on the Hotkey textbox then press desired keys. Ctrl and Alt keys are the default keys. c. Click Set to apply settings. 6.11.2 Photo Mode To enable the Photo Mode, click the corresponding ON button. The button is lighted up in green color when Photo Mode is on.
You can customize two more settings based on your needs. To add customized settings, select CustomA / CustomB then click the Custom button. From the customize settings screen, adjust the brightness, saturation, hue, contrast, and sharpness according to your desired settings and name your customized setting. Click OK when done. ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
6.11.3 Video Mode To enable the Video Mode, click the corresponding ON button. The button is lighted up in green color when Video Mode is on. Select desired settings from the two default color-enhanced settings: Action Movie and Theater Mode. You can customize two more settings based on your configuration. Follow the instructions in the Photo Mode section on how to create customized settings. 58 ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
6.11.4 Game Mode Your system must have the following two items installed before using Game Mode: 1. ASUS graphics card 2. ASUS GamerOSD utility. To enable the Game Mode, click the corresponding ON/OFF button. The button displays OFF when Game Mode is on. Select desired settings from the two default color-enhanced settings: FPS Games (First Personal Shooting Game) and RPG (Role-Playing Game) /RTS Games (Real-Time Strategy Game). You can customize two more settings based on your needs.
6.12 DVD/Blu-ray playback over DH/DVS/DDL/Multiple Analog Speakers 6.12.1 Under Windows XP Dolby Headphone (Viertualized 5.1 surround sounds over stereo headphone) 1. Open TotalMedia Theatre > Setup > Audio. 2. Select 5.1 Channels in Audio Output Mode. 3. Press Apply first, and then press OK. 4. Open the Xonar HDAV Center. 5. 6. 60 Select Headphone in Analog Out. Check Dolby Headphone. ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
Dolby Virtual Speaker (Virtualized 5.1 surround sounds over stereo speakers) 1. Open TotalMedia Theatre > Setup > Audio. 2. Select 5.1 Channels in Audio Output Mode. 3. Press Apply first, and then press OK. 4. Open the Xonar HDAV Center. 5. Select 2 Speakers in Analog Out. 6. Check Dolby Virtual Speaker. ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
DVD/Blu-ray playback by SPDIF/HDMI (Dolby Digital/DTS digital audio passthrough) 1. Open TotalMedia Theatre > Setup > Audio. 2. Select S/PDIF in Audio Output Mode. 3. Press Apply first, and then press OK. 4. Open the Xonar HDAV Center 5. Enable SPDIF Out. 62 ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
DVD/Blu-ray playback by SPDIF/HDMI (Add Sound effects w/ DDL encoding) 1. Open TotalMedia Theatre > Setup > Audio. 2. Select 5.1 Channels in Audio Output Mode. 3. Press Apply first, and then press OK. 4. Open the Xonar HDAV Center. 5. Enable SPDIF Out. 6. Select Dolby Digital Live in SPDIF Out. 7. In this mode, you are able to adjust the DVD sound volume, your multispeaker placement and surround soundfield virtually by 7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter.
6.12.2 Under Windows Vista Dolby Headphone (Viertualized 5.1 surround sounds over stereo headphone) 1. Open TotalMedia Theatre > Setup > Audio. 2. Select 5.1 Channels in Audio Output Mode. 3. Press Apply first, and then press OK. 4. Open the Xonar HDAV Center. 5. Select 6 Channels in Audio Channel. 6. Select Headphone in Analog Out. 7. 64 Check Dolby Headphone. ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
Dolby Virtual Speaker (Virtualized 5.1 surround sounds over stereo speakers) 1. Open TotalMedia Theatre > Setup > Audio. 2. Select 5.1 Channels in Audio Output Mode. 3. Press Apply first, and then press OK. 4. Open the Xonar HDAV Center. 5. 6. 7. Select 6 Channels in Audio Channel. Select 2 Speakers in Analog Out. Check Dolby Virtual Speaker. ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
DVD/Blu-ray playback by SPDIF/HDMI (Dolby Digital/DTS digital audio passthrough) 1. Open TotalMedia Theatre > Setup > Audio. 2. Select S/PDIF in Audio Output Mode. 3. Press Apply first, and then press OK. 4. Open the Xonar HDAV Center 5. Enable SPDIF Out. 66 ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
DVD/Blu-ray playback by SPDIF/HDMI (Add Sound effects w/ DDL encoding) 1. Open TotalMedia Theatre > Setup > Audio. 2. Select 5.1 Channels in Audio Output Mode. 3. Press Apply first, and then press OK. 4. Open Xonar HDAV Center. 5. Select 6 Channels in Audio Channel. 6. Enable SPDIF Out. 7. Select Dolby Digital Live in SPDIF Out. 8. In this mode, you are able to adjust the DVD sound volume, your multispeaker placement and surround soundfield virtually by 7.1 Virtual Speaker Shifter.
7. ASUS GamerOSD ASUS GamerOSD allows you to share real-time gaming experience while playing full-screen games. Users can remotely monitor a live broadcast using the Internet Explorer. 7.1 Enabling ASUS GamerOSD Enable ASUS GamerOSD after installing the utility from the support CD. To launch ASUS GamerOSD: 1. 2. Right click on an empty space of the Windows® desktop and select Properties. From the Display Properties dialog box, select the Settings tab then click Advanced.
7.2 Setting ASUS GamerOSD After installing and enabling ASUS GamerOSD, click on the GamerOSD icon on the Windows® taskbar and select Setting to display the setup menu. If you exit the utility, go to Start > Programs > ASUS > GamerOSD AP > GamerOSD to relaunch the program. The GamerOSD setup menu is as follows: Capture Mode Broadcast Select to have live broadcasts of the games you are playing on the Internet. Movie Select to record games and save the videos.
HotKeys Allows you to set the hotkeys to launch GamerOSD in full-screen games, to start/ stop recording games, and to capture game screens. The default hotkeys are: • • • GamerOSD: Ctrl + Alt + O Record Movie: Ctrl + Alt + S Screen Shot: Ctrl + Alt + C To set a hotkey: to display the 1. Click the pencil icon hotkey textbox. 2. Click on the hotkey textbox then press desired keys. Ctrl and Alt keys are the default keys. 3. Click OK to apply or click Cancel to discard settings.
7.3 Using ASUS GamerOSD In a full-screen game, launch ASUS GamerOSD using the GamerOSD hotkeys. 7.3.1 3D Display Setting Show FPS Allows you to show/hide FPS on your monitor and choose where to display FPS. Configuration options: OFF, L/T (left top), R/T (right top), R/B (right bottom), L/B (left bottom). Even if you choose not to display FPS on your monitor, you can see the FPS from the OC GEAR screen. FPS Text Color Changes the text color of FPS.
7.3.2 Video Capturing The items in this menu are mostly controlled by the GamerOSD setup menu. Refer to section 7.2 Setting ASUS GamerOSD for further informaiton. Capture Mode Displays Movie if you select Movie in the GamerOSD setup menu. This item shows Broadcast if you previously selected Broadcast. Start/Stop When Movie mode is selected, this item shows the hotkeys for starting/ stopping recording games. In Broadcast mode, this item shows N/A. Current Client(s) Shows 0 in Movie mode.
Capture Rate Shows the frame rate of the captured videos. This item is set in Advanced Setting of the GamerOSD setup menu. Start Capturing In Movie mode, press the right/left arrow key or the set hotkeys to start/stop recording games. A red blinking dot appears on the bottom left corner of your screen when recording. The recorded videos are automatically saved in the Movie folder and named by date. In Broadcast mode, press the right/left arrow key to start/stop broadcasting games.
The following two items are enabled when you select Multiple screenshot mode. Capture Numbers Allows you to set the number of screenshots captured consecutively. Configuration options: 3, 4, – 9, 10. Capture Interval (sec) Allows you to set the capture interval in seconds. Configuration options: 1, 2, – 5. Hot Key Shows the hotkeys for capturing screens. Press the hotkeys to capture screens. The images are automatically saved in the ScreenShot folder and named by date. 74 ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
7.4 Broadcasting games with ASUS GamerOSD ASUS GamerOSD allows you to broadcast the games you are playing live on the Internet. Before broadcasting, you need to configure your Internet Explorer security options. 7.4.1 Internet Explorer browser setup To configure your IE browser: 1. Launch Internet Explorer. 2. Go to Tools > Internet Options. 3. From the Internet Options dialog box, select the Security tab then click the Trusted Sites icon. 4. Click Sites to display the Trusted sites window. 5.
7. Click Custom Level to display the Security Settings window. 8. Enable all items then click OK. 9. 76 Click OK to exit the Internet Options dialog box. ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
7.4.2 GamerOSD broadcast setup To enable broadcasting in GamerOSD: 1. 2. Click on the GamerOSD icon on the Windows® taskbar and select Setting to display the setup menu. Select Broadcast. Click Advanced Setting to configure related settings and click Start Broadcasting. A broadcasting icon appears on the Windows® taskbar. 3. Start a full-screen game. Launch the GamerOSD using the hotkeys. 4.
7.4.3 Watching broadcasts Remote clients can watch the game you’re playing via live broadcast on the Internet. To watch broadcasts: 1. From the IE Address box, key in the IP address of the computer that is broadcasting a game. 2. Click the play button 78 to start preview. ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
8. RMAA Test Guide The Xonar HDAV 1.3 driver CD includes RightMark Audio Analyzer (RMAA), a popular software intended for testing the quality of audio equipment, be it a sound card, portable MP3 player, consumer CD/DVD player, or a speaker system. The measurements are conducted by playing and recording test signals, and using frequency analysis algorithms. The following provides a step-by-step loop-back test guide for your Xonar HDAV 1.3 card. 8.1 Setting Up Xonar HDAV 1.
4. Go to the Mixer Recording page and select “Line In” as the recording source. Click “Reset” to make sure the recording volume is on the default highest level (0dB). This allows you to get realistic output and input quality ratings for the Xonar HDAV 1.3 card. 4 You may also choose to use an external 3.5mm line cable as follows (as short as possible) to connect the Front-Out jack to the Line-In jack for loop-back testing. In that case, select “Line In” as the recording source on the mixer page.
5. Click “Reset” on the playback volume mixer page to keep the volume setting on default. 6. Turn the master volume to the MAX level (0dB) 5 6 ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
8.2 Configuration and Test with RMAA Start RMAA and follow the setup procedure below. 1. Select playback devices as “[DirectSound] ASUS Xonar HDAV Audio”. (As Windows MME mode does not support high-resolution 24bit audio playback and the data may be manipulated by Windows, the real hardware quality can not be measured properly.) 2. Select recording devices as “[MME] ASUS Xonar HDAV Audio”. 3. Select 24bit and 48KHz for the test signals.
6. If the recording volume level is not high enough, check and make sure the WAVE and Master Volume have been at the maximum level; instead, if the recording volume level is too high, lower the WAVE and Master volumes gradually until the level is ok. 6 7. Begin the test by clicking the “Start test” button. If you cannot get the level to be “OK” after the previous step, click “Start test” anyways and proceed. 7 ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
8. Enter “ASUS Xonar HDAV Audio” in the New slot name and select one Empty slot. Click “OK” when done. 9. RMAA will pop up the Test results window. You can click the “Select” checkbox and click to “Make html report”. 9 10. Check and key in the report name/options as follows and then click “OK” 84 ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
8.3 RMAA Testing Results Open the html file you created and saved in the test above, and it will display the report with both data and plots in your browser. The following report is a sample and you can see how high-fidelity and crystal-clean the Xonar HDAV 1.3 card is for both output and input (one of the world’s finest sound cards, it has higher quality than most CE devices.) You can also try testing the performance for other sample rates and bit-depths with the same procedure. ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
8.4 ASUS Xonar HDAV RightMark Audio Analyzer test Testing chain: External loopback (line-out - line-in) Sampling mode: 24-bit, 48 kHz Summary Frequency response (from 40 Hz to 15 kHz), dB: +0.03, -0.04 Excellent Noise level, dB (A): -116.2 Excellent Dynamic range, dB (A): 116.1 Excellent THD, % 0.0003 Excellent THD + Noise, dB (A) -103.9 Excellent IMD + Noise, %: 0.0007 Excellent Stereo crosstalk, dB: -115.5 Excellent IMD at 10 kHz, %: 0.
Noise level Parameter Left Right RMS power, dB: -115.0 -114.3 RMS power (A-weighted), dB: -116.5 -115.9 Peak level, dB FS: -90.3 -89.8 DC offset, %: -0.00 -0.00 Dynamic range Parameter Left Right Dynamic range, dB: +115.1 +114.2 Dynamic range (A-weighted), dB: +116.5 +115.6 DC offset, % -0.00 -0.00 ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
THD + Noise (at -3 dB FS) Parameter Left Right THD, %: +0.0002 +0.0004 THD + Noise, %: +0.0006 +0.0006 THD + Noise (A-weighted), %: +0.0006 +0.0007 Intermodulation distortion 88 Parameter Left IMD + Noise, %: +0.0006 +0.0008 IMD + Noise (A-weighted), %: +0.0004 +0.0005 ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
Stereo crosstalk Parameter Left Right Crosstalk at 100 Hz, dB -112 -110 Crosstalk at 1000 Hz, dB -115 -114 Crosstalk at 10000 Hz, dB -97 -97 IMD (swept tones) Parameter Left Right IMD + Noise at 5000 Hz, 0.0006 0.0007 IMD + Noise at 10000 Hz, 0.0005 0.0009 IMD + Noise at 15000 Hz, 0.0005 0.0011 *This report was generated by RightMark Audio Analyzer 6.0.6 ASUS Xonar HDAV 1.
9. Troubleshooting and FAQs [Troubleshooting] The audio card driver could not be installed on my PC. Instructions: 1. Make sure that you have properly plugged the audio card in the PCI Express slot on your motherboard. 2. Check that the Windows hardware device manager has discovered a multimedia audio device. If no device is found, please try scanning for new hardware. 3. Try soft reboot (restart) your Windows. 4. Remove the card, plug it into another PCI Express slot, and try again.
4. If you are using Dolby Digital Live or DTS Interactive encoders through the S/PDIF output, the analog output will be muted to get rid of the interference between your digital speaker system and analog speakers or headphones. Check if this is the case. 5. Try restart your Windows. I can’t hear any sound from the S/PDIF output Instructions: 1. Ensure that you have enabled S/PDIF output in the Audio Center GUI (Main page) 2.
I found no sound effects when playing 96K or 192KHz sound sources. Instructions: 1. Currently Xonar HDAV 1.3 effects including Dolby/DTS support common 44.1K, 48KHz sound sources processing and will assure high-definition audio (96K/192KHz) in hi-fidelity playback. This is also usually the behavior that professional audiophiles and musicians prefer. 2. If you still want to have the effects, you can use some editing software (Ableton Live, Cakewalk, CoolEdit, Soundforge, etc.
Q4: Does the Xonar HDAV 1.3 support EAX on Vista? Answer: Yes, Xonar HDAV 1.3 can support EAX2.0 not only on Windows XP but also on Vista through innovative DirectSound3D Game EXtensions v1.0 (DS3D GX 1.0) technology. Q5: Why do I need Dolby and DTS for PC games? Answer: 1. Dolby Digital, Pro-Logic IIx, and DTS are available on the latest game consoles, like XBOX360, PS3, and Wii. Dolby and DTS can provide the best gaming sound experience and compatibility with home theater or TV systems. 2.
Q8: Will PCM sound output through S/PDIF be just 2 channels even with different analog output channels? Answer: The S/PDIF protocol specification (IEC-60958) can only carry 2-channel PCM data or non-PCM AC3/DTS data. So, when a user selects PCM output for S/PDIF, the Xonar sound card will always deliver 2 channel PCM data through the S/PDIF output port. For attaining 5.