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Motherboard Audio Spec Debuts

Intel finally took the raps off of its replacement for the AC97 motherboard audio specification. Code-named Azalia, this new standard has commendable, simply somewhat contradictory goals: to create a unmarried standard that can simplify audio interfaces, while at the same fourth dimension leaving room for audio chipmakers like M-Audio, Analog Devices, C-Media and SigmaTel to differentiate their motherboard-downward sound offerings in a very competitive marketplace.

Azalia will ascertain the controller, link and board implementation of motherboard-down audio hardware, and will seek to create a single audio driver that tin be used with all compliant hardware. The standard calls for supporting up to 15 simultaneous audio streams, supporting resolutions upward to and including 192KHz/24-bit to enable 2-channel playback for DVD-Sound.

Another key pattern goal is to permit multiple codecs on a single motherboard to operate autonomously. So, while 1 codec would drive the rear speaker outputs, a second could conform line-level input coming in from front-panel jacks, every bit well as microphone and headphone jacks. These two audio sections tin operate independently of i another.

Azalia Diagram

Equally y'all can see from this diagram, Azalia will be able to drive multiple codecs, and these codecs can operate independently of i another, allowing different numbers of streams to be routed through each codec at different sampling rates. The architecture also specifies a "multi-client" implementation wherein a single program's audio chores tin be tasked to a specific DMA engine. And then rather than have a single app take consummate ownership of the audio hardware, multiple applications can have audio beingness processed simultaneously.

The specification is currently at version 0.five, and a final version is expected later this year. Products based on the Azalia spec volition likely ship some time in early 2004.