[mythtv-users] Cheap & simple solution for Optical SPDIF output

[Kevin Kuphal]

Willy Boyd wrote:
> I'm posting this for the sake of anyone that might search for this
> sort of thing, as this was one of those few things I couldn't find an
> answer online and just kind of stumbled on it.
>
> First, some background.  In my backend I have an SB Live! 5.1 card,
> which can do coax digital sound output, but for my receiver I needed
> an optical connection.  This presented a couple of options.  First, I
> came across a cheap coax-to-optical converter:
>
> http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10423&cs_id=1042302&p_id=2947&seq=1&format=2&style=
>
> But that requires it's own power (as far as I can tell), a coax cable
> and probably an adapter to get the small spdif on my SB to a normal
> RCA-type jack... and takes time to ship.  The impulsive part of me
> just wanted to hit a store and grab something.  So, the next option
> was the Turtle Beach Riviera, which has a full optical jack on the
> card, and runs about $30 in stores.  But of course every place I went
> to just didn't have one.  Then I found myself in CompUSA... they
> didn't have the card either, but did have this little gizmo:
>
> http://www.turtlebeach.com/site/products/audioadv/micro/
> $29.99 when I got it at CompUSA.
>   
<snip>

Just an FYI.  The best audio card I've found to date is the Turtle Beach 
Riviera (about $25 from newegg) with optical SPDIF and out of the box 
support in ALSA.  If you need small form factor, the Aopen card cobra 
uses the same chipset but in a half height card great for small frontend.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829118103

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829117108

Kevin