[mythtv] [mythtv-commits] Ticket #4412: remove Win32 dependancy on directX headers from DXSDK

[Jeff Lu]

>  Is anyone using DX sound output that has a  critical reason for needing it?

I'm probably the only one using it, given that "Windows" is more intuitive than 
"DirectX" (more accurately waveOut and DirectSound, respectively, but all the 
same).  Compared to waveOut, DirectSound gives me more consistent A/V sync 
during playback.  I find that waveOut slowly drifts in and out of sync, not by 
much, but enough for me to notice.  


Could be just a code issue - MythTV's AudioOutputWin class uses 50ms chunks for 
timing, so playback position is indeterminate within those chunks (+/- some ms 
for Windows message handling).  DirectSound API is designed to provide precise 
timing and works fine, so I haven't looked into improving the waveOut 
implementation.


>  It seems that standardizing on the better  support audiooutputwin
>  ("Windows:") method would be both more intuitive and  better supported.

If by better supported you mean that waveOut headers are included in MinGW, then 
OK, I can see that.  (DirectSound headers are absent from MinGW for legal 
reasons.)  waveOut actually is the older and longer-depreciated API, but of 
course, neither it nor DirectSound is going away anytime soon.

All that said, I can understand the desire to simplify the build script and not 
to maintain two audio classes for Windows.  If the decision is to drop 
DirectSound, so be it, but as you can imagine I'll be reverting the change 
locally.


Jeff