[mythtv-users] Do sound cards help with latency or CPU load?

[Yeechang Lee]

I just ordered the oft-praised Turtle Beach Riviera primarily because
I plan on upgrading to surround sound
(<URL:http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users/227841#227841>)
and will need digital output.

However, I'm also hoping that the card will help with the random
prebuffering skips I get under certain situations
(<URL:http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users/232468#232468>).
I've found some vague discussion on the mailing-list archive on how
moving to a sound card from on-board sound (in my case, from an Intel
915G motherboard with HDA audio) may help with latency and/or CPU-laod
issues.

* Anyone find this to be true?
* If so, do you use an internal or external sound device? I'd think
  that internal would be preferable due to the theoretically-better
  bandwidth via PCI versus USB, but if external is better in this
  situation I'd just swap the Riviera in favor of an Audio Advantage
  Micro
  (<URL:http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users/230528#230528>).

-- 
Yeechang Lee <ylee at pobox.com> | +1 650 776 7763 | San Francisco CA US