Optical port

Can anyone tell me a practical use for the Optical Out port on my G5 - amongst us FCP Suite users?

I bought the $15 optical cable last night.

I've always been curious what it's for?



Independent photographer, film maker and Producer. In the wonderful UK.

It could be used very well for optical audio, although none of the manufacturers have really jumped on it yet. Maybe somewhere down the road with 5.1 or 7.1 mixing and monitoring (next version update?).

Have fun with the cable.

Clay

I believe the optical port was removed from the later versions of the G5 - at least my Quad doesn't have it on the front.

I use it to connect to my monitor speakers. Edirol MA-10D. Works well.

Is it just me and the fact that I haven't slept in three days...

Does anyone else find it weird that you use the OPTICAL port to get your AUDIO out?

...things that make ya go, "hmmmmmm"....

Okay...back to work!

If that works, does that mean I can plug my camera into the headphone jack?

IDTS...

Scott

The telecommunications industry has known for decades that using glass fiber optical cable to transmit data is more efficient than using wire, when large quanities of data are needed to be moved from one point to another simultaneously.

The Optical port is not passing physical sound or picture, it is passing 1s and 0s of data. Light can be broken down into more channels than electricitical radio frequancy waves can, so you can get more types and kind of data down a fiber each millisecond than a wire, with less interference between the channels, and less distortion over the length of the cable.

My question has to do with what to do with my $15 cable? What can I plug it in to, to have a good time?

Part of the issue with 5.1 and now 7.1 sound is whether Tiger can pass 5, 6, 7, or more seperate tracks of audio data simultaneously on the USB bus to an external sound card device, or if I have to get my hands bloody and implant an internal card....

Or if I could use an external Optical sound device.



Independent photographer, film maker and Producer. In the wonderful UK.

Yeah, Nick, I'm sure most of us knew that.

It was just a joke.

Maybe a lame one, because I am sleep deprived, but a joke none the less.

maybe you should have asked the question before you bought the cable

nick

I just feel like I've got a new $15 suit on, all dressed up with no where to go - and I live 2 bocks from Sunset Blvd.



Post Edited (05-08-06 16:04)

Independent photographer, film maker and Producer. In the wonderful UK.

that's because you didn't have anywhere to go before you bought the suit!

now, with a nice new suit on, you *might* be able to stand on a street corner, and wait for someone to come along and invite you somewhere.

but i cant see that working with an optical cable


nick

>My question has to do with what to do with my $15 cable? What can I plug it in to, to have a good time?<

Unless you have some sort of amplifier device with an optical audio input port then you are S.O.L. Although you can plug your $15 cable into the G5 output port and look at the pretty little red light it emits. Have a good time with it!

You know, ever since that day in March, 1985 when I bought my first Mac (and went on the publish the first newspaper done on Mac desktop publishing in Minneapolis/St. Paul), I've always felt I've been a bit ahead of the curve.

Today, I'm $15 ahead of the curve.



Independent photographer, film maker and Producer. In the wonderful UK.

"Speaking of speakers "

what about those " Edirol MA-10D " or any one (self-amplified) with optical audio in. full audio spectrum ?

any recommendation ?



---------------------------------
A Day late & a Dollar-short Productions

I think you have a $15 party necklace like no other-- provided you get a laser light pump attached. That will probably cost 15K.

- Loren
Today's FCP 5 keytip:
Set a Level keyframe with Command-Option K !

The FCP 5 KeyGuide?: a professional placemat.
Now available at KeyGuide Central:
www.neotrondesign.com

Edirol MA-10D

Discontinued.

sigh



Independent photographer, film maker and Producer. In the wonderful UK.