The Week in Review: October 7-13, 2002

Last week's features at 3DsoundSurge

Last week's sound news

Drivers and bugs

• New C-Media 6.41 at Soyo
  Soyo offers a new version (6.41) of the C-Media 8738 drivers. No mention of what's new but at least the Sensaura engine is the same version (2216) as the latest Santa Cruz drivers (completely different chip but it also uses the Sensaura engine for 3D sound and reverb). Thanks to Sebastian for the pointer.

   

   

New games, demos, patches and bugs

• Neocron Shipping
  CDV has announced that its MMORPG is now shipping in UK. The game is already shipping in Germany and will be available in the rest of Europe later this month and in US next month. The game is supposed to support 3D sound.

• Neverwinter Nights Patch
  A new patch (V1.25) for Neverwinter Nights has been release. For details what's new check this page.

• America's Army Patch
  A new patch for America's Army: Operations can be downloaded from 3DGamers. You can find a what's new list on blue's

• Warcraft III Patch
  Blizzard has released a new (v1.03)patch Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.

• Lennie Moore (Composer) Interview
  In Gaming has posted an interview with composer Lennie Moore as the first part in their Music In Games series. He composed the music for Outcast and has worked on many other projects including ‘Heavy Metal FAKK 2’ and music for film, TV and multi-media. Here's an interesting snip:

  InGaming: How do you see the role of music in game titles?

  Lennie: Music sets the tone in such a great way. It assists the developer in telling the story. It touches our emotions in a very personal way and immerses us in the game experience better than any other medium.

  InGaming: Are there any specific genres where it plays a larger role in those than it does in others?

  Lennie: I personally believe music plays a larger role in fantasy, action and adventure games; more so than in a sports title, where the music acts as something fun in the background while you're tweaking your game preferences.

  If you want to learn more about Lennie More's thoughts on the music in Outcast you can check out our interview.
  

Reviews of soundcards, speakers, headphones and MP3 players.

• Hercules GameSurround Fortissimo III 7.1
  Overclockers Online has done a very positive review of Hercules GameSurround Fortissimo III 7.1. It's still using the same chip as the Fortissimo II but now support 7.1 output, mostly useful when playing back Dolby Digital EX content which the card support using the bundled PowerDVD 4.0.

  Worth noting that the review include an inaccurate speculation on the 7.1 support as well as incorrect description of Dolby Digital EX, both are corrected with an update at the end of the review so be sure to read that update and check out the links at the end of the review. One bit of interest in this review that I haven't seen previously is that Hercules will release a 7.1 system "in the very near future".

• Hercules Fortissimo III 7.1 Sound Card
  Overclockers Online has posted a very positive review of Hercules new Fortissimo III 7.1. Like the Fortissimo II this one is based on the CS4624 chip but 4 extra analog outputs have been added (hence the 7.1 name). The main use for the extra channels would be to take advantage of the rear center channel encoding in some newer movies. To deliver this support Hercules has bundled a special version of PowerDVD called PowerDVD PRO EX. Like the Fortissimo II, this $50 card also includes an optical output. Thanks to Jeffrey "theyhunger" Lim for the pointer.

• SoundMAX Cadenza review
  Accelnation.com has posted a review that looks at Analog Devices latest integrated audio solution that goes by the name of SoundMAX Cadenza. A couple of comments follow. First, to be clear, stereo microphone inputs have been around for some time on a number of sound cards so it's not something new to the SoundMAX Cadenza. My second comment is just a difference in impressions based on my experience with SoundMAX SPX as well as other Sensaura based products. I have found that while 3D audio is certainly comparable if not better than the Live/Live 5.1 as noted in the review, EAX reverb levels are often lower than when using the Creative products, particularly for EAX 1 titles.

• Altec Lansing 641
  GameHelper has done a review of Altec Lansing 641 Speaker system. They had no complaints giving it a score out of 9 out of 10. There's no direct comparisons to any other speaker system.

• Altec Lansing ACS251 Surround Sound Speaker
  LanParty has posted a review of Altec Lansing ACS251 Surround Sound Speaker. It's a $100 5.1 system and if you should believe this review it's an excellent system considering the price. The review lacks comparisons to other speaker systems though.

• Swan M200 2.0 Speaker System
  In our latest review we check out the Swan M200 2.0 speaker system. The build quality of the system is clearly well above average using solid Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) construction, high quality heavy duty binding posts and very good attention to detail. The amplifier send a true 72 watts RMS to the system feeding a 5 ¼ inch long throw linear excursion design driver and a 1-inch silk dome tweeter that utilizes a ferro fluid cooled voice coil. Everything about them has a feel of quality. Something else that jumps out immediately is each satellite is the size of some of the smaller multimedia subwoofers! For all the test results on this attractively priced ($200) performance system please check out our review

• DION-MX MP3 Player (64MB) Video Review
  3dGameMan has posted a Video review of the DION-MX MP3 Player (64MB). It's capable of playing your MP3's, data storage, recording voice and you can even input your own logo/image. They found it to be very small, affordable, functional and cute.

• Samsung SM-332 DVD/CD-RW
  Monkey Review has posted a very positive review of Samsung's SM-332, a DVD/CDRW combo drive.

Other sound news

• New TerraTec soundcards named Aureon
  Terratec has announced a new soundcard series named Aureon. It includes 3 cards named Aureon 7.1 Space, Aureon 5.1 Sky and Aureon 5.1 Fun. They will be available in November and all features optical in/out and Sensaura (3D sound and reverb engine for games). The 7.1 Space and 5.1 Sky both support 24-bit/96-kHz in/out while the 5.1 Fun only support 16/48-kHz card. The cards will be available in November. For some additional details check out the press release, unfortunately it does not include what chip, price or software bundle they use/offer.

• VideoLogic SonicXplosion DVD
  PURE Digital - a division of Imagination Technologies - has announced the VideoLogic SonicXplosion DVD sound card. SonicXplosion DVD is billed as the first soundcard product to support all major home theatre standards, including DTS, Pro Logic II and Dolby Headphone, and is available now for just £79.99 (UK RRP, inc. VAT). To be clear it's worth noting that the decoding capability for these home theatre standards is coming via the bundling of the latest version of Intervideo's WinDVD (v.4) and not via the sound card drivers/hardware/DSP. That does not detract from what is an attractive feature set, bundle and price point. Like the preceding SonicFury, is based on the Cirrus Logic CS4630 chipset. New features include a 2 x 60 mW headphone amplifier and optical I/O capability. For lots more details you can check out the full press release.

  PURE Digital also announced the release of the VideoLogic SonicXplosion. It's the same soundcard but does not include WinDVD 4. The price is of course lower (£50 vs £80). You can find more details in the press release

• Two New Console Speaker Systems From Creative Labs
  Creative Labs Europe announces the Creative Inspire 5.1 Console 5500D and the Creative Inspire 2.1 Console 2400 speaker systems. As the name suggests both target the console market. You can find some details in the press release. Creative Labs Europe also separately announced the release of the Creative Inspire 5.1 Digital 5500. From what I understand the same system as the 5.1 Console 5500D only changed to target a different market. It's an inexpensive 5.1 system with a Dolby Digital decoder.

• Toshiba Laptop Will Feature Harman Kardon-branded 2.1 Speaker
  Harman Multimedia has introduced, they claim, a breakthrough 2.1 audio system (integrated satellite speakers and subwoofer), available only on Toshiba's newest laptop series, the Satellite 5205-S503. In particular the relatively deep bass (100 Hz) is where they say this system excels compared to other integrated notebook speaker systems. You can find more details in the press release.

• MP3 CD Player by e.Digital Featuring SRS Labs' WOW Audio Enhancement
  e.Digital has announced that it has begun shipments of its new ultra-slim Silhouette(TM) portable MP3 CD player with SRS WOW(TM) audio enhancement to D&H Distributing.

  The Silhouette is capable of playing prerecorded music CDs or CDs containing MP3 or Windows Media(TM) format (WMA) files. The Silhouette features SRS WOW audio enhancement from SRS Labs to provide listeners with a panoramic 3D sound image, clear vocals and a deep, rich bass listening experience over headphones or small speakers. The Silhouette is the first MP3 player in the United States to feature SRS WOW audio enhancement. The Silhouette retails for $149 MSRP. You can find more details in the press release.

• New Aiwa DVD Player Featuring Spatializer N-2-2
  Expanding the portfolio of consumer electronics companies utilizing its industry leading Spatializer N-2-2 virtual surround technology, Spatializer Audio Laboratories has announced that its audio enhancement solutions are included in the newest DVD Player from Aiwa. Spatializer N-2-2(TM) is included in the XD-AX1 DVD Player, which is now shipping. Aiwa announced on Sept. 27,2002 that it became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation. The XD-AX1 is the first model with Spatializer N-2-2 which will be released after the merger. You can find more details in the press release.

• SONICblue Introduces Rio S50 and S35S Sport Portable Digital Music Players
  SONICblue has unveiled the latest players in Rio's new line of portable digital music players, the Rio® S50 and S35S sport player.

  The new Rio S50 features 128 MB of built in memory, memory is upgradeable to 256 MB, a large backlit screen, a clock and stopwatch, an integrated FM tuner, a useful carrying case and an impressive battery life of up to 35-hours.

  Designed to meet the needs of today's athlete, the S35S combines a sleek new design and a rugged, durable shell, with the memory and features of a powerful digital music player. Made to withstand the rigors of an extreme workout, the S35S lightweight design allows users to easily strap the player to their arm during workouts and its sturdy construction and rubberized shell makes the player strong and durable. The S35S features 128MB of built in memory, upgradeable to 256 MB, a large back lit screen, clock and stopwatch, integrated FM tuner, and an adjustable armband.

  You can find more details in the press release.

• MP3 Box :: The LCD
  Phrozenpenguin continues his custom MP3 Box article today, this part focusing on the LCD display.

• Nike-Philips Portable Sport Audio Launch
  Hardware Zone has posted their report on the launch of Nike-Philips' portable audio products targeted mainly at the active consumer. As you may recall this partnership was announced already in March

• InterVideo's WinDVD 4 Delivers All New 24-BIT/96KHZ Support at VTF
  VIA Technologies and InterVideo have jointly announced that InterVideo will support 24-bit content with 96kHz sampling rates in the latest version of WinDVD player, due for release at VIA Technology Forum 2002 (starting October 8.

  Delivering the latest video and audio formats, InterVideo will be demonstrating its latest enhancement at VTF, supporting 24/96 content that will bring a new plateau of audio quality for a software DVD player. In order to demo this support, the WinDVD software will rely on VIA’s Envy line of controllers to provide 24-bit playback support. You can find more details in the press release as well as an interview with InterVideo Chief Technology Officer Honda Shing posted on VIA's website.

  It's worth noting that the press release don't mention anything about DVD-Audio support but the interview does. However it's not clear if the promised DVD-Audio support in the interview means that next version will offer this or if it's some future version. I asked InterVideo for details but no reply so far.

• Cirrus Logic Launches New Digital Audio Receiver for DVD-Audio
  Cirrus Logic has introduced two new digital audio interface products for the professional and consumer audio markets. The CS8416 192kHz digital audio receiver and the CS8406 192kHz digital audio transmitter provide manufacturers with the capability to support 192kHz and DVD-Audio features. The new products will be demonstrated at the Audio Engineering Society Show in Los Angeles from October 5-8, 2002. You can find more details in the full press release.

Upcoming features at 3DsoundSurge

• Reviews that we are currently working on:
  Updated Santa Cruz/Sonic Fury and GameTheaterXP reviews
  Hercules Fortissimo II
  Terratec DMX Xfire 1024
  CMedia CM8738 Reference Review
  Full Audigy Review
  Full Philips MMS305 Review
  
• There are several other hardware reviews in the pipeline including, but not limited to the following:
  Guillemot Maxi Sound MUSE
  Terratec m3po
  DigMedia MusicStore
  Philips Seismic Edge
  Lots of other stuff on the go in including several guides and major site revisions that we will soon be releasing more details on.
  

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