MPEG Movies via Marvel BOB

[Debbie]

I have never used the audio in jack on the Marvel BOB and have always took the audio to a composite monitor directly from the sound card.

So to day I decided to do things according to Matrox and hooked up the system according to instructions.

These are my settings:

DualHead on
Use DualHead dvdMax on

Play MPEG movie using Micro$oft Media Player
Picture OKay but no sound on the Composite Video Monitor just on the computer speakers.

Play an avi file sound OKay.

Is there a solution to this ?

Regards,

Debbie

[Fred H]

For about 2 1/2 years ago I bypassed the BOB audio because:
1. Low audio level to VCR/TV
2. Strange influence of the audio to the video, inside the BOB (?)
3. Problems playing MPEGs.
Even so I was forced to install PowerDVD to be able to play mpeg2.
With PowerDVD (and its codec) I could play MPEG1/2 with MP 6.4 but with video sync issues when switched btw. MP-PowerDVD.
It was in the good old W98 time.

Now, I'm running W2K + MP 6.4 (yes 6.4) and tested XP with MP 8.?
I can play MPEGs and VCD/SVCD via the BOB (only video) to VCR/TV SCART.

In Win XP I have some issues with play to the dual head, but it is another story.

Today I still bypass the BOB-audio. It means: from the SantaCruz audio Out to the SCART Audio in.
The Audio Input is not bypassed.

Do you have right audio out to the BOB, from your sound card?
If not, than the by-pass won't help neither.

Fred H

[Debbie]

Hi Fred,

Thanks for your reply. I have just discovered that this is no news to Matrox.

I had a reply from Vicken and he was not at all surprised.

So I think tht best chance is to forget about the bob, use the inputs only for audio and video and only the picture socket on the output, in order to get TV/composite picture out.

I am taking the sound directly from the sound card and this way I can play and record any form of
sound, since it is obvious that the electronics in the bob are "allergic" to anything exept avi.

I know for sure my next capture card will not be a Matrox.

Regards,

Debbie

[Fred H]

I know for sure my next capture card will not be a Matrox

Not mine, neither...

Fred H

[landrover]

Debbie,

What OS are you running? If you want to connect audio the Matrox way you can "unlock" the BOB by playing a hardware MJPEG clip before you play the MPEG file. I always did that in Win98 and it worked a treat. Since WinXP I connected the TV directly to the output of my SoundBlaster Live, which solves all the hassle.

I guess my next capture card won't be a Matrox either, just because they won't release any consumer capture cards anymore.

landrover

[Debbie]

Hi Landrover,

I am on Win98SE. Do you have audio problems when both blugs from the bob are connected to the sound card ?

I used to have the AUE64 now I have the Audigy but its always the same problems (1) No audio to Composite monitor when playing MPG files (2) A sort of feedback sound.

I know that I can overcome these problems by connecting directly to the sound card but it would be inspiring to know if other people are having identical problems.

I begining to think its a Marvel that this capture card works at all !!!

Regards,

Debbie

[landrover]

Hi Debbie

To be quite honest, with all those Soundblaster haters around, I really never had any problems with my Live! Platinum card. The only sound related prob I ever had was the one mentioned above related to the BOB of the Marvel. Which I think, until the modern ATI´s came along, was the very best card around combining tuner, capturing and editing functions.

Most users here are delirious about the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz, which makes me quite eager to try one out. One of the things I like best though about the Live! Platinum card is that it has such a convenient BOB making connection easily at the front of the PC.
The TBSC lacks such a device.

landrover

[Debbie]

Hi Landrover,

Thanks for your advice.

I have solved the problem with the Audigy. I have adjusted the mixer settings to have 73% on the input level, full on the wav/mp3 and 23% on the tone controls.

This has removed all the strange sounds. As regards the MPEG movie audio, that is still a problem and it still will not pass via the bob. I am not really warried about that since I will be taking the sound directly from the sound card anyways.

Happy Easter to you and all.

Regards,

Debbie