Help to sort a multimedia system??? (still)

[DB]

>
> Message: 7
> Date: Sun, 29 Mar 2009 05:45:26 +0200
> From: Kevin Kofler <kevin.kofler at chello.at>
> Subject: Re: Help to sort a multimedia system???  (still)
> To: fedora-list at redhat.com
> Message-ID: <gqmqsn$plp$1 at ger.gmane.org>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
> DB wrote:
>   
>> > $ rpm -qa phonon\*
>> > phonon-devel-4.3.1-2.fc10.i386
>> > phonon-backend-xine-4.3.1-2.fc10.i386
>> > phonon-4.3.1-2.fc10.i386
>> > phonon-backend-gstreamer-4.3.1-2.fc10.i386
>>     
>
> Try rpm -e phonon-backend-gstreamer to see if that helps. It should be
> picking up xine by default already, but it's best to be sure.
> Unfortunately, Phonon's GStreamer backend is not as reliable as the
> xine-lib one.
>
>   
OK done that!
>> > At the moment, the audio_cd.device box contans /dev/cdrom. Is it
>> > possible to somehow list cdrom & cdrom1?
>>     
>
> No, you'll have to change it when you want to use the other drive.
>
>   
>>> >> You need libdvdcss from Livna.
>>> >>   
>>>       
>> > Is this - or something like it - included in rpmfusion free or nonfree?
>>     
>
> No. There have been long flamebaits over including libdvdcss in RPM Fusion
> or not (due to legal issues). At the end it was decided to keep it in the
> old Livna repository.
>
> http://rpm.livna.org/
>
>   
Thanks, done that!
>> > Thanks, Kevin. If I remember correctly, in some replies to other
>> > questions about sound devices, you wrote something about "Alsa being on
>> > top of PA" (or vice versa!)
>>     
>
> Well, both are true to some extent.  :-) 
>
> ALSA applications
>    |
>    V
> PulseAudio ALSA plugin (alsa-plugins-pulseaudio)
>    |
>    V
> PulseAudio <-- Other applications, using other APIs (PulseAudio native, ESD)
>    |
>    V
> ALSA hardware device
>
>   
>> > Question 1 - which way is "front" & "back" ie nearer Hardware or nearer
>> > User?
>>     
>
> Front = nearer to the user, back = nearer to the hardware.
>   
OK<<< so "sink" = front & "source" = back (generally!)
>   
>> > Question 2 - is there a way for naive users (like me!) to find out what
>> > sequence of modules/software/gizmos is actually involved in say, getting
>> > the noise from my CD/DVD/AC97 to the speakers?
>>     
>
> See the basic diagram above. (The complete diagram is a bit more complex
> than that though.)
>
>   
And can I from a command line list the current connections?  I tried
# lsmod|grep snd
snd_intel8x0           30620  3
snd_ac97_codec         95268  1 snd_intel8x0
ac97_bus                5504  1 snd_ac97_codec
snd_seq_dummy           6660  0
snd_seq_oss            30364  0
snd_seq_midi_event      9600  1 snd_seq_oss
snd_seq                48576  5 snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq_midi_event
snd_usb_audio          77696  0
snd_pcm_oss            42496  0
snd_mixer_oss          16896  1 snd_pcm_oss
snd_usb_lib            17536  1 snd_usb_audio
snd_rawmidi            22528  1 snd_usb_lib
snd_pcm                65924  4 
snd_intel8x0,snd_ac97_codec,snd_usb_audio,snd_pcm_oss
snd_seq_device         10124  4 
snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq,snd_rawmidi
snd_timer              22024  2 snd_seq,snd_pcm
snd_hwdep              10500  1 snd_usb_audio
snd_page_alloc         11016  2 snd_intel8x0,snd_pcm
snd                    50616  20 
snd_intel8x0,snd_ac97_codec,snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq,snd_usb_audio,snd_pcm_oss,snd_mixer_oss,snd_usb_lib,snd_rawmidi,snd_pcm,snd_seq_device,snd_timer,snd_hwdep
soundcore               9416  1 snd

Sadly, man lsmod only tells me it produces a "nice layout", without 
telling me how to interpret the colums....    I assume the first number 
is its process id,the second one how many modules it either calls (the 
ones listed) or is called by -- and the ones with "0" in this place are 
not active/ends of chains????? -- and the lower the pid, the earlier the 
proces/module started?
>   
>> > Question 5 - in the Skype example above, how can I find out what the 4
>> > SiS variants represent?
>>     
>
> Different outputs of your sound card, most likely.
>
> Normally you should let PulseAudio worry about where to output and set your
> applications to output to PulseAudio.
>   
Just tried selecting "default" for both & get "problems with audio 
capture" or "problems with audio playback"
Selecting "pulse" for both gives unintelligible sound
Selecting "si7012(hw:si7102:0) for both, works.
>   
> The handbook may be outdated.
>
>         Kevin Kofler
>   
Again, many thanks Kevin!


> The front end of something is the bit that's apparent to you (user
> interface, etc.), the back-end is what goes on behind the scenes.
>
> If you want analogies, think of "shop fronts."
>   

Thanks Tim - nice analogy!