Linux, nVidia and openAL

geovah · 11-27-02, 08:29 AM

Hi,
I want to buy a new motherboard.
When i see the nForce2 , i said " yeah i want it".

Some times after, new driver for windows and "new openAL driver (for windows)". So i said "Yeah, i will play UT2003 with 3D sound/graphics in hardware, not software".

Today, i saw the changelog for the new nforce linux driver. But "noooohhhh, no driver openAL for linux".

My question is : do you think that nvidia provide an openAL driver for linux ? It's the only thing which miss to linux (3D sound device accelerated).

More over, the openAL driver for windows provide extension ? I see nothing about it.
Where is the documentation about the openAL driver ?

Chalnoth · 11-27-02, 05:52 PM

Well, so far nVidia's been...minimal...about their Linux support for the nForce platform. Hopefully this will change before too long.

But, regardless, UT and UT2k3 seem to work fine with "ALAudio" now, on nVidia's latest drivers (Don't need to resort to the alsa drivers anymore...). I really don't know if they're using hardware acceleration or not...

Forge · 12-10-02, 06:28 PM

The nvaudio driver doesn't provide any OpenAL support, and likely never will. Write Nvidia and ask nicely for real driver support for the 3D sound accelerator with 5.1 and SPDIF you bought, not the POS 2D 2.0 non-SPDIF you got.

Chalnoth · 12-10-02, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Forge
The nvaudio driver doesn't provide any OpenAL support, and likely never will. Write Nvidia and ask nicely for real driver support for the 3D sound accelerator with 5.1 and SPDIF you bought, not the POS 2D 2.0 non-SPDIF you got.

But doesn't the ALAudio driver for UT/UT2k3 use OpenAL? It works fine now with the 0248 drivers (didn't work previously with anything but ALSA's drivers).

Forge · 12-18-02, 03:28 AM

Yeah, that's software audio, which is all you're likely to ever get in Linux. Nvidia is not currently providing a driver that does ANYTHING in hardware, aside from providing a basic audio output (WAV, 16bit, 44.1 or 48KHz, non-accelerated).

Nvidia CAN write a driver that does tons better. Allowing digital output would be a big improvement that wouldn't be hard to do, but NV has no interest at the moment. They need to know we care! Write them and beg nicely for more Linux audio support! They'll probably reply that their Dolby Digital license doesn't apply, but that's BS, and there's a LOT they can do without DD output! Hardware 3D sound through OpenAL would be nice....

Wolfman [TWP] · 12-18-02, 07:01 AM

It amazes me how hardware manufacterers can come up with some BS excuse not to do something properly.....

And as with the DD license, I would think that it would come with the purchase of the board..

Wolf

11-27-02, 08:29 AM	#1
geovah Registered User Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 8	Linux, nVidia and openAL Hi, I want to buy a new motherboard. When i see the nForce2 , i said " yeah i want it". Some times after, new driver for windows and "new openAL driver (for windows)". So i said "Yeah, i will play UT2003 with 3D sound/graphics in hardware, not software". Today, i saw the changelog for the new nforce linux driver. But "noooohhhh, no driver openAL for linux". My question is : do you think that nvidia provide an openAL driver for linux ? It's the only thing which miss to linux (3D sound device accelerated). More over, the openAL driver for windows provide extension ? I see nothing about it. Where is the documentation about the openAL driver ?

11-27-02, 05:52 PM	#2
Chalnoth Registered User Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 1,293	Well, so far nVidia's been...minimal...about their Linux support for the nForce platform. Hopefully this will change before too long. But, regardless, UT and UT2k3 seem to work fine with "ALAudio" now, on nVidia's latest drivers (Don't need to resort to the alsa drivers anymore...). I really don't know if they're using hardware acceleration or not...

12-10-02, 06:28 PM	#3
Forge X to the 64th power Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 56	The nvaudio driver doesn't provide any OpenAL support, and likely never will. Write Nvidia and ask nicely for real driver support for the 3D sound accelerator with 5.1 and SPDIF you bought, not the POS 2D 2.0 non-SPDIF you got.

12-18-02, 03:28 AM	#5
Forge X to the 64th power Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 56	Yeah, that's software audio, which is all you're likely to ever get in Linux. Nvidia is not currently providing a driver that does ANYTHING in hardware, aside from providing a basic audio output (WAV, 16bit, 44.1 or 48KHz, non-accelerated). Nvidia CAN write a driver that does tons better. Allowing digital output would be a big improvement that wouldn't be hard to do, but NV has no interest at the moment. They need to know we care! Write them and beg nicely for more Linux audio support! They'll probably reply that their Dolby Digital license doesn't apply, but that's BS, and there's a LOT they can do without DD output! Hardware 3D sound through OpenAL would be nice....

12-18-02, 07:01 AM	#6
Wolfman [TWP] Geforce 8800 GTS 512 Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Australia Posts: 396	It amazes me how hardware manufacterers can come up with some BS excuse not to do something properly..... And as with the DD license, I would think that it would come with the purchase of the board.. Wolf