Need optical digital input for SB Live.

[yguez]

Need optical digital input....somehow, please help

I have a SB Live! Value card that came with my Dell about 2 years ago. It has no extended digital I/O card or any type of digital input at all and I haven't needed one. However, now I have just purchased a portable digital 4 track recorder (Boss BR-532) that uses an optical digital output. I need to able to burn recordings off the recorder onto a CD ROM or rip them to MP3's. My sound card suits me fine and i really dont want to have to pay over 100 dollars to get a new one just to get a digital optical input. Creative makes an Optical Digital I/O 2 Card that adds digital support to older SB Live! cards but I haven't the slightest idea where to find a retailer that sells it. Does anyone know of any alternative do give Optical Digital Input capabilities to this sound card? TIA
-yaron

 

[PHATMAN5050]

I wonder if its possible to buy the Creative Live! Drive IR by itself. It's an adapter that goes in a 5 1/2 inch slot (like your cdrom size) which has a whole bunch of stuff like headphones, line in, midi in/out, aux in/out, digital in/out, and spdif in/

 

[uncleel]

Yes, the Live Drive.

http://www.soundblaster.com/accessories/livedrive/

The Live! Drive provides easy and convenient front panel connectivity to a wide variety of analog and digital devices. These products range from general consumer accessories to sophisticated hi-fi equipment and music equipment for the professionals. Both Live! Drive's slide into an available 5 1/4" slot into your PC and provide pure digital: SPDIF Input/Output, MIDI Input/Output, Line In/Mic and headphone connectors. The Live! Drive II offers 4 additional connectors than the Live! Drive I: Optical In and Optical Out and a pair of Auxiliary connectors. With such ease of access and the wide array of features offered, the Live! Drive will prove to be the ideal ultimate audio solution for users of all interests.

 

[yguez]

i just went to that site. the Live! Drive II seems perfect but does not support SB Live! Value, the card I have right now.

 

[StormBringer]

I remember reading somewhere that the Live! Value wouldn't connect to the LiveDrive.

EDIT: System Requirements

Installed Sound Blaster Live! Compatible cards include, Sound Blaster Live! (CT4620), Sound Blaster Live! Platinum, MP3+ and X-Gamer (CT4760) and CT483x series. This product does not work with Sound Blaster Live! Value.
Available 5 1/4" PC drive bay (for Live! Drive)


Important Note: Line In 2 will not function with SB4620 and neither Live! Drive will work with Sound Blaster Live! Value (CT4670)

 

[uncleel]

Originally posted by yguez
but does not support SB Live! Value,

All the SB cards should be identical, save the software which can be purchased. The Platinum comes w/ the Live Drive. The OEM does not include the game package.

 

[StormBringer]

The requirements I put in my last post were taken from Creative's site. You'll notice the bold statement about it not working with the Value cards. They mention it twice.

I think the thing is that the value doesn't have anywhere to plug the cable link to.

 

[uncleel]

That is true, the Digital Output Module requires the CT4760 board.
Such as the X-Gamer card which I confused w/ the Value card.

http://www.soundblaster.com/accessories/livedrive/system.asp

Still, the SB line can be had for a good price since the Audigy line has been out for quite some time now.

 

[yguez]

thanks. i'm just gonna fork over the extra cash and go with an extigy, its got everything i need, just a lot of stuff i dont.

 

[young&wild]

Originally posted by uncleel


All the SB cards should be identical, save the software which can be purchased. The Platinum comes w/ the Live Drive. The OEM does not include the game package.

Platinum is actually just another SB Live 5.1 with the Live Drive.
So its pretty different form SB Live Value.

 

[SleeperDC]

there were 2 versions of SB live value.

older one has digital input
newer one dropped the digital input.

but you can still use digital input.
on the top of the card, there should be a number of pins there.
looks like you can plug in a IDE cable or something.

i can't really remember, but should be pin 13-14 or 15-16 is the digital input.
if i am wrong, just try on all those pins, it should work

 

[George]

Optical ins and outs for sblive

Check out this web page. It has what you are looking for

http://alive.singnet.com.sg/features/hoontech/io1.htm