I've seen lots of standard PCs with this built-in speaker, back when I worked in a primarily Dell shop, we had the option of ordering machines for clients with this option. Also the ancient deskpro 4000 I run as a server has one of these, and I've seen many more machines that do also. On Sun, Mar 11, 2007 at 04:57:34PM +0000, Michael Whapples wrote: > On Sun, 2007-03-11 at 09:08 -0400, Erik Heil wrote: > > Hi their. This isn't related to Intel hardware, but this is actually > > something in my opion they should implement. It wouldn't require much > > cost up-front at all. On my Sun workstation, their is actually a > > dedicated headphone output on the back of the machine. Also, to make > > things better, their is actually a real speaker embedded in the front. So > > this means that even if you didn't have a set of speakers, flite, > > festival, etc. will by default use /dev/audio which in this case by > > default accesses the system's speaker. No of course if you want to use > > speakers, go right head, the capability is there. No sorround sound, but > > certainly CD-quality audio. Along with this, you have your standard > > line-in and MIC inputs. > > That's interesting about the in built speaker, probably is useful. > I question though the advantage of a headphone socket on the back, > surely the front would be better. Some PC cases have front panel audio > connectors for headphones, but I don't know if they automatically will > turn off the speaker connection, and it does also require the soundcard > has front panel connectors to accept the wires for these sockets. > > On Sun, 11 Mar 2007, Michael Whapples wrote: > > > > > Date: Sun, 11 Mar 2007 11:23:17 +0000 > > > From: Michael Whapples <mikster4 at msn.com> > > > Reply-To: Speakup is a screen review system for Linux. > > > <speakup at braille.uwo.ca> > > > To: Speakup is a screen review system for Linux. <speakup at braille.uwo.ca> > > > Subject: Re: Problems with software speech > > > > > > On Sat, 2007-03-10 at 23:08 -0600, Farhan wrote: > > >> Hello, i'm not sure about your second question about the headphone issues, but most laptop soundcards now a days are cingle channel only, they don't do multichannel, sinse Windows xp has some weird kernel implementation to do that all for you, I think the only true multichannel soundcards you can get for laptops are the soundblaster external pcmcia cards. > > >> > > > Let's be helpful here, now the reason may be known, but how to solve it. > > > Well as far as I know, alsa can do software mixing as well, you will > > > need to use a dmix device in the alsa configuration files. All the > > > possibilities with alsa configuration is quite wide, so it would be best > > > to read about it in the alsa documentation or search the internet for a > > > suitable solution. Also make sure that the software itself is really > > > using alsa, some programs still use OSS (trplayer, realplayer, flite, > > > freetts (so firevox plugin if you are using freetts), etc). If you need > > > to use something which uses OSS then it is still possible to use > > > software mixing, get it to use the alsa-OSS compatibility system by > > > putting the aoss command at the beginning of your command for the app > > > which uses OSS (eg. "aoss realplayer" will run realplayer with OSS > > > output going through alsa-OSS compatibility layer). > > > > > > I don't actually know about your headphone issue, but it sounds like > > > alsa doesn't know about configuring (or it isn't configuring) a setting > > > for muting speakers when using headphones (it sounds like the switch is > > > software based rather than being a simple switch system. I think due to > > > the comment about the behaviour when using windows). Guesses at a > > > possible fix: > > > Check that alsa doesn't have a control for it somewhere. > > > See if the problem is solved in updated versions of alsa (if you are not > > > using the latest). > > > Last resort might be to find out if headphone and speaker volume can be > > > set separately (I know my laptop soundcard alsa gives a headphone > > > volume), and then you create two scripts (or one which either takes > > > options or knows how to toggle) that you run to mute speakers but not > > > headphones and to unmute speakers, and then you run this/these when > > > connecting and disconnecting headphones. > > > > > > Hope some (if not all) of this is useful. > > > > > > From > > > Michael Whapples > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Speakup mailing list > > > Speakup at braille.uwo.ca > > > http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup > > > > > > > eheil at sdf.lonestar.org > > SDF Public Access UNIX System - http://sdf.lonestar.org > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Speakup mailing list > Speakup at braille.uwo.ca > http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup -- I once witnessed a long-winded, month-long flamewar over the use of mice vs. trackballs... It was very silly. -- Matt Welsh
