[ivanfx]

is it possible to use USB DAC with Apple TV? through USB, i mean, not toslink.
also, will it play 24/96 music files with full resolution?

thanks

[garyi]

No and no.

Get a mini.

[ivanfx]

thanks.
have mini already, just want something quieter.

[garyi]

Wow, is there an issue with your mini? I have one of the new ones and also a 1.6 core duo and they were both near silent. Admittedly the ATV is silent full stop.

[phi2039]

The external DAC is possible, but why do you need it? The ATV has 3 output types. Do you need coax digital? If you are still set on the USB interface, look at http://0xfeedbeef.com/appletv/. I can't speak for it's effectiveness, but it looks promising.

[phi2039]

One other question. What hardware are you hooking up to that can handle 24-bit/96k data, and what sources do you have in that format? Not a lot of original content like that around (hence the lack of effort on support).

[ivanfx]

i am getting Empirical Audio Overdrive DAC, it supports 24/96 over USB.
there is already some content from Linn, Naim, Chesky labels and also vinyl rips. not thousands of titles, but still enough to be interested in it. especially rips of first press vinyl.

so one more question - is XBMC on Mac OS X bit-perfect and does it support 24/96 FLAC? both in regards of USB audio, if it matters.

upd: why USB - because it may give me best sound quality!

[phi2039]

OSX abstracts the audio hardware from applications, so USB has no effect in that regard (although you will find that audio pros use FireWire 800, not USB). Currently, XBMC handles all audio at 16-bits, as the vast majority of the codecs we use provide data in that format. Plans currently exist to move to a 32-bit IEEE float format internally, but I cannot give you a timeframe for when that will be complete.

FWIW, the built-in output on the AppleTV already supports 24-bit/96KHz in hardware.

[ivanfx]

OSX abstracts the audio hardware from applications, so USB has no effect in that regard (although you will find that audio pros use FireWire 800, not USB). Currently, XBMC handles all audio at 16-bits, as the vast majority of the codecs we use provide data in that format. Plans currently exist to move to a 32-bit IEEE float format internally, but I cannot give you a timeframe for when that will be complete.

thanks for clarification.

FWIW, the built-in output on the AppleTV already supports 24-bit/96KHz in hardware.

yes, but not all digital outs are the same.

[phi2039]

True, but with a $3,700 DAC, why are you using an AppleTV? The MacMini is dead silent, more power-efficient, and will avoid some of the single-core issues with sound on the ATV

[ivanfx]

mini is not dead silent, that's the problem. at least mine are not. i hear HDD and fun noise. very quite, but gives audible background noise. movies - no problem, mini is super. i have one upgraded to 2.16 - excellent!
planning to switch second one (stock 1.8) to SSD, should be better.