Multiple audio DACs with PC compatibility

• US 7,151,970 B1
• Filed: 11/05/1998
• Issued: 12/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gateway Incorporated (Acer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rapaich, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAO, LUNSEE
• Application Number:
  US09/186,817
• Time in Patent Office: 2,966 Days
• Field of Search: 700/94, 704/200, 704/200.1, 704/201, 704/22, 704/69, 381 22- 23, 381/58, 381/123, 341/110, 341/155, 341/156, 341143-145, 341/141, 341/214, 710/69, 375/216, 375/242, 375/260, 375/349, 375/262, 375/265, 370/269, 370/355
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L

Abstract

Multiple audio digital to analog converters (DACs) are provided to convert multiple digital audio streams to analog audio signals concurrently in a personal computer. Different digital audio streams are routed to each DAC and audio output device depending on priority, desired quality and the source of the audio stream.

Claims

1. A personal computer system comprising:

a plurality of audio digital-to-analog converters configured as part of the personal computer system; and

a controller configured to receive digital audio signals from multiple sources and route the digital audio signals to a selected digital-to-analog converter based on a desired converter quality.

2. The personal computer system of claim 1 where a user configures the controller such that the controller assigns a digital-to analog converter and a priority to each of the plurality of audio sources, and the controller routes the digital audio signal with the highest priority for each of the digital-to-analog converters to its assigned digital-to-analog converter.

3. The personal computer system of claim 1 where a user configures the controller by hardware or software controls, such that the controller routes a selected analog signal to a selected one of a plurality of analog outputs.

4. The personal computer system of claim 3 where the selected analog signal is provided by one of a group consisting of the digital-to-analog converters, Compact Disc players, DVD players, microphones, TV tuners, or analog inputs.

5. The personal computer system of claim 1, further comprising a standard personal computer bus for transferring the digital audio signal from the digital audio source to the controller.

6. The personal computer system of claim 1 where the digital audio signal is transferred from the digital audio source to the controller by a direct electrical or optical connection between the two.

7. The personal computer system of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of audio digital-to-analog converters has an indication of quality.

8. A personal computer system comprising:

one or more standard digital audio sources;

one or more high quality digital audio sources;

means for routing digital audio signals from standard digital audio sources to a standard quality digital-to-analog converter based on a first desired converter quality; and

means for routing digital audio signals from a high-quality digital audio source to a high quality digital-to-analog converter based on a second desired converter quality higher than said first desired converter quality;

wherein said means for routing digital audio signals from standard digital audio sources to a standard quality digital-to-analog converter is configured as part of the personal computer system; and

wherein said means for routing digital audio signals from a high-quality digital audio source to a high quality digital-to-analog converter is configured as part of the personal computer system.

9. The personal computer system of claim 8 where any of the high quality or standard quality digital-to-analog converters are coder-decoders (CODECs) that contain both digital-to-analog converters and analog-to-digital converters.

10. The personal computer system of claim 8,

wherein the standard quality digital-to-analog converter is configured as part of the personal computer system;

and

wherein the high quality digital-to-analog converter configured as part of the personal computer system.

11. A method of routing digital audio to a plurality of digital-to-analog converters in a personal computer, wherein said plurality of digital-to-analog converters are configured as part of the personal computer, comprising the steps of:

receiving digital audio data from one of a plurality of digital audio sources; and

routing the digital audio data to one of the plurality of converters based on desired converter quality;

wherein said routing of the digital audio data to one of said plurality of converters is performed by the personal computer.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the steps of:

assigning digital audio data from each source a priority;

assigning digital audio data from each source to one of the plurality of converters;

determining which digital audio data has the highest priority among all data assigned to each converter; and

converting the digital audio data in each converter with the highest priority to analog audio.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

assigning an indication of quality to each of the plurality of digital-to-analog converters;

wherein the routing of the digital audio data is based on said one of the plurality of converters being a closest match to the desired converter quality.

14. A method of routing digital audio to a plurality of audio digital-to analog converters in a personal computer, wherein said plurality of digital-to-analog converters are configured as part of the personal computer, comprising the steps of:

receiving digital audio from one of a plurality of digital audio sources;

assigning digital audio data from each of said plurality of digital audio sources a priority associated with a desired converter quality; and

muting the digital audio data to one of the plurality of convener in an order determined by the assigned data priority,

wherein said routing of the digital audio data to one of the plurality of converters is performed by the computer.

15. A personal computer system comprise

memory;

a processor;

a bus;

a plurality of digital-to-analog audio converters; and

a controller configured to receive digital audio signals from multiple sources and route the digital audio signals to a selected ones of the digital-to-analog audio converters based on desired converter quality;

wherein said plurality of digital audio converters are configured as part of said personal computer system.

16. The personal computer system of claim 15, further comprising:

a computer speaker configured to receive analog signals converted from the digital audio signals by the selected digital-to-analog converter.

17. A method of routing digital audio signals in a personal computer, wherein said plurality of digital-to-analog converters are configured as part of the personal computer, comprising the steps of:

routing the digital audio signals which are from standard digital audio sources to a standard quality digital-to-analog converter; and

routing the digital audio signals which are from high-quality audio sources to a high-quality digital-to-analog converter;

wherein said high-quality audio sources provide higher quality signals than said standard digital audio sources and said high-quality digital-to-analog converter produce a higher quality digital-to-analog conversion than said standard quality digital-to-analog converter;

wherein said routing of the digital audio data to one of the plurality of converters is performed by the computer.