Club CDFreaks - Knowledge is Power - View Single Post - nForce2 IDE + DTS-CD/HDCD = Playback Stutters

Emilex · 04-08-2003

I'm experiencing this problem with my motherboard (Gigabyte GA-7N400Pro), which is based on the nForce2 Ultra 400 chipset.

When the ATAPI CD-ROM/CDRW/DVDRWs are hooked on the on-board nForce2 MCP IDE channels (in any pri/sec master/slave combinations, or standalone), I get playback stuttering / skipping when playing:

1. DTS encoded Audio CD using PowerDVD5 / WinDVD5. I can hear the audio output for a few seconds, then it skips, then reappear again. Disc is perfectly clean and readable ... as shown by a CDDA ripping in EAC -- flawless.

2. HDCD CD playback in Windows Media Player 9, with 24-bit output activated in Tools > Options > Devices > Speakers ... same stutter/skip problem. However, when the 24-bit option is turned off, it seems ok.

All the drives on the channels are detected as Ultra DMA Mode 2 in Device Manager.

I've tried using SBLive! 5.1, Audigy, and Audigy 2, all with latest drivers ... same problem.

I've tried using the original XP drivers, and the nForce IDE out-of-the-box drivers 2.70 (6.1.2600) as bundled with nForce driver 2.45 on 30 July 2003 ... same problem.

Experimentally tried installing various ASPI drivers, including Adaptec's 4.72 XP and the good old 4.60 #1261 release ... no help... apparently the Windows Media Player and the PowerDVD/WinDVD does not use ASPI at all, but their own reading engine or SPTI.

However, when I hook the drives on an external (PCI) ATA133/ATAPI controller, (which is based on the Sil0680 chip from Silicon Image/CMD) everything just work great. No stutters, no skips. When I extract the CD image (when the drive is on the nForce2 channel) and mount it in a virtual device, the playback also works fine. Playing normal CD (as in PCM CD Audio) using the nForce2 controller also works fine.

As such, it seems the problem lies with the nForce2 IDE controller ... but the problem is, drives on that controller read data CD / DVD just fine, only problematic when reading "special" audio CD (such as HDCD/dts/dolby digital CD).

Does anyone here using a nForce2 Ultral 400 motherboard run into similar problems? And what do you guys suggest? I don't really want to hook everything on that PCI controller ... (it's actually dedicated only for the 2 writers)

===
System configurations

Gigabyte GA-7N400 Pro
AMD AthlonXP 3200+
1.0GB Kingston (Winbond ICH5) DDR-400
MSI GeForce4 Ti4200
Creative SoundBlaster Audigy (6 speakers mode, analogue)
Windows XP Professional w/SP1

LiteON LTN-526 52X CD-ROM
Sony CDU-4811 48X CD-ROM
Sony CDU-5211 52X CD-ROM
Sony DDU-1621 16X DVD / 40X CD
LiteON LTR-52327S 52/32/52 CDRW
TDK DVW+A040212N Dual Writer

04-08-2003	#1 (permalink)
Emilex CD Freaks Rookie Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Singapore Posts: 39	nForce2 IDE + DTS-CD/HDCD = Playback Stutters I'm experiencing this problem with my motherboard (Gigabyte GA-7N400Pro), which is based on the nForce2 Ultra 400 chipset. When the ATAPI CD-ROM/CDRW/DVDRWs are hooked on the on-board nForce2 MCP IDE channels (in any pri/sec master/slave combinations, or standalone), I get playback stuttering / skipping when playing: 1. DTS encoded Audio CD using PowerDVD5 / WinDVD5. I can hear the audio output for a few seconds, then it skips, then reappear again. Disc is perfectly clean and readable ... as shown by a CDDA ripping in EAC -- flawless. 2. HDCD CD playback in Windows Media Player 9, with 24-bit output activated in Tools > Options > Devices > Speakers ... same stutter/skip problem. However, when the 24-bit option is turned off, it seems ok. All the drives on the channels are detected as Ultra DMA Mode 2 in Device Manager. I've tried using SBLive! 5.1, Audigy, and Audigy 2, all with latest drivers ... same problem. I've tried using the original XP drivers, and the nForce IDE out-of-the-box drivers 2.70 (6.1.2600) as bundled with nForce driver 2.45 on 30 July 2003 ... same problem. Experimentally tried installing various ASPI drivers, including Adaptec's 4.72 XP and the good old 4.60 #1261 release ... no help... apparently the Windows Media Player and the PowerDVD/WinDVD does not use ASPI at all, but their own reading engine or SPTI. However, when I hook the drives on an external (PCI) ATA133/ATAPI controller, (which is based on the Sil0680 chip from Silicon Image/CMD) everything just work great. No stutters, no skips. When I extract the CD image (when the drive is on the nForce2 channel) and mount it in a virtual device, the playback also works fine. Playing normal CD (as in PCM CD Audio) using the nForce2 controller also works fine. As such, it seems the problem lies with the nForce2 IDE controller ... but the problem is, drives on that controller read data CD / DVD just fine, only problematic when reading "special" audio CD (such as HDCD/dts/dolby digital CD). Does anyone here using a nForce2 Ultral 400 motherboard run into similar problems? And what do you guys suggest? I don't really want to hook everything on that PCI controller ... (it's actually dedicated only for the 2 writers) === System configurations Gigabyte GA-7N400 Pro AMD AthlonXP 3200+ 1.0GB Kingston (Winbond ICH5) DDR-400 MSI GeForce4 Ti4200 Creative SoundBlaster Audigy (6 speakers mode, analogue) Windows XP Professional w/SP1 LiteON LTN-526 52X CD-ROM Sony CDU-4811 48X CD-ROM Sony CDU-5211 52X CD-ROM Sony DDU-1621 16X DVD / 40X CD LiteON LTR-52327S 52/32/52 CDRW TDK DVW+A040212N Dual Writer