Newsgroups: alt.cd-rom Path: cdrom.com!barrnet.net!sgiblab!swrinde!ihnp4.ucsd.edu!library.ucla.edu!csulb.edu!paris.ics.uci.edu!news.claremont.edu!kaiwan.com!wetware!spunky.RedBrick.COM!psinntp!psinntp!commpost!fat8!tewr From: tewr@fat8.merrill (Robin Tew, FatCats LDN 4921) Subject: Soundcards and CD-ROM's - what is the connection? Message-ID: Keywords: soundcards, ibmpc Sender: usenet@tigadmin.ml.com Reply-To: tewr@fat8.merrill Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc. Date: Wed, 23 Mar 1994 11:09:57 GMT Lines: 24 What is the connection between soundcards and cd-roms? Why is computer shopper full of 'multi-media packages' consisting of a cd-rom and soundcard? Could someone explain this to me please! ie. What is a 'compatible soundcard and cdrom' - surelly if the soundcard works with your system, and the cdrom works with you system then they _are_ compatible? Is it something to do with connecting the cdrom and SC directly together? - ie can modern soundcards drive a cdrom independently of the cpu? I can't really see how this would be possible though - for instance on a scsi bus, even if the scsi sound'card' was reading direct from the cdrom, there are surelly going to be unpredicatble - stop / starts in the music depending on how the scsi controller orders the read requests from the SC with any that may come from the CPU. I just cannot see how this could work at least in the case of scsi. I would very much appreciate someone taking the time to explain this lot to me Thank you!