Soundstorm 2 Coming

I saw that. I really hope that Nvidia steps up to the plate and delivers the goods. If they have some solid tech behind their branding, I think it'll be a hit, so I'm certainly hopeful. I'd really like to be able to sell my Emu1212 and use just 1 card to do everything, but that might be a fool's dream.
 
so they are going to sell it seperately.. possibly as a pci-e card..?

i suppose that would be cool..
 
The article never mentioned that explicitly, and actually implied that they are going to integrate it into some new Nforce chipset, or perhaps even revision of a current one. I really hope they make an add-in card, whichever route they choose.
 
Looks like it'll be part of the nForce4 chipset.
Copy & Pasted from: http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=17058

More details revealed about Nforce 4

32 PCIE lanes, SP-10 - SoundStorm 2, up to eight way MP

By Fuad Abazovic: Wednesday 07 July 2004, 07:41
OUR CROATIAN FRIEND Theo Valich decided to share some information with us regarding Nforce 4 chipset, the one we mentioned last week.

The chipset will be Socket 754/939 and 940 capable and will have multiprocessing capabilities. You will be able to use it as a single CPU platform. And you will also be able to use it as a two way, four way and up to a maximum of eight way as a multiprocessing platform.

This chipset will support a maximum of 32 PCI-E lanes says Theo, has suggested 1x16 X PCI-E slot, one 1 x 8X for SLI card and four times one lane for peripheral devices. This definitely confirms our previous claim that Nforce 4 will be a platform which will let you plug two Geforce 6 series PCI-E cards into a machine and end up with a much cheaper MP machine than those based on Intel's "Tumwater" chipset.

The chipset will support five PCI slots, two times Nvidia Gbit Ethernet and Nvidia RAID, similar in function to Intel's "Matrix Array", says Theo.

The Nforce 4, CK8-04 will support eight S-ATA drives and six P-ATA drives and for additional connectivity you will have no less then 10 USB 2.0 ports.

As for sound freaks, this chipset will feature SP-10, Soundstorm 2 audio that will be Dolby Digital 5.1 compliant and it will be able to do EX effects at 20 GFlops processing power. Soundstorm 2 supports 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1 speaker configurations.

It sounds good doesn't it? But it will arrive towards the very end of this year. µ
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Repost from Hexus.net, linked/posted on [H] front page

In an exclusive press briefing - the CEO of NVIDIA has just stated that we will see Soundstorm avaliable on nForce soon. This will be more than the old hat Soundstorm which was on nForce 1 and 2.
NVIDIAs CEO was slightly cryptic about it being delivered, however, I think we can make an assumption that maybe the PCI-E bus has enough to deliver it as a standalone product. Here are those precious words:
"We're gonna build SoundStorm 2, it's gonna be awesome," he later added to that with more information about how it will be delivered "It come in a way that you won't expect."
NVIDIA chose not to do this with nForce 4 - but he for one acknowledges that the market wants it. This is a great proof of consumer power and that NVIDIA do listen to the consumer.

It was apparent that that Jen Hsun is excited about this audio solution. More on the new Soundstorm implementation as and when we get it.
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Thank god. There IS a market for descrete audio chips that do not bare the Creative name. Granted, I own a DDTS-100, but that's because of lack of options in the market, and I just sold my Klipsch DD-5.1.

If nVidia made me switch to Intel processors I WOULD. I've kept my ASUS A7N8X because I love SoundStorm. (no reason why they wouldn't give it to A64/FX tho!)
 
There is a lot of speculation that the audio will come integrated in their next-gen geforce cards. While this may sound crazy, it isn't unbelieveable. I truly hope it comes on a PCIe x1 card, but hardware manufacturers come up with some crazy things sometimes.
 
man, if they only put it on the new pentium boards that would suck. :mad:
 
yeah if and when i decide to upgrade my mobo, i would really miss having soundstorm. w00t! good news for AMD guys like me.
 
Thank god I held out till now before I bought a new board! Way to go Nvidia!
 
Prediction: Soundstorm 2 coming "in a way we won't expect," coupled with that Inquirer article (specifically the "year end 2005" part), plus the nVidia/PS3 thread in the Video Cards forum (which basically says nVidia is working on a brand-new architecture for the PS3) makes me believe that Soundstorm 2 will debut on the PS3. nVidia isn't cooking up an add-in card, they're cooking up a damn good console.
 
Terpfen said:
coupled with that Inquirer article (specifically the "year end 2005" part)
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that is an old article written in July, so it is referring to the end of this year
 
Well, doesn't that figure.

Still, I think the evidence is there: until we get told otherwise, I'm going to keep this theory of mine in the forefront.
 
Terpfen said:
Well, doesn't that figure.

Still, I think the evidence is there: until we get told otherwise, I'm going to keep this theory of mine in the forefront.
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So you're saying Soundstorm won't come out before PS3? That doesn't make any sense. I mean who really cares if the PS3 has it or not, we want it for our computers.
 
wish in one hand, shit in the other.... :D

but, we all want the 1x pci-e add-in. :)
 
EnderW said:
So you're saying Soundstorm won't come out before PS3? That doesn't make any sense. I mean who really cares if the PS3 has it or not, we want it for our computers.
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I'm saying that nVidia's CEO's remark about SS2 coming in a form we won't expect is referring to the PS3. I didn't say it won't be available for PCs before the PS3's release: in fact, I hope it is, as it's been described as a serious ramp-up. I hope this includes sound quality that's at least on par with M-Audio products. If it becomes available as an add-in card, so much the better. Heck, the thought of six different vendors selling SS2 cards is making me smile.

But all I was referring to was the "form we won't expect" comment. I believe the original comment was "Soundstorm 2 is coming, and in a form you won't expect." Given the "and" modifier, one could probably read the statement as "Soundstorm 2 is coming [for the PC], and in a form you won't expect [for PS3]." That's how I'm seeing it, anyway.
 
GodsMadClown said:
Consoles driving development of Soundstorm? I smell a pattern here.
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well yeah. they used soundstorm in the xbox. ps2 was lacking in that department (5.1). but i will be sincerely put out if SS2 only makes it to PS3. They would be quite foolish to turn their backs to the rising customer base of HTPC's. SS is a really great technology, and i predict that SS2 would definitely sell well, as both an onboard and peripheral solution. besides, only about 3 people would buy ps3 solely for ss2. so it would definitely not be marketed to near its full potential that way.
 
not to mention how many ppl wont even use SS2 if it comes with the PS3. id wager over 80% of ppl with a console plug the rca's right into the tv and call it good.

on a side note, it would be acceptable to believe that 100% of the ppl buying a SS2 add-in card will use its features.. (obviously)
 
Jason711 said:
not to mention how many ppl wont even use SS2 if it comes with the PS3. id wager over 80% of ppl with a console plug the rca's right into the tv and call it good.

on a side note, it would be acceptable to believe that 100% of the ppl buying a SS2 add-in card will use its features.. (obviously)
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good point
 
Jason711 said:
not to mention how many ppl wont even use SS2 if it comes with the PS3. id wager over 80% of ppl with a console plug the rca's right into the tv and call it good.

on a side note, it would be acceptable to believe that 100% of the ppl buying a SS2 add-in card will use its features.. (obviously)
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This is like saying it's pointless to include 1080i output because no one uses it. Given that Sony needs some kind of sound processor for their new console, they might as well go with something that can do everything they need as it relates to gaming.
 
Terpfen said:
This is like saying it's pointless to include 1080i output because no one uses it. Given that Sony needs some kind of sound processor for their new console, they might as well go with something that can do everything they need as it relates to gaming.
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No it's not. Whereas 1080i is a feature most used, surroundsound is a feature that is hardly used (granted, most people in this forum probably do use it, talking about general populace), and instead stereo RCA is used. For most games, it's not even useful, and for those it is useful for it becomes useless when the game is played is some form of splitscreen. While I agree that Sony might as well take advantage of the fact that nVidia has a solution for just about everything with Soundstorm, the comparison is way off.
 
I guess I should post my thoughs on here as well; been kinda fried with the whole manual labor holiday double shift stuff (What can brown do for YOU?). Anyway, with the current installed base of PC's, I think it would be suicide for nVidia to make a PCI-E only card, if they did make a standalone product. Granted, they would most likely make the PCI-E card along with a standard PCI card, and at that they would be competing in space that even Creative hasn't touched yet (not that they have much reason too). Also, with stuff stating that they are going to support up to 7.1, heres hoping that they support some form of DTS, so that we can get some real fidelity across that connection to recievers. I understand that it's not much needed today, but it'd be a nice precedent and would be helpful for that day when games actually come with high resolution sound.

And for my off the wall speculation, here's hoping they come up with something similer to A3D to compete with EAX. They had the hardware even on the original Soundstorm APU necessary to outdo Aureal in positional audio, but unfortunately were never able to use it. With future installed bases with both major CPU's, they might just get the market share to compete with Creative.
 
They had the hardware even on the original Soundstorm APU necessary to outdo Aureal in positional audio, but unfortunately were never able to use it.
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Who are they gonna license the technology from?
Sensaura is history and as such they lost the software to go with that hardware.


With future installed bases with both major CPU's, they might just get the market share to compete with Creative.
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How do you figure Nvida will ever be able to compete with Creative?
It would be nice if they did cause that would force Creative (and others) to offer better products but I just don't see it happening.
 
Maybe I should have started that post with 'hopes and dreams.'

Given that APUs are far less complex than GPU's, I'm sure nVidia can come up with something. Maybe not as featured as Creative's stuff, but I have no doubt that they can make an effective API and according software to interface with their hardware (that is, interface beyond EAX 2.0).

If you think about it, APU's are alot like GPU's when it comes to market share- Intel owns the GPU market because of onboard shipments, why can't nVidia do the same? Their product at the integrated level simply has to be enough to deter people from buying a Creative card because they have an nVidia solution already; instant loss of market share for Creative. With increase of installed base, so increases the number of developers that take advantage of the product Granted, this assumes there will be an integrated solution, but I don't see a lack of feasibility there, they can always make discrete solutions as well.
 
That would be the awesome part of a true multimedia card.... Nvida could literally offer something no one else can if they go that route.
Just think what would happen when you get 8 companies selling them?
As far as the software goes I am sure they could license it from Creative for a stupid price
 
IdiotInCharge said:
No it's not. Whereas 1080i is a feature most used, surroundsound is a feature that is hardly used (granted, most people in this forum probably do use it, talking about general populace), and instead stereo RCA is used. For most games, it's not even useful, and for those it is useful for it becomes useless when the game is played is some form of splitscreen. While I agree that Sony might as well take advantage of the fact that nVidia has a solution for just about everything with Soundstorm, the comparison is way off.
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Um... 1080i is NOT well-used. Most people are still using CRTs with their composite cables at NTSC resolutions. HDTV technology as a whole hasn't had time to proliferate, and true 1080i (without upscaling) is only possible on the larger TV screens--I don't know about you, but I've never played Final Fantasy X on a 42 inch TV.

The idea behind supporting HDTV resolutions AT THIS TIME, and now to support SS2 and its various capabilities, is to drive sales of other components. Let's say you go down and buy a PS3. A couple of months later, your 15-year-old TV dies. So now you need a new set. Well, you might as well go for that HDTV thing people keep talking about, right? And who sells HDTV-capable TV sets? Sony. And then you find out your PS3 can do surround sound. Since you also like movies, you figure, "what the hell," and you buy a mid-range surround sound setup--also available from Sony.

The comparison isn't "way off." Both technologies simply haven't penetrated the market in a big way. The Xbox can output at 720p and 1080i, but most of its games, including Halo 2, are only programmed to take advantage of 480p--because there isn't a large enough market to justify the extra effort at enabling 720p and 1080i. Hopefully, this will change with the next-generation crop of consoles, which is one major reason why I think SS2 will appear on the PS3: you have to have the technology in place in order to drive adoption.
 
Sorry, I put your comparison in the box of HDTV, where 1080i is the cheap basic stuff we Americans go for, not TV's in general- I was off. Thank you for the explanation.

Oh, and I have serious doubt the Xbox could run Halo/2 at anything higher than 480P- it doesn't have the GPU power. HDTV support is a checklist feature for the Xbox, not a primary function; that is left for Xbox2.
 
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