Audio Drivers | DriverFinder - We Make Drivers Work for You - Part 2

Why You Need to Update Sound Drivers

Although early computers used to be relatively muted, apart from the whirring of fans and disks and the odd beep, now they offer a full ‘multi-media experience’. Sound is playing an increasingly important part in this, with PCs being capable of playing music tracks, showing videos with full soundtrack and websites often having audio output.

Computers are also more frequently accepting speech input through dictation systems or responding to spoken commands. Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) allows suitable telephones to be plugged into PCs so that cheap or even free calls can be made.

Why You Need Audio Drivers

Sound may be handled by an audio chipset on your computer’s motherboard, in which case only output sound is available and will be fairly basic. More comprehensive audio is available when a sound card is fitted, allowing a number of devices to be plugged into it. These can include output devices such as earpieces, dedicated speakers and complete home theater systems, and input devices such as microphones. Other audio devices, such as VOIP telephones and voice recorders with the required functionality are usually connected via USB ports.

All these different devices need to communicate with your PC’s operating system. They have to receive and understand commands and then respond in a manner that the operating system understands. The problem is that there are so many types of devices, with varying connections, that the operating system cannot handle all the combinations, especially when new ones are constantly being added.

The problem is resolved by the use of audio drivers or sound drivers. These are particular types of PC drivers that are developed for a specific sound card and have variations for each operating system. They can therefore understand the language of both and provide the necessary translation so that each one understands what the other is saying. It’s really as though the operating system only speaks English but the sound cards all talk different languages and their audio drivers act as interpreters.

Why You Must Update Audio Drivers

Sound card manufacturers issue updated sound drivers all the time to provide consumers additional features, correct known faults or improve performance. You may also experience problems, such as poor sound quality, the microphone not working or being unable to control speaker volume, due to incorrectly installed or outdated drivers. It is good practice, therefore, to update audio drivers periodically, ensuring you have the latest version.

Unfortunately, you cannot just get ANY sound driver to fix audio issues. You need the audio driver that matches your PC brand and model, your Windows operating system, and your sound card. If you’re tech savvy, these information is something you probably know off the top of your head!

If not, then do use an auto-update driver tool such as DriverFinder. It will take care of not just sound drivers,but ALL the drivers your PC needs to function at optimum levels.

Realtek HD Audio Driver Update R.251

Realtek released driver package R.251 for its High Definition Audio devices at the start of the month.

The drivers support the Realtek HD Audio Codecs for Window operating systems. Not all codecs are supported for all Windows versions. The Windows version supported by this Realtek driver update are: Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003, Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7.

The drivers support both 32-bit versions and 64-bit versions of these Windows editions.

The Audio Codecs supported for Window 7 and Vista are: ALC882, ALC883, ALC885, ALC888, ALC889, ALC892, ALC861VD, ALC660, ALC662, ALC663, ALC665, ALC260, ALC262,ALC267, ALC268, ALC269, ALC270, ALC272, ALC273, ALC887,ALC670, ALC275, ALC680

For Windows XP and Windows 2000, the list of supported audio codecs are: ALC880, ALC882, ALC883, ALC885, ALC888, ALC889, ALC892, ALC861VC, ALC861VD, ALC660, ALC662, ALC663, ALC665, ALC260, ALC262, ALC267,ALC268, ALC269, ALC270, ALC272, ALC273, ALC887,ALC670, ALC275, ALC680

All drivers in the Realtek R.251 driver package are Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) tested and passed, which means that they have passed the Microsoft testing for device drivers.

This Realtek driver package update contains unspecified changes, which generally include bug fixes and enhancements.

Click here to download and install Realtek HD Audio Driver Update R.251 through DriverFinder.

Creative Drivers

Business profile of Creative Technology / Creative Labs.

Originally founded in 1981, Creative Technology is a global leading manufacturer of digital entertainment products for the PC and internet markets. Creative Labs, its American division, was formed in 1988, followed by the opening of a European branch in 1993 and then an Asian division in 1999. For decades, its innovative products have revolutionized how users around the world interact with their computers.

Since the launch of its highly successful Sound Blaster sound card product line in 1989, Creative has been setting standards in the industry, leveraging cutting edge audio technology and a huge customer base to expand the PDE (Personal Digital Entertainment) market. While Sound Blaster started it all, the company is perhaps best known for its popular line of Zen digital audio players. The Creative Zen is an award-winning series and largely credited for ushering in the trend of MP3 players. This multipurpose device actually predates Apple’s popular iPod.

Today, Creative is a widely known as a global leader and innovator in the audio and PDE market. It solutions provide end-users with a complete digital entertainment experience from high quality hardware, software programs and services. Creative is enhancing the power of the PC with a versatile range of compatible MP3 players, multimedia speakers, headphones, portable media centers, web and digital cameras, graphics solutions and computer peripherals. Creative products and solutions are delivered to customers and system integrators through an international network that consists of traditional marketing channels, original equipment channels and the web.

This company has accomplished many industry milestones, but don’t expect them to slow down just yet. The Creative Zen is still in the stage of evolution, while other amazing lines are sure to be introduced in the very new future. A leading name in the PDE sector, Creative aims to further establish its high-quality brands for years to come.

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Realtek Drivers

Business profile of RealTek Semiconductor Corporation.

Headquartered in the Silicon Valley of Taiwan, Realtek Semiconductor Corp. is a leading provider of computer components, network devices and multimedia products. The company designs, manufactures and sells a wide range of products that are mainly categorized in two divisions: Communications Network ICs and Computer Peripheral and Multimedia ICs. Some of the products in its line of network solutions include network interface controllers, traditional Ethernet controllers, network switch controllers and gateway controllers, among others. Realtek currently has approximately 900 employees, more than 700 of them well versed in the research and development field.

Realtek was founded in 1987 and listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange in 1998. One of its early successes was the RTL8139 series of Ethernet controllers released in the late 1990s, a line that dominated the market for many years. These products fell into the peripheral and multimedia category, consisting of traditional audio codecs, high definition codecs, clock generators, card reader controllers and LCD controllers. The most notable Realtek controllers were the 10/100M Ethernet line, having a global market share of 70% in 2003. Its AC97 audio codecs also claimed 50% of the market. Today, its ALC850 and RTL8139 are favorites on the OEM market, offering standard features and low prices. In Asia, the RTL8139 Realtek NIC is often referred to as a crab card, alluding to the crab-like appearance of the company logo.

Realtek has announced on numerous occasions that it would dedicate its R&D resources and expertise to other areas in the future. Some of the markets the company is considering include digital television, along with more advanced wireless technologies such as UWB (Ultra Wide Band) and the proposed 802.11n standard. It appears as if Realtek is gearing up for the highly anticipated myriad of concepts and applications that have been proposed to advance existing and newly emerging technologies.

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VIA Drivers

Business profile of Via Technologies.

VIA Technologies is a fabless semiconductor company headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. The company supplies the highly efficient x86 processor platforms that power the personal computer, client, embedded and ultra mobile markets. Its main product line consists of motherboard chipsets, memory and CPUs, energy-saving solutions that provide enhanced connectivity for an array of computing, networking, communications and multimedia platforms. Best known for its awarding line of VIA chipsets, the company also produces audio and network controllers, low-power processors and chipsets for CD/DVD writers. Over the years, VIA has achieved international reach with state of the art production facilities throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Its client base includes global leading OEMs, system integrators and consumers around the world.

VIA was officially established in 1987 from the Symphony Company, a computer company based in the Silicon Valley of Taiwan. The founder, Wen Chi Chen, was an Intel employee before joining Symphony, where he still presides as CEO. In the late 1990s, the manufacturer focused on diversifying its core logic solutions and has since acquired a number of subsidiaries. Some of its most notable acquisitions include a CPU division, a sound division and a graphics division acquired from S3 Graphics. With Taiwan’s manufacturing sector constantly increasing the level of integration and functionality in chipset products, these divisions have helped VIA remain afloat in the competitive core logic market.

Coupled with the S3 Graphics merger, the company has been able to hold onto a respectable share of the PC graphics market due to the efficiency of their VIA graphics cards. In 2008, the company announced the launch of official 2D accelerated drivers for Linux chipsets with 3D accelerated drivers in the works. Just releasing the VX855 Media System Processor, a fully integrated all-on-one chip designed for mobile PC systems, VIA looks to take its innovative ways into another decade of success.

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