7520/Skype Phone/Windows Conflict
I just thought some folks might be interested in a tip I got for overcoming Windows seeming reluctance to cope with being connected to more than one audio device.
I use Skype quite a lot & have come to rely on it while away from home. I bought a Skype phone from Ebay for £3.50 & wiped away over £50 per month off my phone bills.
Trouble is, I connected my new 7520 to the PC & found that after using the phone, I had to reset the audio preferences & then reboot - every time. I understand that not everyone who has this problem has to reboot, but they do have to reset preferences.
So I asked Stan if he knew a dodge.
He sent me a link to a review of sorts of 2 pieces of software that allow easy switching between audio devices.
The Link:
http://www.inspectmygadget.com/2008/...ayback-device/
What a clever little fella our Stan is!! (sorry about my turn of phrase, Stan - I've no idea how tall you are)
Quoted from the site:
System Tray Audio Device Switcher (STADS):
STADS sits in the task tray. It lets you change both the default recording and output devices quickly from its extremely easy to use interface.
When launched, it shows you the playback devices available on your system, but you can change to recording devices by clicking on Show Recording Devices.
STADS is 2MB in size, and it requires installation.
I didn't try this, as the other one seemed more flexible & smaller, therefore probably a neater bit of programming (a bit of a hobby-horse of mine - cheap memory has made for lazy software writing)
Quick Sound Switch (QSS):
QSS can be used the same as STADS, but it also offers a whole bunch of extra options that I can see as being very handy.
QSS offers a tool to make shortcuts to change the default playback device. You can even make shortcuts to individual programs, which will select the playback device that the program will use. Using this method, you can easily have one programs sound come out of one playback device, and have another programs audio use a different playback device.
Another feature that may interest you is hot keys. You can setup hot keys that will change the default device. These use the ctrl+? format.
It is tiny at only 108kb, and it does not require installation.
So I downloaded QSS & it worked a treat - when my wife called earlier tonight, I was groovin' around nicely to Santana. I switched off the DAC, clicked on the QSS icon & selected the phone as the audio device. When I hung up, I reversed the procedure & 'Blues for Salvador' came blasting back just as it had been before.
Fabulous!
Thanks Stan.
(should I put the silver polish away now?)
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Originally Posted by DaveC
