Frequently Asked Questions

1 I'm unable to create a FAAC stream.

Spark requires the encoder DLL file f_aac.dll to be in the same directory as the executable Spark.exe. Furthermore the runtime library msvcr71.dll (Visual Studio 2003 .NET) has to be registered and must be available in your Windows system. If you haven't got msvcr71.dll, you can download it for free on the internet. To register the file, you need to enter regsvr32 /i msvcr71.dll in the windows command prompt or run... dialog.

2 Can I use FAAC for stereo transmissions?

Principally it is possible to encode stero content with FAAC but unfortunately the output signal is not compatible to the DRM standard as the software radios Dream, FhG Radio, etc. can not decode the audio content.
At the moment the only option is to use Coding-Techologies' AAC+ encoder if you want to use stereo transmissions.

3 How can I use the NiDAQ output?

To use the DAQ output Spark requires the installation of an appropriate NiDAQmx driver from National Instruments. DAQ cards which don't support NiDAQmx cannot be used for analog output.

4 How can I use xHE-AAC?

Spark supports professional xHE-AAC encoding. To use AAC+ with Spark you must obtain a single user license which is recommended for broadcasters only.

5 Is Spark's source code available?

At the moment there are no plans to publish the source code of Spark. This doesn't mean that you can not contribute to the Spark project. If you have got any ideas on improving Spark or you want to add your own features, feel free to contact the author.

6 Minimum system requirements

A x68 CPU with 500 MHz and a minimum of 256 MByte RAM allows to encode one audio stream in realtime using an OFDM output samplerate of not more than 48 kHz.

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