Mac OS X 10.3.4 (#10): More on G5 audio problems; More on Radeon 9800 DVD issues, fixes

More on G5 audio problems, fixes We continue to receive reports of audio problems under Mac OS X 10.3.4, particularly with PowerMac G5s.

MacFIxIt reader Christian writes "Since updating to 10.3.4 on my Dual 2GHz G5 when the volume is low the sound only comes out of the right speaker, when the volume is increased the balance levels out. In addition, no balance control shows up in the prefs pane and I get no sound at all in Unreal Tournament 2004.

"Changing the USB port that he Soundsticks were connected to fixed the problem."

Ivan Santiago writes "I have installed three G5's 1.6Ghz and one of them has exhibited the lost audio problem. Nine more to go and I'll keep track of them as I install them."

Some users report a strange buzzing noise after the update. C. Braun writes "I left my G5 1.8 ghz running at work over the weekend. When I came into work this morning the only sound coming from my speakers was an annoying high pitched hum. Thus far I've not been successful in restoring sound to my computer. I've had OS 10.3.4 since day one with no problems until today."

Audio issues affecting other models Other Mac models are experiencing audio problems as well. MacFixIt reader Bruce Young writes:

"When I installed 10.3.4, my Lombard audio input suddenly became really, really sensitive. I got the harsh noise mentioned by others on play-through until I turned the input volume down almost to 0 on the slider. Then it works ok, although there's definitely more noise in the output than there used to be. iTunes works ok, but audio input is really messed up."

For some readers, the issue only affects audio coming through the speakers -- headphones do not carry distorted sound. Brett Kessler writes "I've got a PowerBook G3 (Pismo 500) that's got the popping, hissing, etc., since updating to 10.3.4. That's through the built-in speakers; audio from the headphone jack works fine."

More on ATI Radeon 9800 DVD issues Continuing our coverage of DVD artifacts and other distortion after the Mac OS X 10.3.4 update (when using ATI's Radeon 9800 card), Mel Gross reports that reverting to version 3.2 of the DVD Player application resolves the issue:

"I simply replaced DVD Player Application 4 with version 3.2. This is the same solution as in 10.3.3. This works fine, and is much easier, and safer."

DVD Player 3.2 is included with Mac OS X 10.2.x, and can be found on the Jaguar installation CD.

Alternatively, some users report third-party DVD players like VLC do not exhibit the distortion.

Meanwhile, ATI has chimed in on the issue, providing MacFIxIt with the following note

"Based on our experience, DVD issues are usually due to system configuration errors. In order to assist you in quickly determining the exact cause of this specific issue ATI has gathered a list of the top issues reported to Customer Service. We believe that you may find your issue addressed in the DVD Player section on our web site located at:

http://www.ati.com/support/issuetype/dvd.html

"Your issue may also be addressed at our DVD FAQ section on our web site located at:

http://www.ati.com/support/faq/dvd.html

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

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