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Microsoft Details Vista's Media Features

By Ed Oswald, BetaNews

April 24, 2006, 12:49 PM

Microsoft on Monday detailed innovations coming in Windows Vista that the company believes makes the operating system superior in the delivery of multimedia. This would include several enhancements to Windows Media itself as well as expanded functionality within Windows Media Center, now standard in Vista.

The company is promoting the new features of its upcoming operating system at the National Association of Broadcasters convention being held this week in Las Vegas. With online multimedia becoming more prevalent, traditional broadcasters are increasingly interesting in utilizing the Internet as a method for delivery.

"With Windows Vista, we went back to the drawing board to create a premier platform for audio and video," Windows Digital Media Division corporate vice president Amir Majidimehr said.

Improvements to playback of media include glitch resilience, which will ensure that audio and video applications will receive processor priority during playback. The company has also made enhancements to the playback of audio. For example, each application's volume can be set separately, rather than the universal setting of previous operating systems.

In addition, device roles will be introduced. Initially, peripherals will be grouped into three categories: general, music and movies, and communication.

This would allow for applications to route sound through a specific device:; for example, music could play through the computers speakers, while e-mail alert chimes sound in a headset. Additionally, enhancements to the digital audio processing will allow for higher fidelity audio.

On the Windows Media Center side, Vista will introduce the Windows Media Center Presentation Layer. This feature will allow developers to easily create applications that can take advantage of the "ten-foot interface," as well as match the look and feel of Windows Media Center. WinFX support will also allow for further visual enhancement of these applications.

To demonstrate this functionality, Microsoft is showing NAB attendees an application created by Showtime Networks. The prototype is an interactive television channel for its award-winning series "Weeds."

"Whether you are a music producer, post-production house or television studio, you will find that Windows Vista is an incredibly powerful tool for the future of content creation, delivery and playback," Microsoft's Majidimehr said.

Vista is expected to be completed in late 2006 and released publicly in early 2007.

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By pc.pain

posted Apr 25, 2006 - 12:44 PM

After years and years of delays, this is what's left??? We need to open up the slogan contest again:

Windows Vista - A little better than an iPod.

Score: 0

By fdemmer

posted Apr 25, 2006 - 10:57 AM

this is great news.

imagine your computer hooked to a fancy 5.1 system. instead of going deaf from the sound everytime you do something wrong, it just notifies you in a suitable volume from the center speaker only. an all this while listening to great classical music at maximum sound pressure.

Score: 0

By TheRecklessWanderer

posted Apr 25, 2006 - 10:32 AM

There are two things that I really would like to have at my house and I don't think I will. A HD-DVD because it won't work with my plasma TV (or it might stop working in the future) and Vista, cause it won't run on my PC.

Which is a shame, but that's the way it goes.

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted Apr 25, 2006 - 11:10 AM

Whereas to upgrade that machine to run Vista, it would cost a whopping total of $260 plus shipping.

That's an Asus A8N VM CSM with onboard nVidia 6150, an AMD 64 3000+ CPU, and 1GB of RAM.

Will run Aero interface just fine. Also includes a slot for a PCI-e Vid-card, should you ever wish to upgrade from the onboard 6150.

Score: 0

By spmsrh

posted Apr 25, 2006 - 9:07 AM

Oh, I forgot to add!

Adding different outputs, great feature for power users, but very confusing for average and normal users.

This is a great feature for pros, but for your average joe, it will only be confusing.

And also, seperate applications have seperate volumes, oh is that something new? I thought most apps can still do this.

A single universal setting is also good if you want to do things like mute all sounds etc. or limit all sounds. Why they removed this is beyond me. I have seen people confused by this in Linux, where this is the default.

Maybe M$ can manage it usability wise, but it ain't worth it.

Lastly, glitch resilience ? Another M$ gas bag, windows media player hangs on a slightly corrupted DVD, and they expect us to believe that processor priority improvement for media is the solution.

Score: 0

By fdemmer

edited Apr 25, 2006 - 10:51 AM

where did they say, the general mute was removed?
where did they say, that one HAS TO set volumes per application?
where did they say, that one HAS TO add outputs?

Score: 0

By spmsrh

posted Apr 25, 2006 - 9:05 AM

Oh, I forgot to add!

Adding different outputs, great feature for power users, but very confusing for average and normal users.

This is a great feature for pros, but for your average joe, it will only be confusing.

And also, seperate applications have seperate volumes, oh is that something new? I thought most apps can still do this.

A single universal setting is also good if you want to do things like mute all sounds etc. or limit all sounds. Why they removed this is beyond me. I have seen people confused by this in Linux, where this is the default.

Lastly, glitch resilience ? Another M$ gas bag, windows media player hangs on a slightly corrupted DVD, and they expect us to believe that processor priority improvement is the solution.

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted Apr 25, 2006 - 11:07 AM

"Why they removed this is beyond me."

Volume levels by app is optional. The default is still global.

Helps if you know about the product you're trashing. ;)

Score: 0

By DigitalSoul

edited Apr 25, 2006 - 7:12 AM

WOW, I´m going to spend a lot of money upgrading my computer to run Windows Vista just to have a separated sound control... I wonder whats i going to have next windows... A better mouse cursor or maybe a complete innovative 3D errors windows?

Score: 0

By anmol.2k4

posted Apr 25, 2006 - 7:43 AM

so true, memory companies must have paid a lot to M$.

Score: 0

By templar™

posted Apr 25, 2006 - 11:37 AM

Not just memory. But almost the whole PC industry is going to thank MS for this.

Not that it's bad, though. Software and hardware will always play catch-up. We, the consumers, will get to enjoy better computing. :)

Score: 0

By anmol.2k4

edited Apr 25, 2006 - 4:54 AM

"With Windows Vista, we went back to the drawing board to create a premier platform for audio and video, and finally outsourced that to our kids"

just joking ;-)

routing of sound is a very good idea, but aren't these things innovative because i have read too many people calling Microsoft is not enough innovative .

Score: 0

By spmsrh

edited Apr 25, 2006 - 8:33 AM

Innovative my ass!

Sorry to correct you, but this has been in Linux for ages, back in 1999.

As far as windows itself is concerned. Creative Live! also offers the option.

Last of all, Vista (and Linux too) have out of the box support of Intel Azalia HD Audio standard, which is the actual reason these things are now possible in windows also.

Knowing the info, do you still call M$ innovative?

This is their typical Embrace Extend and Extinguish.

Score: 0

By anmol.2k4

posted Apr 25, 2006 - 12:47 PM

there are many things in windows which Linux still doesn't have, for example overall windows is easier.

i think you failed to see the point i was raising, Microsoft adds lots and lots of SMALL innovative features and that is what makes a BIG difference, remember GDS(desktop search)&widgets how people got excited about it and almost every body came up with their very own flavour, but now exactly how many people are using these. Im trying to say that SMALL is BIG. And that is why i like what they are doing at the same time there are too many things i dislike about vista. Once vista is going to be launched we are going to be talking about features like widgets which most likely will overshadow numerous small innovative additions.

Score: 0

By extremely well

posted Apr 26, 2006 - 6:06 AM

ITA. People TRUST Microsoft after being burned by unfriendly/UNSTABLE "pioneering" software such as browsers and GUI enhancers. I see it all the time when I try to convince people to install something, they often say they'll just wait for it to be in the OS (or released by MS)... Personally, I've tried GUI enhancers that were unstable and widgets that were inefficient so removed ALL, but at the same time tried competing browsers and stuck with Maxthon (best browser ever OVERALL). Many people won't even give non-MS products a chance (if there's an MS product for same need). All jokes aside, MS products since 2000 are rock solid and top quality. XP is just superb. Vista will be sooo much better yet.

Score: 0

By pycotest

posted Apr 25, 2006 - 4:19 AM

tes

Score: 0

By anmol.2k4

posted Apr 25, 2006 - 8:22 AM

please stop trolling

Score: 0

By TheRecklessWanderer

posted Apr 25, 2006 - 10:32 AM

why?

Score: 0

By anmol.2k4

posted Apr 25, 2006 - 12:47 PM

because !

Score: 0

By pycotest

posted Apr 25, 2006 - 2:52 AM

"route sound through a specific device"

Score: 0

By pycotest

posted Apr 25, 2006 - 2:56 AM

well

Score: 0

By pycotest

posted Apr 25, 2006 - 2:51 AM

wow, an actual usable feature....

Score: 0

By AntiochMedia

posted Apr 24, 2006 - 6:32 PM

I like the idea of separate volume levels on a per-application basis.

As far as routing of sound through devices ... on a per-application basis, this is nice too as I own both a DigiDesign mBox and an internal soundcard. I use my mBox for recording and the other sound card for everything else. I think that switching settings around in control panel each time I want to do this is silly.

Score: 0

By Das mod

posted Apr 24, 2006 - 1:19 PM

"route sound through a specific device"

wow, an actual usable feature....

hopefully "browser" sounds will be able to be played in a different device while i listen interruptedly to my mp3s ....
i hate those stoopid flash banners with sound that play in the background sometimes even louder than the music im listening to ....

Score: 0

By rijp

posted Apr 24, 2006 - 4:34 PM

You realize you can turn off web sounds under advanced settings, under multimedia, don't you?

You don't have to hear those annoying sounds..

Score: 0

By deadmonkey

posted Apr 24, 2006 - 6:49 PM

I think the poster was refering more to multimedia content on web pages, these cannot be controled via the sounds settings in control panel.

Score: 0

By guitarguynboston

posted Apr 24, 2006 - 2:33 PM

no crap. i have been looking for a feature like this to silence the web browser

Score: 0

By rijp

posted Apr 24, 2006 - 4:35 PM

You can silence IE, under browser settings in advanced. Multimedia. There is an option to turn off the web page sounds...

Score: 0

By deadmonkey

posted Apr 24, 2006 - 6:51 PM

True however what if you still want sounds from IE but you just want them to be at 20% of the main system volume? That cannot be done at present. The new audio subsystem is a very nice feature in Vista. Unfortunately it is one of the only things I think is actually good about Vista :-/ (not to bash Vista, I am just not all that impressed with it, MS hyped it up too much too early).

Score: 0

By Kramy

edited Apr 24, 2006 - 5:30 PM

I've silenced Firefox's find box once and for all - by default its volume is double that of anything else on my computer.

Open the find box and type letters until it doesn't find anything. LOUD - far too loud! It used to blast my ears apart every time, and near as I can tell there isn't a way to change the volume!

To disable it though, go to about:config and change accessibility.typeaheadfind.enablesound to false.

Score: 0

By Terayon

posted Apr 24, 2006 - 1:52 PM

I hear that 'Das Mod'

Score: 0

By consumer4beta

edited Apr 25, 2006 - 7:57 AM

it wud do MS good if they cud convince pros in audio, video and pro design field to migrate to Vista..Mac is used very heavily in these markets.

And you guys, if using winamp, u can use a "kernel streaming" plugin to prevent any sounds from playing while music tracks are being played.

Score: 0

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