Dolby Digital Sound Set up - Directv and DVD rfmullerjr 07.06.2007 02:07:00 I am trying to figure out how to get Dolby Digital sound from my Directv receiver which has a digital optical out to my MCE PC and then through to my Yamaha receiver. The MCE has a tv tuner card with two S video inputs and two single RCA jack sound inputs. The audio card has a orange colored digital out. How do you go about connecting all this up? What settings do I set on my MCE PC to make it all work? Confused and not very technical... -- Robert

Re: Dolby Digital Sound Set up - Directv and DVD Nigel Barker <nigel[ at ]hp.com> 07.06.2007 08:25:45 On Wed, 6 Jun 2007 19:07:00 -0700, rfmullerjr <rfmullerjr[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote: [Quoted Text] >I am trying to figure out how to get Dolby Digital sound from my Directv >receiver which has a digital optical out to my MCE PC and then through to my >Yamaha receiver. The MCE has a tv tuner card with two S video inputs and two >single RCA jack sound inputs. The audio card has a orange colored digital >out. How do you go about connecting all this up? What settings do I set on >my MCE PC to make it all work? Confused and not very technical... Sorry can't be done. MCE only supports stereo capture via your RCA jack. -- Cheers Nigel Barker Live from the sunny Cote d'Azur MCE MVP

Re: Dolby Digital Sound Set up - Directv and DVD John Lockwood <john.lockwood[ at ]amtec.co.uk> 07.06.2007 10:25:12 On 7/6/07 03:07, in article 0B9E4D21-4C21-43EB-951A-17B96D6A7827[ at ]microsoft.com, "rfmullerjr" <rfmullerjr[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote: [Quoted Text] > I am trying to figure out how to get Dolby Digital sound from my Directv > receiver which has a digital optical out to my MCE PC and then through to my > Yamaha receiver. The MCE has a tv tuner card with two S video inputs and two > single RCA jack sound inputs. The audio card has a orange colored digital > out. How do you go about connecting all this up? What settings do I set on > my MCE PC to make it all work? Confused and not very technical... In most cases, Media Center is limited to only accepting analogue video AND audio as inputs, so if you have a satellite system you can only input in to Media Center as ye olde analogue fuzzy vision and at best ordinary analogue stereo. Likewise normally for Cable TV you are identically limited to analogue video and analogue stereo audio. This is due to Microsoft, the Movie Studios, AND the Cable/Satellite companies being so in love with DRM that it results in a crap solution for their LEGAL PAYING CUSTOMERS. Obviously, legal paying customers are not happy with the results. After all if you spend $1000+ (£1000+) on a Media Center system, and have a large HDTV with a surround sound system, being stuck with fuzzy analogue video and basic stereo makes the whole thing a waste of time and lots of money. There are some exceptions. First, digital terrestrial ATSC in the USA (and DVB-T in the rest of the world) is generally not crippled by DRM and can be input directly in pure digital form to a Media Center. In the UK at least however, the audio over DVB-T is still only basic stereo (not 5.1) but at least it is digital. The next possibility is that Microsoft with even more offensive DRM has done a deal to allow direct digital connection via a cable card to US cable TV. So far I believe exactly ONE model from ONE supplier is actually available and shipping. The other exceptions are that users and tuner manufacturers are equally fed up with the possibilities offered by digital technology being crippled by Microsoft etc. and have come up with some workarounds. One is that a user has written software to exploit the fact that all US cable TV boxes are required to have a FireWire connection and his software copies the digital signal from that and replaces the analogue recording. Unfortunately, US satellite boxes are NOT required to have a FireWire connection, and ZERO European cable OR satellite boxes have one at all (European governments are far less enlightened than the US FCC). Another is that for DVB-C (European Cable), and DVB-S (European satellite) which Microsoft does not [yet] officially support, some tuner manufacturers have in frustration written drivers which make their tuners look to Media Center like it is a DVB-T tuner (which Microsoft does support), this works fairly well for free to view channels, and moderately well for even encrypted channels. However again these broadcasts as far as I am aware still only have basic stereo (in digital at least) but not 5.1 it is only when you move to HDTV signal such as DVB-S2 that 5.1 is being broadcast but currently DVB-S2 cannot be used with Media Center. DRM is stupid, stupid, stupid. Every single DRM scheme can, will, and in many cases already has been broken, and this includes HD DVD and Blu-Ray which have both already been broken. Furthermore, DRM _ONLY_ inconveniences legal paying customers, pirates can, will, and are getting around the DRM and still pirating. DRM can even cause actual damage to legal paying customers computers, as was the case with Sony's previous DRM effort on their music CDs. Some of the music companies are now finally realising that DRM is a waste of time (and money) and removing it (i.e. EMI, and allegedly next Warner Music). Even Microsoft's own Vista product activation has been broken, but its existence still inconveniences legal paying customers. With Windows Vista which is absolutely riddled with DRM, one gets the strong impression that 80% of the development effort was spent on DRM, and only 20% on features and bug fixes. So DRM costs a lot to develop, even though they spend a lot on developing DRM it will rapidly be broken, it can actually constrain new business models and new revenue sources (imagine if you could not have in the past recorded on to VHS tape, the entire Video industry would never have existed, an industry that probably generated more revenue than cinema ticket sales), it pisses off your paying customers, it makes buying a Media Center a far less attractive proposition due to frequently being limited to analogue signals. It will be interesting to read the sales figures from Apple for iTunes Plus (unprotected) tracks. Judging by the fact that the iTunes store was groaning under the weight of users purchasing and downloading iTunes Plus tracks for days after their launch it could show that EMI and Apple are right.

Re: Dolby Digital Sound Set up - Directv and DVD rfmullerjr 07.06.2007 18:59:01 How about the DVD player in the PC? Can it output 5.1 through the sound card that I can push my A/V system? If so, do I need a sound card with a digital optical out? -- Robert "Nigel Barker" wrote: [Quoted Text] > On Wed, 6 Jun 2007 19:07:00 -0700, rfmullerjr <rfmullerjr[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote: > > >I am trying to figure out how to get Dolby Digital sound from my Directv > >receiver which has a digital optical out to my MCE PC and then through to my > >Yamaha receiver. The MCE has a tv tuner card with two S video inputs and two > >single RCA jack sound inputs. The audio card has a orange colored digital > >out. How do you go about connecting all this up? What settings do I set on > >my MCE PC to make it all work? Confused and not very technical... > > Sorry can't be done. MCE only supports stereo capture via your RCA jack. > -- > > Cheers > > Nigel Barker > Live from the sunny Cote d'Azur > MCE MVP >

Re: Dolby Digital Sound Set up - Directv and DVD rfmullerjr 07.06.2007 19:02:01 Well that is depressing! What is the point of MCE if you cannot make it the center of your home theater? I was under the delusion I could run my satelite through it and get HD and 5.1 as well as ditch my DVD player and play my DVD's through the PC and thus have my media library all in one place. This is very frustrating news! -- Robert "John Lockwood" wrote: [Quoted Text] > On 7/6/07 03:07, in article > 0B9E4D21-4C21-43EB-951A-17B96D6A7827[ at ]microsoft.com, "rfmullerjr" > <rfmullerjr[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote: > > > I am trying to figure out how to get Dolby Digital sound from my Directv > > receiver which has a digital optical out to my MCE PC and then through to my > > Yamaha receiver. The MCE has a tv tuner card with two S video inputs and two > > single RCA jack sound inputs. The audio card has a orange colored digital > > out. How do you go about connecting all this up? What settings do I set on > > my MCE PC to make it all work? Confused and not very technical... > > In most cases, Media Center is limited to only accepting analogue video AND > audio as inputs, so if you have a satellite system you can only input in to > Media Center as ye olde analogue fuzzy vision and at best ordinary analogue > stereo. Likewise normally for Cable TV you are identically limited to > analogue video and analogue stereo audio. > > This is due to Microsoft, the Movie Studios, AND the Cable/Satellite > companies being so in love with DRM that it results in a crap solution for > their LEGAL PAYING CUSTOMERS. > > Obviously, legal paying customers are not happy with the results. After all > if you spend $1000+ (£1000+) on a Media Center system, and have a large HDTV > with a surround sound system, being stuck with fuzzy analogue video and > basic stereo makes the whole thing a waste of time and lots of money. > > There are some exceptions. First, digital terrestrial ATSC in the USA (and > DVB-T in the rest of the world) is generally not crippled by DRM and can be > input directly in pure digital form to a Media Center. In the UK at least > however, the audio over DVB-T is still only basic stereo (not 5.1) but at > least it is digital. > > The next possibility is that Microsoft with even more offensive DRM has done > a deal to allow direct digital connection via a cable card to US cable TV. > So far I believe exactly ONE model from ONE supplier is actually available > and shipping. > > The other exceptions are that users and tuner manufacturers are equally fed > up with the possibilities offered by digital technology being crippled by > Microsoft etc. and have come up with some workarounds. > > One is that a user has written software to exploit the fact that all US > cable TV boxes are required to have a FireWire connection and his software > copies the digital signal from that and replaces the analogue recording. > Unfortunately, US satellite boxes are NOT required to have a FireWire > connection, and ZERO European cable OR satellite boxes have one at all > (European governments are far less enlightened than the US FCC). > > Another is that for DVB-C (European Cable), and DVB-S (European satellite) > which Microsoft does not [yet] officially support, some tuner manufacturers > have in frustration written drivers which make their tuners look to Media > Center like it is a DVB-T tuner (which Microsoft does support), this works > fairly well for free to view channels, and moderately well for even > encrypted channels. However again these broadcasts as far as I am aware > still only have basic stereo (in digital at least) but not 5.1 it is only > when you move to HDTV signal such as DVB-S2 that 5.1 is being broadcast but > currently DVB-S2 cannot be used with Media Center. > > DRM is stupid, stupid, stupid. Every single DRM scheme can, will, and in > many cases already has been broken, and this includes HD DVD and Blu-Ray > which have both already been broken. Furthermore, DRM _ONLY_ inconveniences > legal paying customers, pirates can, will, and are getting around the DRM > and still pirating. DRM can even cause actual damage to legal paying > customers computers, as was the case with Sony's previous DRM effort on > their music CDs. Some of the music companies are now finally realising that > DRM is a waste of time (and money) and removing it (i.e. EMI, and allegedly > next Warner Music). Even Microsoft's own Vista product activation has been > broken, but its existence still inconveniences legal paying customers. With > Windows Vista which is absolutely riddled with DRM, one gets the strong > impression that 80% of the development effort was spent on DRM, and only 20% > on features and bug fixes. > > So DRM costs a lot to develop, > even though they spend a lot on developing DRM it will rapidly be broken, > it can actually constrain new business models and new revenue sources > (imagine if you could not have in the past recorded on to VHS tape, the > entire Video industry would never have existed, an industry that probably > generated more revenue than cinema ticket sales), > it pisses off your paying customers, > it makes buying a Media Center a far less attractive proposition due to > frequently being limited to analogue signals. > > It will be interesting to read the sales figures from Apple for iTunes Plus > (unprotected) tracks. Judging by the fact that the iTunes store was groaning > under the weight of users purchasing and downloading iTunes Plus tracks for > days after their launch it could show that EMI and Apple are right. > >

Re: Dolby Digital Sound Set up - Directv and DVD Michael Brown <mike[ at ]mabrown.net> 07.06.2007 21:14:34 Yes you can do that. You can either use optical to your receiver or 3 Y cables that takes the 3/8" plug to two RCA's, you would run 1 cable for the front pair, one for the rear pair, and one pair that is the center and sub. Your sound card must support this, and will be in the documentation which output you use for each of the Y cables. Mike On Thu, 7 Jun 2007 11:59:01 -0700, rfmullerjr <rfmullerjr[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote: [Quoted Text] >How about the DVD player in the PC? Can it output 5.1 through the sound card >that I can push my A/V system? If so, do I need a sound card with a digital >optical out? -- Michael Brown http://thegreenbutton.com/blogs/mike/

Re: Dolby Digital Sound Set up - Directv and DVD John Lockwood <john.lockwood[ at ]amtec.co.uk> 08.06.2007 11:27:48 On 7/6/07 19:59, in article 9971FAA3-F51F-498B-B0AA-951349F8F2CA[ at ]microsoft.com, "rfmullerjr" <rfmullerjr[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote: [Quoted Text] > How about the DVD player in the PC? Can it output 5.1 through the sound card > that I can push my A/V system? If so, do I need a sound card with a digital > optical out? With MCE 2005, if you have a SoundCard that either has an optical out, or individual analogue 5.1 connections then the answer is yes. You need an AC3 filter installed to process the sound. With Vista Media Center it becomes a lot more complicated. Some people report that the completely over the top DRM in Vista sabotages using digital optical out specifically SPDIF connections which cannot support DRM (likewise if you have a DVI or HDMI interface which does not support HDCP protection it will be constrained to a lower video quality). "Vista¹s content protection mechanism only allows protected content to be sent over interfaces that also have content-protection facilities built in. Currently the most common high-end audio output interface is S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface Format). [Š] Since S/PDIF doesn¹t provide any content protection, Vista requires that it be disabled when playing protected content [Note E]. In other words if you¹ve sunk a pile of money into a high-end audio setup fed from an S/PDIF digital output, you won¹t be able to use it with protected content." Therefore HD DVD audio playback of 5.1 may be crippled by Vista's DRM. Also, at this point, many sound cards are lacking Vista compatible drivers.

Re: Dolby Digital Sound Set up - Directv and DVD "Michael Brown" <mike[ at ]mabrown.net> 11.06.2007 02:39:32 Not true at all. Vista will only enforce DRM that is already there. Meaning that DVD's that have macrovision, it will enforce that. HD DVD's Bluray etc.. that use AACS it will enforce that. It is not doing anything that a stand alone player doesn't do. So from the original question, since there is no protected path required for audio from DVD's 5.1 will work just fine. The only time these restrictions kick in is when you try to do something that the standard doesn't allow for, like watching a HD DVD over a digital connection without HDCP, you'll get the same result from a stand alone HD DVD player if you hook it up to a non-HDCP display. See this for more... http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/windowsvista/archive/2007/01/20/windows-vista-content-protection-twenty-questions-and-answers.aspx -- Michael Brown http://thegreenbutton.com/blogs/mike/ "John Lockwood" <john.lockwood[ at ]amtec.co.uk> wrote in message news:C28EFBC4.22E87%john.lockwood[ at ]amtec.co.uk... [Quoted Text] > On 7/6/07 19:59, in article > 9971FAA3-F51F-498B-B0AA-951349F8F2CA[ at ]microsoft.com, "rfmullerjr" > <rfmullerjr[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote: > >> How about the DVD player in the PC? Can it output 5.1 through the sound >> card >> that I can push my A/V system? If so, do I need a sound card with a >> digital >> optical out? > > With MCE 2005, if you have a SoundCard that either has an optical out, or > individual analogue 5.1 connections then the answer is yes. You need an > AC3 > filter installed to process the sound. > > With Vista Media Center it becomes a lot more complicated. Some people > report that the completely over the top DRM in Vista sabotages using > digital > optical out specifically SPDIF connections which cannot support DRM > (likewise if you have a DVI or HDMI interface which does not support HDCP > protection it will be constrained to a lower video quality). > > "Vista¹s content protection mechanism only allows protected content to be > sent over interfaces that also have content-protection facilities built > in. > Currently the most common high-end audio output interface is S/PDIF > (Sony/Philips Digital Interface Format). [S] Since S/PDIF doesn¹t provide > any content protection, Vista requires that it be disabled when playing > protected content [Note E]. In other words if you¹ve sunk a pile of money > into a high-end audio setup fed from an S/PDIF digital output, you won¹t > be > able to use it with protected content." > > Therefore HD DVD audio playback of 5.1 may be crippled by Vista's DRM. > > Also, at this point, many sound cards are lacking Vista compatible > drivers. >

Re: Dolby Digital Sound Set up - Directv and DVD John Lockwood <john.lockwood[ at ]amtec.co.uk> 14.06.2007 10:01:52 Is so. "What about S/PDIF audio connections? Windows Vista does not require S/PDIF to be turned off, but Windows Vista continues to support the ability to turn it off for certain content -- a capability that has been present on the Windows platform for many years. Additionally, in order to support the requirements of some types of content, Windows Vista supports the ability to constrain the quality of the audio component of that content. Similar to image constraint for video, this quality constraint only applies to the audio from content whose policy requires the constraint, not to any other audio being played concurrently on the system." HD DVD and Blu-Ray will require DRM to be enforced, normally by using HDCP via DVI or HDMI to your TV. However many people with AV systems prefer to send the audio separately via optical SPDIF to a surround sound system _which does not support any DRM_, so video will work via the DVI or HDMI, but the audio could be crippled. This is despite the fact that the people who will be most affected by this are those customers who have bought legal copies of disks. Pirates will break the copy protection and not be affected. DRM sucks, it is stupid stupid stupid. It can, has been, and will continue to be broken (even for HD DVD and Blu-Ray, and Vista itself), and ONLY inconveniences LEGAL PAYING CUSTOMERS. Microsoft will factiously say that it is not Vista doing this, they merely provide a way for the APPLICATION (e.g. HD DVD player) to do this, well frankly that's like a bomb maker saying they are not guilty because they did not plant the bomb, the bomber/Application writer did. I have no problem with Microsoft, and the movie studios etc. prosecuting pirates, but at the moment they are attacking their genuine customers with DRM rather than the pirates. Now apparently, Microsoft has provided this capability in versions of Windows prior to Vista, however it has not been as obvious to people before seeing the overwhelming quantity and nastiness of DRM in Vista, and also not having access to HD DVD and Blu-Ray before. The fact that stupid DRM has existed before does not make it any better an idea now. On 11/6/07 03:39, in article E70DE78C-B93A-4079-BFAC-5190FAF93B26[ at ]microsoft.com, "Michael Brown" <mike[ at ]mabrown.net> wrote: [Quoted Text] > Not true at all. Vista will only enforce DRM that is already there. > Meaning that DVD's that have macrovision, it will enforce that. HD DVD's > Bluray etc.. that use AACS it will enforce that. It is not doing anything > that a stand alone player doesn't do. So from the original question, since > there is no protected path required for audio from DVD's 5.1 will work just > fine. The only time these restrictions kick in is when you try to do > something that the standard doesn't allow for, like watching a HD DVD over a > digital connection without HDCP, you'll get the same result from a stand > alone HD DVD player if you hook it up to a non-HDCP display. > See this for more... > http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/windowsvista/archive/2007/01/20/windows-vist > a-content-protection-twenty-questions-and-answers.aspx > > -- > Michael Brown > http://thegreenbutton.com/blogs/mike/ > > > "John Lockwood" <john.lockwood[ at ]amtec.co.uk> wrote in message > news:C28EFBC4.22E87%john.lockwood[ at ]amtec.co.uk... >> On 7/6/07 19:59, in article >> 9971FAA3-F51F-498B-B0AA-951349F8F2CA[ at ]microsoft.com, "rfmullerjr" >> <rfmullerjr[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote: >> >>> How about the DVD player in the PC? Can it output 5.1 through the sound >>> card >>> that I can push my A/V system? If so, do I need a sound card with a >>> digital >>> optical out? >> >> With MCE 2005, if you have a SoundCard that either has an optical out, or >> individual analogue 5.1 connections then the answer is yes. You need an >> AC3 >> filter installed to process the sound. >> >> With Vista Media Center it becomes a lot more complicated. Some people >> report that the completely over the top DRM in Vista sabotages using >> digital >> optical out specifically SPDIF connections which cannot support DRM >> (likewise if you have a DVI or HDMI interface which does not support HDCP >> protection it will be constrained to a lower video quality). >> >> "Vista¹s content protection mechanism only allows protected content to be >> sent over interfaces that also have content-protection facilities built >> in. >> Currently the most common high-end audio output interface is S/PDIF >> (Sony/Philips Digital Interface Format). [S] Since S/PDIF doesn¹t provide >> any content protection, Vista requires that it be disabled when playing >> protected content [Note E]. In other words if you¹ve sunk a pile of money >> into a high-end audio setup fed from an S/PDIF digital output, you won¹t >> be >> able to use it with protected content." >> >> Therefore HD DVD audio playback of 5.1 may be crippled by Vista's DRM. >> >> Also, at this point, many sound cards are lacking Vista compatible >> drivers. >> >

Re: Dolby Digital Sound Set up - Directv and DVD Michael Brown <mike[ at ]mabrown.net> 14.06.2007 19:14:20 HD DVD does not require that protection for audio, I've been using HD DVD in Vista via a spdif connection since January with no issues. Like i said before the OS is just enforcing the same things as standalone player does. If you don't like it you can live in the SD world, it's pretty much that simple. On Thu, 14 Jun 2007 11:01:52 +0100, John Lockwood <john.lockwood[ at ]amtec.co.uk> wrote: [Quoted Text] >Is so. > >"What about S/PDIF audio connections? > >Windows Vista does not require S/PDIF to be turned off, but Windows Vista >continues to support the ability to turn it off for certain content -- a >capability that has been present on the Windows platform for many years. >Additionally, in order to support the requirements of some types of content, >Windows Vista supports the ability to constrain the quality of the audio >component of that content. Similar to image constraint for video, this >quality constraint only applies to the audio from content whose policy >requires the constraint, not to any other audio being played concurrently on >the system." > >HD DVD and Blu-Ray will require DRM to be enforced, normally by using HDCP >via DVI or HDMI to your TV. However many people with AV systems prefer to >send the audio separately via optical SPDIF to a surround sound system >_which does not support any DRM_, so video will work via the DVI or HDMI, >but the audio could be crippled. > >This is despite the fact that the people who will be most affected by this >are those customers who have bought legal copies of disks. Pirates will >break the copy protection and not be affected. > >DRM sucks, it is stupid stupid stupid. It can, has been, and will continue >to be broken (even for HD DVD and Blu-Ray, and Vista itself), and ONLY >inconveniences LEGAL PAYING CUSTOMERS. > >Microsoft will factiously say that it is not Vista doing this, they merely >provide a way for the APPLICATION (e.g. HD DVD player) to do this, well >frankly that's like a bomb maker saying they are not guilty because they did >not plant the bomb, the bomber/Application writer did. > >I have no problem with Microsoft, and the movie studios etc. prosecuting >pirates, but at the moment they are attacking their genuine customers with >DRM rather than the pirates. > >Now apparently, Microsoft has provided this capability in versions of >Windows prior to Vista, however it has not been as obvious to people before >seeing the overwhelming quantity and nastiness of DRM in Vista, and also not >having access to HD DVD and Blu-Ray before. The fact that stupid DRM has >existed before does not make it any better an idea now. > >On 11/6/07 03:39, in article >E70DE78C-B93A-4079-BFAC-5190FAF93B26[ at ]microsoft.com, "Michael Brown" ><mike[ at ]mabrown.net> wrote: > >> Not true at all. Vista will only enforce DRM that is already there. >> Meaning that DVD's that have macrovision, it will enforce that. HD DVD's >> Bluray etc.. that use AACS it will enforce that. It is not doing anything >> that a stand alone player doesn't do. So from the original question, since >> there is no protected path required for audio from DVD's 5.1 will work just >> fine. The only time these restrictions kick in is when you try to do >> something that the standard doesn't allow for, like watching a HD DVD over a >> digital connection without HDCP, you'll get the same result from a stand >> alone HD DVD player if you hook it up to a non-HDCP display. >> See this for more... >> http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/windowsvista/archive/2007/01/20/windows-vist >> a-content-protection-twenty-questions-and-answers.aspx >> >> -- >> Michael Brown >> http://thegreenbutton.com/blogs/mike/ >> >> >> "John Lockwood" <john.lockwood[ at ]amtec.co.uk> wrote in message >> news:C28EFBC4.22E87%john.lockwood[ at ]amtec.co.uk... >>> On 7/6/07 19:59, in article >>> 9971FAA3-F51F-498B-B0AA-951349F8F2CA[ at ]microsoft.com, "rfmullerjr" >>> <rfmullerjr[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote: >>> >>>> How about the DVD player in the PC? Can it output 5.1 through the sound >>>> card >>>> that I can push my A/V system? If so, do I need a sound card with a >>>> digital >>>> optical out? >>> >>> With MCE 2005, if you have a SoundCard that either has an optical out, or >>> individual analogue 5.1 connections then the answer is yes. You need an >>> AC3 >>> filter installed to process the sound. >>> >>> With Vista Media Center it becomes a lot more complicated. Some people >>> report that the completely over the top DRM in Vista sabotages using >>> digital >>> optical out specifically SPDIF connections which cannot support DRM >>> (likewise if you have a DVI or HDMI interface which does not support HDCP >>> protection it will be constrained to a lower video quality). >>> >>> "Vista¹s content protection mechanism only allows protected content to be >>> sent over interfaces that also have content-protection facilities built >>> in. >>> Currently the most common high-end audio output interface is S/PDIF >>> (Sony/Philips Digital Interface Format). [S] Since S/PDIF doesn¹t provide >>> any content protection, Vista requires that it be disabled when playing >>> protected content [Note E]. In other words if you¹ve sunk a pile of money >>> into a high-end audio setup fed from an S/PDIF digital output, you won¹t >>> be >>> able to use it with protected content." >>> >>> Therefore HD DVD audio playback of 5.1 may be crippled by Vista's DRM. >>> >>> Also, at this point, many sound cards are lacking Vista compatible >>> drivers. >>> >> -- Michael Brown http://thegreenbutton.com/blogs/mike/