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Windows Vista, Per Application Controlled Audio Videocast

Posted by Steven Parker on 02 October 2005 - 09:16 · 27 comments & 2006 views

I suppose one of the more frustrating attributes of Windows Vista Beta 1 and the updated build 5219, is the lack of, or garbled audio everyone has been experiencing. We all know its a beta right? That's what all testers keep telling themselves..

Browsing the Vista newsgroups looking for other users experiences with audio in Vista I came across a video posted at Channel 9, "Learning about Audio in Windows Vista" and after watching it, I have a better understanding of why my card doesn't work (yet). There is a lot to look forward to in Beta 2!

The audio stack in Windows Vista has been completely rewritten so we can have cool things like per-app audio control. Anyway, Steve Ball talks to us about what the team has been working on and gives us some demos and introduces us to the team, including Larry.

View: Learning about Audio in Windows Vista Videocast

Video: Learning about Audio in Windows Vista | 192 MB (Direct Download)

Cont...

New Features
-Stats compare - view the extended stats details for any other player in your BFHQ simply by double-clicking on their name on the leader board or using the new search feature!
-Server Favorites and History - find your favorite servers that much easier. No more searching for them through the main server list!
-Nickname Prefix - Add and change your clan tag to your account name at will. No more creating alternate account names to cover the changes in your competitive lifestyle!
-Supply Drop Icons - Supply drops now appear on the main map and within the 3D Map. Find that elusive supply drop much, much quicker!
-Points for Destroying Command Objects - players now receive points for destroying the commander's toys. Special Forces players rejoice!
-Server Reserved Slots - Server Operators can now set aside slots for their admins to join a full server at any time!
-Vehicle Passengers - the names of players in a vehicle with you are now displayed when you enter or change seats.
-Countermeasures - a reload bar has been added for vehicle countermeasures. You'll always know now when you can set off that next flare!

Tweaks
-Point Farming changes - DICE has implemented functionality that makes it significantly harder to point farm on Ranked Servers.
-Mod Support - Mods now work properly with the Dedicated Server! Additionally, the game will automatically switch mods when joining a server that is running a mod you have installed but do not have activated.
-Map tweaks - Spawn menu map and Commander maps now scale based on the size of the level being played (16, 32 or 64 players). Mini-map also scales automatically based on the vehicle type you are using (manual changes to zoom levels are remembered as well).
-Commander scoring - No more TKs from Artillery!
-Vehicle tweaks - No more accidental kills from bumping a friend with your tank (try to avoid hitting him at speed though) and no more struggling uphill in an APC. Also no more improper TK allocation from vehicle explosions.
-Auto Team Balance tweaks - Commanders and Squad Leaders now immune to team switch.
-Anti-Air Missiles - These are now much more effective against fast-movers.

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Full name: Steven Parker
Forum name: Neobond
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#1 Posted by windows95isg8 on 02 Oct 2005 - 09:24: I watched this a while ago. , it does look good though

(1 reply) #2 Posted by hotdog963al on 02 Oct 2005 - 09:51: PER APPLICATION!!??
Oh my god. That's going to be a nightmare.
I think I'll just turn them up max and use my Speakers volume controller

#3 Posted by bennett™ on 02 Oct 2005 - 10:27: wow man that souds wicekd as

(1 reply) #4 Posted by Avi on 02 Oct 2005 - 10:33: It's nice to see they are rewriting so much of the core... But I wonder, what effects will it have on stability? New code == new features == new bugs... I hope they will beta-test every aspect of the new code to avoid major bugs...

Great news, thanks...

#5 Posted by Neobond on 02 Oct 2005 - 10:41: Will be great to actually watch video and not have all the damn alert sounds going on (which are usually louder than the video I'm watching).

(4 replies) #6 Posted by Echelon Left on 02 Oct 2005 - 10:48: :sigh:
It's not per-application volume control, it's per-application AUIDO control.
This means that you can have more than one application open at a time, each one applying it's own settings simultainiously to the audio card, and the audio card handling all of the settings at the same time.
So, for example, you could have your Doom3 game gets it's own surround-sound settings, and your DVD player appy has it's own settings, and your Sponge Bob Square Pants game has it's own settings, and they all are remembered and managed and retained by this new app in Vista.
That's all wonderfull, unless you wanna do something with your app that Vista (or, as I like to call it, Vis-duh) doesn't allow for. Then you're hosed.

Essentialy, Microsoft is trying to position themselves to kill A3D and EAX the same way they're trying to kill OpenGL. Why? So they can replace it with the auido equivilant of D3D, that's why. They want to make it so that all applications have to follow their propritary standards, echewing EAX and A3D in favor of a MS-only paragdime.
Frankly, considering how much better EAX and A3D could be, I don't mind MS competeing with those two standards. I wish they'd learn that playing fair is better for them in the long run, but I do belive that hell may freeze over before that happens.

Enjoy your static.

#7 Posted by parhamreza on 02 Oct 2005 - 11:53: I've often wanted to assign different volume levels to different programs. Presumablely this will fulfil my desire from what I can gather.

(4 replies) #8 Posted by Lasker on 02 Oct 2005 - 12:58: did anyone noted in the video a MAC OS X box

#9 Posted by XP_2600 on 02 Oct 2005 - 16:43: 192 mb ? lol its bigger than the vista Audio stack itself.

(1 reply) #10 Posted by Jugalator on 02 Oct 2005 - 18:02: Per-app audio control?

Is it just me who starts configuring Windows by turning off all audio events?

I don't want ding, dong, shwooong, tadaa!, etc by starting Windows, reading my mail, and shutting it off.

#11 Posted by ghos on 03 Oct 2005 - 00:00: Well sometimes you need the audio alerts as visual alerts can get too cluttered or not always noticable.
However I very much like the idea of per-app volume control. It is frustrating to play music with one program and it gets drowned out by an alert from other. This is very much needed.

(1 reply) #12 Posted by TwoTailedFox on 03 Oct 2005 - 00:27: This explains why 5048, 5112, and 5219 all freeze when installing my Sound Blaster Audigy 2 drivers.

4029, 4051, 4053, and 4074 never had that problem.

#13 Posted by mayamaniac on 03 Oct 2005 - 04:52: glad they are doing this, its one of the things I wished Windows could do as in per app controls. I hope they put work in audio input as per app controls also.

well, that one windows annoyance fixed, lots more to go, such as how about a file tranfer manager for explorer, like a download manager where you can queue a list of transfer/move/copy commands, or pause or resume them at will, or ignore all errors, or overwrite all, skip all existing ones unless newer, etc...?

(1 reply) #14 Posted by icecaveman on 03 Oct 2005 - 17:28: Does it mean it won't be possible for Creative to write proper drivers for their current soundcards like Audigy 2 and X-Fi? I mean with full hardware support and not some limited software drivers.

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