News - Microsoft Windows 8 offers Dolby Digital Plus support out-of-the-box

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Support for the nifty sound standard for both x86 and ARM as standard.

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Read more.

Hmmm, so they removed WMP and WMC from Windows 8 but then add DDP support......

Might as well have saved another few quid of the price instead....

Now we can see where the money they're saving from dropping DVD codecs in windows 8 are going!

Edit : link

Interesting development..I and many others have never been fans of WMP...so these new offerings would help. Let's see!

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Originally Posted by shaithis

Hmmm, so they removed WMP and WMC from Windows 8 but then add DDP support......

Might as well have saved another few quid of the price instead....

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Dropping WMC and DVD support seemed to like microsoft are almost pleading with us to pirate movies. Why after removing dvd support they suddenly include DD+ (which afaik has been pretty much pointless since hd dvd died) seems inexplicable to me.

windows 8 is looking like a bigger failure than windows Me.

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Originally Posted by shaithis

Hmmm, so they removed WMP and WMC from Windows 8 but then add DDP support......

Might as well have saved another few quid of the price instead....

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Windows 8 still includes a media player I think, just not media centre with the 10ft UI.

The DVD codecs are going because they are easy to replace if needed, many people will get one with the blu-ray codec/player they need to buy for that disk format. A large number of machines lack an optical drive anyway. OEMs can install a codec on machines that need them, most machines are sold pre-built like that anyway. The focus has shifted towards download and digital content, which can support Dolby sound streams as well - Netflix do IIRC.

All the negative attitude Microsoft haters will use this as more ammunition when really MS are just being pragmatic about features in trying to turn out a good product. Windows 8 will be fine, people will just have to adjust their work flows a bit and get used to the new interface - it's not that hard really. The future is touch control, the hardware makers have decided that and people in general are going along with it, Microsoft *must* make the UI changes to stay relevant in a touchy-feely world. People need to stop being so damn moany and negative all the time. Go use Linux (and complain about Gnome3) or Mac (and complain about simpletons and spinny carnival wheels) if you hate it that much and stop going on and on and on about how everything is going to be a fail before it even gets a chance. It's so tiresome.

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Originally Posted by Ross1

Dropping WMC and DVD support seemed to like microsoft are almost pleading with us to pirate movies.

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Anyone who is able to download a pirated movie is able to Google 'DVD codec'. This decision is just business sense.

Even if you want to buy DVD playing software, it's cheap.

I think I must be missing something - since I can't see what the big deal with this announcement is. Surely this kind of support is something you'd expect from your sound driver? Unless what's being said is that MS are going to insist that Win8 certified drivers have to support this. Strikes me like the comments on DVD's above - if you want/need it then you'd buy/download something to do it.

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Originally Posted by shaithis

Hmmm, so they removed WMP and WMC from Windows 8 but then add DDP support......

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I thought I remembered seeing WMP in that Developer Preview. Actually I kind of like WMP - okay, the scans it insist on doing are a pain, but apart from that it works when asked and causes me little hassle, (unlike iTunes)

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Originally Posted by kingpotnoodle

All the negative attitude Microsoft haters will use this as more ammunition when really MS are just being pragmatic about features in trying to turn out a good product. Windows 8 will be fine, people will just have to adjust their work flows a bit and get used to the new interface - it's not that hard really. The future is touch control, the hardware makers have decided that and people in general are going along with it, Microsoft *must* make the UI changes to stay relevant in a touchy-feely world. People need to stop being so damn moany and negative all the time.

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No, what gets the "haters" (and I'm not necessarily one of them) is that MS seems hell bent on forcing touch on everyone. So unless you replace your monitor with a nice shiny new (and expensive) TS equivalent then you end up with a (badly?) compromised user experience. Many words have been exchanged (on Hexus and elsewhere) about some of the "interesting" design decisions shown so far. Me, on the other hand, is happy to wait until we see some final code - and I'm sure that MS are busy trying to make sure that the maximum number of people feel comfortable with the final retail product.

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Originally Posted by kingpotnoodle

Go use Linux (and complain about Gnome3) ... if you hate it that much and stop going on and on and on about how everything is going to be a fail before it even gets a chance. It's so tiresome.

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I think you'll find more Linux-ers complaining about Unity than Gnome3. :p

Agree with crossy, I am no Microsoft hater, but I am buggered if I am going to change to touch anything

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Originally Posted by Jonj1611

Agree with crossy, I am no Microsoft hater, but I am buggered if I am going to change to touch anything

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Me too - The shutdown on Win8 is a pain in the backside with a mouse! Still don't believe a touch screen will replace a keyboard and mouse on a home PC (maybe in addition but that'll take a few large price cuts in touch screen monitors!)

Another point of view: this can help keep people like the DoJ and the Competition Commission off their back. If someone else comes along and says MS are abusing their position by including too much in the base OS, stifling competition, they can point to this and show they are actually removing some portions of built in software and aiding the market in this software segment.

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Originally Posted by crossy

No, what gets the "haters" (and I'm not necessarily one of them) is that MS seems hell bent on forcing touch on everyone. So unless you replace your monitor with a nice shiny new (and expensive) TS equivalent then you end up with a (badly?) compromised user experience. Many words have been exchanged (on Hexus and elsewhere) about some of the "interesting" design decisions shown so far. Me, on the other hand, is happy to wait until we see some final code - and I'm sure that MS are busy trying to make sure that the maximum number of people feel comfortable with the final retail product.

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I really think Microsoft are following the touch crowd here, Apple, phone makers and hardware vendors splurging out tablets and touch screen all-in-ones created the monster and Microsoft are forced to try and stay relevant. Windows 7 is pretty bad to stroke and needs 3rd party overlays on touch devices, Microsoft have to make a touchy Windows to match the touchy hardware everyone wants to release.

I don't really like touching my computer screen (finger marks, eughhh, bad enough on my phone & tablet), I hope that I can avoid that need and still move to Windows 8 and get a good user experience. It bugs me seeing people labelling something as inevitable fail before a final version hits market and they really spend time using it, just pointless negativity. Lets judge the released code :-)

I will almost certainly upgrade at least some of my devices to 8 and then just work with it however it is because that's what I'm like and because of work I need to use the latest things before everyone else so I've already solved the pitfalls. It might take some time getting used to Windows 8 UI but I'm sure I'll manage, really it's just another Windows and Joe Public has to use it so it can't be too hard.

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Originally Posted by Funkstar

Another point of view: this can help keep people like the DoJ and the Competition Commission off their back. If someone else comes along and says MS are abusing their position by including too much in the base OS, stifling competition, they can point to this and show they are actually removing some portions of built in software and aiding the market in this software segment.

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Indeed, but looks like Microsoft didn't learn that lesson too well :-

http://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/05...ozilla-counsel

:/