Windows Vista Team Blog

Microsoft takes steps to “Integrate IT” at the Microsoft Management Summit

2008-04-30T15:26:00Z

I'm relaying the following article on behalf of my colleague Shanen Boettcher, General Manager of Windows Product Management for the enterprise. During Virtualization Briefing Day in January, Shanen posted to give you background on what we're doing to make it simpler and easier to introduce and get the most out of virtualization of Windows in enterprise environments. He's back again today with an update on virtualization, as well as other components that illustrate our commitment to improving the optimized desktop.

This week at the Microsoft Management Summit (MMS) in Las Vegas, we've talked about Microsoft's role in improving the optimized desktop and emphasized Microsoft's commitment to virtualization. I want to tell you about some news coming out of the show today, which includes details on the product roadmaps for specific tools within the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) for Software Assurance.

The combination of MDOP and Windows Vista gives customers the tools they need to support more flexible work environments for their users, while making it easier and more efficient to manage and maintain their networks. This is the concept we refer to as the optimized desktop, and many of our customers have the tools to realize the benefits today. We're responding to the enthusiasm our customers have shown for these products by continuing to improve upon them and roll out new updates in real time. Following are the updates you'll be seeing in the most immediate future:

Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5: Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 Release Candidate 1 is scheduled for June 2008 and will be made available to customers on Microsoft Connect. As customers begin to take advantage of the benefits of virtualization, we've seen a growing interest in Microsoft Application Virtualization. Over 7,000 customers have already downloaded the beta.

Asset Inventory Service (AIS) 1.5: AIS 1.5 is scheduled to be released to the web in Q3 2008. AIS 1.5 will add license reconciliation, System Center Configuration Manager integration and scalability enhancements.

Advanced Group Policy Management (AGPM) 3.0: AGPM 3.0 will be available for all customers in Q3 2008. AGPM 3.0 will provide Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 support (x86 and x64), globalization, more flexible security, enhanced reporting and an enhanced UI.

We also announced today that for very first time we will be extending MDOP to languages beyond English. We plan to release localized versions of Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (DaRT) 6.0 and Desktop Error Monitoring (DEM) 3.0 SP1 in ten languages in Q3 2008. AGPM and Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 will follow toward the end of 2008. Based on direct customer feedback from the international community, we plan to localize MDOP into the ten following languages:

Chinese Simplified
Chinese Traditional
German
French
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Brazilian Portuguese
Russian
Spanish

As a follow up on our Virtualization Briefing Day announcement regarding Microsoft and Citrix's expanded alliance, I wanted to tell you about some progress we're making toward a joint VDI solution that will be available for production usage later this year. This turn-key offering combines the brokering and user experience components of Citrix XenDesktop, with the Microsoft hardware virtualization, application virtualization and virtualization management technologies. Citrix XenDesktop has the capability to create Windows Vista images for specific users from a shared base image and significantly reduces the TCO of this solution relative to today's static deployments.

In separate but related news during Day 2 of MMS, Microsoft announced System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1) and System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2. System Center Configuration Manager 2007 is a solution that comprehensively assesses, deploys and updates servers, clients, and devices - across physical, virtual, distributed and mobile environments. System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP1, which will be available May 27^th, will provide further support for Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008. Additionally, System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP1 provides deeper management of the hardware. There is a new, attached service-based connection for System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP1 that ensures accurate insight to the network landscape including support for Microsoft Application Virtualization applications.

The System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 release natively integrates Microsoft Application Virtualization distribution and streaming technology into the Configuration Manager infrastructure to work even better with Application Virtualization within MDOP. System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 will be available to customers in Q3 CY2008.

You may recall that earlier this month, Chris Flores announced the Microsoft Desktop Optimization (MDOP) Pack 2008 - a set of tools designed to make it easier for IT Pros to deploy and manage Windows Vista in their organizations. This, along with many of the solutions we're talking at MMS about today - provides IT Pros with an excellent set of tools for their IT environment and their Windows PCs.

For more information on news coming out of MMS this week, check out the Virtual Press Room.

-- Shanen

Automatic distribution of Windows Vista SP1 begins today

2008-04-23T18:55:00Z

We're excited about the progress we've made with Windows Vista Service Pack 1. On March 18th, Windows Vista SP1 was made available for customers who chose to manually download and install it from the Microsoft Download Center or Windows Update in English, French, German, Spanish, and Japanese. Last week, we made the remaining languages available - giving WU users the ability to download and install Windows Vista Service Pack in any of 36 supported languages. Today, we're happy to announce that we are beginning automatic distribution of SP1 in English, French, German, Spanish, and Japanese.

So what does this mean? Over the next few months Microsoft will automatically distribute Windows Vista SP1 to PCs that have automatic updates turned on (Learn how to turn on automatic updating) and running English, French, German, Spanish, or Japanese via Windows Update. Automatic distribution will only occur, according to user settings, on PCs ready for SP1. After Windows Vista SP1 downloads, WU will let you know that "new updates are available." You'll then be asked to make a few clicks before the installation of SP1 will begin.

While we're beginning automatic distribution today, you might not see it right away since the distribution process is very gradual. As I called out on April 7th, we'll be distributing the service pack slowly so that we can help Windows users have a good experience.

As I posted above, we made the remaining languages of SP1 available for manual install on the Microsoft Download Center and Windows Update last week. We'd like to let those of you running one of those languages that we'll plan to start automatic distribution of those languages sometime in mid-May.

We hope you enjoy the many improvements that have been made in Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and are excited to start automatic distribution so more of you can begin experiencing the benefits.

Updated Language Packs Released

2008-04-23T06:12:00Z

We have made available updated Language Packs for users using Windows Vista SP1 as well as those running Windows Vista RTM. For those running SP1, the Language Packs should be showing up for you under Windows Update. The specific language packs which are being released are as follows:

German
English
Spanish
French
Japanese
Korean
Bulgarian
Czech
Danish
Greek
Estonian
Finnish
Hungarian
Italian
Lithuanian
Latvian
Norwegian
Dutch
Polish
Portuguese (Portugal)
Romanian
Slovak
Slovenian
Swedish
Arabic
Hebrew
Croatian
Portuguese (Brazil)
Serbian (Latin)
Thai
Turkish
Ukrainian
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Russian

For more information on the Language Packs, click here.

New Ultimate Extras Released

2008-04-23T06:02:00Z

If you're running Windows Vista Ultimate and noticed two new Ultimate Extras have shown up on Windows Update - don't worry, your eyes do not deceive! Today we released two new Ultimate Extras: Windows Sound Schemes and Windows DreamScene Content Pack #3.

Windows Sound Schemes is a pack of 2 new sound schemes for Windows Vista: Glass and Pearl. For more details on the Windows Sound Schemes - click here. Brandon tells me his favorite sound scheme is the Glass scheme.

Windows DreamScene Content Pack #3 brings you 3 new DreamScenes for your Windows Vista desktop. For more information on Windows DreamScene - click here. Here is a small preview of the new DreamScenes in Content Pack #3:

And be sure you keep your eyes on UltimatePC.com for more Ultimate Extra news in future as well as hot Ultimate Exclusives for Windows Vista Ultimate users.

Releasing Windows Vista SP1 for more languages

2008-04-15T18:00:00Z

It has been almost a month since we released Windows Vista SP1 to Windows Update in 5 languages. To date: millions of people have successfully installed Windows Vista SP1 on their PCs. So we're happy to announce the next step for Windows Vista SP1 availability.

We are excited to report that today we are making Windows Vista SP1 available to folks running Windows Vista in any of the supported languages. Starting today, users will be able to choose to manually install Windows Vista SP1 via Windows Update or download the standalone installer from the Microsoft Download Center (x86 and x64) for any of the 36 supported languages, not just English, Spanish, German, French, and Japanese. For now, it is available for users who visit Windows Update or the Microsoft Download Center. We encourage most users to get Windows Vista SP1 via Windows Update-which will provide the best update experience.

Now, Windows Vista PCs of any supported language can update to SP1. You may be aware we also make DVD images of Windows Vista with SP1 available to certain groups like TechNet Plus subscribers, MSDN subscribers, and Volume License (VL) customers. TechNet Plus and MSDN subscribers can download these DVD images in some languages today. The remaining languages will be made available in 2 additional groups over the next few weeks.

For your questions regarding Windows Vista SP1, Brandon has developed a Windows Vista SP1 FAQ designed to help answer many of these basic questions.

Windows Vista SP1 will bring some great improvements to PCs running Windows Vista especially in the areas of security, reliability, and performance. For more details on notable changes in Windows Vista SP1, click here.

Windows Vista SP1 Update

2008-04-07T17:32:00Z

I have a quick update for you about Windows Vista SP1. The Microsoft Update Blog contains some important information about updates to the SP1 prerequisite distribution plan. Starting tomorrow, we are resuming the automatic update and installation of the Servicing Stack Update.

In mid-April, we will begin distributing SP1 (in the first 5 languages) using the Automatic Update system. We have a lot of Windows users, so not everyone will get it on the same day. In fact, it will go to a small percentage of Windows Vista users each day. The exact timing of when you will receive it depends on when your PC is ready for Windows Vista SP1.

In addition to starting the automatic delivery of the first 5 languages, I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you that also we're on track for the initial release of SP1 in the remaining languages in mid-April.

Microsoft Introduces $10,000 Digital Home Makeover Contest

2008-04-03T15:11:00Z

Did you know that the Windows Media Center team is conducting a Digital Home Makeover Contest to celebrate the consumer availability of new Extenders for Windows Media Center? For one lucky winner, a makeover team will transform their disconnected digital lifestyle into a home entertainment dream with a prize package totaling up to $10,000!!!

The Digital Home Makeover Contest is designed to address the real challenges people face when adopting today's digital lifestyle. Today's consumers have a wide variety of digital content in their homes-thousands of digital pictures, MP3's, TV shows and movies- and homes may have dozens of devices which allow people to interact with and enjoy this content. But wouldn't it be nice if digital media could be seamlessly viewed and accessible around the home?

The winner of the Digital Home Makeover Contest will receive what they need to take control of connecting their entertainment options and start enjoying content from room to room, anywhere in the house. Microsoft is accepting entries in the form of two-minute videos that illustrate a contestant's disconnected digital lifestyle and why they need a digital home makeover. Entries will be accepted through May 2nd at http://www.windowsmediacenter.com/contest

Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack 2008 Released

2008-04-01T16:59:00Z

Today marks the release of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) 2008 - a set of tools for IT Pros managing IT environments for companies who have purchased MDOP plus Windows Software Assurance agreements with Microsoft. There are two key product updates in this release I'd like to highlight that I think IT Pros will find very useful - Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset 6.0 (DaRT) and Desktop Error Monitoring 3.0 SP1 (DEM).

For those of you not familiar with DaRT, it provides a set of tools for IT Pros to debug and troubleshoot unbootable PCs. DaRT 6.0 brings in some new tools worth taking note of. Tools such as Locksmith can reset a local administrator password, while Hotfix Uninstall can remove a bad hotfix. This is especially useful if the hotfix was the cause of the PC crash. Perhaps one of the simplest uses for DaRT is to recover files from the PC, even if they have been removed from the recycle bin. One of the new features in DaRT 6.0 is the Standalone System Sweeper, an antimalware product that runs while the Windows operating system is unbootable. This tool, which can receive updated virus/spyware definitions via USB thumb drive or online, will scan the PC's hard drive and is even effective at removing malware which use rootkits to avoid detection. DaRT 6.0 was previously available in beta, and Brandon had a chance to check it out late last year on the Windows Experience Blog.

DEM is a tool which allows the IT department to monitor all of the little application and operating system crashes that occur in an IT environment. You can think of it as a "Watson for companies." Whenever end users have a pop up error that normally says "Click to send to Microsoft," the Administrator can now use DEM to automatically redirect all of those errors to the DEM server. By tracking all of these errors, companies can create a more stable PC environment for their end users. They can also use it to track internally developed applications and use the feedback to improve their own development process. DEM 3.0 SP1 brings improved performance and scalability to the product, as well as an improved look-and-feel of the reports which can be generated for key metrics such as Top Application Crashes and Top Error Groups. Additionally, the new version of DEM can be upgraded to System Center Operations Manager 2007 through an in-place upgrade. This will allow IT Departments a deeper level of monitoring for your machines and the added ability to monitor your servers.

The Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack continues to be an excellent way for IT Pros to effectively manage their PCs in the IT environment.

My curtain call

2008-03-31T19:20:00Z

Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.

-Plato

(I’ll let you decide which half applies.)

They say all good things must come to an end, and that is the case today: I want to share with you the bittersweet news that I am moving on to a role outside Microsoft. It's a bit deflating to know that this constitutes my last post to the Windows Vista Team blog. But by the same token, I'm thrilled, amazed and humbled at the success that this blog has become. Our aim has always been to share the Windows story in an open and approachable manner. Given the role we play today as a community resource, I'd wager that we're doing pretty well in that regard.

While this good thing ends for me today, in actuality, it continues for you: I leave you in the extremely knowledgeable and capable hands of my colleague Christopher Flores, a Director on the Windows Communications team. Christopher has been with Microsoft for many years and will draw on a wealth of experience in his efforts to bring you the Windows story. He arguably is even better positioned for this role than I, so I'm confident that, with Brandon's help, he'll continue bringing you the information and first-person accessibility you've come to expect from our blog.

It's been a fun ride these two years and I thank you, our many readers, for your enthusiasm and support. May our paths cross again, and until then, be well.

-- Nick

Announcing the Windows Search 4.0 Preview

2008-03-27T22:08:00Z

To search for files on my PCs, I use Windows Search - Windows Vista's desktop search feature. I use Windows Search specifically to find photos that I've tagged in Windows Live Photo Gallery or important emails and Word documents. I also rely on saving specific searches that I can go back to later on. Searching and being able to find important files quickly on my PC is very important to me. And Windows Search allows me to "find my stuff" whenever I need to. Today we get to see a little "preview" of the next step for Windows Search. The Windows Search Team is making available Windows Search 4.0 Preview - a preview of the next version of desktop search for Windows.

Windows Search 4.0 introduces several improvements I'd like to call out making search even better in Windows Vista:

With Windows Search 4.0, the Windows Search Team has fixed most of the reported bugs causing a majority of distractions users have seen since Windows Vista RTM - many of those bugs were reported by you.
Great improvements have been made with regards to performance.Even now as Preview, Windows Search 4.0 has query response time about 33%faster than search queries in Windows Vista RTM.
The Windows Search Team has extended Remote Index Discovery for PC-to-PC search to work onevery supported version of Windows. This makes finding information on other PCs running Windows Search 4.0 quick and less resource-consuming. Now Windows Search can find information shared on a remote PC by accessing an index on that PC - and you will open files only when relevant to your search. This will also work if the user's profile is redirected.
The Windows Search Team has implemented Rollback Recovery where your search index will roll back to the last known good state (this is good in handling disc write errors). If an error occurs, your index isn't rebuilt from scratch; only the newly changed files are added to the index, making recovery from system errors not as disruptive to the machine or the user

Being able to find files isn't just important to consumers - it is also important to IT Professionals managing enterprise environments. The Windows Search Team has made some improvements in Windows Search 4.0 that IT Professionals should take note of:

We have improved performance when indexing Exchange in online mode, sending fewer packets and making less RPC calls. In this process we apply significantly less load on the Exchange server too.
Support for Group Policy settings is extended and improved; per-user policy is supported now.
We now support EFS - Windows Search 4.0 will index encrypted files, and user can search for them in the sane UI and through the same user experience as seen with regular, unencrypted files.

IT Professionals can expect a smooth deployment for Windows Search 4.0 and easier support.

With Windows Search 4.0, the Windows Search Team has taken the next step in improving the PC search experience in Windows. To download and check out the Windows Search 4.0 Preview yourself, click here. I encourage folks to try out the Windows Search 4.0 Preview and let us know what you think!

Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) Now Available for Windows Vista SP1

2008-03-25T21:12:00Z

Many of you have asked us when the Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) would be available for download now that Windows Vista SP1 has been released. As of today, you can!

RSAT is an excellent set of tools for IT Pros wanting to manage their Windows Server environment right from their desktop. RSAT also includes an updated Group Policy Management Console (GPMC), which was previously removed in Windows Vista SP1.

Download: Remote Server Administration Tools (x86)
Download: Remote Server Administration Tools (x64)

RSAT is an updated version of what is called ADMINPAK.MSI and can be used by IT Pros to manage computers running Windows Server 2008. Because many of these tools also work for managing computers running Windows Server 2003, it is essentially "the next version" of ADMINPAK.MSI.

The following are a list of the tools you will find in RSAT:

Role Administration Tools:

Active Directory Certificate Services Tools

Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) Tools

Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) Tools

DHCP Server Tools

DNS Server Tools

File Services Tools

Network Policy and Access Services Tools

Terminal Services Tools

Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration (UDDI) Services Tools

Feature Administration Tools:

BitLocker Drive Encryption Tools

Failover Clustering Tools

Group Policy Management Tools

Network Load Balancing Tools

SMTP Server Tools

Storage Manager for SANs Tools

Windows System Resource Manager Tools

And these tools also fully supported managing Windows Server 2003 servers:

Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) Tools
Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) Tools
Active Directory Certification Authority Tools
DHCP Server Tools
DNS Server Tools
Terminal Services Tools
Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration (UDDI) Services Tools
Group Policy Management Tools
Network Load Balancing Tools

Download RSAT today and start managing your servers!

Deployment gets easier with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008

2008-03-20T17:18:00Z

We've reached a pivotal moment in time, the release to Web of Windows Vista SP1 on Tuesday and, to complete the picture, today we released Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2008, the latest generation of the Microsoft Solution Accelerators designed to simplify and ease your deployment experience.

There are a lot of things to consider when deploying a new OS and, if your organization has 50 desktops or more, MDT is designed to help you navigate the potentially complex desktop environment. Our goal is to save you lots of time and effort in planning and building out a standard desktop experience all the way to rolling OS images out into production.

Don't worry, this is not something unproven and new -- just fewer than 1 million of you across industries have been active users of MDT's predecessor, Business Desktop Deployment (BDD). Past customers include companies like Unilever, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications and Fred Weber, who reduced their deployment costs from $300 to $35 per PC.

We have been listening to your feedback and augmenting the solution to ensure that the best of real world best practices are infused within the tool.

So what's changed with MDT?

In addition to the project, process and team guidance that has traditionally existed, the major thing that we worked on for this release is incremental guidance to progressively enable your deployment process. Examples include:

New checklist and wizard-driven user interface
Quick start guides that familiarize you quickly with the tools and deployment process

There are also more ways to automate deployment, including Zero Touch installation; new task sequencing for more flexible and simplified configuration; and new Lite Touch installation support for multicasting with Windows Deployment Services to help ease network load.

In fact, if you are planning to deploy Windows Server 2008 with Windows Vista concurrently, there are major advantages to using MDT. Check out Continental Airlines, who rolled out both Windows Server and Windows Vista. The ability to build images and deploy desktops and servers (including Windows Server 2008), was actually a key driver for our name change from BDD.

You can download MDT 2008 today. For more information, go to http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=113979 or contact a Desktop Deployment Planning Services specialist. Also see the TechNet Springboard for the Five ways that Windows Vista deployment just got easier.

Oh and, still using BDD 2007? Don't worry, we didn't forget about you either. An update for BDD 2007 to support SP1 imaging and deployment is also available from here.

Windows Vista SP1 Released to Windows Update

2008-03-18T16:52:00Z

Today, you can now download Windows Vista SP1 via Windows Update. For those of you eager to receive the benefits of Windows Vista SP1, you can now do so. We've seen quite a bit of questions in our comments so we want to communicate as much as possible surrounding Windows Vista SP1 and today's release to Windows Update as we can.

For those of you happy to wait, sit tight because SP1 will start downloading to PCs automatically beginning in mid-April (remember, this happens only if you have your Windows Update configured to automatically download updates and SP1 will automatically download but not automatically install). But if you want to get the benefit of a year's worth of improvements right now, go check Windows Update today (hit the Start Menu, All Programs, and select Windows Update).

If in running Windows Update you do not see Windows Vista SP1 listed, there are a number of good reasons for this (eight, in fact -- see the whole list). Below are a few of the most common reasons why you might not see SP1 on Windows Update:

You have not yet installed all the prerequisite packages you need for Windows Vista SP1. To install them, visit the Windows Update control panel and click on "check for updates."
You have a pre-release version of SP1 and need to uninstall it before installing SP1
You already have it. To determine if you already have SP1 installed, Open the Start Menu, right click on Computer and left click on Properties.
We released SP1 in these 5 languages: English, French, Spanish, German, and Japanese. If you have any other language installed, SP1 will not yet be offered to you. (You might not even know if you have an additional language installed -- check the Regional and Language Options control panel to see which languages you have installed.)
Back in February we announced that we'd be using Windows Update to help make the update as seamless as possible for our users. Windows Update will detect drivers that we know may be problematic when updating to SP1 and will not offer the service pack until an update has been installed.

I've received a lot of requests for more detail about the driver situation this last month, so I want to share some more information here. We spent the last couple of months looking closely at reports of driver problems on pre-release builds and, to be safe, we held the public availability until March.

We've completed our analysis and are happy to report that many of these issues were fixed between the release candidate (RC) and the final version. We identified a small number of device drivers that may be problematic after an update from Windows Vista to Windows Vista SP1. Check out the list here; we'll keep it updated with any additional drivers that we identify. As a result, we spent the past month or so working with our partners on driver updates for these issues. Of these drivers, most already have updated versions on Windows Update and are available for download now as optional updates. In a few weeks we'll start to deliver these updated drivers to PCs automatically via Windows Update.

We're working with the providers of the remaining devices to get updated versions of the drivers to our customers as well. In the meantime, Windows Update will recognize PCs with drivers that may be problematic and postpone offering SP1 to those PCs until it has installed corrected drivers or other applicable updates. Either way, Windows Update works to detect whether or not your system is ready for SP1 and not offer it to you until the time is right.

Those of you who find that SP1 isn't offered over Windows Update even after updating all your drivers, but would still like to download it can access our "standalone installer" from the Microsoft Download Center here. Windows Update will help ensure a better experience, so if you do choose to visit the Microsoft Download Center make sure that you read these KBs before installing.

Looking forward, we're also getting ready to begin releasing the second wave of SP1 languages in April. These are the other 31 languages that we haven't released yet.

Some users encountered an issue last month when installing the Servicing Stack Update (KB937287). We've investigated this carefully and learned that it occurs only in certain rare situations. Specifically, this happens because the update needs to be completely installed before a restart occurs, but something caused a reboot during the install. While the update was carefully designed to avoid many of the common reasons for an inadvertent restart during installation, this issue was caused by some that were not caught. By temporarily suspending automatic distribution, and in making a small change on our Windows Update server, we believe we've largely eliminated this problem (our support call volume reflects this). We did find one aspect of the problem that was exacerbated when the update was installed using automatic updates. For this issue, we're planning to release an additional update before we resume automatic distribution of the Servicing Stack Update.

So what does this mean exactly? For those who've already installed the Servicing Stack Update or are waiting to install SP1 until Windows Update offers it to you automatically, you do not need to do anything at all. But if you want to install SP1 manually and haven't yet installed the Servicing Stack Update, you'll find it on Windows Update when you visit.

I know this post sounds like a lot of guidance, but we would rather over-communicate to reduce any surprises.

In sum, we are extremely pleased with Windows Vista SP1 and the benefits it offers our customers, and we look forward to hearing about your experience.

Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 announced at MIX08

2008-03-05T20:42:00Z

The Internet Explorer team hit an important milestone today and divulged as much at MIX08. IE's General Manager Dean Hachamovitch today announced the availability of IE8 Beta 1, downloadable for testing by all from here.

You can read more on IE8 at the IEBlog, where Dean explains eight specific advances comprised in IE8.

Soon Brandon will have a post up on the Windows Experience Blog talking about his experience using IE8 Beta 1 and what's new in it, so watch for that.

You can get the latest on MIX08 taking place this week in Las Vegas via MIX08 Online.

Using S/PDIF to send audio from your PC

2008-03-04T23:29:00Z

The following is an article from another of my colleagues on the Windows Vista Sound team, Kristin Carr. Kristin is a Program Manager and works with Steve Ball, who previously has shared his insights into how Windows Vista handles sound. If you have questions for Kristin, please leave a comment below.

Many people have a general idea of what S/PDIF is -- perhaps by seeing it as a label on an audio output, or on a feature list for a product. But what is it exactly, and how do you use it? This post will cover some of those details.

On a PC, the audio is stored and processed digitally until the final output stage when it is usually converted to an analog signal that directly feeds your speakers. However, there may be times when you want to transmit the signal digitally to a different device that will be used to play the sound, such as a receiver. In these cases, you may want to postpone converting the signal to an analog one, and instead transmit the signal digitally to avoid any degradation and additional noise that may occur when transmitting an analog signal.

For this purpose, S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interconnect Format) was developed. Often referred to by the name of the connector (including Toslink, RCA, or simply "Optical" or "Digital Out"), S/PDIF specifies a method of transmitting a digital signal so that it can be received and interpreted correctly by the connected device. You may ask yourself, "How complicated is it to transmit a signal? Why do we need a special protocol?" Consider that the digital signal consists of a series of bits, and within that series, the bits are grouped to correspond to a sample of audio, and an even larger subset of those are grouped to correspond to a particular channel. In order to enable a receiver to properly interpret all of those bits in the correct order, it is necessary to have a format for transmitting those bits. This is where S/PDIF comes in.

S/PDIF can be used to transmit two channels of digital audio in real time over a single connection. S/PDIF specifies a particular bit pattern that a receiver can use to latch onto the stream. Once the receiver has synced up with the stream, S/PDIF specifies the order of the audio bits and how they should be arranged in a stream so that the receiver can properly interpret it.

However, there may be times when you wish to transmit more than two channels of audio over the S/PDIF link. This is where compressed audio can be used. Audio compression is a technique used to transmit equivalent information using fewer bits. This is done through a number of techniques. Some techniques, referred to as perceptual coding, take advantage of the fact that humans can only hear certain sounds. These methods of compression usually involve discarding bits that only contribute a minimal amount to what a listener needs to recognize a given sound. Other methods take advantage of numerical redundancies in the signal in order to effectively transmit the same information in a smaller amount of space. Dolby Digital and DTS are two common types of compression. Regardless of the technique, compression enables a digital audio signal to use fewer bits to transmit the audio.

The result of this compression is that it enables you to transmit the content for up to 5.1 channels of audio over S/PDIF in space that would have only fit 2 channels if the audio had been uncompressed. This is great once the signal has been encoded (synonymous with compressed), but once a signal has been encoded, that same signal must also be decoded after it has been received so that it can be sent to speakers. This means that your receiver must be capable of decoding the compressed audio signal in order for you to hear the correct sound. This is the tradeoff necessary to allow you to transmit more than two channels of audio over S/PDIF.

Another direct consequence of transmitting a compressed audio signal instead of an uncompressed audio signal (more commonly known as PCM) is that the volume of that signal cannot be modified once it has been encoded. Because the bits in an encoded signal no longer directly correspond to the volume of that signal, it is impossible to increase the volume until it is decoded. This explains why your PC cannot control the volume of your sound when you are using Dolby Digital or DTS as the output. The connected device will be the only place where the volume can be changed.

To recap, in order to avoid the electrical interference and noise present on an analog connection, consider using S/PDIF to transmit the signal digitally. If you'd like to transmit more than two channels, consider sending encoded content which allows you up to 5.1 channels over S/PDIF. You may also want to consider HDMI, but that's a post for another time!