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Microsoft reveals Vista media features

TheInquirer

Microsoft said it's building in audio and video features for its Media Centre software to coincide with the launch of its Vista operating system.

Meanwhile, in the court of First Instance in €urope, Microsoft has started belting out high volume Steve Ballmer-like 64-bit level audio intended to convince the court that not shipping Media Player with current PCs is a really really really bad idea. It wants the court to modify an earlier judgment that it had behaved like a rotten monopolist in Europe and should therefore pay a rack of €uro and stop misbehaving.

Microsoft claimed that inventions it's pumping into Vista will make it a good choice for content creation, delivery and playback.

How so? It said it will release a multimedia API giving application isolation with re-usable components which support low latency audio processing as well as Direct X video acceleration for hardware.

Content creators have told Microsoft they want an OS that can perform without going blue, and the Vole claims that Vista will raise priorities for audio and video processes that is more resilient to glitches.

The OS will include 32-bit floating point by default, allowing higher quality digital signal processing. It will allow specific apps to transmit content through particular devices, so you don't hear that irritating pinging noise from your email while you're listening to a Mozart violin concerto, or you want to listen to Steve Ballmer whispering sweet nothings into your ear while watching the Rolling Stones playing I Can't get no Satisfaction

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