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Windows 8 Won’t Include Dolby Digital Codecs

Windows 8 Won't Include Dolby Digital CodecsMary-Jo Foley is reporting that during a Dolby Laboratories earnings call on August 4th revealed that their audio technology will not be included with Windows 8. Dolby Digital audio is used to playback the audio on DVDs, and depending on the television source, live/recorded TV. If this does indeed happen, it will be the first time that Dolby Digital decoding wasn’t included with Microsoft’s OS since the release of Windows XP. This news didn’t just upset home theater PC fans, but it also rattled investors. After the announcement Dolby’s stock price dropped dramatically. It closed the day on August 3rd at $40.77/share, and is now at about $30/share.

Dolby states that they will focus on working with hardware partners and software vendors to include Dolby Digital within their products. This means that like the days of XP you’ll need additional software to playback DVDs on your Windows 8 computer. If your computer is connected to an audio/video receiver (AVR), and is setup to bit-stream the audio, then your AVR will naively playback the audio without the use of separate software on the PC. Microsoft may have decided that its no longer necessary to support DVD playback within the OS as the disc format is slowly being replaced by Blu-ray and online video distribution.

Source: All About Microsoft

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  • Windows 8 Won't Include Dolby Digital Codecs

    Josh has been writing software since his parents brought home their first computer. His love for gadgets and technology eventually spurred a passion for home theater technology. After starting the DMZ, he received Microsoft’s MVP award for Windows Media Center. Even though the beloved home theater PC platform is all but dead he continues to tinker with consumer entertainment technology. He’s a life-long gamer and DIY smart home enthusiast. He co-hosts the Entertainment 2.0 podcast with Richard Gunther and the DMZ’s gaming podcast, Story Players, with Joe DeStazio.

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About the author

Josh Pollard

Josh has been writing software since his parents brought home their first computer. His love for gadgets and technology eventually spurred a passion for home theater technology. After starting the DMZ, he received Microsoft’s MVP award for Windows Media Center. Even though the beloved home theater PC platform is all but dead he continues to tinker with consumer entertainment technology. He’s a life-long gamer and DIY smart home enthusiast. He co-hosts the Entertainment 2.0 podcast with Richard Gunther and the DMZ’s gaming podcast, Story Players, with Joe DeStazio.