Back in September, Nick blogged about two new LifeCams from Microsoft Hardware: the VX-7000 and NX-3000. Recently, I’ve been looking for a new webcam. I already owned the VX-3000 - but I wanted something a little more powerful and higher quality.  And the VX-7000 is just that! I went ahead and picked one up last week and thought I’d share some notes on my experience with it so far.

First off, let me give you a brief introduction to the device. The VX-7000 is the top-of-the-line webcam in the VX series of LifeCams from Microsoft Hardware. The VX series LifeCams are designed for desktop PCs while the NX series LifeCams are designed for laptops. The VX-7000 is a Certified for Windows Vista device so it is designed to work great with Windows Vista. All LifeCams are optimized for Windows Live - specifically being used with Windows Live Messenger for video calls. The VX-7000 comes with a pretty slick set of specs (you can also read the specs here from the Microsoft Hardware site):

• 2.0 Megapixel Sensor for clear video


• Built-in Microphone designed to capture crystal clear audio


• Universal Attachment Base to fit on top and clamp on to most monitors


• Auto-Adjustment for Low Light Conditions


• 71 degree Wide-angle Lens


• High Definition 8 Megapixel still digital photographs

Both video and still photos are shot at 1600×1200 screen resolution which is really nice.

The VX-7000 (and all LifeCams) utilizes the Microsoft LifeCam client where you can take photos and videos using the camera. You can download the Microsoft LifeCam along with the drivers here.

But what the VX-7000 is perfect at, I found out, is doing video calls with contacts in Windows Live Messenger. I used Windows Live Messenger’s Audio and Video wizard (under the Tools menu) to set the audio and video up with the VX-7000. I then initiated a video call with a friend of mine and within seconds my friend could hear and see me via my VX-7000 webcam. And the quality was pretty good!

As I mentioned above, you can use the Microsoft LifeCam client to record photos and videos using the VX-7000 (or any LifeCam). And with Windows Live Photo Gallery - you can upload those photos you take to your Windows Live Space (or Flickr). Did you also know that with Windows Live Photo Gallery you can upload videos to MSN Soapbox as well?

I was able to take several videos I shot with the VX-7000 and use Windows Live Photo Gallery to upload them to MSN Soapbox.

Overall though I’ve been really impressed with the quality of the VX-7000 in general and it should certainly be looked at if you’re looking for a new webcam.

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.

Are you like me and not in Las Vegas attending MIX08 starting today? Not to worry - they have some excellent resources available to us that let us keep up with MIX08 as it happens!

All things MIX08 will come via MIX Online. MIX Online is your ultimate source for MIX this year.

Starting at 9:30am Pacific Standard Time - MIX Online will stream the keynote live from MIX08. Steve Ballmer, Ray Ozzie, Dean Hachamovitch, and Scott Guthrie are all keynote speakers this year along with Guy Kawasaki. Click here to read the keynote speaker bios. Should be a fun keynote!

You will also be able to view all sessions that happen at MIX08 shortly after they occur.

And you can even add a little taste of MIX08 to your desktop with Adam Kinney’s MIX08 wallpaper.

Now you have all you need to keep up with all the cool stuff coming out of MIX08 this year. Oh and pay attention to us here too

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!

[Updated 6 Mar 3:01pm PST]  Apparently this post has created some confusion, which was the opposite of my intent.  Windows Vista SP1 is not delayed.  I repeat, aside from our having accelerated SP1 availability to MSDN/TechNet subscribers and volume licensing customers, there has been no change in the release plan Mike outlined in his post announcing SP1.

For clarity’s sake, I’ll reiterate our release schedule:

• For the initial five first wave languages (English, Spanish, German, French, and Japanese):




• We will release SP1 to Windows Update and the download center on microsoft.com in mid-March.  Customers running Windows Vista with any of these first languages installed can choose to install SP1 by visiting Windows Update.  If your PC has a language installed other than one of the 5 listed above, SP1 will not be offered.  Additionally, any system that Windows Update determines has a driver Microsoft knows to not update successfully will not be offered SP1.


• In mid-April, we will begin delivering Windows Vista SP1 to Windows Vista customers using Automatic Update.  In other words, we will begin automatic downloads of SP1 for customers who have chosen to have updates downloaded automatically.  Note that, as Mike stated, Windows Update will *not* automatically download SP1 to any system it determines has a driver known to not update successfully.  (As updates for the problematic drivers become available, they will be installed automatically by Windows Update so that the result is that more and more systems will automatically get SP1, but only when we are confident they will have a good experience.)


• MSDN/TechNet Plus subscribers and volume licensing customers have already been provided access to SP1 in first wave languages, as Mike stated in his follow-on post.


• The remaining languages will be released to manufacturing (RTM) in April and availability to customers will follow.

We have some information we’d like to share in regards to Windows Vista SP1 and folks running Language Packs. Some of you may have noticed that after installing Windows Vista SP1 on Windows Vista Ultimate - the Language Packs fail to appear on Windows Update (KB947875).

We will be releasing Windows Vista SP1 in two “waves”. The first wave will only provide Windows Vista SP1 to Windows Vista Ultimate PCs running the following 5 Languages: English, French, German, Japanese and Spanish. The second wave will follow shortly after - supporting all 36 languages.

For Windows Update, PCs running the 5 initial languages from the first wave only will be provided with Windows Vista SP1. PCs running Windows Vista Ultimate with any of the other Language Packs installed will not be offered Windows Vista SP1 through Windows Update until they are released. Once the Language Packs are released, Windows Vista SP1 will then be offered for installation.

When installing Windows Vista SP1 from the standalone installer, the standalone installer will only install on Windows Vista Ultimate running any of the 5 languages from the first wave. When installing Windows Vista SP1 on Windows Vista Ultimate with a Language Pack that is not one of the 5 initial Language Packs supported - you will get the following error (KB947876) when attempting to install Windows Vista with the standalone installer:

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 cannot be installed on your computer because the language of Windows Vista you have installed is not supported or you have installed a language pack that is not supported.

Windows Vista Service pack 1 can only be installed on computers running the English, French, German, Japanese and Spanish versions of Windows Vista or computers running only those language packs.

This means if you are running a Language Pack that is not one of the 5 initial Language Packs you will not be able to install Windows Vista SP1 until the other Language Packs are released.

But not to worry - the Language Packs are on their way.  We will have more information on exactly when very shortly so stay tuned!

Hello IT Pros!

February 27 is a big day.  Windows Server 2008 will be officially launching in Los Angeles with Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, kicking off in just a few hours. 

In support of this very important technology milestone as well as the Windows Vista SP1 release, the Microsoft Solution Accelerators Team has just released the third-generation of the agent-less infrastructure assessment platform called Microsoft Assessment and Planning Solution Accelerator 3.0 (or simply MAP).  Through the use of remote WMI calls and secure inventory engines, the MAP tool enables you to quickly inventory a wide variety of networks (AD-managed, IP ranges, and workgroups), securely assess IT environments of servers, desktops, applications and devices, and auto-generate specific and actionable reports and proposal documents in a matter of hours.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE BLOG POST…

GO HERE TO DOWNLOAD MICROSOFT ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING (RTM BITS)

Thank you,

Baldwin Ng (Sr. Product Manager, Microsoft Assessment and Planning)

[Update 7 March 12:28pm PST]  in case you missed Mark at the live event, you can access the on-demand video by visiting http://ms.istreamplanet.com/events or via the Springboard Online site.  

On Wednesday March 5th, Microsoft Technical Fellow Mark Russinovich will be hosting a virtual roundtable session live over the Internet on Windows Vista Deployment and Adoption. Joining Mark on the panel for the roundtable will be independent industry experts and IT Professionals from organizations that have already deployed Windows Vista as well as Microsoft MVPs. This roundtable offers IT Professionals worldwide an opportunity to ask questions about deploying Windows Vista.

To attend the event, just visit http://ms.istreamplanet.com/events at 9:00am Pacific Time on March 5th. You will be able to ask your questions live during the event. You are also welcome to submit your questions in advance by sending them to vrtable@microsoft.com between now and when the event starts. The panel will be 60 minutes long and try to answer as many questions as possible within that timeframe. The event will also be available on-demand afterwards as well.

For additional guidance, resources, tools, and straight-talk articles to help address your Windows Vista adoption questions, visit the Springboard Series for Windows Vista.

• 
  
  Overall, Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP performed comparably on most test operations. Performance differences between the two operating systems were typically less than a half second. Significant differences of over a second occurred on only nine of 128 measures; Windows Vista SP1 led on eight of those.


• Windows Vista SP1 was noticeably more responsive after rebooting than Windows XP on several common business operations.


• Overall, Windows Vista SP1 was more responsive than Windows Vista on most comparisons. Performance differences between the two operating systems were typically less than a quarter second.

Principled Technologies also concluded the following when comparing home scenarios:

• Overall, Windows Vista SP1 and Windows XP performed comparably on most test operations. Differences were typically less than a half second.


• Windows Vista SP1 was noticeably more responsive after rebooting than Windows XP on several common home operations.


• Overall, Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Vista performed comparably on most test operations, with differences typically less than a half second.

To download a PDF of the two most recent reports, as well as the original ones from last year, go directly to the Principled Technologies website - http://www.principledtechnologies.com/Clients/Reports/Microsoft/microsoft.htm

Windows Media Center makes it really easy to watch TV on Windows Vista (Windows Vista Home Premium or Ultimate) with a built in Guide that lets you browse TV shows and movies and schedule recordings of your favorite ones. Many PCs today come with TV functionality built in via TV cards. But not all Windows Vista PCs come equipped with TV capability. Unlike a few years ago - adding TV functionality to your PC is very easy. Let me share my experience in adding TV functionality to one of my PCs.

AMD brings TV capability to your PC through their ATI TV Wonder products. Some of their products are PC cards that must be installed inside the actual PC - and others are USB devices that can simply be plugged in to a USB port. I picked up AMD’s ATI TV Wonder 600 USB TV tuner - which is Certified for Windows Vista. This small USB device lets you plug in a coaxial cable for TV capability or use an antenna for free over-the-air television - including over-the-air HDTV.

The ATI TV Wonder 600 USB has the following features:

• USB 2.0


• Hybrid TV Tuner Stick for:




• Over-the-air Digital TV / HDTV1 (ATSC)


• Over-the-air / Cable Analog TV (NTSC)


• Remote control


• Telescopic antenna to receive free-to-air TV channels


• Capture from VCRs, camcorders with the included audio/video input cable

I took some unboxing shots to share with you:

Setting up TV functionality in Windows Media Center is really easy. If you have not used Windows Media Center before, when you launch Windows Media Center for the first time it will take you through a series of steps to set everything up.

If you have used Windows Media Center before and already did Windows Media Center’s initial setup - to set up TV all you need to do is go to Settings and TV and click on “Set Up TV Signal”. Windows Media Center will take you through a series of screens with options to set up everything you need for watching TV.

Picking up the ATI TV Wonder 600 USB TV tuner allowed me to easily add TV functionality to my main desktop PC. I had TV functionality in a matter of just a few minutes. Since the ATI TV Wonder 600 is a USB device, I can pack the device up and take it with me and use it on my laptop as well.

Hauppauge also offers products for bringing TV onto your PC and Windows Media Center.

I plan to dive deeper in several upcoming posts in using Windows Media Center and TV functionality.

Back in September, Nick blogged about two new LifeCams from Microsoft Hardware: the VX-7000 and NX-3000. Recently, I’ve been looking for a new webcam. I already owned the VX-3000 - but I wanted something a little more powerful and higher quality.  And the VX-7000 is just that! I went ahead and picked one up last week and thought I’d share some notes on my experience with it so far.

First off, let me give you a brief introduction to the device. The VX-7000 is the top-of-the-line webcam in the VX series of LifeCams from Microsoft Hardware. The VX series LifeCams are designed for desktop PCs while the NX series LifeCams are designed for laptops. The VX-7000 is a Certified for Windows Vista device so it is designed to work great with Windows Vista. All LifeCams are optimized for Windows Live - specifically being used with Windows Live Messenger for video calls. The VX-7000 comes with a pretty slick set of specs (you can also read the specs here from the Microsoft Hardware site):

• 2.0 Megapixel Sensor for clear video


• Built-in Microphone designed to capture crystal clear audio


• Universal Attachment Base to fit on top and clamp on to most monitors


• Auto-Adjustment for Low Light Conditions


• 71 degree Wide-angle Lens


• High Definition 8 Megapixel still digital photographs

Both video and still photos are shot at 1600×1200 screen resolution which is really nice.

The VX-7000 (and all LifeCams) utilizes the Microsoft LifeCam client where you can take photos and videos using the camera. You can download the Microsoft LifeCam along with the drivers here.

But what the VX-7000 is perfect at, I found out, is doing video calls with contacts in Windows Live Messenger. I used Windows Live Messenger’s Audio and Video wizard (under the Tools menu) to set the audio and video up with the VX-7000. I then initiated a video call with a friend of mine and within seconds my friend could hear and see me via my VX-7000 webcam. And the quality was pretty good!

As I mentioned above, you can use the Microsoft LifeCam client to record photos and videos using the VX-7000 (or any LifeCam). And with Windows Live Photo Gallery - you can upload those photos you take to your Windows Live Space (or Flickr). Did you also know that with Windows Live Photo Gallery you can upload videos to MSN Soapbox as well?

I was able to take several videos I shot with the VX-7000 and use Windows Live Photo Gallery to upload them to MSN Soapbox.

Overall though I’ve been really impressed with the quality of the VX-7000 in general and it should certainly be looked at if you’re looking for a new webcam.