If you’re an HTPC enthusiast, getting HD sound out of your PC can pose a bit of a challenge. S/PDIF is pretty standard now but what if you want to get the best quality sound to your home theater setup?
Auzentech recently announced that they will begin shipping the X-Fi Home Theater HD at the end of July for consumers.
The X-Fi Home Theater HD is the result of cooperation between several companies that include Auzentech, Creative Labs, Cyberlink, and Silicon Image.
From the Auzentech website:
The Auzen X-Fi HomeTheater HD accepts video from either an internal or external connection, mixes it
with digital audio, and outputs the combined video and lossless multichannel audio via a single HDMI™ 1.3 port. The Auzen X-Fi HomeTheater HD has been designed around the latest Creative PCI Express X-Fi audio processor. For home theater enthusiasts, the processor includes HDMI 1.3 support and features Dolby Digital and DTS encoding for a single-cable connection to home theater systems. For gamers, the card leverages the power of the PCI Express-optimized X-Fi processor to deliver accelerated audio for improved game performance, with ultra-realistic EAX 5.0 effects and 3D positional audio.
Enjoy Blu-ray in its full glory! The Auzen X-Fi™ HomeTheater HD is the first and only industry-supported native-PCI Express soundcard offering uncompressed audio supporting 24p True Cinema output. By delivering crystal-clear all-digital audio and video via a single HDMI connection, the Auzen X-Fi™ HomeTheater HD dramatically simplifies cabling and provides the highest-quality home theater experience. In compliance with HDCP and AACS, the Auzen X-Fi™ HomeTheater HD can play Blu-ray Audio with no downsampling, and play High bit-rate Audio such as Dolby® TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio bitstream without altering the original sound.
“We are excited to officially announce shipment dates of the X-Fi™ HomeTheater HD sound card," said Stephane Bae, president of Auzentech, Inc. "We appreciate the patience of all our customers, distributors, and dealers who have waited anxiously for this sound card."
It looks like HTPC enthusiasts who want the best sound quality possible will have at least one option soon. There was no word in the press release about pricing but hopefully it’ll be low enough to make it a worthy addition to your HTPC.