New Audio features The integration of its Media Center with its premier operating system allows Microsoft to bundle several home-theater features such the ability to fine-tune your speakers (even built-in laptop speakers). These audio features can be accessed directly from the control panel.
Room Correction is a Windows Vista audio feature that determines the sweet spot for positioning standalone speakers, whether for a home theater or just for music listening at your desk. The Vista wizard requires a microphone and individual speakers, and optimizes your audio experience by calculating a combination of delay, frequency response, and gain adjustments for a specific location in the room, such as the seat of your desk. Microsoft says its technology is different than that bundled with high-end receivers because its technology reproduces the sound the way the human ear hears it.
Another feature, Loudness Equalization, balances the loud and soft sounds. Many high-end televisions already ship with this feature, but Media Center is designed to run audio from a PC and draw upon many audio sources, not only television. Meanwhile, the Windows Vista Loudness Equalization wizard provides a consistent volume level across many different audio files or sources.
Other Windows Vista audio features include bass management, Speaker Fill (which converts two-channel sound into multichannel sound), Headphone Virtualization, and advanced voice communication for VoIP.
Once you've adjusted the levels for your PC, Windows Vista Media Center allows you to stream FM or Internet radio. With built-in search and additional device extenders, you can add stored music from another Windows PC on your home network.
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