October 2000

Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 and DTT3500 Early Impressions
15 October 2000 - Clarence

3DsoundSurge has early impressions of the Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 and the Cambridge SoundWorks DTT3500. It has some interesting revelations that the digital minijack output has 3 modes: analog center/subwoofer output, 4.0 output and 5.1 output. Also mentioned is that Dolby Digital decoding is done in software, not the EMU10K1. The drivers will capture the Dolby Digital output from a software player (like PowerDVD and WinDVD) which is set to use the SBLive!'s S/PDIF output for sound output.

Live!Ware 3 for Windows Me
15 October 2000 - Clarence

Finally, Creative has a slightly modified Live!Ware 3 release that works well in Windows Me. You can download it from here. Thanks to Alan Norbut, Darren Maggs and Mik Charlton for the tipoff!

New Product Details
8 October 2000 - Clarence

Following the announcement of the Asia products, Creative has issued a press release for the Americas. The models available are Sound Blaster Live! Platinum 5.1, Sound Blaster Live! MP3+ 5.1 and Sound Blaster Live! X-Gamer 5.1. Daily Radar takes a look at the Platinum 5.1, DTT2200 and DTT3500.

In addition, it seems that the minijack digital output has not been totally ditched after all. Check out our Coming Soon article for more information. I've also added a new FAQ section to the article.

Gateway WDM Drivers
8 October 2000 - Clarence

I've updated the drivers section with news of Gateway's SBLive! WDM drivers for Windows 98, Windows 2000, and Windows Me. These drivers only provide basic functionality and are not official.

Sound Control Plus 1.80
8 October 2000 - Clarence

Really Effective Software sends news of the latest update to their popular sound utility. It includes several new features and bug fixes. Check out our download section for more information and download links.

Purchasing Program with HP for Ford Employees
8 October 2000 - Clarence

Creative has partnered with HP to offer Ford Employees with Cambridge SoundWorks Digital speakers. Check out the press release for more details!

New Poll: Will You Get A Sound Blaster Live! 5.1?
1 October 2000 - Clarence

I've just updated the polls! Do let us know what you think of the new Sound Blasters. Will you upgrade from the current 4-channel versions, or do you think its just a minor improvement that isn't worth the trouble? If you have any comments to air on any issue, the wish list is the place to do it!

Poll Results: Live!Ware 3 for Windows 2000
1 October 2000 - Clarence

The poll results are out! 43% of you thought that the drivers added little or nothing new, while the rest of the majority felt a moderate improvement. 9% of you thought it was great. I think this says much about the jump from Live!Ware 1 for Windows 2000 to Live!Ware 3 - nothing very significant has changed. Let's hope the upcoming Live!Ware 4 has something more to offer.