I'm running 8.0.392 on a hot new GAteway with Windows XP Pro, a combo DVD/CD player/burner drive, a Soundblaster Audigy, and a Boston 4-speaker + subwoofer system. I also just got for a birthday present a new Boz Scaggs CD (?), "Dig," in a special 2-disc edition. It includes an "enhanced" CD AND a DVD disc -- and no explanatory printed material of any kind. I have two problem areas, and some general confusion:
1. The "enhanced" CD plays badly with MJ -- lots of high-frequency snap, crackle, pop -- mainly in the left-front, and mainly at the beginnings of songs. It plays fine through WinAmp, though. xI've disabled all DSP effects; problem still there, but not as prominent; the equalizer seems to be the biggest source. BTW: the "enhancemente" seems to be a music video that is available if one has the right player.
2. The DVD disc --this seems to be a DVD-audio disc, not a DVD per se, but it's not clear. At any rate, it doesn't play in MJ 8.0.392 at all, and by default fires up Windows Media Player. Are there any alternatives here?
3. I'm rather confused about format. This machine has 4 small speakers and a sub-woofer. One of these discs (the DVD?) has 5.1 audio available. How does that relate? When I'm playing a stereo source, what's coming out of the surround (back) speakers? What software/component is producing that? Also, where in this system does it get changed from enhanced stereo music (like all of mine so far) to something that uses the four speakers discretely (would that be called 4.1 ?), if one in fact had a 4+ channel source (as I perhaps have with this DVD disc)?
I WOULD KISS THE FEET OF ANYONE WHO CAN EXPLAIN ANY OF THIS.
Also: I tried MJ (or was it MC?) 9 at one point, but it was quite unstable on my system, and I went back to 8.0x. Would 9 address the DVD-audio problem?