Matt -
Many thanks for the reply. I must declare ignorance on this subject, so please bear with me. I followed the instructions here
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htforum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=190009 that tell how to get bit-perfect playback using a $23 Chaintech card, ASIO4ALL, and J River MC. You see, I'm a bit of an audiophile and although the convenience of having my entire CD collection readily accessible on an HTPC is wonderful, it will mean nothing to me if I am not getting bit-perfect playback.
When I go to the 'advanced' tab on the ASIO setting in MC I only have the ASIO4ALL option, so I suppose the AVIA drivers I'm using do not directly support ASIO, hence the need for ASIO4ALL. Please correct me if I have it all wrong.
Another interesting thing - if I go backwards a song (while in the middle of any song) then I can go forwards for multiple songs and it works. Eventually it hiccups again, though, and I loose sound. Another Pause/Play cycle restores it again. It sure seems like a buffer issue.
Next steps? I am excited about this whole media PC thing (and I've invested in a dedicated HTPC and have already ripped half of my 800 CDs to .ape in secure mode) so I sure hope I can get this working.
Thanks,
Jake