Audiophile-Grade Playback
Most media players ruin audio quality by allowing the operating system to resample everything to a shared format (usually 48kHz/16-bit). UMedia is designed to bypass the OS mixer and deliver bits perfectly to your DAC or Receiver.
The Windows Mixer Problem
By default, Windows uses a limiter and a low-quality resampler so multiple applications (a movie, Discord, a system chime) can play audio simultaneously. If you play a 192kHz FLAC track through standard DirectSound, Windows degrades it before it ever reaches your hardware.
The WASAPI Exclusive Solution
UMedia utilizes WASAPI Exclusive Mode (on Windows) or CoreAudio hog mode (on macOS) to take absolute control of the audio device. This locks out other sounds but ensures perfect sample rate switching and bit-perfect delivery.
Supported Spatial Audio
For home theater setups, UMedia supports bitstreaming (passthrough) of complex spatial formats directly over HDMI to your AV Receiver.
| Format | Decoding (PCM) | Passthrough (HDMI) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dolby TrueHD (Atmos) | Yes (7.1 Base) | Yes (Full Atmos) | Atmos metadata requires passthrough. |
| DTS-HD MA / DTS:X | Yes (7.1 Base) | Yes (Full DTS:X) | Requires capable receiver. |
| Dolby Digital Plus (E-AC3) | Yes | Yes | Often contains streaming Atmos. |
| LPCM (Uncompressed) | Yes | Yes (up to 7.1) | HDMI eARC required for >2.0. |