Sblive! vs. Sblive 5.1

[blubomber]

From what i understand, the 5.1 is to comply with the new Dolby surround sound standard.
I do think that it is a hardware upgrade. If you look at the newer theater speaker systems, you should notice the 5.1 Dolby standard on those too.

[phecky]

The 5.1 adds a true center channel for those so inclined. The digital line out can serve as a center channel if center speaker is detected and setup. I think that's about all the hardware upgrading they've done.

[jpheg]

Is the 5.1 version just another software upgrade for the sblive, or has Creative actually upgraded the hardware of the card to include AC-3 decoding? I'd like to know whether this is true, as we've all seen Creative "upgrades" from Sblive Value! to the X-gamer and MP3+ versions. Just extra software included with the same card.

ok, some asthetical differences, like the gold-plated connectors do exist, I admit.