So I have been wanting to try capturing AC-3 thru SPDIF for some time now. Few cards capable of this, none in-stock locally.

So I splurged $100.00 on myself for Christmas, on a hi-quality card for this purpose. Which shall remain nameless as I don't think the company was at fault.

Due to other issues, the card was not opened or installed till well after the normal 90-day return period, though the box was lost. Of COURSE the flipping box and manual are gone. MULTIPLE expletives deleted.

Now this card has a total of TEN (10) inputs and outputs, of which only ONE (1) had any interest at all for me. The SPDIF in. After installation in two different PC's, multiple cable reroutings to different equipment for testing and confirmation of signal, (each of which required crawling under the TV table and moving Amp, DVD Player, and Satellite box) and two calls to tech support, just take a wild freaking guess at which NINE (9) of the friggin' connectors do actually work, and which ONE (1) does NOT.

It has now replaced my Voodoo3 card on the Shelf of Shame, the Voodoo3 card replacing my 4-port 10baseT Ethernet card, which replaced my 16-bit IDE caching controller, which replaced my VL-bus Video card, which replaced my MFM caching controller, which replaced my first sound card from some company I can't remember, the big ones before Sound Blaster, card was purchased so I could hear the difference between machine-gun and cannon fire for Battle of Britain.

Sometimes I just hate computers.