The news has been spreading around Internet that Asus recently revealed a new addition to its successful Xonar brand of sound cards.  The big differentiator for this release is that it boasts to be the marriage of high-definition audio and sound.

This HD combo card has HDMI 1.3a compatibility, supporting both PAPS and AACS content protection - this allows the combo card to seamlessly output uncompressed Blu-ray audio.  The HDAV1.3 supports 7.1 TrueHD, and DTS-HD Master audio as well utilizing it's HDMI port.

Although many previewers feel that ASUS should focus on the drivers for it's existing Xonar line, HTPC enthusiasts will be paying close attention to further details on this card the closer we get to its estimated July release to the market.

Asus has not released any information on possible pricing for the card.