[billykeys]

Thanks, that makes sense (except, why can Media Player do it! can actually switch the audio output on the fly, anyway...)
But I did actually find a solution -- In Windows control panel, I found a "Realtek HD Audio Manager", and if I turned on "Select Default Device", then went to Hoster, the audio stayed 'on the laptop' instead of going over the HDMI. This is all on a Toshiba Satellite A665 btw... So i think I'm all fixed - Thanks