AC3Filter (2 Viewers)

[burken]

I tried VMPlayer today and it enables me convert stereo WAV files to 4-channel surround-sound which is sent to my amplifier as AC3 with the help of AC3Filter. Finally I get Dolby Pro-Logic II Music-like encoding even though my amplifier doesn't support Dolby Pro-Logic II. Very nice, thanks a lot!

I tried to do the same thing with MP3 but it doesn't work. For WAV files I get a systray icon for AC3Filter but not for MP3. I tried directly in Windows Media Player and it is the same, works with WAV but not with MP3. Is this a limitation in AC3Filter?

I am also a little bit confused about all the different players, plugins, codecs etc in MediaPortal and I wonder if someone could explain the basic concepts:
How come a plugin like VMPlayer is needed to use AC3Filter? Is AC3Filter bypassed by the normal audio player (BASS Engine?) in MediaPortal?
Is it possible to dictate which applications should use AC3Filter or does AC3Filter decide itself?

burken

 

[Symphy]

I tried to do the same thing with MP3 but it doesn't work. For WAV files I get a systray icon for AC3Filter but not for MP3. I tried directly in Windows Media Player and it is the same, works with WAV but not with MP3. Is this a limitation in AC3Filter?

Looks like it. AC3Filter is primarly designed for use with video/dvd playback, not for music. Maybe the ac3filter forum can help with this one.

How come a plugin like VMPlayer is needed to use AC3Filter?

AC3Filter is a DirectShow filter. That means it is only used by players that use the DirectX framework to open and process files. Windows Media Player is such a player, and therefor The WMPlayer plugin too.

Is AC3Filter bypassed by the normal audio player (BASS Engine?) in MediaPortal?

Yep it is, because it doesn't use DirectX to open and process files.

Is it possible to dictate which applications should use AC3Filter or does AC3Filter decide itself?

AC3Filter more or less decides, in cooperation with the DirectX framework. It cannot be dictated from the outside world.

The perfect player would combine all the DirectX possibilities with the possibilities provided by BASS, but technically that's very hard, if not impossible to achieve.

 

[Krazz]

The perfect player would combine all the DirectX possibilities with the possibilities provided by BASS, but technically that's very hard, if not impossible to achieve.

Isn't that what we have accomplished now that we have the WMPlayer?

Most everything is played by BASS engine, the rest by WMPlayer.

 

[burken]

I tried to do the same thing with MP3 but it doesn't work. For WAV files I get a systray icon for AC3Filter but not for MP3. I tried directly in Windows Media Player and it is the same, works with WAV but not with MP3. Is this a limitation in AC3Filter?

Looks like it. AC3Filter is primarly designed for use with video/dvd playback, not for music. Maybe the ac3filter forum can help with this one.
...

Thanks a lot for your answer. I think I understand the concepts better now. I managed to download a DirectShow filter for FLAC so I can play FLAC files with VMPlayer/AC3Filter converted to Dolby Pro-Logic II Music-like surround sound and that is nice. I guess if I find a DirectShow MP3 filter I would be able to play MP3 files also. I haven't found any such filter yet but I guess there is one.

It would be nice to have some kind of remote control setting if music files should be decoded by VMPlayer/AC3Filter or not. Normally I prefer to play music bit-perfect with PureAudio but for some music it is nice to have surround sound and as it is now it is a bit complicated to change mode.

burken

 

[Symphy]

Isn't that what we have accomplished now that we have the WMPlayer?

Most everything is played by BASS engine, the rest by WMPlayer.

More or less, but it isn't all fully integrated. And for non-technical ppl a hassle to set it all up.

 

[pilehave]

Hi, I was just wondering:

I have an SPDIF connection to my Denon amp that has a "direct" mode. This means that a stereo signal is played as a stereo signal, and a DTS/AC3 is played as 5.1. This works like a charm with CD/MP3/Flac/whatever (stereo) and DVD/BD/MKV with DTS or AC3. The amp doesn't support the sexy new BD-audio formats, but I'm happy with just 5.1.

Where my setup fails, is when I watch live/recorded TV, as we only have stereo-signal (with Dolby Prologic in the stream) in either MP2 or HE-AAC. What I would like to do is to upmix this to 5.1 (either DTS or AC3).

I have succesfully done this with ReClock, but unfortunately this delays the picture (audio is ~200 - 400 ms ahead of picture).

Can WMPlayer (or AC3Filter) help me?

PS: I COULD just turn the knob on the amp to get Dolby Pro Logic (II) but that = low WAF.

 

[Owlsroost]

AC3Filter and FFDshow can both do up-mixing and encoding to AC3. If you need to use another filter to decode HE-ACC e.g. Monogram, then set up AC3Filter/FFDshow to handle 'raw' (PCM) audio formats and add the filter in the 'post-processing' section in MP config.

I use FFDShow for everything because it can automatically switch processing presets based on channel count, filters loaded etc (so it can do different things for TV compared to DVD, for example). I use 5.1 analog output because it's less hassle and avoids re-encoding into AC3. For example, I run a 4-speaker system so my FFDshow presets automatically upmix stereo to 4 channels and downmix 5.1/7.1 to 4 channels.

Tony

 

[pilehave]

AC3Filter and FFDshow can both do up-mixing and encoding to AC3. If you need to use another filter to decode HE-ACC e.g. Monogram, then set up AC3Filter/FFDshow to handle 'raw' (PCM) audio formats and add the filter in the 'post-processing' section in MP config.

I use FFDShow for everything because it can automatically switch processing presets based on channel count, filters loaded etc (so it can do different things for TV compared to DVD, for example). I use 5.1 analog output because it's less hassle and avoids re-encoding into AC3. For example, I run a 4-speaker system so my FFDshow presets automatically upmix stereo to 4 channels and downmix 5.1/7.1 to 4 channels.

Tony

I have not been able to find out how to upmix/encode to AC3 in FFDShow, but would of course prefer this

And yes, I would like to play both AAC and MP2 -> FFDShow -> some kind of 5.1.

My AMP does have 5.1 analog input, but we're talking about an onboard audio-chip - guess the digi-out is less noisy.

Thank you so far

 

[Owlsroost]

I have not been able to find out how to upmix/encode to AC3 in FFDShow, but would of course prefer this

A few screen grabs and a 2ch to 4ch upmix FFDhow preset attached.

If you want to create a custom upmix setup, tick the 'Custom Matrix' box and put numbers in the boxes - it's input channels across the top, output channels down the side, and all of the non-zero signals on a row are summed to that output channel. Just enter negative numbers to invert the phase of the signal e.g. to do L-R/R-L to feed 'ambience' to the rear outputs - see the 'FFDshow_TV_2ch-4ch_mixer.jpg'.

Tony

 

[pilehave]

Great, gotta have a testrun when I get back home