calling all ac3filter users (1 Viewer)

iancalderban

Portal Pro
December 12, 2008
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TV-Server Version: 1.0.0.0 +djblu tswriter
MediaPortal Version: 1.0.0.0
MediaPortal Skin: blue3 wide
Windows Version: vista32 business sp1
CPU Type: amd x2 4850e
HDD: samsung 1Tb spinpoint
Memory: 4GB corsair
Motherboard: gigabyte ma78gm-s2h
Video Card: integrated ATI 780g, catalyst 8.12
Video Card Driver: ati 8.12
Sound Card: integrated realtek
Sound Card AC3: spdif coax
Sound Card Driver:
1. TV Card: blackgold 3450 6.0.0.39
1. TV Card Type: 2x dvb-t 2xdvb-s 2xanalogue
1. TV Card Driver: BG 6.0.0.39
2. TV Card:
2. TV Card Type:
2. TV Card Driver:
3. TV Card:
3. TV Card Type:
3. TV Card Driver:
4. TV Card:
4. TV Card Type:
4. TV Card Driver:
MPEG2 Video Codec: cyberlink pdvd 8
MPEG2 Audio Codec:
h.264 Video Codec: cyberlink pdvd 8
Satelite/CableTV Provider: astra 28.2e
HTPC Case: antec micro fusion
Cooling: shuriken cpu@PWM,nexus@7v hdd,sharkoon 1000 @12v case, external nexus @7v av bench airflow
Power Supply: antec 350
Remote: gyration
TV: pioneer krp-500a
TV - HTPC Connection: hdmi

I am trying to get volume control of DD 5.1 sources from WITHIN MEDIAPORTAL. For various reasons I don't want to adjust the volume on my AV receiver. Having installed AC3filter audio codec and configured it to decode AC3 , process it, then re-encode to 5.1, I am able to alter the output level of DD 5.1 sound. Along with other clever stuff like alter lip-sync delay. I However - the only way I can do this is to go into the ac3filter control panel and alter the Gain slider (for volume control). mediaportal's application volume control has no effect, neither does the systemvolume control . Only the ac3filter control panel gain slider works. have tried setting AC3filter both as my audio codec , and as a post-processing filter in mediaportal.

Did anyone crack how to get this working optimally with mediaportal?

Also, I have a collection of WMV files with WMA-HD audio (which should be 5.1). Currently, MP outputs these are 2.0 stereo. The receiver of course, can't decode WMA-HD. I'd really like to decode these to 5.1 channels inside the htpc, then output as 5.1 DD to the reciever. Did anyone figure this out with AC3filter and MP?

ta,
Ian
 

Paranoid Delusion

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  • June 13, 2005
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    Have you seen the amount of posts regarding ac3filter problems with channel changing\stuttering\sync issues, personally would use the equivalent in ffdshows audio config, which there are no reported problems with.
     

    iancalderban

    Portal Pro
    December 12, 2008
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    Have you seen the amount of posts regarding ac3filter problems with channel changing\stuttering\sync issues, personally would use the equivalent in ffdshows audio config, which there are no reported problems with.

    thanks ray. not tried ffdshow. I assume from your suggestion that it can do some of what I'm talking about?
    cheers,
    Ian
     

    Paranoid Delusion

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    It's about the most configurable audio setup out there.

    The only thing i would recommend is under the audio config\codec section, change MP1\MP2 to libavcodec, otherwise you cannot listen to radio channels like Radio5L.

    I use this in conjunction to the MPC video codecs found in the SAF thread and the PowerDVD mpeg2 codec and navigator (clvsd.ax and clnav.ax if you just want to register filters extracted ftom Powerdvd7\8)
     

    Owlsroost

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    I don't think there is any way to adjust the volume setting *within* FFDShow other than via the systray pop-up - the audio side of FFDShow doesn't have remote API support.

    You could create a set of profiles with different volume settings and then set it up to auto-switch between them according to movie file name/no. of channels/filter names etc

    Tony
     

    iancalderban

    Portal Pro
    December 12, 2008
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    Well I thought I would reply to my own thread with the (well at least a) solution.

    It makes use of the fact that my sound card (onboard realtek, ATI 780G mobo) has DTS interactive, and my 5.1 receiver can handle DTS. Didn't even know what the DTS interactive thing on the PC did before this. I had to do some testing with MP in windowed mode and the ac3filter panel open next to it, to monitor what was happening and play with the options.

    Here are the steps

    MP config:
    - set AC3filter as the audio codec in all relevant bits of mediaportal config (Videos, TV, DVD)
    - also set the WMV 5.1 audio option in video player config

    AC3 filter config :
    - Disable use spdif . set output as 3/2 SW 5.1 channels . disable all spdif passthough.
    Also in SPDIF tab, I disabled use AC3 encoder.Not sure if thats needed
    output format of ac3filter should show as PCM16 3/2.1 (5.1)

    Windows control-panel Sound config - set default output format to DTS interactive

    In this configuration, the way I think its working is this:

    mediaportal passes everything (except WMV 5.1) to AC3filter. Ac3filter decodes/transcodes all to 5.1 PCM, including stereo upmix if so desired. Ac3filter passes it to the sound card (ok, mobo chip) which encodes it to DTS 5.1 (the DTS interactive thing). DTS5.1 passes over SPDIF interface to my receiver and voila. WMV HD audio seems to work too, but without AC3filter kicking in - seems that windows is decoding it somehow to 5.1pcm and then the DTS interactive is doing the same job. I have listened to WMV-HD audio's with rear channel information, and its definately in the right place.

    I now have volume control over all sources that I have tried so far from within mediaportal with this configuration. I don't need to play with gain in AC3filter. I have used the lipsync though (my setup seems to need about 50msec sound delay).

    I have tested , surround 5.1 appears to work correctly in all the following (where it exists):
    - DVD (video TS ripped folder) with DD 5.1 sound
    - Recorded HDTV (BBCHD with D5.1 and DD2.0 sound)
    - recorder SDTV (Pal TV with mpeg2 sound)
    - MKV with DD 5.1 sound (downloaded movie)
    - M2TS with DD5.1 sound (sony avc-hd camcorder files)
    - WMV-HD with WMA-HD 5.1 sound (sony vegas render of camcorder files into movie)

    Another benefit is that the output mode of the SPDIF on my PC, now never changes from DTS .
    So I no longer get the annoying click , followed by loss of a couple seconds of audio whilst it figures out the new format, that my reciever would get hit with, when the pc was changing output modes between DD5.1, DD2.0 and plain stereo.

    For a purist audiophile, some might complain about the decode-recode steps that are occuring. But for htpc convenience, I think its pretty good. Just listened to the audio on the shootout in the lift lobby in The Matrix - I think the surround decode is working close enough to a pure DD 5.1 pass through, that the other benefits outway any slight loss.

    sofa sogood..

    Ian
     

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