MP2 - V2.3 Difference between using specific audio renderer versus "Default WaveOut Device"? (1 Viewer)

[Digsy]

Hi. I recently upgraded my home cinema AVR which also meant changed from sending audio from my HTPC as 5.1 using optical to 7.1 using HDMI. The AVR (DENON) is available in the list of audio renderers so naturally I selected that but it caused a side effect:

When I listen to music using MP, I turn my TV off. For reasons best known to Denon, when I turn the TV off, it causes the AVR to temporarily drop out and this was causing MP to stop play back (as in actually stop, as if I had pressed the stop button). After a lot of experimentation and a thread on AVForums, I discovered that MP was the only media app which was so affected. I changed MP to use the "Default WaveOut Device" (which is set in Windows as the Denon AVR) and now I can play audio with the screen off.

I also noticed that when selecting the DENON AVR as the audio renderer I needed to dial in a 50ms audio delay, but when it is set to Default WaveOut Device, no audio delay is needed (although this seems to vary slightly depending on the source media, file, or app).

So, could someone explain how the various options for selecting the audio renderer work, and why in this case changing the setting might result in different behaviour, especially for the audio delay?



Thanks!

 

[CyberSimian]

when I turn the TV off, it causes the AVR to temporarily drop out and this was causing MP to stop play back (as in actually stop, as if I had pressed the stop button).

There is a setting in MP that controls this:



In recent releases, this setting is not enabled. But in earlier releases it was enabled. If you have performed successive upgrade installs, you may find that this setting is still enabled. If you disable this setting, you may be able to revert to the original way that you wanted to setup your equipment.

when selecting the DENON AVR as the audio renderer I needed to dial in a 50ms audio delay, but when it is set to Default WaveOut Device, no audio delay is needed

The optimal audio delay will depend on the devices in use, so there is no single right answer. You should adjust the audio delay so that the synchronisation between audio and video is satisfactory on your system. There is a setting in "MP Config" to set the default audio delay, but you can vary that whilst video is playing. Press the INFO button on the remote, and you can access the audio delay menu from there. However...

When I tried this, I found it quite difficult to achieve a good result. You can notice that the speech synchronisation is poor, but it is difficult to decide whether the audio delay should be increased or decreased. Also, the optimal delay may vary from channel to channel. In the UK, the optimal delay for the HD channels may well be different from the optimal delay for SD channels. Your TV knows all about this, so can insert the correct delay according to SD or HD, which is why you rarely notice poor synchronisation when using the TV's audio output.

I have never used multichannel sound (where multi > 2), so cannot advise on the use of specific audio renderers.

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

 

[Digsy]

There is a setting in MP that controls this:

How do I open this dialogue? I don't seem to have a shortcut to it.

If you disable this setting, you may be able to revert to the original way that you wanted to setup your equipment.

It's not actually "how I wanted to setup my equipment". I am perfectly happy to stay with Default WaveOut Device, but this post was more to understand the differences between using that and specifically selecting DENON AVR as the renderer (as the Denon is the default device, the sound will end up at the same hardware anyway, and using Default WaveOut Device seems to have other benefits, too (i.e. less need for audio delay tuning).

When I tried this, I found it quite difficult to achieve a good result. You can notice that the speech synchronisation is poor, but it is difficult to decide whether the audio delay should be increased or decreased. Also, the optimal delay may vary from channel to channel. In the UK, the optimal delay for the HD channels may well be different from the optimal delay for SD channels. Your TV knows all about this, so can insert the correct delay according to SD or HD, which is why you rarely notice poor synchronisation when using the TV's audio output.

I experienced the same thing. The Denon only allows you to delay the audio, but like you I sometimes felt that it was the video that needed to be delayed. With my old AVR I used to run video directly to the screen (bypassing the AVR) using HDMI, and then audio went from the HTPC to the AVR by optical and I never noticed any audio delay at all regardless of the source media, app, or file type. My new AVR is a lot more capable but also seems to be a lot more temperamental.

If you can tell me how to access the MP config then maybe I will have a play with this as well.

 

[CyberSimian]

If you can tell me how to access the MP config then maybe I will have a play with this as well.

The setting in "MP Config" is here:



Although this setting is in the "Video" section, it does apply to TV too, and is remembered across restarts of the MP client. On the panel you define the size of the audio delay increment or decrement that you use when playing video. To adjust the audio delay in the MP client:



On the "Info" pop-up (left), select the audio icon (red box), and then the audio-delay slider appears (right), and you can increase or decrease the delay using the LEFT and RIGHT buttons on the remote control.

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

 

[Digsy]

The setting in "MP Config" is here:

Sorry. I should have been more clear. I don't know how to launch MP Config at all. Is this somehow launched from within MP or is it a stand alone app like TV Configuration?

 

[CyberSimian]

I don't know how to launch MP Config at all. Is this somehow launched from within MP or is it a stand alone app like TV Configuration?

Sorry, it's my fault -- I did not notice that you are using MP2.

MP1 has a separate configuration utility, similar to "TV Server Config". I have tried MP2 only a couple of times, and have never used it seriously. I don't know what MP2 supports with regard to adjusting audio delay, but I do know that all of the adjustments of settings are done within the MP2 client panels -- there is no separate configuration utility.

-- from CyberSimian in the UK