Graph fails with Renderer: Directsound: Speakers (Realtek) (1 Viewer)

doveman

Portal Pro
February 12, 2008
2,326
178
Home Country
United Kingdom United Kingdom
MediaPortal Version: v1.2.1
MediaPortal Skin: StreamedMP
Windows Version: Win7 Ult 64
CPU Type: Athlon II X4 630
HDD: 2TB Samsung F4
Memory: 4GB DDR2 1066Mhz
Motherboard: Biostar TA790GXBE
Video Card: HD6950 2GB
Video Card Driver: 11.8
Sound Card: onboard Realtek AC97 (ALC662)
Sound Card AC3: no AC3
Sound Card Driver: 6.01.6410
1. TV Card: Hauppauge Nova-T 500
1. TV Card Type: DVB-T
1. TV Card Driver: 4.3.27240
MPEG2 Video Codec: Cyberlink PDVD11
MPEG2 Audio Codec: ffdshow
h.264 Video Codec: ffdshow
Satelite/CableTV Provider:
HTPC Case: Custom
Cooling: Scythe 120mm Bottom Intake Fan, Stock CPU HSF
Power Supply: OCZ StealthStream 400W
Remote: Nova-T 500
TV: Sony XBR800 36"
TV - HTPC Connection: DVI

If I set the TV Audio Renderer to Default Directsound Device or Speakers (Realtek), it works fine but if I set it to Directsound: Speakers (Realtek), the graph is missing ffdshow and there is no audio connection. This seems doubly strange as my Default Directsound Device IS Directsound: Speakers (Realtek), so there shouldn't be any difference.

Sometimes this results in MP hanging on the EPG (even though the logs and Graphstudio show that the media is playing) requiring me to kill MP (see first logs) and other times I get picture but no sound (see second logs).





 

tourettes

Retired Team Member
  • Premium Supporter
  • January 7, 2005
    17,301
    4,800
    First try disabling all 3rd party plugins - especially the audio renderer changer. And 2nd try to build such graph in GraphEdit.
     

    doveman

    Portal Pro
    February 12, 2008
    2,326
    178
    Home Country
    United Kingdom United Kingdom
    First try disabling all 3rd party plugins - especially the audio renderer changer. And 2nd try to build such graph in GraphEdit.

    I'm fairly sure ARC was disabled when doing the above tests. I changed the Renderer manually from MP config.

    I'll run MP in debug mode though (to disable all plugins).

    I'm not really sure how to build a graph in GraphEdit, particularly an MP one, but perhaps I can try rendering a TV recording with the troublesome renderer.

    EDIT: OK, running in debug mode had the same effect and MP locked up when trying to start TV and Graphstudio showed the renderer wasn't connected.

    I also tried to Render Media a .ts recording and was unable to join ffdshow audio output to the Directsound: Speakers (Realtek) renderer.
     

    tourettes

    Retired Team Member
  • Premium Supporter
  • January 7, 2005
    17,301
    4,800
    I also tried to Render Media a .ts recording and was unable to join ffdshow audio output to the Directsound: Speakers (Realtek) renderer.

    In that case it is not related to the MediaPortal. Audio renderer just wont accept the format that ffdshow is trying to negotiate. Try playing around the ffdshow audio decoder's output settings.

    Is there a need why you would want to use that specific audio renderer? Usually the MS DirectSound audio renderer is the best choise what to use. Those HW specific renderer's tend to be buggy in some cases.
     

    mm1352000

    Retired Team Member
  • Premium Supporter
  • September 1, 2008
    21,577
    8,224
    Home Country
    New Zealand New Zealand
    tourettes: I did suspect the same (commented to doveman earlier here). I am curious though. Theoretically the default renderer is using the same HW device. Is the default render able to extend or truncate bit depths and perform resampling if necessary to allow connection - is that why it is able to connect when the specific renderer refuses the connection from FFDShow?

    mm
     

    tourettes

    Retired Team Member
  • Premium Supporter
  • January 7, 2005
    17,301
    4,800
    @tourettes: I did suspect the same (commented to doveman earlier here). I am curious though. Theoretically the default renderer is using the same HW device. Is the default render able to extend or truncate bit depths and perform resampling if necessary to allow connection - is that why it is able to connect when the specific renderer refuses the connection from FFDShow?

    Default renderer accepts any formats and then it will resample those to suitable ones. Specific HW renderer's are usually more limited what they accept.
     

    doveman

    Portal Pro
    February 12, 2008
    2,326
    178
    Home Country
    United Kingdom United Kingdom
    @tourettes: I did suspect the same (commented to doveman earlier here). I am curious though. Theoretically the default renderer is using the same HW device. Is the default render able to extend or truncate bit depths and perform resampling if necessary to allow connection - is that why it is able to connect when the specific renderer refuses the connection from FFDShow?

    Default renderer accepts any formats and then it will resample those to suitable ones. Specific HW renderer's are usually more limited what they accept.

    It's all rather confusing, as Speakers (Realtek) is set as the Default Device in Windows, and one would think that Default Directsound Device would just be a shortcut/link to whatever device is set as default in Windows. There's also a Default Waveout Device option, and similarly one would just think that this is a shortcut to whatever device is set as default in Windows, so that the default device can be changed from one place (Windows settings) and this is applied to all applications, rather than having to change the output device in every individual application.



    I tried setting ffdshow to resample to 44khz (the recordings are 48khz) but that didn't work any better:



    I find it rather peculiar that the non-DirectSound renderer (Speakers (Realtek)) has no problems with the material but the DS renderer (Directsound: Speakers (Realtek)) does. Are these two completely separate components, so that there could be a bug in the latter which causes it not to work whilst the former is fine?

    What do you think the Directsound: Speakers (Realtek) renderer is unable to cope with in the stream shown above? I can't imagine either the sample rate (44khz or 48khz) or number of channels (2) or bits (16) can be the problem, as then I don't think this renderer would work with any games (not that I've tested by setting this renderer in game, but I find it hard to imagine that Realtek would release a driver that didn't work with any games).

    I've tested in Graphstudio with MPC-MPA Decoder and LAV Audio decoder and neither of those would connect either, so it's not just that ffdshow's output is incompatible.

    Is there a need why you would want to use that specific audio renderer? Usually the MS DirectSound audio renderer is the best choise what to use

    The main reason I was trying is because I wanted to use ARC to switch ffdshow settings and it didn't seem to work 'switching' between the same renderer, so I thought I'd try switching to this, which I thought was really just the same renderer but that the name difference might satisfy ARC.

    However, I can imagine situations where the user might want to set MP to use Directsound: Speakers (Realtek) as then they would be able to change the Default device from Windows settings and thereby change the output for all programs/games set to use Default Directsound Device, whilst leaving MP set to always output on the specified device.
     

    doveman

    Portal Pro
    February 12, 2008
    2,326
    178
    Home Country
    United Kingdom United Kingdom
    Just to update, this is working with my new motherboard. Of course there could be something about the driver that's been improved, as I installed the latest one when building my new system. I'm not sure which version of ffdshow I was using before, but it's tryouts rev3871 at the moment.

    https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/...enderer-changer-82337/index12.html#post819441

    I'll test this on my old motherboard when I get a chance and see if it works on that now as well.
     

    Users who are viewing this thread

    Top Bottom