Please help - MP3 files now contain pops and clicks (1 Viewer)

[Tesla]

I’m not sure what section this goes in (Players, FFDShow, SAF5, etc.) all I know is I really need some help please.

All of a sudden, 100’s if not 1000’s of my normal MP3 (128kbps) files now play back with loud pops and clicks.

If I play them on another computer in Windows Media Player they sound fine. Also, more importantly, if I play them on the MediaPortal box from the Windows XP desktop with Windows MediaPlayer … they also sound fine. It’s only when they are played inside MediaPortal that is a problem.

Not all files do it. The ones that I have found so far that do it, the pops are almost always in the same place in the file (in seconds) in repeated playing as I try to fix and re-test.

Any ideas on how I should trouble shoot further?

The only thing I have changed recently is that I switched from:
Optical sound to Onkyo AVR
VGA directly to plasma
- to –
HDMI directly to the AVR ... MonoPrice 10ft 24awg HDMI
… but like I said … it works fine from Windows desktop. I have updated my Realtek and ATI drivers but the problem still exists. I also tried dropping back to 1360x768 (from 1080p that is now possible with HDMI) but that didn’t help either.


MediaPortal Version: 1.1.3 (DB = mySQL5)
MediaPortal Skin: StreamedMP-1.4.12.2620
Windows Version: XP Pro (SP3)
CPU Type: AMD Athlon-64 X2 4200+ (2.2 Ghz) Dual-Core
HDD: 4 x 1tb SATA (WD Black)
Memory: 2048mb (2 gb) dual-channel
Motherboard: Gigabyte MA78GM-US2H
Video Card: ATI Radeon 3200 IGP 256mb
Video Card Driver: CCC 10.7 (Driver 8.753)
Sound Card: Realtek HD (onboard ALC889A)
Sound Card AC3: S/PDIF - Optical out
Sound Card Driver: 5.10.0.6392
1. TV Card: Hauppauge WinTV HVR-1600 MCE 1183
1. TV Card Type: Analog/ATSC/FM (Hybrid)
1. TV Card Driver: 1.62.26028.0
2. TV Card: Nec DVD+/-RW-DL Burner
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 PowerDVD 9
MPEG2 Audio Codec: FFDShow
h.264 Video Codec: SAF 5.0
Satelite/CableTV Provider: TimeWarner
HTPC Case: Onkyo TX-sr607 7.2 HDMI AVR (630 watts)
Cooling: JBL Speakers - Infinity Sub
Power Supply: 400 watt
Remote: MCE (w/ eHome IR Rx)
TV: Epson 8350 projector & Panasonic 46" plasma
TV - HTPC Connection: RGB -> Plasma / SPDIF -> Amp.

 

[Tesla]

Well, I have found a temporary work-around.

I never could get the HDMI audio working properly inside MP, so I went back to SPDIF optical to the AVR. But instead of VGA directly to plasma, I used a DVI-to-HDMI adapter at the PC, and ran just the video over HDMI to the AVR.

The objective of this whole exercise was to get 1080p video and digital audio (and DD 5.1) directly to the AVR. This temp. solution accomplishes that.

It sure would have been nice to do it all over HDMI so I wouldn’t have to worry about potential lip-sync issues and to also be one step closer to being fully ready for future Blu-Ray rips. If anyone has any ideas about eventually getting the HDMI sound to work, I am still very interested.

 

[mm1352000]

Hi Tesla

So were/are you using the BASS player, or something like Pureaudio?
Does the audio for videos play fine through HDMI?

mm

 

[Tesla]

Hi Tesla

So were/are you using the BASS player, or something like Pureaudio?
Does the audio for videos play fine through HDMI?

mm

Yes, I am using the default "Bass Engine". Now that you ask, I see there is one called "Internal Dshow player" ... On all my installs, I have never had this problem or had to change the player. Am I suppose to be using this other one?

Overall, the audio for videos played ok (just like the audio for the MP3s did) but the occassional "pop" in the music files was a "deal breaker" for me and had to be corrected for this to be a viable solution. Some files did a pop/click 3 times in 20 seconds ... sounds like an old vinyl LP (if you remember those).

I also need an answer to this question:

If I do a simple install (MP 1.1.3 and SAF-5 w/ FFDShow) connected to an AVR via HDMI ...

How can normal 128k MP3's sound different from inside MP (they contain pops and clicks) compared to Windows Media Player 11 from the Windows XP desktop (they sound fine here)? Aren't they both using FFDShow to decode the audio?

 

[mm1352000]

Hi again Tesla

Yes, I am using the default "Bass Engine". Now that you ask, I see there is one called "Internal Dshow player" ... On all my installs, I have never had this problem or had to change the player. Am I suppose to be using this other one?

The BASS Engine uses internal libraries to decode the audio, whereas the DShow player uses the codec with the highest merit in the system that knows how to decode the format.

Some files did a pop/click 3 times in 20 seconds ... sounds like an old vinyl LP (if you remember those).

Heh, I'm not that old, but I know what you mean.

I also need an answer to this question:

If I do a simple install (MP 1.1.3 and SAF-5 w/ FFDShow) connected to an AVR via HDMI ...

How can normal 128k MP3's sound different from inside MP (they contain pops and clicks) compared to Windows Media Player 11 from the Windows XP desktop (they sound fine here)?

They're not the same at all. I'm pretty sure WMP uses the default codec with the highest merit (like the "DShow player" mode for MP).

Aren't they both using FFDShow to decode the audio?

No, not unless you use DShow player mode in MP and ensure that FFDShow has the highest merit of all codecs that can decode MP3s.

I think the issue here may be with the renderer or sample rate...