Combining PowerDVD 7's Audio Decoder and Microsot's MPEG-2 Video Decoder

[Nielo TM]

Hey guys

I am stuck having to choose between smooth motion and audio quality, so I need your help trying to get the best of both worlds.

As most of you're aware Microsoft Vista's MPEG-2 Decoder is THE best on the market. The picture quality is absolutely superb and it doesn't judder, stutter or silently drop frames. In fact, the stability of its motion is equivalent to a dedicated hardware MPEG-2 decoder. Too bad I can't say the same for other software decoders (you know who you're are).


However, the Microsoft's audio decoder is very basic, and it doesn't even support DTS. Also, the dynamic range of Dolby Digital is compressed (dull in other words).


CyberLink's PowerDVD on the other hand is the exact opposite. Its DD and DTS audio decoders are amazing, but the MPEG-2 video decoder sucks (like the rest).


So is there a way to use Vista's MPEG-2 decoder with CyberLink's DD/DTS decoder? There must be a registry hack or an alternative to Zoom player???

[ranpha]

If you are using MPC-HC, just add Cyberlink Audio Decoder (PDVD8) in External Filters section and set it to prefer and you should be set.

http://yuc7yg.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pL0k6ihYdKHeWoxweqXXuWDKSs24J7ES2Ci-LTfMWwHTsDk71ubodT_HAUcKRUqrzGrpCj_Z_9Ao/cyberlink_powerdvd.jpg

[Nielo TM]

thanks for the excellent reply

I managed to get working, but CyberLink is decoding the video and MS is decoding the audio.


I can't seem to change it.


Could you mind telling me how you've managed to get it working?:thanks:

[ranpha]

Well, if MPC-HC still loads Microsoft audio decoder, add it to External Filters section and block it. If you have ffdshow audio decoder, block it too. For me, just adding Cyberlink Audio Decoder to External Filter and set it to Prefer largely do the work. Block Cyberlink decoder if you want to use Microsoft video decoder.

[Nielo TM]

thanks

but now, the audio switched to AC3 Audio Render. But the vide render is Microsoft

[Dark Shikari]

As most of you're aware Microsoft Vista's MPEG-2 Decoder is THE best on the market. The picture quality is absolutely superb and it doesn't judder, stutter or silently drop frames. In fact, the stability of its motion is equivalent to a dedicated hardware MPEG-2 decoder. Too bad I can't say the same for other software decoders (you know who you're are).Wait, what?

"Picture quality" solely depends on the level of iDCT mismatch between the decoder and encoder (and the decoder has no way of knowing which iDCT to pick that matches the encoder best, so its a crapshoot).

I don't see why any other decoder would "drop frames" or anything of the sort unless you specifically instructed it to do so. And I highly doubt that Microsoft's implementation outperforms libmpeg2 or libavcodec's, at least not without actual benchmarks. Then again, MPEG-2 decoding is so fast these days that there's really no difference between any decoder implementation in my experience as long as it works...

[ranpha]

Disable the AC3 decoder in the Internal Filter section so that the AC3 Audio decoder will not be loaded.

edit: I now know why you have problems loading the Cyberlink audio decoder, and it is because you use Windows Vista.

Make a shortcut to your MPC-HC executable, then at its properties, make sure that it will be started in Windows XP SP2 compatibility mode.

Then do everything I wrote above and voila!

http://pix.nofrag.com/6/e/4/cc8870da84265ea8bd71c05532583tt.jpg (http://pix.nofrag.com/6/e/4/cc8870da84265ea8bd71c05532583.html)

[Nielo TM]

yes, yes yes!!!

It worked:thanks:

No stutter, judder or jump of any kind. The video playback is ultra-smooth, and the audio is very dynamic.

I waited 4 years for a perfect app, and now, can't believe I finally have it, thanks/



There is one more favor I have to ask. In there a site I can download the PowerDVD 7 audio decoder?


edit: nm, it's ok

[Nielo TM]

to make this truly perfect,

I have to find a way to embed CyberLinks's audio decoder into MS's WMP (x86) as the primary audio decoder for DVDs.


I wish we have option this option for Windows Vista. It would make my quest a lot easier

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=DE1491AC-0AB6-4990-943D-627E6ADE9FCB&displaylang=en