ffdshow tryouts project: Discussion & Development

[Revgen]

Seems like they are saying that Dolby Digital Decoding will be present in all Windows Operating systems. The reference decoder will ship with Windows 7.

Therefor Windows 7 users may not even need FFDShow for EAC3 decoding.

[Mercury_22]

Originally Posted by Revgen

Seems like they are saying that Dolby Digital Decoding will be present in all Windows Operating systems. The reference decoder will ship with Windows 7.

Therefor Windows 7 users may not even need FFDShow for EAC3 decoding.

Yes if your player it's using Media Foundation

[albain]

So far I have no answer from Microsoft on bitstream
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/For...9-7a9b97ae7357

About revision 3056, a few details :

• About the new audio structure : this new audio structure supported only on windows 7 (maybe on vista in the future) is supposed to bring bitstream of compressed format to the HDMI/SPDIF output, supposing that your HT system will support the decoding of these formats. This will be useful especially for DTS-HD decoding (no open source decoder exists yet), and for other formats where HT systems sometimes decode better.
• Better SPDIF support : currently there are several source filters that are not up to date and for example tell FFDShow the stream is DolbyDigital when this TrueHD or EAC3... So the codec change and the output format may change too. In this case the output filter (audio renderer) may not be compatible. So a verification has been added before changing the output format, and if not compatible, decode internally

Today some commercial filters are able even on xp/vista to bitstream compressed formats to the HDMI output : totalmedia theatre sends TrueHD/DTSHD directly to the HDMI 1.3 output, requiring a asus xonar, but this requirement is only to ensure the protected audio path, otherwise technically it is possible to do it on any HDMI output.
So either this feature is brought by the OS and can be implemented into ffdshow, or else a new audio renderer will be required I guess and/or a new audio driver

[Octo-puss]

I came along somewhat interesting discussion. A dude said "why would I use FFDShow when MPC-HC plays everything for me?". Well, what would you tell him?

[DarkZell666]

Originally Posted by Octo-puss

I came along somewhat interesting discussion. A dude said "why would I use FFDShow when MPC-HC plays everything for me?". Well, what would you tell him?

If he's happy with MPC-HC, leave him alone, unless you know ffdshow-tryouts offers extra functionnalities he might want, without breaking MPC-HC's.

[Mercury_22]

Originally Posted by Octo-puss

I came along somewhat interesting discussion. A dude said "why would I use FFDShow when MPC-HC plays everything for me?". Well, what would you tell him?

On a windows 7 system if MPC-HC will replace ffmpeg with ffmpeg-mt (for the non-DXVA files) and will add independent volume for each channel I'll say the same thing, cause for me Winows 7's (DXVA) filters are better then FFDShow's or MPC-HC'S

[albain]

Originally Posted by Mercury_22

On a windows 7 system if MPC-HC will replace ffmpeg with ffmpeg-mt (for the non-DXVA files) and will add independent volume for each channel I'll say the same thing, cause for me Winows 7's (DXVA) filters are better then FFDShow's or MPC-HC'S

I disagree, I find DXVA decoding (sometimes) less good than software decoding (for example coreavc without cuda or some software mpeg2 decoders).

[Snowknight26]

Would it be possible to have the option 'Show current volume levels' actually show them when Volume is not checked?

[ohmy]

Hi!

I'm a longtime ffdshow and MPC user, and still use ffdshow, although MPC-HC can play almost anything now just like ffdshow. But the subtitle feature is much better in ffdshow with its heuristic search and additional options.

Lately I noticed something. Some movies need volume normalising because of their loud explosions and almost silent voices. I used ffdshow for this, but it didn't help much. It is changing the volume, but only slightly. Voices still low, Explosions high. Regain volume was checked/unchecked, max. amplification changed.

Than I tried MPC-HC normalise option and Wow, it did exactly what I wanted. Everything was normalised at the instant I checked the normalise option. Voices were audible, and explosions went down to the same level. The movie became watchable without constantly changing the volume on the remote.

Is it possible to make an MPC-HC like normalisation? Maybe as a new option at the Volume tab.

[clsid]

Originally Posted by Snowknight26

Would it be possible to have the option 'Show current volume levels' actually show them when Volume is not checked?

That would waste CPU cycle for everyone that never looks there.
At default settings, Volume should not alter the sound, so enable it when you want to see the volume levels.

[clsid]

@ohmy
You probably have wrong speaker settings in ffdshow. Enable the 'Mixer' and set the correct amount of speakers.

[ohmy]

Originally Posted by clsid

@ohmy
You probably have wrong speaker settings in ffdshow. Enable the 'Mixer' and set the correct amount of speakers.

I have 2 speakers. Mixer is enabled, and set to stereo.
MPC-HC and ffdshow normalisation still don't behave the same.

[Snowknight26]

Originally Posted by clsid

That would waste CPU cycle for everyone that never looks there.
At default settings, Volume should not alter the sound, so enable it when you want to see the volume levels.

In the end though, it's just an extra step to do that as it would be the user's choice to have it checked.

[ohmy]

Here's a sample file for my volume normalization problem. It's a fake trailer to an upcoming movie grabbed from youtube:

http://rapidshare.com/files/269547376/safa.mp4.html

I modified the first half of it, so the sound is very quiet (20%), and in the second half it changes back to normal. (100%)
The sound change is at 0:54


While MPC-HC makes the volume level equal and sounds good, ffdshow seems to do almost nothing

[Octo-puss]

Originally Posted by Mercury_22

On a windows 7 system if MPC-HC will replace ffmpeg with ffmpeg-mt (for the non-DXVA files) and will add independent volume for each channel I'll say the same thing, cause for me Winows 7's (DXVA) filters are better then FFDShow's or MPC-HC'S

That's interesting. But how do I force MPC-HC to use Windows' filters rather the builtin ones?

[clsid]

@Octo-puss
Simply disable the internal ones in MPC-HC. Options -> Internal Filters.

@ohmy
For me volume normalization works pretty good when using ffdshow. I don't recall any others who have troubles with it. Are you sure ffdshow is being used and not any of the internal decoder of MPC-HC?

[ohmy]

@clsid
I'm sure, it's not MPC-HC-s internal decoder. All the transform filters are unchecked, and the audio is also unchecked. If it is checked, the normalization is working

The ffdshow audio icon is present while playing the file. The volume option is checked, and looking at the volume levels, it shows, that the first half is quieter, than the second half.
In ffdshow audio the following are checked: normalize, regain volume. Master volume is set to 100%. Max. amplification set to 400%.

And normalization is working, but it's not as strong as MPC-HC's. With only ffdshow there is an obvious volume change at 0:54. With MPC-HC, it can't be heard.


OK, I tried with GOM player using FFdshow. It is doing the same thing. The sound gets much better, when I click GOM player's normalize option.

ffdshow is at rev. 3054

[Leak]

Originally Posted by clsid

@ohmy
For me volume normalization works pretty good when using ffdshow. I don't recall any others who have troubles with it. Are you sure ffdshow is being used and not any of the internal decoder of MPC-HC?

Errr... (I guess that was the last time normalization came up here...)

np: Billy Bragg - M For Me (Mr. Love & Justice (Solo Version))

[ikarad]

I have a problem with ffdshow 64 and mpc-hc 64. If I use deband filter, I have desynchronisation of video and sound.
With 32 bits version, I have no problem.

I use ffdshow 64 3054

[Leak]

Originally Posted by ikarad

I have a problem with ffdshow 64 and mpc-hc 64. If I use deband filter, I have desynchronisation of video and sound.
With 32 bits version, I have no problem.

Check the CPU usage. I'm pretty sure the 64 bit version of ffdshow uses pure C code for deband, so it's simply running out of CPU power...

np: Moonbeam - You Can Hear Them (100)