ac3 playback problem - help

[Cyberpro60]

Whilst not exactly a nOOb in this area I have run into a problem that I haven't been able to resolve and I am hoping somebody with more experience can help.

Basically, my system has suddenly stopped playing ac3 files!

I can only surmise that this resulted from a recent attempt to install and test a program called "digiTV". I certainly won't make that mistake ever again that's for sure!

I quickly realised that digiTV was a waste of time so I uninstalled it. Thereafter a host of problems surfaced [TV tuner drivers screwed, DVD's wouldn't play etc etc] [Be warned - don't go near DigiTV if you value your system!]

I have been able to resolve almost all of these problems by removing/reinstalling the relevant packages ... all except ac3 that is. Nothing I have done will induce my system to play ac3 files again!

I used Graphedit to check the connections.

For an MP3: [Plays fine]

1. MP3 Source File
2. MPEG-1 Stream Splitter
3. Elecard Audio Decoder
4. Default DirectSound Device

For an AC3: [No Sound]

1. AC3 Source File
2. AC3 Filter [Vigovsky AC3 filter v1.30b]
3. Default DirectSound Device

I am not sure what the graph for AC3 should show. I am also a little in the dark about all the options available in the AC3 filter too. There are lots of switches for "AC3" functions in this filter's controls but I have no idea what they do so I just left them alone.

Can somebody please point me in the right direction for fixing this problem?

[setarip_old]

Hi!Can somebody please point me in the right direction for fixing this problem?You might want to read the attendant "Help" files that are included in the "AC3 Filter" package...

[Cyberpro60]

Great idea but there is no documentation with this codec installation! The ac3 filter was installed as part of a K-Lite Codec installation set.

[setarip_old]

There is such documentation available from the author's website, as part of the download...

[Cyberpro60]

OK Been there done that .... downloaded and installed the latest version but still no sound!

Now do you actually have any practical suggetions for troubleshooting this problem [other than telling me to read a manual?]

[setarip_old]

other than telling me to read a manual?Have you?

[Cyberpro60]

What do you reckon old setarip?

[mr soft]

Hi

Do you have on board or a sound card ?



Have you tried a simple restore to a point when your system was ok .

Other options are uninstall the ac3 filter and install the ac3 1.1

http://www.doom9.org/Soft21/Filters/ac3filter_1_11.exe

Regards

[Cyberpro60]

Onboard Intel and no other sound card. Mr Soft.

And, yes, I did try a system restore .... this didn't work unfortunately. AC3 stopped working a day or so ago and I tried restopre back one week, two weeks but no luck.

I will try the 1.11 filter you recommended but can't see why this would be any different than 1.45b which is what I have installed now.

I will keep my fingers crossed and report results in any event.

[Cyberpro60]

I tried the earlier version you suggested but it made no difference but one thing I have discovered: If I play around with graphedit I can get a graf that now actually plays an AC3 file. The problem is how to transfer that arrangement outside of the graphedit environment.

[mr soft]

Hi

Ok heres what I would do.
uninstall k-lite and reinstall . Sometimes finds other broken codecs nd stuff . After that I would look in the start/prog/k-lite/tools/codec tweak. and play with that a little ,noteing what you have disabled or enabled .
If you have sound , your problem is all ac3 config.

If I play around with graphedit
Not sure what this is .
Good luck cause I´m runnin out of ideas.

[Cyberpro60]

I have tried that already but to no avail. Unfortunately I am running out of ideas too, hence why I posted here hoping some "guru" may offer an insight :)

[Cyberpro60]

Come on folks - I am getting pretty dispirited here!

surely amongst all these clever people who understand the ins and outs of developing/installing codecs there is somebody who can give me a suggestions for resolving this problem [short of reinstalling windows]?

Point of interest, if I run ProjectX, the ac3 stream produced is filled with silence. If I try to demux using Elecard XMuxer then ac3 encoded files do not even show up.

[kikatu]

This (http://fcchandler.home.comcast.net/AC3ACM) worked for a friend last year, hope it helps.

Notes from the Author:

If you've never installed the codec before, simply right-click on the
"AC3ACM.inf" file, and choose "Install" from the popup menu. I don't
think it's necessary to reboot, but it can't hurt. If you get a scary
warning that the codec has not passed "Windows Logo testing" (which
is quite true by the way), choose to "Continue Anyway."

To uninstall the codec, start Control Panel's "Add/Remove Programs"
dialog, select "AC-3 ACM Codec", and press the "Add/Remove" button.

If you have installed a previous version of the codec, I recommend you
uninstall the old version as described above, and reboot Windows before
installing this version. (It's probably not necessary to do all that,
but again, it can't hurt.)