The future of MPC-HC [Archive]

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clsid

17th July 2017, 20:32

During the release of 1.7.13 an announcement was made, that it might be the last official release due to a lack of developers. Since then, several people have contacted the project admin (XhmikosR) with the offer to help. So the project is still alive. Basic maintenance tasks (like updating external components such as LAV Filters) are covered. Ideally we would like to get some actual real development action going too. So we need new and more developers.

What we would like to have right now is a list of important bugs, so we have something tangible that (potential) newcomers can focus on.

We also want to make a list a feature requests for new functionality that could be added. Preferably things that are easy to implement!!!

Everyone please share your thoughts.

Please link to an existing Trac topic (if it exists) for bugs/requests:
https://trac.mpc-hc.org/report/1

clsid

17th July 2017, 20:34

THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS... just 1600 more Trac topics to process ... pfffffff

Maintenance tasks that you can help with

* Improve translations: Transifex (https://www.transifex.com/mpc-hc/mpc-hc/)
* Update external components: LAV Filters / MediaInfo / etc.
* Commit updated translations from Transifix
* Provide help to users on Trac (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/report/1?sort=created&asc=0&page=1). Also help confirm bugs.

Bugs (confirmed)

* Fix any DrDump crash report: 1.7.13 (https://drdump.com/AppVersion.aspx?AppVersionID=3953) / 1.7.11 (https://drdump.com/AppVersion.aspx?AppVersionID=3512) (XhmikosR should be able to provide access to dump files?)
* Automatic fullscreen doesn't work if an instance of MPC-HC is already running. #5993 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/5993)
* Crash report window may be inaccessible if MPC-HC is set to "always on top". #5474 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/5474)
* "Full Floating Point Processing" video renderer option doesn't work on some GPUs. Remove option? Possible to detect GPU/driver capability? #5495 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/5495) #5554 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/5554)
* command line switch /startpos does not work when opening movie in existing window. #990 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/990)
* Forwarding on a live stream breaks playback. #6187 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/6187)
* Subtitle timing should be adjusted based on playback rate. #6131 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/6131)

Bugs (unconfirmed)

* Player freeze when resuming from saved position for HEVC video file. #6113 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/6113)

Feature requests (easy)

* Command-line parameter for controlling volume. #5657 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/5657)
* A loop video option in "after playback" menu. #6048 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/6048)
* Let boss key minimize the player to system tray. #6036 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/6036)
* "Auto-load audio files" should abort on files that contain a video track. #30 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/30)
* Command line option for saving thumbnails. #639 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/639)
* Option to sort playlist in alphabetical order. #43 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/43)
* Add hotkeys for small/medium/large jumps that are relative to file duration. #273 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/273)
* Add hotkeys for increasing/decreasing subtitle font size. #297 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/297)
* Exit player after stopping playback when /close command line parameter was used. #386 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/386)
* More hotkeys for AR presets. #577 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/577)

Feature requests (other)

* A-B repeat. #500 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/500)
* Signal colorspace to EVR. #5790 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/5790) #62 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/62) (can be copied from MPC-BE?)
* Option to remember position in playlist. #5246 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/5246)
* Periodically update duration in case of growing files. #44 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/44)
* Embed (a few popular) toolbar image(s) and add option to choose one. #2491 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/2491)

Feature requests (difficult)

* Continue work on sanear audio renderer and update the version used by MPC-HC. sanaer (https://github.com/alexmarsev/sanear)
* Video preview on seekbar
* Ability to change window color. Dark theme. #205 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/205)
* Parse ASX files. #26 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/26)
* Ability to take snapshots of fully processed video. #46 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/46)

clsid

17th July 2017, 20:35

More reserved space

huhn

17th July 2017, 21:31

* Signal colorspace to EVR. #5790 (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/5790)

MPC-BE has "this" already with a basic HDR-SDR conversation too is the code so incompatible?

clsid

17th July 2017, 21:47

It might be easy to copy. I don't know. I am just making a list of things that can be done. I am currently going through 1800 topics on Trac.

The difficulty is in finding people that can and want to do things, not the difficulty of the tasks themselves.

mikhaelkh

17th July 2017, 21:51

View of the player is reset to default when you press the Esc key.
https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/6055

Can't choose source filter
https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/6054

Video doesn't launch in fullscreen when playback is initiated within the player via Ctrl+E(Reopen File) or Ctrl+Q(Quick Open File), etc. "Launch files in fullscreen" is on.
https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/5993

huhn

17th July 2017, 22:02

so i add a feature request that was planned anyway.

it's part of the internal audio renderer sanear: https://github.com/alexmarsev/sanear/issues/5

it's the reclock "thingy" i don't know if it was started and i don't know if anything of this exists but i'm pretty sure this will make power user happy.

i don't even know if sanear is seen as a part of MPC-HC now.

nevcairiel

17th July 2017, 22:03

Can't choose source filter
https://trac.mpc-hc.org/ticket/6054

Overriding source filters isn't as simple as you make it out to be. There is no way for a source filter to advertise which formats/protocols it supports, other then registering itself as the default system-wide.

So you can try to force using some source filter, but there is no way to know which formats it might accept, unlike video/audio decoders, where this is completely known ahead of time.

cork_OS

17th July 2017, 22:43

May I paste feature request in this thread?

huhn

17th July 2017, 23:25

they want to make a list of feature requests.
if it is not on the list already yes and if present link the source.

raymondjpg

18th July 2017, 07:18

ismail0100

18th July 2017, 11:47

Wrong place delete please.

wanezhiling

18th July 2017, 12:05

death struggle, meaningless, indeed..

clsid

18th July 2017, 13:23

Please add to Bug List:
Here https://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1752140#post1752140
and here https://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1803782&highlight=raymondjpg#post1803782
There is an unresolved Trac topic on this.
Only use the refreshrate changer of madvr and disable that functionality in your players.
I will only add bugs that have been reproduced or at least been reported by multiple users. It is nearly impossible for devs to fix something they can't reproduce, certainly the kind of bug you are having. So please try to find more people with same problem, gather system details (OS/GPU/driver/etc) and find something in common.

thrawnrulz68

19th July 2017, 04:38

Hey guys, how about supporting .xspf playlists/streams like MPC-BE?

burfadel

19th July 2017, 06:20

Hey guys, how about supporting .xspf playlists/streams like MPC-BE?

The projects should probably be remerged, I know there was probably some disagreement etc at the time but considering the situation now it makes sense to recombine the effort. As a far as UI is concerned, there a a couple of toolbar plugin designs which should be part of the actual player, for example toolbar_ZoNi_Farm-Fresh which looks great on the black MPC-BE.

clsid

19th July 2017, 12:39

A merge is totally unrealistic.

For feature requests, please create a new ticket on Trac (https://trac.mpc-hc.org/report/1?sort=created&asc=0&page=1). For things from MPC-BE, it would also be very helpful if you can link to the relevant commits in their code repository. The more info in the Trac ticket the better it is. This decreased the workload of a potential developer, which increases the chance that the task will be picked up by someone.

stax76

19th July 2017, 14:08

Why was it split in the first place? I've always preferred the black GUI before I gave it up in favor of mpv last month.

raymondjpg

21st July 2017, 00:01

Only use the refreshrate changer of madvr and disable that functionality in your players.

Naturally.

I will only add bugs that have been reproduced or at least been reported by multiple users. It is nearly impossible for devs to fix something they can't reproduce, certainly the kind of bug you are having. So please try to find more people with same problem, gather system details (OS/GPU/driver/etc) and find something in common.

That's fair enough, but I would challenge anyone to try versions 1.7.10 and 1.7.11 themselves with madVR refresh rate changing, and not encounter this issue.

Fortuitously the issue is not apparent in 1.7.13 64 bit at least, in both Windows 7 and Windows 10. I haven't tested 1.7.13 32 bit yet.

Regards

rock

21st July 2017, 14:08

Any possible chance for JanWillem32's work on internal video renderer merge into master branch in the future?

clsid

21st July 2017, 14:40

Only if he cuts up his changes in small chunks and adds new custom renderers instead of replacing current ones. Otherwise the risk of things breaking are too high. He doesn´t seems to want to do it this way, so chance is probably zero.

ShadyCrab

23rd July 2017, 09:07

Is there a chance that the sanear WASAPI audio renderer could support Windows Sonic/Dolby Atmos for headphones? It doesn't need to use the new API's, but as its designed the renderer won't actually output 5.1 or 7.1 to Windows if Sonic is enabled.

The reason for it is that sanear uses the GetMixFormat API, which will only output 2.0 if Sonic is selected. If it uses the IsFormatSupported API, Windows should report 7.1 if Sonic is enabled and output surround sound for Sonic to mix.

Here's an explanation from a MSFT employee

The output format will be stereo because Windows Sonic for Headphones and Dolby Atmos for headphones virtualize 7.1 speakers using an HRTF which outputs stereo. An HRTF positions sounds in a similar way as you would sound in the real world.
There are 2 WSASAPI APIs that a developer can use to determine what formats could be supported: IAudioClient::IsFormatSupported IAudioClient::GetMixFormat
IAudioClient::IsFormatSupported is the recommended API to determin what format to render. When Dolby Atmos for Headphones and Windows Sonic for headphones are enabled, most formats are supported.
IAudioClient::GetMixFormat returns what the device format is and will return stereo even when Dolby Atmos for Headphones or Windows Sonic for headphones is supported. So if a PC game/app uses this API, instead of the recommended one, it will unfortunately just send down stereo. We are looking at a clever way to better support these apps as well without eroding the true purpose and meaning of the IAudioClient::GetMixFormat API.
Windows Sonic for Headphones doesn't put stereo in the front. When the Windows Creators Update launched, Dolby Atmos for Headphones did out stereo in the FL and FR. That's also why FL and FR are not as pronounced there. We have an update for that in the pipeline.

chros

26th July 2017, 13:10

Is there a chance that the sanear WASAPI audio renderer ...
@clsid: the built-in internal audio renderer needs to be updated ASAP to the current master branch of sanear. That's the biggest bug that MPC-HC has for more than a year!
(You tried to compile it with it couple of months ago, and as I recall it it went fine. I use it as an external filter for more than a year and it's flawless.)

clsid

26th July 2017, 14:24

Sanear integration requires additional changes to get it to work properly with newer version. The current devs are all super busy, so help is needed/welcome.

chros

27th July 2017, 13:07

Sanear integration requires additional changes to get it to work properly with newer version. The current devs are all super busy, so help is needed/welcome.
No worries, I just wanted to put it in the log :)

holnap32

6th August 2017, 19:15

I just wanted to give a supportive comment. I really appreaciate that you are picking up the development of MPC-HC. This is by far my favourite player. I tried a lot VLC, MPC-BE, and many others, but in the end I always come back to MHC-HC.

Some features that I use a lot:
- Download subtitles from subtitle sites from the playing movie in the app itself (can this be done on VLC? I don't think so, I always have to go a web browser download, and load manually.)
- Easy to change subtitle and audio tracks (in MPC-BE it is still akward)
- Unified Remote Full on my Android phone to act as a remote control (doesn't exist for MPC-BE, it exists for VLC)

As for what features/bugs you develop: maybe make a wide table with scores on different criteria. Development time needed, complexity, urgency, usefullness, number of requests, etc. And from that table go for the low effort, high benefit development possibilities.

All in all, the feature I love the most in MPC-HC is how it handles subtitles. It's so convenient to press D, and select the subtitles file from the list, it's incredible.
My vote is to develop any features regarding subtitles, more sites, even more easier.

Then, if we could have a dedicated button for changing audio and subtitle tracks in Unified Remote on Android, that would be great, but probably for this I have to ask them directly.

Keep up the good work, and I'm looking forward to the next release! And a big thank you for keeping up the development!

clsid

7th August 2017, 15:10

Adding more subtitle sites is not possible because most sites do not provide an API for searching and downloading subtitles.

For remote control features you need to ask elsewhere.

ShadyCrab

9th August 2017, 14:54

I went ahead and made a pull request that allows sanear to support Windows Sonic/Dolby Atmos. Allows me to finally ditch the DirectSound/WaveOut renderers, and with the master branch it even supports enabling/disabling spatial sound during playback with live feedback.

https://github.com/alexmarsev/sanear/pull/19

I made a pull request here (https://github.com/mpc-hc/sanear/pull/1)as well for MPC-HC's fork.

It works for my stereo 24bit 44.1khz device, with surround sound output for surround content when Dolby Atmos is enabled, and stereo output when Dolby Atmos is disabled, stereo content is playing or if 'Exclusive mode' is enabled. The only thing I haven't tested is 'Exclusive mode' native surround output (such as a HDMI 7.1 output). Easy to test, just need to enable 'Exclusive mode' on a 5.1/7.1 native device and test that sanear plays and outputs 5.1/7.1

Also quick note, 'ignoreSystemChannelMixer' option should be set to false, else it will not output surround sound with Windows Sonic/Dolby Atmos.

chros

15th August 2017, 12:44

I just wanted to give a supportive comment. I really appreaciate that you are picking up the development of MPC-HC. This is by far my favourite player. I tried a lot VLC, MPC-BE, and many others, but in the end I always come back to MHC-HC.

...

- Easy to change subtitle and audio tracks (in MPC-BE it is still akward)
- Unified Remote Full on my Android phone to act as a remote control (doesn't exist for MPC-BE, it exists for VLC)
I just switched to MPC-BE. :)
For Android remote, the best is Remoti-co (I use it for about 4-5 years), I mentioned the modified version in mpc-hc main thread, search fort it. It also works with MPC-BE.

clsid

15th August 2017, 16:44

chros

10th September 2017, 11:26

The integrated Sanear in MPC-HC is currently missing some options compared to standalone version. Maybe you are interested in adding those to settings window in MPC-HC?
I just realized that Sanear got updated in recent nightly (v1.7.13.112), thank you all!
I created an issue half a year ago, I hope somebody (@kasper93) likes the idea (https://github.com/alexmarsev/sanear/issues/17).
Thanks!

khanmein

14th November 2017, 18:18

@chros v1.7.13.112 or .122?

chros

15th November 2017, 11:16

@chros v1.7.13.112 or .122?
Oops, 112, thanks.

khanmein

16th November 2017, 14:44

Oops, 112, thanks.

I thought they really released & I'm waiting for the next upcoming updates.

chros

17th November 2017, 20:34

I thought they really released & I'm waiting for the next upcoming updates.
I don't think that will be any major update soon, probably only including newer LAVfilters, but we can do this manually if we want.

YxP

17th November 2017, 21:07

khanmein, The "nightly" is rock solid. No reason to wait if you want to update.

khanmein

18th November 2017, 10:09

khanmein, The "nightly" is rock solid. No reason to wait if you want to update.

I always use nightly & never use the stable version at all.

flaviowolff

29th August 2021, 22:03

Hey all, sorry for bumping an old thread. Is there a fix or workaround to get MPC-HC to output surround sound for Spatial Audio API's (sonic, dts headphone x and atmos for headphones) to virtualize? Currently it only outputs stereo if any spatial audio is enabled. LAV Audio codec is set not to mix anything, of course.
Thanks