New Matroska Packs released

[Nibor]

Finally the new Matroska Packs are released!
They install all the filters which are useful for playback of Matroska files... :)

The new packs completely replace "Matroska Playback Pack" and "Matroska MP4 Pack" which are outdated.
These new packs will be updated regularly.

For now you can get them from this link, but they will be added to the Matroska Download page:
http://packs.matroska.org

There are 3 packs which can be combined with each other.
This means you can install two packs in the same directory (for example 'Matroska Pack') and there's one uninstaller for both.

So, let's see which components the packs exactly contain:
(bold components are pack-specific, non-bold are standard and in every pack)

Matroska Pack MPEG4 v1.0.0:
- MatroskaSplitter v1.0.1.9
- MatroskaMuxer v1.0.0.7
- VSFilter v2.30
- MMSwitch v0.99 (modified Matroska Edition)
- CoreAAC v1.0b8
- CoreVorbis v1.0b5
- MatrixMixer v0.30b
- ffdshow alpha 2003-05-23

Matroska Pack RealMedia v1.0.0:
- MatroskaSplitter v1.0.1.9
- MatroskaMuxer v1.0.0.7
- VSFilter v2.30
- MMSwitch v0.99 (modified Matroska Edition)
- CoreVorbis v1.0b5
- MatrixMixer v0.30b
- RealMediaSplitter v1.0.0.7

Matroska Pack Full v1.0.0:
- MatroskaSplitter v1.0.1.9
- MatroskaMuxer v1.0.0.7
- VSFilter v2.30
- MMSwitch v0.99 (modified Matroska Edition)
- CoreAAC v1.0b8
- CoreVorbis v1.0b5
- AC3Filter 0.70b
- MatrixMixer v0.30b
- ffdshow alpha 2003-05-23
- RealMediaSplitter v1.0.0.7


If you have any suggestions, comments or wishes just let me know and we'll see :)

Cheers!
.:: Nibor ::.

[ssjkakaroto]

thx a lot for these packs Nibor :)
would it be possible for you to put a txt file on your page with links for the filters individually?

tia

[Sirber]

Hi

Could you add MPC and a MP3 filter? Thx!!! :D

[Tuning]

Can this pack include all components of Matroska prop 2.3?

Thanks.

[Atamido]

Everyone should be aware that AC3Filter 0.70b can have some issues with AC3 SPDIF passthrough. If you install it and AC3 is no longer passed through to your receiver, then just downgrade to 0.68b.

[cweb]

I've been using Matroska since the beginning.
With this latest pack, I don't have ogg vorbis sound somehow...
What could be the problem?
Do I need to reboot after installation? (I haven't tried this)

[Atamido]

I don't have any problems with it. Check in the properties of the filter to make sure the latest filter was properly registered. If it is the latest version, try this Vorbis 5.1 Audio Test (http://www.jkfanclub.com:81/vorbis5.1-small.mka)(83KB). I had to check "16 bits decoding" in the filter properties to hear all of the channels, but it works fine for me.

[bond]

great, i already updated the FAQ :)

[Hiro2k]

Why are you using such an old build of ffdshow alpha? In the Xvid forum they have a large thread about ffdshow development. Here's the thread http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=48511
The newer versions since then have improved alot of playback bugs concerning Xvid.

The newest version of FFdshow is found on the 19 page of that thread.

[Assault]

@ Hiro2k

I think in the newer ffdshow builds the overlay mixer doesn't work properly. You need the overlay mixer for anamorphic encodes. Otherwise ffdshow won't resize your video automatically during playback.

Assault

[Nibor]

Originally posted by ssjkakaroto
would it be possible for you to put a txt file on your page with links for the filters individually?
What do you mean, something like this?
"CoreVorbis: http://corevorbis.corecodec.org"

Originally posted by Sirber
Could you add MPC and a MP3 filter?
MPC = Media Player Classic or MPC = MusePack? :)
As for the MP3 filter, is it really needed? I mean isn't there one included in windows already?

Originally posted by Tuning
Can this pack include all components of Matroska prop 2.3?
Hmmm, you know, the packs contain components which are all DirectShow Filters for playback of Matroska Files and MatroskaProp isn't!
Also it has already its own installer.
What do others think about it?

Originally posted by bond
great, i already updated the FAQ
Thank you :D

Originally posted by Hiro2k
Why are you using such an old build of ffdshow alpha? ...
Yes, I know that there are newer builds.
But they're not on the SourceForge page for reasons, Assault mentioned one!
A new version will be included as soon as it's 'stable' again...


Thanks for your feedback guys!
.:: Nibor ::.

[Droppo]

Originally posted by cweb
I've been using Matroska since the beginning.
With this latest pack, I don't have ogg vorbis sound somehow...
What could be the problem?

I have the same problem... I used" OggDS0995" and it worked, now I installed the one included in the pack and I don't have sound...

can you explain to me this?

Thnxs

Droppo.-

[Atamido]

Originally posted by Droppo
I have the same problem... I used" OggDS0995" and it worked, now I installed the one included in the pack and I don't have sound...
Did you try playing to Vorbis file linked above?

[Sirber]

Originally posted by Nibor
MPC = Media Player Classic or MPC = MusePack? :)
As for the MP3 filter, is it really needed? I mean isn't there one included in windows already?MPC = Media Player Classic, and about MP3, you might be right :)

[K-Dash]

Nice, keep it up! :D

[[Toff]]

About vorbis playback, can you guys (Droppo, cweb) give more details.
Here's the things you can try:
Try to unregister CoreVorbis to see if playback works with the OggDS decoder : regsvr32 /u CoreVorbis.ax
Re-register CoreVorbis using : regsvr32 CoreVorbis.ax
Use 16bits decoding : Check the checkbox in the propertie page.

You can also provide a sample to see if others have problems with this particular file.

[Nibor]

@Sirber

I tested it and it seems that at least WinXP includes a MP3 DSF!
(No, I didn't set up a fresh WinXP just to check that ;), had already installed it on an older PC...)

Adding Media Player Classic to the pack? Hmm, I don't think that I will do this..
Both versions would have to be included and that makes the pack at least 1 MB bigger!
Another point is that the components can be used on every DirectShow player. MPC has many of the components built in, which then would make the filters obsolete in this case... Do you know what I mean?
(It's not that I don't like MPC, I love it, it's my favourite player! (thanks to Gabest :D))

[ssjkakaroto]

Originally posted by Nibor
[B]What do you mean, something like this?
"CoreVorbis: http://corevorbis.corecodec.org" yes exactly :)

[Sirber]

@Nibor

VSFilter makes producer to fail to encode AVI files. I had very hard time with it (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=65300).

[edit]

The only thing to change to get it ok is to remove "overlay mixer" by default. vsfilter is OK and MMS also.

[ermannob]

Hi.
I just landed on Matroska world, and I'm very pleased about big possibilities of this container (I'm testing it with XviD and HE-ACC, 6ch on a single cd rip!).

Matroska packs are very good and complete, but I think they are too complete for playback only. :)

I would like to suggest to release a lighter edition of packs, to be put on cd with movie. In particular I'd remove ffdshow (if the movie is compressed with XviD, Xvid-dec.exe is enough, and it is only 150KB), VSfilter (I don't use subtitles in movies), MatroskaMuxer (is it necessary for playback?).

This is only my suggestion, and it's based on my wishes. I understand that not everybody could share my opinion.

What do you think?

-ermanno

[Sirber]

What's great with ffdshow is that it supports very well multiple codecs and filtering. If you want a custom pack, you can always build one based on your needs :)

[cweb]

Originally posted by Droppo
I have the same problem... I used" OggDS0995" and it worked, now I installed the one included in the pack and I don't have sound...

can you explain to me this?

Thnxs

Droppo.-

I don't use that one - I use CoreVorbis for vorbis audio in mkv files...

[Nibor]

@ssjkakaroto
Ok, your wish is my command :D. It's almost ready!

@Sirber
So it's only possible to use Producer when 'use overlay mixer' is disabled? Hmm, that's not good.
I've enabled it because ffdshow does the automatical resize of anamorphic encodes with this switch :/
Maybe I'll remove this in the next packs, but I'm not sure about this yet!
Wait, I could add this option to the 'ffdshow - enabled codecs' in the installer. Yes, that will do :).. Ok?

@ermannob
Hello and welcome to the Matroska experience :p
I also thought about creating a 'Lite' pack.
But which components should be included that's the big question...
For the audio filters and ffdshow installers already exist, so they could be put on CD separately if needed...
So the 'lite' pack could probably contain:
- MatroskaSplitter
- VSFilter
- MMSwitch
That would result in an installer size of 1.1 MB which is acceptable to put on CD...

@cweb
So you used CoreVorbis already before you installed the pack and it worked?
Was it the same version as in the pack or an older one?
Did you try to uninstall the pack and install it again?
Reboot shouldn't be necessary, but who knows!

[Sirber]

Originally posted by Nibor @Sirber
So it's only possible to use Producer when 'use overlay mixer' is disabled? Hmm, that's not good.
I've enabled it because ffdshow does the automatical resize of anamorphic encodes with this switch :/
Maybe I'll remove this in the next packs, but I'm not sure about this yet!
Wait, I could add this option to the 'ffdshow - enabled codecs' in the installer. Yes, that will do :).. Ok?[/B]Yes, could be cool :) Enablerd or disabled by default?

[Nibor]

Originally posted by Sirber
Yes, could be cool :) Enablerd or disabled by default?
Enabled, with comment like 'If you use Producer, turn this option off'!
Or I could detect if Producer is installed and set the default according wether it is or not!
Could you tell me a registry key from which I could detect that?
The uninstall key would be ok, you can find it in:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\<Name of Producer>

[Sirber]

on my comp I have at least 4 producer installation :) Let it enabled by default with a warning. It suits me at 100% :D

[Nibor]

@Sirber
Done (in the next versions). Thanks for pointing that out Sirber!

[ermannob]

Originally posted by Sirber
What's great with ffdshow is that it supports very well multiple codecs and filtering. If you want a custom pack, you can always build one based on your needs :)

It's not a bad idea, I started to practice with NSIS. (hey, how do you register the filters with the script editor? do you use batch file? thanx!:) )

[Nibor]

@ermannob

No, there's a command called 'RegDLL' and the opposite 'UnRegDLL'..
I can recommend the NSIS Documentation (http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Docs/). Also have a look at the samples (especially for the Modern_UI :))!

Cheers!
P.S.: PM will follow soon..

[Sirber]

NSIS looks cool, I'll have to try it :D

[Defiler]

Just thought I'd mention that I now also support the latest Matroska filters and whatnot in the DefilerPak (http://hellninjacommando.com/defilerpak), though I haven't passed CoreAAC through my Windows 9x acceptance testing yet. (Storing Unicode and non-Unicode versions of everything is such a hassle. When will 9x die?) Thanks for all the hard work from everyone involved in Matroska. I love it.

[Nibor]

@all
As soon as possible, there will be a new release of the packs:
- new version of VSFilter 2.31
- remove the TimeManager which isn't needed anymore -> smaller!
- Matroska Pack Full includes CoreFLAC
- up to date to new NSIS version
- :)

@ssjkakaroto
So, finally I made a list of the contents!
http://packs.matroska.org

Cheers!
.: Nibor :.

[DKDIB]

Nibor wrote:
> - remove the TimeManager which isn't needed anymore ->
> smaller!

Great! :D
... but why? :confused:

[ChristianHJW]

Originally posted by DKDIB
> - remove the TimeManager which isn't needed anymore ->
... but why? :confused: .... that was my fault, i decided to include DaveEL's timestamp manager filter into the distro to prepare the systems of the users for future native MPEG4 playback with current ffdshow, but i forgot that this was only necessary for the old mkxds.dll , Gabest's matroskasplitter filter has the timestamp handling already built in and doesnt need that, so we can safely remove it from the packs.

BTW, no need to uninstall timestamp manager, its using very special MEDIATYPE for connection and wont do your system any harm, so it can safely remain on there ....

[Tuning]

Originally posted by Pamel
Everyone should be aware that AC3Filter 0.70b can have some issues with AC3 SPDIF passthrough. If you install it and AC3 is no longer passed through to your receiver, then just downgrade to 0.68b.

Hi Nibor,

What do you think on Pamel's post. Are you going to include 0.70 or 0.68 version ac3filter ?

[DKDIB]

Christian wrote:
> [...] Gabest's matroskasplitter filter has the timestamp
> handling already built in and doesnt need that [...]

Thanks for the explanation! ^__^

[mfluder]

@Nibor
I don't know if you are aware of this but starting November 25 nightly NSIS builds include a new compression algo, lzma (7-zip - which is known as one of the best compressors out there) which improves compression up to 30%. I'm using it for my own pack that I give to people when giving them my rips. For example when using bzip2 compression the size of the pack was 1042K and now with lzma it's 700K. I'd say that's a really nice improvement. You should consider using it for your new Matroska packs ;)

mfluder

[Nibor]

@DKDIB
Like ChristianHJW said :)

@Tuning
Hmmm...
I could include both versions until a new comes out which fixes the problem. Or simply stick to the older version...
Does anybody know if the problem is also present in 0.69b?

@mfluder
Thank you for the good hint!
I did notice that there was a new compression algo in the development versions, but I didn't know that it's the algo which 7-zip uses!
Wow, 30%, what an improvement!! :)
Is this feature already stable / safe (enough) to use?

[DAvenger]

Originally posted by Nibor
Is this feature already stable / safe (enough) to use?

I wanted to test the new compression option but it freezes here :( Maybe you'll be more lucky.

[Atamido]

You could just have all of the files in a Matroska file and use the built in compression options. Then you would just.... oh wait...

[Nibor]

Originally posted by Pamel
You could just have all of the files in a Matroska file and use the built in compression options. Then you would just.... oh wait...
Seems like we finally found something you can't do with Matroska :p ;)

[mfluder]

Originally posted by Nibor
@mfluder
Thank you for the good hint!
I did notice that there was a new compression algo in the development versions, but I didn't know that it's the algo which 7-zip uses!
Wow, 30%, what an improvement!! :)
Is this feature already stable / safe (enough) to use?
From my limited testing, it's very stable. I haven't had any problems so far. I didn't get any freezes that DAvenger mentioned though I use a very simple script and I use a plain old NSIS look, not the Modern one. I think you won't have any problems with it but hey, everything is possible.

Let us know if it works and how much compression you gain.

mfluder

[Nibor]

:eek: I just did a test with the LZMA compression and here are the results:

bzip2: 2'536 KB
lzma: 1'643 KB
-> the file with LZMA is 35% smaller!!

It takes longer to compress, but hey, that's definitively worth it :D
A decompression delay when you run the installer isn't even noticeable, well at least not on my system :)

Yeah, B..E..A..UTIFUL :p

[Tuning]

Hi Nibor,

Yea, LZMA compression is giving smaller size. Wonderful!

BTW, I think no one likes downgrading. Keep 0.70 ac3filter. ( Just a suggestion )

I still feel, it would be better if matroska prop is included - making a universal matroska pack. I think not everyone is downloading matroskaprop along with matroska pack and they don't know what is it actually. What do you think ?

I have a small question too : How to add your name in installer, like "Nibor 30-11-2003", I could not find it where in documentation.

Thanks.

[Defiler]

Originally posted by Tuning
I have a small question too : How to add your name in installer, like "Nibor 30-11-2003", I could not find it where in documentation.You should experiment with three commands: "Name", "Caption", and "BrandingText"

[Nibor]

Sorry for my long absence but I was ill some time :/

Well, back to work now :)


@Tuning

Ok, I changed my mind about including MatroskaProp..
It _will_ be included in the next release!
(Of course only if jcsston agrees ;))

Also I think I should add a start menu folder for 'Matroska Pack', with subfolders e.g. MatroskaProp, ffdshow...
Maybe a small readme file would be nice too...

And yes, as Defiler stated, the command to change this 'branding text' is "BrandingText" ;)

- Nibor -

PS: Nobody expects the Spanish inquisition! :D

[Tuning]

Thanks Nibor,
Hope jcsston agrees..!:)
Also I think I should add a start menu folder for 'Matroska Pack', with subfolders e.g. MatroskaProp, ffdshow...
A weblink to matroska download site would be nice.

Btw, thanks Defiler, i was waiting to read from Nibor's post.:D Thanks.

[Rash]

Can I ask something for this pack? :) I know it may sound stupid but I think it will be great for newbies. The pack installer could register the extensions .mkv, .mka and .mks to a player, like Windows Media Player (you could choose wether you want or not). This would be great for newbies that don't know any other program besides Windows Media Player.

For us, we could stick to our BSPlayer, Core Player or MPC and I believe all of them can register the matroska types, right? ;)

[Nibor]

Originally posted by Rash
Can I ask something for this pack? :)
Of course you can :)
I added it to my ToDo list!
So they would be registered to 'wmplayer' or 'mplayer2', hmm...
I personnaly prefer 'mplayer2' over the two, but I think for newbies it's better to use 'wmplayer'... (hell, ffdshow's automatic resizing doesn't work with WMP!??)
It could be checked if the file types are already registered and if they are, they don't get reregistered, if they aren't -> register.
Have to look into it to see if it is possible, if it isn't I'll just add an option in the installer!
Ok, I know there are MKV and MKA, but what is MKS?


@Tuning
Have you ever installed MatroskaProp and tried to install it again into the same folder (so the files get overwritten) ?
You know the problem is, the files are in use because they get loaded with explorer, so they only can be deleted if you restart windows (or kill the explorer process and delete them and restart the process) :rolleyes:
If I add it to the packs, a quick installation over an older build isn't possible anymore, you'd have to restart every time! (and as an user of eMule, I hate restarting ;))
So how would it be if it is included but disabled in the 'default installation type' ?
Again, I think it's a bit ugly if a component of a pack is disabled by default :/
Or can you imagine a better way of doing the whole thing? :confused:

[Atamido]

Originally posted by Nibor
Ok, I know there are MKV and MKA, but what is MKS? A matroska file containing only subtitles.

[Rash]

Originally posted by Nibor
It could be checked if the file types are already registered and if they are, they don't get reregistered, if they aren't -> register
Great Nibor. :) Now I feel I can safely sendo to videos to my cousin and she'll be able to see them without my help hehe. ;)

[Tuning]

Originally posted by Nibor
Have you ever installed MatroskaProp and tried to install it again into the same folder (so the files get overwritten) ?
You know the problem is, the files are in use because they get loaded with explorer, so they only can be deleted if you restart windows (or kill the explorer process and delete them and restart the process) :rolleyes:
If I add it to the packs, a quick installation over an older build isn't possible anymore, you'd have to restart every time! (and as an user of eMule, I hate restarting ;))
So how would it be if it is included but disabled in the 'default installation type' ?
Again, I think it's a bit ugly if a component of a pack is disabled by default :/
Or can you imagine a better way of doing the whole thing? :confused:
Yes, that is a problem. I could not find a good solution.
I think there need to be options. One normal installation and other express installation.

In some program installation, the components are updated only after the next re-start. Similarly if possible can a small pgm can be run on start up, on very next re-start deleting old and registering new components ?

Otherwise kill explorer and delete all files and run explorer again. ( Which is unpleasant :( )(Which is the "express" installation :D. With a red warning messagebox "Quit all windows before clicking OK" )
Actually, I think this method will not close all the open windows. (No need of quiting all windows)

Otherwise:2,
Including matroska prop installer as a whole.
Popup a message box after detecting the previous installation of matroska prop yelling "Please un-install previous version of Matroska prop and then run mkv pack again"[Cancel|Quit]

btw, mkv prop installer has no such options then why bother ?:o

[jcsston]

Ok, I changed my mind about including MatroskaProp..
It _will_ be included in the next release!
(Of course only if jcsston agrees ;))
I would prefer to have the installer .exe included and extracted and run if the user wants to install it.
Originally posted by Tuning

Including matroska prop installer as a whole.
Popup a message box after detecting the previous installation of matroska prop yelling "Please un-install previous version of Matroska prop and then run mkv pack again"[Cancel|Quit]

btw, mkv prop installer has no such options then why bother ?:o
In the to be released v2.4 the installer has been overhauled, including a multi-language interface, and has better results when upgrading ;).

[Tuning]

Originally posted by jcsston
I would prefer to have the installer .exe included and extracted and run if the user wants to install it.
In the to be released v2.4 the installer has been overhauled, including a multi-language interface, and has better results when upgrading ;).

jcsston, How the above mentioned problem cleared in new installer. Curious to know because I too make similar installers.

[jcsston]

Originally posted by Tuning
jcsston, How the above mentioned problem cleared in new installer. Curious to know because I too make similar installers.
For a few versions I have been bundling a little app I made called CheckUsage. It scans all the current running processes and find which ones have MatroskaProp.dll loaded and displays them in a list with buttons to kill the process.
In the NSIS script I check if it failed to overwrite the existing MatroskaProp.dll. If so, I ask the user if he wants to run CheckUsage to kill the processes using the installed MatroskaProp.dll.
I've also added version number checks. If the installer MatroskaProp.dll build number is older than the currently installed MatroskaProp.dll it will ask you if you want to install build x on top of build y. :)

[Nibor]

Originally posted by Tuning
Actually, I think this method will not close all the open windows. (No need of quiting all windows)
It will 'only' close all the explorer windows and you won't see your taskbar and your systray for a moment. Other applications will not be closed.

Originally posted by jcsston
...and has better results when upgrading ;).
Yeah, what did you change?

I was too slow :p ..

After all I think it would be the best if the whole installer is included (as jcsston suggested) and MatroskaProp isn't installed in the 'Matroska Pack' folder!

[Nibor]

Hi!

The new Matroska Packs v1.0.1 are out! :)
Get them from http://packs.matroska.org...

Here's the changelog:

General:
- updated code to NSIS v2.0b4
- compression algorithm changed to LZMA -> smaller files!
- added windows version information tags
- startmenu folders added
- ReadMe.html added
Components:
- updated to most recent versions
- CoreFLAC Decoder added
- ffdshow: added 'Overlay mixer' option
- ffdshow: changed descriptions
- ffdshow: ffdshow settings - bugs fixed

A word to FLAC support in these packs:
It's now possible to create a MKA file with FLAC audio in it and play it back in DirectShow-based players using the CoreFLAC decoder!

MatroskaProp is not yet included, but will be as soon as v2.4 is out.

Rash, I will implement your idea in the next release of the Matroska Packs!

Cheers!
.: Nibor :.

[Rash]

Originally posted by Nibor
Rash, I will implement your idea in the next release of the Matroska Packs!
Haha I can't belive you mention that. ;) Anyway, thanks a lot for the new pack Nibor. :)

[Hiro2k]

I moved the posts mentioned about the alternative OGM splitter. I just wish I had left a copy of those posts here. :(

I'll figure it out sooner or later.

[Nibor]

It's alright Hiro2k, so I'll answer his second VSFilter problem here..

Originally posted by S¡nTë£
As for the VSfilter crashes, it freezes whatever player I use on loading, no error, just stops responding. So my previous question could pertain in this one: is there another filter available for watching subtitles in matroska files then vsfilter?
Hmm, I don't think Subtitle Source would help, because it's to be able to input more formats to the muxer, as I understand it.
And I don't know of a alternative to VSFilter :rolleyes:
Could you give more details about the problem?
Is it with every video and every player? (try Media Player Classic maybe)..
Was it with the old pack too or just with the new one?
If you are on a unicode system, you could try if the normal version of VSFilter works (download it from guliverkli, extract the dll to a directory and 'regsvr32' it)

[ChristianHJW]

I bet this guy is trying to use the unicode version of the filter on Win9x/ME ....

[oddball]

mmswitch final is out which fixes certain issues. Please add to pack.

Read about it here http://forum.inmatrix.com/ikonboard/ikonboard.cgi?s=3ff749f00b40ffff;act=ST;f=7;t=2886;st=0

[filewalker]

A new version would be nice with updated versions of the filters (latest COREaacDS from Rarewares,CoreVorbis 1.0b6, dcoder's mmswitch version, latest VSFilter/MatroskaSplitter)

I'm waiting now for some time for a update... hopefully, Nibor has some free time for it :)

Thanks in advance! :)

Cu filewalker

[oddball]

Patients doctor

[JJ2335]

Dear Matroska Developers,

I'm getting an audio playback bug with 1.01 Full matroska playback pack. In windows media player 9 I'm not able to select left,right, or both audio channels in the audio languages selection for a VCD. Uninstalling the pack corrects this problem although I haven't had luck isolating which of the many filters in the packs cause this problem.

Other packs I have installed, gordian knot encoding + playback pack, xvid 1.0rc1 and divx 5.1.1.

Thanks

[ChristianHJW]

This is very likely either

Morgan Multimedia Stream Switcher

or

Matrix Mixer

Install the pack without them ( just untick them in the options ) and it should work fine ...

[Defiler]

Morgan Stream Switcher is (unfortunately) nasty business. I've de-selected it by default in the latest version of my pack. Too many support problems from users. =(

[filewalker]

Now I looked at "Defiler's" CodecPack...:) wow, all new versions of the needed filters are inside...for what I was looking!

Thanks Defiler for your "up to date" pack!

His pack contains almost the same filters like the "Matroska Pack MPEG4".

Maybe you could take the MMS version from dcoder...link is above, it seems that this version contains some improvements.



Cu filewalker

[Defiler]

Originally posted by filewalker
Maybe you could take the MMS version from dcoder...link is above, it seems that this version contains some improvements.Thanks for your kind words. I grabbed the 'dcoder' version a while back, and it's sitting in my DefilerPak project directory. I just haven't gotten around to releasing a new version since then. Version 1.17 will include that modified version of the Stream Switcher.

[Nibor]

Hello all!...

I was away for some time now and couldn't work on the packs, I'm sorry about that.

But let's come to the good news :)


I worked on the packs the last few days...

First, the RealMedia pack will eventually be discontinued as I don't see the need for it, Real people rather use the Full pack I think...

Then, as requested there'll be a new Lite pack!..
It contains these four components:
- MatroskaSplitter
- MatroskaMuxer
- VSFilter
- CoreVorbis

In the Full pack ( and MPEG4 ), MatroskaProp will be included too!
But only the full installer executable, so it's not fully integrated in the installer.
Because it would be too much work for nothing, the MatroskaProp installer is already very good!

Additionally, there are now different installation types!
- "Safe / Recommended" (default)
- Full

In the Safe / Recommended type, these components will _not_ be installed per default:
- MatroskaProp
- MMSwitch
- MatrixMixer


Yes, I think that's all news!..
Ah, of course all the newest versions of the components will be included :) ( except the unstable ffdshow )

Any questions, suggestions or comments?

Cheers!
Nibor

[filewalker]

cool, thanks Nibor, that you update your packs... :)

Concerning the "Lite Pack":
Why do you include the "MatroskaMuxer" ?
In my opinion, most people who download the "LitePack" want to watch the MKV-movies, not muxing.( and for muxing ther're now better ways: MKVMerge)

Instead the muxer, I would suggest to include the COREaac decoder.

@Defiler

also a big thanks that next version'll include latest MMS version from dcoder... :)

Cu filewalker

[Nibor]

@filewalker

You're right!! :)
Yes, the Matroska Pack Lite _is_ for people who want to watch MKV-movies!
Therefore it makes more sense to include CoreAAC!

Thanks for your suggestion :cool:

- Nibor

[Tuning]

Hi

I'm having the same opinion as filewalker. Most of us are only using mkvmege. No need of a DS muxer.
Btw, I think ac3filter and Core AAC filters are the one to be included instead.

[filewalker]

after due consideration what is necessary for users I come to mind that most people don't use special players(only WMP), but that means that they need MMS for stream switching.:rolleyes:

So maybe MMS should also be included in the lite pack.

I would suggest:
- MatroskaSplitter
- CoreAAC
- CoreVorbis
- AC3Filter
- VSFilter
- MMS(from dcoder), should be optional


Cu filewalker

[jk888]

@Nibor

Where are the new packs? I checked http://packs.matroska.org/ and couldn't find them...

[ChristianHJW]

They havent been uploaded yet, i am trying to bug Andy2222 for a new ffdshow release to be included .... and Nibor any myself constantly miss each other on IRC :( .....

[oddball]

I too am waiting for Andy222 but it's not a certainty he will finish it and that it will work properly. Touch wood all goes well.

[Nibor]

@ jk888

Sorry for possible confusion, but I didn't state that they are ready!..
Maybe tomorrow, we'll see...


@ filewalker, Tuning

I'm sorry to disappoint you but plans changed again, the Matroska Pack Lite will contain the components which were originally planned:
- MatroskaSplitter
- MatroskaMuxer
- VSFilter
- CoreVorbis

You know, if we put too much in the Lite pack, it is no lite pack anymore :rolleyes:
...

Bye!

[ChristianHJW]

Originally posted by Nibor You know, if we put too much in the Lite pack, it is no lite pack anymore :rolleyes: ... reason matroska muxer comes in in the lite pack is that it doesnt hurt, and exactly this was requested from the author of a DShow based capturing tool, who is doing a lot of advertising for matroska ....

[jk888]

No problem, I look forward to an updated ffdshow. Thx for the updates.

[Rash]

Sorry, but what is MatroskaProp? The Matroska Shell Extension?

[Nibor]

Yes! :)

Info here:
http://matroska.org/downloads/shellextension/index.html
http://corecodec.org/projects/matroska/

- Nibor -

[Rash]

That's OK. I use it already. ;)

Thanks Nibor.

[jkwarras]

Hey Matroska team,

I only wanted to suggest you to include an XCD playback filter into the installer, since many of matroska users do XCD-MKV backups. I see that you plan to add the Matroska Shell extension, is a very good idea :) Keep the good work!

Regards

[DoW]

One minor question: why are you using MMS for the stream switching?
You might be wondering why I ask this. I have had encounters with MMS several times over the years, and frankly, all of them have been bad. Every time I have had odd problems with WMP crashing for odd, untracable reasons, it has turned out to be MMS rearing its ugly little head. After installing everything in the Maktroska pack, WMP 9 refused to play any video files (WMP 6.4 was still fine). Unregistered MMS, and I could magically play files again :P. I dont want to be combative, or seem like Im trolling, but surely there has to be some alternative out there to MMS.

[Defiler]

It's worth noting that MMS is now on the filter blacklist in Zoom Player by default. You have to manually re-enable it if you want to use it.
Personally, I'm starting to get a little disillusioned by ffdshow. I think the next version of my pack will use XviD to decode XVID and DX50 content, and fall back to ffdshow for the rest.

[ChristianHJW]

Originally posted by DoW One minor question: why are you using MMS for the stream switching?
I dont want to be combative, or seem like Im trolling, but surely there has to be some alternative out there to MMS. ... there is none. If we could be sure nobody would use crappy WMP anymore, we wouldnt need it ....

[filewalker]

It's worth noting that MMS is now on the filter blacklist in Zoom Player by default. You have to manually re-enable it if you want to use it.
The reason is that ZP uses an own stream switcher which is similiar to MMS (coded by dcoder). The problem occurs if both are registered. These similiar filters don't like each other...and lots of ZP users had problems with this combination.

If latest MMS version from dcoder is used with other players (WMP) it should work fine without problems.

Cu filewalker

[jk888]

It's been 3 months since the last update, what are we waiting for anyway? There's a new ffdshow, new CoreAAC, etc. I have the new ffdshow on the top of my wish list!

[Defiler]

ffdshow is so buggy now, it's almost physically painful to release a new pack version.

[jk888]

There are plenty of updated filters other than ffdshow too. There's even a new Matroska Splitter 1.0.2.3, I'm sure that's good enough reason to release a new pack.

[filewalker]

I don't want to convince anybody, Defiler ;) ...but consider the updates:

* ffdshow: 2004-03-12 (ffdshow has always some bugs but lots of bugfixes)
* AC3Filter: new fixed unofficial version by dcoder (see here (http://forum.inmatrix.com/ikonboard/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=7;t=3014))
* CoreAAC DirectShow filter v 1.0b9: 2004-03-12
* Matroska DirectShow filter1.0.2.3 : 2004-03-10
* VSFilter 2.33 : 2004-03-07
* MMS : fixed version by dcoder (see this thread above)

what is missing:
* CoreVorbis (no known bugs)
* Ogg DirectShow filter (no known bugs)
* DivX ;-) Audio ( I never needed it...are there any updates in the last time? )

Cu filewalker

[scrat]

Hey!

I'm also think that a new matroska pack is a very good idea because normal user don't install a filter manually and so a new pack should be released every 2-3 months.


Greetings,
scrat

[ChristianHJW]

I am sorry to tell you, but it seems Nibor cant really care anymore about the installer pack the way it is necessary. I emailed him yesterday when we can update the pack, but got no reply from him until today. Hopefully we will have the chance to discuss how to handle updating of the pack in regular intervals ...... i will keep you informed about the outcome of this conversation ....

[jk888]

*gasp* Please don't let it die off!!! The Matroska pack is a highly rated codec pack touted for it's simplicity yet supporting alot of advanced AV technologies. It's being promoted in numerous websites all over the internet, don't let such a good thing die off!

[Nibor]

Hi!...


FYI, I'm alive ;)

Chris was on holiday last week and I was rather busy, so excuse me...

The new packs are almost ready with the new components like in filewalker listing.

Only thing that's left to do now is the integration of the new ffdshow version, which ( unfortunately ) has VfW stuff built-in...


Regards,
Nibor

[Didée]

To throw my 2 cents:

I would NOT include any (of the current) new ffdshow builds. They just have too much flaws left over. Namely stuttering playback with non-packed XviD's, BIG problems with handling of aspect-ratios (hello'n'good-bye MKV aspect-handling), and several smaller other ones.
You'll get tons of whining n00b's "Wuaaaaahhh, your pack is crap, I can't play my videos correctly!".

While considering myself somewhat experienced, I've sweared that unusual much the last few weeks, since I gave [all of] the 2004 builds some tries.
(E.g., anyone tell me why non-packed XviD stutters in *plain* playback, but plays smooth when I let ffdshow resize to 1280*960 ... ?!?).

Do yourself a favour and let ffdshow 23-05-2003 in the pack, until ffdshow has re-stabled. Since Milan is at it again as well as others, there is hope ;)

- Didée

[ChristianHJW]

Originally posted by Didée To throw my 2 cents: I would NOT include any (of the current) new ffdshow builds. They just have too much flaws left over.
Have you tried the latest build from 12th March 2004 ? We didnt find any major flaws in our tests, just some cosmetic stuff it seems.
Do yourself a favour and let ffdshow 23-05-2003 in the pack, until ffdshow has re-stabled. Since Milan is at it again as well as others, there is hope ;) - Didée
We would, if it could decode XviD RCx stuff :( ..... as it doesnt, we considered putting XviD decoder filter in the pack ( great job from SysKin and Koepi BTW ), but its coming with xvidcore.dll, and we are afraid of distributing a MPEG4 encoder library with our packs ......

[Rash]

Thanks a lot Nibor. :)

[Didée]

Originally posted by ChristianHJW
Have you tried the latest build from 12th March 2004 ? We didnt find any major flaws in our tests, just some cosmetic stuff it seems.

We would [include ffdshow 23052003], if it could decode XviD RCx stuff
Yes, I tried ffdshow 12-03-2004. And I am still very unhappy with it. I dislike repeating myself, but:

- It does play packed XviD OK.
- It *still* plays non-packed XviD *jerky* (not everytime, interestingly ... but in 80% of all cases. For me).
- Aspect ratio handling still broken (at least when using its internal resizing).

ffdshow 23-05-2003:
Not okay with packed XviD, but smoother-than-silk with everything else. (Postprocessing has some problems, but the same goes to the 2004 versions.)

Of course, you can put in your packs whatever you like. :)

- Didée

[ChristianHJW]

Originally posted by Didée Yes, I tried ffdshow 12-03-2004. And I am still very unhappy with it.
- It *still* plays non-packed XviD *jerky* (not everytime, interestingly ... but in 80% of all cases. For me).

Is it possible that your problems are coming from ffdshow trying to decode audio, like MP3 or AC3 ? Please render your files in Graphedit and have a look at the playback graph.

- Aspect ratio handling still broken (at least when using its internal resizing). ... works like a charm here ? You sure have 'use overlay' enabled ? Please note that this function has been moved from the 'codecs' page to 'options' in the latest builds.


Anyway, it was decided yesterday by the complete team on IRC that we cant use the latest ffshow builds for the packs, because there is a MPEG4 encoder ( FFvfw ) coming in the pack, and as a well defined group of persons we all wont take the risk to distribute binaries of it without paying licenses to MPAA.

Several other solutions were discussed :

1. We make a ffdshow 'lite' build without the FFvfw

2. We create our own build of libavcodec.dll, with encoder disabled

3. We fork from ffdshow and restrict it to what it can do best : decode MPEG4 video, and nothing else .... and fast and stable ....

We dont know what we will come up with, but Nibor is talking to me on a daily basis on IRC now, with input form the complete team, so expect something good and working in not-so-far-future ;) ...

[kilg0r3]

Originally posted by ChristianHJW
... there is none. If we could be sure nobody would use crappy WMP anymore, we wouldnt need it .... Why the splitter does not yet seem to support stream switching.

[ChristianHJW]

Originally posted by kilg0r3
Why the splitter does not yet seem to support stream switching.

Including the stream switcher into the splitter is bad bad bad .....

We would end up with the same limitations like OggDS, means only the same channel number/sampling rate could be used in one file, and the player devs would hate us for doing that as this could interfere with their built in switchers.

Doing it with an independant filter, like mmswitch, is definitely the better way from a technical point of view, the only problem is that mmswitch is still a bit buggy ( latest version are pretty stable now ) and may interefere with other filters also.

From my point of view it would have been M$'s duty to include a nice audio stream switcher filter into DirectShow by default, so everybody could use it or not, and everybody could have tested his filters and packs for compatibility with it ....

[kilg0r3]

I already suspected that there be a more sofisticated perspective on these things. :) Thanks for clearing that up.

[gitoshi]

ppl, I can confirm the jerky playback in ffdshow with all 2004 builds. This problem was note & solved in XVID RC3 but remain in ffdshow.
The problem happen if your player use OverlayMixer as output. (CoreMedia player only use OverlayMixer).
If your player use VMR9 the jerky playback is gone. Just check info option in the ffdshow during playback , decoder FPS jumps from 10 to 100.
I test in 2 systems, Celeron 1ghz (Tualatin), AthlonXP (T-Bred).

@Didée:
Can you post your specs and player of use.

G

[Nibor]

Heya,

For all who only have subscribed to this thread, here's the new one:
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=73699

This thread can be closed or locked or whatever... :)

Regards
Nibor