Codec problem - duplicated audio decoders

[Stratyon]

Recently I've been having a problem with playing OGM and Matroska movies. For some reason the players seem to load duplicates of the audio decoders (see picture). At playback all the audio tracks play at the same time with no option to choose between them. This happens on all OGM and MKV movies but apparently not with avi and mpg files. It also happens with both Ogg and AAC sound. Always the same way.
I used to be able to play them fine and I don't really have a clue what happened. I've tried re-registering filters and splitters but nothing helps. Also, the problem occurs in all players I've tried (that supports those file formats).
Anyone encountered this before?

http://www.stratyon.com/stuff/codecs.png

[Surco]

Hi

Can it be that the files you are referencing have tow audio streams…?

If I remember correctly, an audio decoding instance is created for every audio stream in the file.

Bye

[Stratyon]

Yes, the files have two audio tracks. normally you can choose between the two, but for some reason both seem to be loaded at the same time instead. the question is why...
Also note that I've always been able to play these files normally before. (across two operating systems)
It's just now recently this happened.

[unmei]

One decoder for each stream is perfectly normal. What is not normal AFAIK, is that you have 2 default direct sound devices.

Maybe you have a dual-channel soundcard? One that is designed to act as 2 devices and mixes the channels together only in the hardware? Then i think it is sort of understandable that it thinks it should output two streams at the same time. In this case i would look into its setup.
If not you maybe have to look into your direct x setup.
You could try to test with more than 2 audio streams and see whether you get a device for each stream or whether there is a limit to the devices tha spawn.
I never had this happen to me, but my card on the other comp behaves as dual channel in audio software (but then i only have 2 devices at max, it can't act as 3 or more devices). I don't know the correct term for what i call "dual channel card", but i hope you get what i mean.

[Stratyon]

Originally posted by unmei
Maybe you have a dual-channel soundcard? One that is designed to act as 2 devices and mixes the channels together only in the hardware?


Naa I have the same old Audigy card I've always had. No new drivers for it or anything.

I don't have any files with more then two tracks so I can't test it...
Gonna try and dig up a two channel AVI file and see how that acts.

[unmei]

what i also saw, it usually you have "audio switcher" in the filters for multi-audio, and the audio in the main mouse menu is not grayed out, but enabled.

Maybe you diabled the built in stream-switcher, or removed a external switcher somehow..

[Stratyon]

Yea I tried installing Morgan Stream Switcher and it sort of solved the problem, but I really don't want to use it. any other stream switcher that's worth mentioning?

[yaz]

hmmm ... this happens commonly for me when mpc tries to (auto)load all audio streams available in the same folder. say, i mux the audio streams but forget to delete or move it away. it happens more likely if u have the same (or very similar) names for the container & the audio streams.
try to switch off the autoload options in 'options' (u don't need it if all streams are muxed!) & see what's happening!
the bests
y

iirc, if multiple instances of a codec are loaded in mpc, only one is 'blacked' & others are greyed out normally.

[unmei]

About other audio switchers, i can't help there. I use the one built into MPC.

[Stratyon]

It's an odd problem. If only I knew what caused it... oh well I'll try out some more things. Maybe I'll get lucky. If not I suppose I'll just have to format again