Audio filters and Reclock

[imilne]

Sub, how feasible is it to include an option for the audio filters so that nPVR doesn't do any of the selection itself, ie, it leaves it all to Windows?

I'm not sure if I fully understand it, but the way it is at the moment results in multiple audio filters in a transport stream graph when you have more than one audio decoder enabled (which you need if you have channels with both mpeg and ac3 sound). I know this has caused other people problems with audio/video sync, but my particular problem with this relates to using nPVR with Reclock - you can't

I think it's because only one of the filters can talk to it.

Code:

2011-02-28 12:29:27.973    [DEBUG][1]    Graph filter list:
2011-02-28 12:29:27.973    [DEBUG][1]     - EVR Renderer
2011-02-28 12:29:27.973    [DEBUG][1]     - NPVR PES Collector (DVBSubs)
2011-02-28 12:29:27.973    [DEBUG][1]     - Default DirectSound Device 0002
2011-02-28 12:29:27.973    [DEBUG][1]     - Default DirectSound Device
2011-02-28 12:29:27.973    [DEBUG][1]     - Microsoft DTV-DVD Video Decoder
2011-02-28 12:29:27.973    [DEBUG][1]     - AC3Filter 0001
2011-02-28 12:29:27.973    [DEBUG][1]     - AC3Filter
2011-02-28 12:29:27.973    [DEBUG][1]     - MPEG-2 Demultiplexer
2011-02-28 12:29:27.973    [DEBUG][1]     - NPVR TS Reader

In this case, ac3filter was selected for both mpeg and ac3 decoding. Using Reclock, channels with ac3 sound work but channels with mpeg don't, although it's probably just coincidence that the filter for ac3 sound is the one that got to talk to Reclock.

I don't know if it would work or not, but my reason for suggesting leaving the selection up to Windows is that all other video types - mkv, mpg, avi, etc - all work fine in nPVR and show up with just a single audio filter in the graph. It's just the .ts files that cause the problem.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this...

Iain

[Reddwarf]

I struggled with this too, tried to use the latest ffdshow for all audio types, but with no success. Reclock is good when it works but I had to give it up at this stage.

[sub]

Sub, how feasible is it to include an option for the audio filters so that nPVR doesn't do any of the selection itself, ie, it leaves it all to Windows?

I'm not sure if I fully understand it, but the way it is at the moment results in multiple audio filters in a transport stream graph when you have more than one audio decoder enabled (which you need if you have channels with both mpeg and ac3 sound). I know this has caused other people problems with audio/video sync, but my particular problem with this relates to using nPVR with Reclock - you can't

I think it's because only one of the filters can talk to it.

Code:

2011-02-28 12:29:27.973    [DEBUG][1]    Graph filter list:
2011-02-28 12:29:27.973    [DEBUG][1]     - EVR Renderer
2011-02-28 12:29:27.973    [DEBUG][1]     - NPVR PES Collector (DVBSubs)
2011-02-28 12:29:27.973    [DEBUG][1]     - Default DirectSound Device 0002
2011-02-28 12:29:27.973    [DEBUG][1]     - Default DirectSound Device
2011-02-28 12:29:27.973    [DEBUG][1]     - Microsoft DTV-DVD Video Decoder
2011-02-28 12:29:27.973    [DEBUG][1]     - AC3Filter 0001
2011-02-28 12:29:27.973    [DEBUG][1]     - AC3Filter
2011-02-28 12:29:27.973    [DEBUG][1]     - MPEG-2 Demultiplexer
2011-02-28 12:29:27.973    [DEBUG][1]     - NPVR TS Reader

In this case, ac3filter was selected for both mpeg and ac3 decoding. Using Reclock, channels with ac3 sound work but channels with mpeg don't, although it's probably just coincidence that the filter for ac3 sound is the one that got to talk to Reclock.

I don't know if it would work or not, but my reason for suggesting leaving the selection up to Windows is that all other video types - mkv, mpg, avi, etc - all work fine in nPVR and show up with just a single audio filter in the graph. It's just the .ts files that cause the problem.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this...

Allowing Windows to select the audio decoders wouldnt help. Infact, because of the demux has multiple audio pins, you'd endup with exactly the same situation, with multiple audio decoders and renderers in the graph. When it comes to playing .mkv/.mpg/.avi files, it can look at the file to decide in advance what type of audio it has, which makes things a lot easier for selecting the decoder. For live tv, it has no idea in advance what the audio format is, so it has to add all the decoders that it might possibly be. Also for playback of .ts files, the file can contain any of the available audio formats, and they can change part way through the file, or the user could have actively have selected to change (for example) from MPEG1 to AC3 or HE-AAC, so all these decoders need to be in the graph ready to function.

[imilne]

Hmm, that's not so good. Reclock is pretty essential to many a setup because of the multiple types of content that need played -24fps, 25fps, 30fps and so on. It's obviously less useful for Live TV (and recordings) because you know you'll always be at 50Hz (in the UK at least) although it's also handy for setting the correct speaker output as audio toggles between 2 and 5.1 channels.

I'm making this up as I go along now, but here's another suggestion - could you get nPVR to call a script/batch file before building the graph for a .ts file, and another (different) script when playback of a .ts file stops?

This would allow for an easy regedit call to enable/disable Reclock with nPVR, meaning it could be disabled from use with .ts files, but enabled for all other file types.

I should add that this wasn't really a problem with GBPVR because I had it recording SD channels in .dvr-ms and HD channels in .ts; the latter requiring ac3 but that was the codec that struck lucky with Reclock and .ts files.

Thanks

Iain

[Reddwarf]

I'm making this up as I go along now, but here's another suggestion - could you get nPVR to call a script/batch file before building the graph for a .ts file, and another (different) script when playback of a .ts file stops?

This would allow for an easy regedit call to enable/disable Reclock with nPVR, meaning it could be disabled from use with .ts files, but enabled for all other file types.
Iain

Sounds awfully messy to me, and it would slow down things I'm afraid.

[imilne]

Sounds awfully messy to me, and it would slow down things I'm afraid.

Only sub will know for sure, but assuming the script runs instantly (and there's no reason why it shouldn't) then I can't see why it would slow anything down.

I'm obviously more than open to other suggestions as to how to get this to work. For me, Reclock is absolutely essential. No Reclock means no nPVR in the worst case scenario, and that's a path I really don't want to go down :eek:

Is anyone particularly familiar with MediaPortal? Does it use .ts and still work with Reclock? If so, perhaps some inspiration can be found there.

Iain

[imilne]

On a more positive note, automatic refresh rate switching has been on the wishlist from time to time, but if we can work out a way to get nPVR playing nicely with Reclock then this is something that could be handled by Reclock with no additional effort needed by sub. Its handling of this these days is excellent, and it works perfectly for me while playing blu-rays via TMT3.

This is because EVR is very amenable to having the display's refresh changed while actively playing a video, and a quick test of allowing Reclock to do this with nPVR looks promising too.

Conversely, if sub *did* implement something that allowed nPVR to change the refresh rate, then the need for Reclock all but drops away.

All just food for thought anyway...

Iain

[imilne]

Ok, last one from me tonight, I promise

You're right, Reddwarf, it is messy. Perhaps all that's needed is a simple change to allow us to specify different audio renderers, just like we can with DVDs.

So you could set something like:

Code:

Transport stream files - System default
All other files - Reclock
DVDs - Reclock

It's then a simple matter of unticking a checkbox in Reclock to stop it loading as the system default.

How does that sound sub?

[Reddwarf]

Ok, last one from me tonight, I promise

You're right, Reddwarf, it is messy. Perhaps all that's needed is a simple change to allow us to specify different audio renderers, just like we can with DVDs.

So you could set something like:

Code:

Transport stream files - System default
All other files - Reclock
DVDs - Reclock

It's then a simple matter of unticking a checkbox in Reclock to stop it loading as the system default.

How does that sound sub?

In theory we'r able to sepcify Reclock as audio renderer under Decoders in Settings, it's just that it does not work....

[imilne]

In theory we'r able to sepcify Reclock as audio renderer under Decoders in Settings, it's just that it does not work....

It's only .ts files that it doesn't work with, hence why I suggested being able to select a different audio renderer for them.

Reclock seems fine with everything else.

Iain