ReClockOrNot: Support Thread

[imilne]

This is the (new) support thread for ReClockOrNot, a plugin that allows ReClock to work with NPVR by disabling it during Live TV and Recordings where it would ordinarily be incompatible with the multiple audio codecs in use simultaneously.

If posting bug reports, please ensure to include the log files from either C:\Users\Public\NPVR\Logs or C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\NPVR\Logs.

Please note that although ReClockOrNot hasn't changed for a while, updated - and simpler - installation instructions have been posted to the wiki for it. Thanks to Lao Pan for working them out.

Iain

[imilne]

ReClockOrNot was updated today to version 2.12.01.04.

This version adds support for running batch files whenever the audio renderer changes. I needed the ability to toggle whether ac3 encoding was used by ac3filter; I wanted it on without ReClock, and off with ReClock (because it can do it instead). Simply place batch files called SetDefault.bat and SetReClock.bat into its installation directory and they will be called if found. You should be able to tweak most audio decoders this way by making regedit calls to change their settings.

Iain

[gEd]

ohh...first post in the forum!

[edit: updated post after more poking around]
I am happily playing around with AutoRefresh and RCON to try and optimise my playback, given that I have g/card that can do 23.976/24/25 and a TV that can autoswitch 24/25.

I can't seem to get reclock to load when playing the video "Blitz" while it loads fine for the video Cowboys and Aliens.
I am not sure whether this is expected behaviour.
Log is attached.

[imilne]

So it's definitely not running for the second video, because according to that log it should be? The audio renderer is switched to ReClock for Cowboys and Aliens, and would stay as ReClock because you don't play anything with a .ts extension after that. The only difference I can see in the logs is Blitz has an additional "Default DirectSound Device" in the graph, but ReClock is there too. I'm not sure how this would affect things.

Try playing Cowboys and Aliens, confirm ReClock is running, then exit playback and look at NPVR's settings to see if ReClock is listed as the audio renderer before starting Blitz.

Iain

[gEd]

I play C&I, reclock is running. return to npvr, reclock is the def. renderer.
play blitz, reclock never runs. same thing if I play a .ts 1st to reset renderer and then play blitz, reclock never actually runs.

Are there situations in which reclock might decide it is not needed or will refuse to play? (I don;t think so but I am very new to this)
The fact that blitz shows Default DirectSound Device is probably at the heart of this and may be linked to some attribute of the video (such as audio encoding) that I have not yet compared with C&I.
I will poke around some more tonight and compare the video file properties and perhaps find some more examples.
cheers

[imilne]

Are there situations in which reclock might decide it is not needed or will refuse to play? (I don;t think so but I am very new to this)

Not that I'm aware of, but you never know. Could you get a dump of info about the video from MediaInfo and post it?

I'd also forget about ReClockOrNot for a moment (disable or uninstall it), and just reset ReClock's settings back to their defaults (ensuring it *always* loads with NPVR, even with the renderer set to default), and see if it works with Blitz that way?

Iain

[gEd]

nailed it.

the files that weren't loading reclock had multichannel AC3 audio.
I had to enable "Accept bitstream formats" for it to load but reclock does not recommend this, nor enabling media speed correction for bitstream so perhaps I should just let it be for these files.

off to play some more.. cheers.

[imilne]

You've got two choices.

1) Tell it to accept the bitstream formats and then try it with and without media speed correction: if your refresh rate is close enough chances are you won't notice any audio drop outs and everything will be fine. If your refresh rate is nowhere near what it needs to be (eg 50Hz when it should be playing at 23.976), then:

2) Change your audio decoder so it does the decoding itself rather than outputting a bitstream pass-thru. That'll feed ReClock with PCM and it can work its magic perfectly on it.

Option 2 is the ReClock author's preferred method. Which you pick depends on your circumstances and how much you care about the DolbyDigital/DTS/etc lights showing up on your amp. The audio quality will be the same in both cases.

Iain

[gEd]

got it. I disabled all the bitstreaming passthrough in the LAV decoder and it works. I also disabled the auto A/V sync option as well whilst I was at it.
Now I understand the chain better, I will play around with the options as I would like to get a better downmix to stereo with more prominent voices through the TV.
I feed the HDMI from the graphics card into the TV, no fancy AV amp here, just 2 channel for music only.

Many thanks for your help on this.

[imilne]

For various reasons, I was running a slightly older version of ReClock, but messing about today with the latest release (which has been out for ages), it appears to behave properly with NPVR. This means ReClockOrNot *might* not be needed anymore. Yay (if true).

The specific change in its logs might be this one:

1.8.7.5 - 10/05/2011
* New: Allow more than one instance of ReClock (experimental)

In the past, I would see two instances of AC3filter in the system tray (one for mpeg audio, one for ac3), but only one copy of ReClock. If it didn't "get lucky" and be matched up with the instance of AC3filter actually in use for the current channel, then you got no sound. But now there seems to be two instances of ReClock too. And - so far - always sound.

Iain