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AC3 audio via SPDIF is okay but not DTS audio files - Printable Version

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+---- Thread: AC3 audio via SPDIF is okay but not DTS audio files (/showthread.php?tid=36088)

AC3 audio via SPDIF is okay but not DTS audio files - RogerS - 2008-08-19

Hello,

First of all I would like to thank the developers for porting XBMC to windows. This is the media player I've been looking for!

I just got one problem maybe somebody can help me. I've installed XBMC installed on a laptop with an external SB card attached to it. I've connected the Soundblaster via SPDIF to my Arcam AVR350 receiver. I'm using the setup only to play music files (mp3, lossless and ac3 and dts audio files).

Besides PCM output, for mp3 and lossless files, I achieved also direct AC3 and DTS output in Windows Media Player when I play respective files.

Playing Ac3 files in XBMC works, the receiver indicates it receives a Dolby Digital stream. But when I try to play DTS audio files, extracted from DTS audio CD's, I get only white noise and the receiver doesn't switch to DTS mode.
Please note: DTS audio files from DTS cd's have a sampling rate of 44 KHz instead of 48 KHz on DVD's.

Does anybody have a clue how I can play DTS audio tracks via XBMC?
Thanks for your help.

Kind regards,
RogerS

- gorgone - 2008-08-19

RogerS Wrote:Hello,

First of all I would like to thank the developers for porting XBMC to windows. This is the media player I've been looking for!

I just got one problem maybe somebody can help me. I've installed XBMC installed on a laptop with an external SB card attached to it. I've connected the Soundblaster via SPDIF to my Arcam AVR350 receiver. I'm using the setup only to play music files (mp3, lossless and ac3 and dts audio files).

Besides PCM output, for mp3 and lossless files, I achieved also direct AC3 and DTS output in Windows Media Player when I play respective files.

Playing Ac3 files in XBMC works, the receiver indicates it receives a Dolby Digital stream. But when I try to play DTS audio files, extracted from DTS audio CD's, I get only white noise and the receiver doesn't switch to DTS mode.
Please note: DTS audio files from DTS cd's have a sampling rate of 44 KHz instead of 48 KHz on DVD's.

Does anybody have a clue how I can play DTS audio tracks via XBMC?
Thanks for your help.

Kind regards,
RogerS

pls check your audio driver or test ac3 filter http://ac3filter.net/ and enable spdif pastru .... it work for me perfect i have audigy2 kxdrivers and ac3filter in use

- gorgone - 2008-08-19

some real dts testfiles

http://samples.mplayerhq.hu/A-codecs/DTS/

- RogerS - 2008-08-19

gorgone Wrote:pls check your audio driver or test ac3 filter http://ac3filter.net/ and enable spdif pastru .... it work for me perfect i have audigy2 kxdrivers and ac3filter in use

Hi Gorgone,

Thank you for your quick reply. But I've installed ac3 filter and enabled SPDIF passthrough for AC3 and DTS audio (that how it currently works with windows media player..)

Regards,
RogerS

- RogerS - 2008-08-19

gorgone Wrote:some real dts testfiles

http://samples.mplayerhq.hu/A-codecs/DTS/

I'll give it a try under XBMC!

- RogerS - 2008-08-19

gorgone Wrote:some real dts testfiles

http://samples.mplayerhq.hu/A-codecs/DTS/

Here are some tests:
Test file: lotr_5.1_768.dts
XBMC: Played file in DTS => Okay
Windows Media Player: Did not recognise the file Sad
Winamp with AC3filter plugin: Played file in DTS => Okay
Here is the information which AC3filter reports when playing file:
Spdifer:
Stream format: DTS 3/2.1 (5.1) 48000Hz
Bitstream type: 16bit big endian
Frame size: free format
Samples: 512
Bitrate: unknown
SPDIF stream type: 0xb
Frame interval: 1006
Actual bitrate: 754kbps
Output format: SPDIF 3/2.1 (5.1) 48000Hz
SPDIF format: padded
Bitstream: 16bit LE
Frame size: 2048


Test file: 06_NEW_JAZZ_SSQ3_ENERGY_DTS.wav
XBMC: Played file but output was converted to PCM stereo => Not good Sad
Windows Media Player: Played file in DTS => Okay
Winamp with AC3filter plugin: Not tested
Here is the information which AC3filter reports when playing file:
Spdifer:
Stream format: DTS 3/2.1 (5.1) 44100Hz
Bitstream type: 14bit low endian
Frame size: free format
Samples: 1024
Bitrate: unknown
SPDIF stream type: 0xc
Frame interval: 4096
Actual bitrate: 1411kbps
Output format: SPDIF 3/2.1 (5.1) 44100Hz
SPDIF format: padded
Bitstream: 14bit LE
Frame size: 4096

And last one of my own files grabbed from the DTS CD: Pete Namlook & Wolfgang Spyra - Virtual Vices V: Turn The City Light Off
Original filename: 01 - Turn The City Lights Off.dts
XBMC: White noise PCM indicator on receiver => Not good Sad
Windows Media Player: Played file in DTS => Okay
Winamp with AC3filter plugin: Played file in DTS => Okay
Here is the information which AC3filter reports when playing file:
Spdifer:
Stream format: DTS 3/2.1 (5.1) 44100Hz
Bitstream type: 14bit low endian
Frame size: free format
Samples: 1024
Bitrate: unknown
SPDIF stream type: 0xc
Frame interval: 4096
Actual bitrate: 1411kbps
Output format: SPDIF 3/2.1 (5.1) 44100Hz
SPDIF format: padded
Bitstream: 14bit LE
Frame size: 4096
When I rename the file to wav, XBMC played the file but is was converted to PCM stereo. => Not good Sad

Who can help? I would love to switch over to XBMC for playing all my audio files. Until now I've been using Winamp which is doing a great job playing all mp3 and lossless stereo audio tracks. But I would also like to play my ac3 and dts audio tracks. Unfortunately Winamp gets very buggy when including the ac3 filter plugin for winamp. Therefore I currently need to use windows Media Player to play these audio tracks, but as it has a really bad user interface I would love to ditch it....

Thanks in advance for your comments.

RogerS

- Icingdeath - 2008-08-26

First of al thanks for this creating this marvelous project. I've used it a lot on my xbox the last 2 years and now on my HTPC Smile

I think, I've got the same problem with DTS audio as the TS. In my case this problem occurs since the build before alpha3.

So far this problem only occured with files that are encoded with WMA3.

In all cases my reciever did get a DTS signal when I used other mediaplayers such as MPC or Winamp.

Some file specific information from one of the files with this issue:

General
Complete name : F:\series\Band of Brothers\Band Of Brothers - 05 - Crossroads.nl-subs.wmv
Format : Windows Media
File size : 2.08 GiB
Duration : 52mn 28s
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 5683 Kbps
Maximum Overall bit rate : 15.2 Mbps
Encoded date : UTC 2007-08-26 09:25:45.593

Audio
Format : WMA3
Format profile : M2
Codec ID : 162
Codec ID/Info : Windows Media Audio 3
Description of the codec : Windows Media Audio 10 Professional - 640 kbps, 48 kHz, 5.1 channel 24 bit (A/V) 2-pass CBR
Duration : 52mn 28s
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 640 Kbps
Channel(s) : 6 channels
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Language : Dutch

Is it somehow possible to replace certain codecs in builds that are already compiled?

Sorry, for my bad english, I normaly only lurk on these forums Laugh
Well, thanks in any case Smile

No thread hijacking please... - Gamester17 - 2008-08-27

Icingdeath Wrote:I think, I've got the same problem with DTS audio as the TS. In my case this problem occurs since the build before alpha3.

So far this problem only occured with files that are encoded with WMA3.

In all cases my reciever did get a DTS signal when I used other mediaplayers such as MPC or Winamp.

Some file specific information from one of the files with this issue:

General
Complete name : F:\series\Band of Brothers\Band Of Brothers - 05 - Crossroads.nl-subs.wmv
Format : Windows Media
File size : 2.08 GiB
Duration : 52mn 28s
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 5683 Kbps
Maximum Overall bit rate : 15.2 Mbps
Encoded date : UTC 2007-08-26 09:25:45.593

Audio
Format : WMA3
Format profile : M2
Codec ID : 162
Codec ID/Info : Windows Media Audio 3
Description of the codec : Windows Media Audio 10 Professional - 640 kbps, 48 kHz, 5.1 channel 24 bit (A/V) 2-pass CBR
Duration : 52mn 28s
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 640 Kbps
Channel(s) : 6 channels
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Language : Dutch

Is it somehow possible to replace certain codecs in builds that are already compiled?
That is not even a DTS stream but a "Windows Media Audio 10 Professional" so it is absolutly not the same problem. Your problem is that XBMC does not support the Windows Media Audio 10 Professional codec at all, see => http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=27455 and no you can not 'replace' any codecs unless you are a skilled C/C++ programmer.

Rolleyes

- cold_realms - 2008-09-23

Anything new on this issue? I have been testing out beta1 and while video playback is very solid audio is another story. I use a variety of formats, like the OP some of my files are .dts files. They play perfectly from XBMC for XBoX but all i get is white noise from them on XBMC for PC.

I'll make a new thread for my other audio issues / questions as to not hijack this one.

-Cheers