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[bspachman]

I apologize in advance for the lengthy post with so many questions, but it's all about coming up to speed on the various options in MC12:

For DVD playback (Options>Playback>DVD Playback Settings) there are options to choose the video decoder and also the audio decoder. On my default installation, they both read "Automatic Selection".

1) What does this mean? Where does the automatic selection come from? A Windows System setting somewhere? How can I know what is being (or will be) selected?

2) If you alter the properties in the various DVD Filters (double-clicking on an entry from the right side of the window), do the changes you make in their resulting configuration dialogs apply only to MC, or to any of the applications on the system that make use of that filter?

3) Similarly, if you click the button "Select Output Device (Audio Renderer)", it brings up a dialog box that appears identical to the DirectShow configuration dialog. The only controls active in the dialog are the "Audio Renderer" section. Do changes made here affect all video played back with MC (DVDs and other files)? Are they system-wide changes?

Oddly, the scrollbar on the DirectShow filters side of this dialog (when reached through the DVD Playback options) lights up like it's an active control...

For DirectShow playback (Options>Playback>DirectShow Playback Settings), these options confuse the heck out of me.

4) What advantages/disadvantages are there to using the WMP engine (per the upper left checkbox)? The explanatory text mentions licensed content, but what if my content is unlicensed? What engine is used when the box is unchecked?

5) I guess this is more an enhancement request.... Being able to select an audio renderer for zones that I don't have defined confuses me. Also, I'd love to see a list of the zones (if I have more than 1) and what renderer is assigned to each one.

6) Similar to my question above, what's the deal with the Default DirectSound Device? Where does the default selection come from? A Windows System setting somewhere? How can I know what is being (or will be) selected?

7) Is there any advantage to assigning the specific audio renderer output in this dialog if I only have one playback zone? What are the differences between the "[soundcard device]" and "DirectSound: [soundcard device]"?

Finally, in the DirectShow Filters part of the dialog:

Eight) I understand that checking boxes here forces those filetypes to be played through DirectShow filters. Right-clicking on a filetype shows the currently assigned filters. However, why can I playback ac3 files (for example), when it shows "No Filter Selected". What kind of defaults are in operation here?

9) Do all of these filetypes require some kind of filter to be installed? For example, if I have an 'm4a' file and the box is unchecked, why does the file still play? However, if I have an 'ogg' file and the box is unchecked, it doesn't play. Inquiring minds would love to know...

10) I'm not even going to get into filter configuration for all of these filetypes here. I'm guessing you need to know what filter is needed to play your filetype so you can choose wisely.

I know I've bitten off a lot here, but any knowledge will be most gratefully accepted!

Best,
Brad

[Yaobing]

1) What does this mean? Where does the automatic selection come from? A Windows System setting somewhere? How can I know what is being (or will be) selected?

Automatic Selection means DirectShow selects whatever decoder that is the best. However, DirectShow is actually not that smart. It's selection is mostly based on media type. When multiple filters can handle the same media, the selection is based "Merit" value of filters. This is a value that is registered with the system when the filter is registered. The developers who produce the filters decide what merit their filters should have. So a very crappy filter could have a very high "merit". That is why we offer users the option to select.

How do you know what filters the system has selected for you? Just play the video, and right-click in the video window and choose "DirectShow Filters" to see a list of filters in use.

2) If you alter the properties in the various DVD Filters (double-clicking on an entry from the right side of the window), do the changes you make in their resulting configuration dialogs apply only to MC, or to any of the applications on the system that make use of that filter?

It depends on how each filter is implemented. In most cases the filters should persist the change (save the change and remembers it the next time it is used). That change (if persisted) is applied to the entire system. MC does not save the changes directly.

3) Similarly, if you click the button "Select Output Device (Audio Renderer)", it brings up a dialog box that appears identical to the DirectShow configuration dialog. The only controls active in the dialog are the "Audio Renderer" section. Do changes made here affect all video played back with MC (DVDs and other files)? Are they system-wide changes?

That part of the option is "zone-specific audio renderer selection". It applies to all video playback, including video files, DVDs, and TV. You can select different audio output device for different zones. When you play any video in a given zone, that selection is applied.

4) What advantages/disadvantages are there to using the WMP engine (per the upper left checkbox)? The explanatory text mentions licensed content, but what if my content is unlicensed? What engine is used when the box is unchecked?

You should not use WMP engine unless you have trouble with the other engine. There is little advantage in using WMP other than what has been mentioned. Inside WMP, DirectShow is also used to play media.

If you do not check that box, you use JRiver's DirectX Video Player. With this player you can do a lot more than with WMP. For example:

Zone-specific audio device selection;
Video zooming;
Grabbing static image from video;

5) I guess this is more an enhancement request.... Being able to select an audio renderer for zones that I don't have defined confuses me. Also, I'd love to see a list of the zones (if I have more than 1) and what renderer is assigned to each one.

6) Similar to my question above, what's the deal with the Default DirectSound Device? Where does the default selection come from? A Windows System setting somewhere? How can I know what is being (or will be) selected?

You define zones yourself. For example, if you have two sound cards, and connect one to speakers in your kitchen, and connect the other to speakers in your family room. The renderers that show up in the list should have names specific to the sound cards, except the "Default DirectSound Renderer" etc. If you only have one sound card, then all renderers output to the same sound card. There is little difference between "Default DirectSound Renderer" and "Default WavOut Renderer".

7) Is there any advantage to assigning the specific audio renderer output in this dialog if I only have one playback zone? What are the differences between the "[soundcard device]" and "DirectSound: [soundcard device]"?

The difference is small, if any. There are cases in which one may offer better performance than the other. You will have to experiment with it.

Finally, in the DirectShow Filters part of the dialog:

I understand that checking boxes here forces those filetypes to be played through DirectShow filters. Right-clicking on a filetype shows the currently assigned filters. However, why can I playback ac3 files (for example), when it shows "No Filter Selected". What kind of defaults are in operation here?

See my explanation to question 1.

9) Do all of these filetypes require some kind of filter to be installed? For example, if I have an 'm4a' file and the box is unchecked, why does the file still play? However, if I have an 'ogg' file and the box is unchecked, it doesn't play. Inquiring minds would love to know...

If you have m4a box unchecked, the type is played in Quicktime engine. If you check the box, the media type is played in DirectShow engine. Quicktime, RealPlayer, among a few others, are alternative engines used if a file is not playable in DirectShow, or the user choose not to play it in DirectShow. There is no alternative engine for ogg type.

10) I'm not even going to get into filter configuration for all of these filetypes here. I'm guessing you need to know what filter is needed to play your filetype so you can choose wisely.

Leave it to DirectShow if you do not know what filter to choose. If you have trouble playing a type, you should come here and ask a question.

[bspachman]

Yaobing,

THANKS! What a great post! You have gone a long way towards helping me understand something that has certainly confused me (and I don't think I'm alone)...

A couple of clarifications:

5) I guess this is more an enhancement request.... Being able to select an audio renderer for zones that I don't have defined confuses me. Also, I'd love to see a list of the zones (if I have more than 1) and what renderer is assigned to each one.

6) Similar to my question above, what's the deal with the Default DirectSound Device? Where does the default selection come from? A Windows System setting somewhere? How can I know what is being (or will be) selected?

You define zones yourself. For example, if you have two sound cards, and connect one to speakers in your kitchen, and connect the other to speakers in your family room. The renderers that show up in the list should have names specific to the sound cards, except the "Default DirectSound Renderer" etc. If you only have one sound card, then all renderers output to the same sound card. There is little difference between "Default DirectSound Renderer" and "Default WavOut Renderer".

I understand the zones feature--it's great. Enhancement-wise, what startled me is that the options dialog allowed me to specify an audio renderer for zones that didn't exist--that I hadn't defined.

Also, at least with my sound card, I have multiple output options, so in my case, I can actually choose 'M-Audio S/PDIF' or 'M-Audio Multi' or 'M-Audio 1/2'. I know that some of my choices overlap, but I could send a digital signal to my S/PDIF and an analog signal through my RCA jacks as 2 different zones.

However, I don't understand why you would want to change the audio renderer at all. It doesn't seem like the difference between Overlay, VMR7 or VMR9 for video.

9) Do all of these filetypes require some kind of filter to be installed? For example, if I have an 'm4a' file and the box is unchecked, why does the file still play? However, if I have an 'ogg' file and the box is unchecked, it doesn't play. Inquiring minds would love to know...

If you have m4a box unchecked, the type is played in Quicktime engine. If you check the box, the media type is played in DirectShow engine. Quicktime, RealPlayer, among a few others, are alternative engines used if a file is not playable in DirectShow, or the user choose not to play it in DirectShow. There is no alternative engine for ogg type.

Besides QuickTime & RealPlayer, what other quasi-native formats are there? I'm assuming that if QuickTime were not installed, then m4a files would not play without the appropriate DirectShow filters and configuration....

Thanks!
brad

[Yaobing]

I understand the zones feature--it's great. Enhancement-wise, what startled me is that the options dialog allowed me to specify an audio renderer for zones that didn't exist--that I hadn't defined.

This has changed for the next build. You will only configure audio renderer selection for the current zone.

However, I don't understand why you would want to change the audio renderer at all. It doesn't seem like the difference between Overlay, VMR7 or VMR9 for video.

Its main purpose is to select which speakers the output should go. As I mentioned there are situations in which one renderer may work better than another, even through the same speakers.

Besides QuickTime & RealPlayer, what other quasi-native formats are there? I'm assuming that if QuickTime were not installed, then m4a files would not play without the appropriate DirectShow filters and configuration....

Shockwave