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[Osho]

Hi,

I have an AVI video file for which I am trying to choose the right audio decoding filter. If I play this AVI video file, I get the HCW AC3 Audio Decoder filter. Here is the graph info:

Filter Graph Info:

    Filter 'Default DirectSound Device'
        CLSID: {79376820-07D0-11CF-A24D-0020AFD79767}
        Host: C:\WINDOWS\system32\quartz.dll
        Input Pin 'Audio Input pin (rendered)'
            Connected to pin 'PCM Out' of filter 'HCW AC3 Audio Decoder'
            Major type MEDIATYPE_Audio  Sub type MEDIASUBTYPE_PCM, Format type FORMAT_WaveFormatEx

    Filter 'Video Mixing Renderer 9'
        CLSID: {51B4ABF3-748F-4E3B-A276-C828330E926A}
        Host: C:\WINDOWS\system32\quartz.dll
        Input Pin 'VMR Input0'
            Connected to pin 'Out' of filter 'ffdshow Video Decoder'
            Major type MEDIATYPE_Video  Sub type MEDIASUBTYPE_YV12, Format type FORMAT_VideoInfo2
        Input Pin 'VMR Input1'

    Filter 'HCW AC3 Audio Decoder'
        CLSID: {91A6D850-7CC4-4228-9118-48E6F59DED99}
        Host: C:\WINDOWS\system32\Hauppauge\SMD07\hcw_mcac3dec.ax
        Input Pin 'AC-3 In'
            Connected to pin 'Stream 01' of filter 'AVI Splitter'
            Major type MEDIATYPE_Audio  Sub type Unknown GUID Name: {00002000-0000-0010-8000-00AA00389B71}, Format type FORMAT_WaveFormatEx
        Output Pin 'PCM Out'
            Connected to pin 'Audio Input pin (rendered)' of filter 'Default DirectSound Device'
            Major type MEDIATYPE_Audio  Sub type MEDIASUBTYPE_PCM, Format type FORMAT_WaveFormatEx

    Filter 'ffdshow Video Decoder'
        CLSID: {04FE9017-F873-410E-871E-AB91661A4EF7}
        Host: C:\Program Files\ffdshow\ffdshow.ax
        Input Pin 'In'
            Connected to pin 'Stream 00' of filter 'AVI Splitter'
            Major type MEDIATYPE_Video  Sub type Unknown GUID Name: {44495658-0000-0010-8000-00AA00389B71}, Format type FORMAT_VideoInfo
        Output Pin 'Out'
            Connected to pin 'VMR Input0' of filter 'Video Mixing Renderer 9'
            Major type MEDIATYPE_Video  Sub type MEDIASUBTYPE_YV12, Format type FORMAT_VideoInfo2
        Input Pin 'In Text'

    Filter 'AVI Splitter'
        CLSID: {1B544C20-FD0B-11CE-8C63-00AA0044B51E}
        Host: C:\WINDOWS\system32\quartz.dll
        Output Pin 'Stream 00'
            Connected to pin 'In' of filter 'ffdshow Video Decoder'
            Major type MEDIATYPE_Video  Sub type Unknown GUID Name: {44495658-0000-0010-8000-00AA00389B71}, Format type FORMAT_VideoInfo
        Output Pin 'Stream 01'
            Connected to pin 'AC-3 In' of filter 'HCW AC3 Audio Decoder'
            Major type MEDIATYPE_Audio  Sub type Unknown GUID Name: {00002000-0000-0010-8000-00AA00389B71}, Format type FORMAT_WaveFormatEx
        Input Pin 'input pin'
            Connected to pin 'Output' of filter 'M:\Movies\MyMovie.avi'
            Major type MEDIATYPE_Stream  Sub type MEDIASUBTYPE_Avi, Format type TIME_FORMAT_NONE

    Filter 'M:\Movies\MyMovie.avi'
        CLSID: {E436EBB5-524F-11CE-9F53-0020AF0BA770}
        Host: C:\WINDOWS\system32\quartz.dll
        Output Pin 'Output'
            Connected to pin 'input pin' of filter 'AVI Splitter'
            Major type MEDIATYPE_Stream  Sub type MEDIASUBTYPE_Avi, Format type TIME_FORMAT_NONE


I would like to use a different AC3 Audio decoder but I cannot figure out how to do so. Right-clicking the video and then selecting DirectShow Filters and then selecting "Select Filters" does not present a choice for the audio decoder filter.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Osho

[JimH]

My advice in this situation is always the same.  Find the Wiki article (link above) on DirectShow, then CCCP, and install CCCP.  When you install it, uncheck the options for taskbar notification for both FFDShow and Haali, total of 3 checkboxes.

My crude understanding of filters is that you need a "splitter" to split audio and video apart, and then you need filters to decode both.  Some programs, like FFDshow, can do all 3.

glynor also likes COREAVC, but I've never used it.

[Yaobing]

Right-clicking the video and then selecting DirectShow Filters and then selecting "Select Filters" does not present a choice for the audio decoder filter.

There is not a separate Audio decoder selection.  Audio decoder, video decoder, and other processing filters are grouped into "Other filters".  Click "Other filters" list and you should find audio decoders for you to choose from.

[JimH]

Yaobing,
Please correct anything I've said above.

Thanks,

Jim

[Alex B]

I think what you said is about right.

However, CoreAVC is strictly a plain video decoder component for H.264/AVC encoded video streams. Its advantage is efficiency. It uses less CPU than, for instance, the FFDShow video decoder. CoreAVC doesn't decode video streams that are in other popular encoding formats, like Xvid/DivX or MPEG-2. Also, the CoreAVC decoder doesn't include the splitter and audio decoder parts.*

In general, it would be good to first try to configure the installed filters so that MC would automatically select the best filter combination (the DirectShow guide in the JRiver Wiki helps in this), but if that doesn't work as desired the audio decoder can be selected like Yaobing instructed.

EDIT

* I think the Haali Media Splitter filter is bundled with the commercial CoreAVC software product, but that part is not anyhow integrated with the CoreAVC decoder. It is just the normal freeware Haali splitter.

[Osho]

There is not a separate Audio decoder selection.  Audio decoder, video decoder, and other processing filters are grouped into "Other filters".  Click "Other filters" list and you should find audio decoders for you to choose from.

I would try this out. But, this is non-intuitive. Why is the video and audio decoder in the "Other filters"? Also, currently I see J River Bitrate Monitor as the only filter selected in Other Filters.

Osho

[Osho]

I tried to use a different Audio decoder as Yaobing suggested from Other Filters. For example, I selected PDVD7 audio decoder. I stopped the file from playing back and restarted again. But, I still got the same HCW Audio decoder.

Regarding suggestions about installing CCCP, I already have installed Haali splitter and ffdshow tryouts latest version. However, I also have other media software on my system (PowerDVD7 Ultra for blu-ray, Happauge WinTV and drivers, BeyondTV for TV DVR, DScalar etc.). I wish there was a systematic way for me to disable some of the filters that I think I never want to use.

Thanks,
Osho

[Osho]

I selected a difference PDVD7 audio decoder from the list and that worked! So, I was actually able to change the audio decoder to play the .AVI file.

I still think it is not intuitive to look for audio and video filters under "Other Filters".

Thanks,
Osho

[Yaobing]

I still think it is not intuitive to look for audio and video filters under "Other Filters".

Yes, but technically it is hard to identify filters that are "audio decoders", (and similarly "video decoders").  Imagine an audio decoder that gets misplaced into "other filters", but a user keeps looking for it in "Audio decoders", the user would have a real hard time finding it.  It is therefore much easier to just have them all in one place.  The phrase "Other filters" refers to "all filters other than Source Filters".