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[raul]

Hi guys,

i'll apologise in advance if this question has been answered before.

wen playing audio via WASAPI to my S/PDIF digital output, how do i keep the bit-depth output the same as my input?

for example: wen i am playing a 16/44 song as my input, wen i look at the output in the "audio path" pop-up, it says 32 bit/44.
even wen i'm playing a 24/96 or 24/192 song as my input, the "audio path" shows the output as 32bit/96 or 32/192....

how can i keep the input & output the same?

i'm proud to say i recently purchased [ie. yesterday] JRiver MC, but just want to get help on a few tweaks.
i used a trial version about a year ago [& in that time, i'm sure there has been sum major upgrades & changes] but couldn't purchase as i didn't own a credit card as yet.

thankz guys for the help & guidance. 

Raul.

[BryanC]

Take a look at your settings and options in Tools>Options>Audio>DSP & Output Format>Output Format

[raul]

Take a look at your settings and options in Tools>Options>Audio>DSP & Output Format>Output Format

thankz, i did, but the only "output format" u can change is the sample rate, not the bit-depth.
however, upon further tinkering, i realised that if u go to "playback options">audio device>device settings>..... now in this window which has a heading "Realtek Digital Output (Realtek High Definition Audio) [WASAPI], there is an option for Bitdepth which has 6 options ranging from automatic (recommended) to 16bit-integer.

itz with the option "automatic", that the bitdepth is different in the output ie. if i play 16/44 or 24/96, the output is 32/44 or 32/96 respectively....
however, the audio path still shows this as "DIRECT"

what i find EERIE & peculiar is that my S/PDIF cable can ONLY accept up to 24/192 & obviously this is the same with my Headroom ULTRA 24bit DAC, only accepts max. 24/192 via S/PDIF optical....

HOW is it that i can play/input a 24/192 song & it is able to output a 32/192 to my S/PDIF optical?!?
itz very strange considering itz playing back with no worries [ie. DIRECT] but how this is scientifically possible, i do NOT know?

does anybody else hav this situation where they hav a 24bit/192 outboard DAC which they r feeding via an S/PDIF or USB & JRiver MC audio path is showing an output of 32bit & itz unbelievably still going thru & working....??

i'd like to hear from the engineers of the audio engine as well if possible if this is normal.

what is WEIRD is if i go to the Bit-depth option & choose 24-bit integer, MC has playback problems, & if i choose 16-bit integer, then of course all my 16bit music will hav same input as output. but i don't understand y 24bit won't work.... & as i've mentioned before, choosing the option "automatic (recommended for best sound quality) means the output on everything i play is 32bit....... & my DAC can process max. 24bit.  ? 

is it safe to say that even tho MC says i'm having a "DIRECT" audio path, itz wrong somewhere?

thankz again, hopefully somebody else has had this situation as well.... i mean, as far as know MOST ppl hav 24bit high-end DACs & no higher than 24/192 music.....

[glynor]

for example: wen i am playing a 16/44 song as my input, wen i look at the output in the "audio path" pop-up, it says 32 bit/44.
even wen i'm playing a 24/96 or 24/192 song as my input, the "audio path" shows the output as 32bit/96 or 32/192....

how can i keep the input & output the same?

You should not, unless you have an external DAC that is broken or has terrible drivers, and reports bitdepths as possible that it does not support.

* The highest possible playback bitdepth always results in the optimal quality playback, under all conditions.
* When volume is set at 100%, then the additional bitdepth is irrelevant because it is filled with zeroes.
* When the volume is set to less than 100%, for any reason (which can include automatic volume leveling and all sorts of other DSP effects as well), then playing back with a higher bitdepth than the source file preserves audio information which would otherwise be clipped.

The only valid reason to alter the default automatic bitdepth selection is if your output device is borked, and otherwise playback fails (and in this case, I'd recommend fixing your output device, though this may not always be financially possible or there could be other complexities at play).

The same is not true for Sample Rate.  It is generally best to play the files back with matching Sample Rates (which MC does by default when the Audio Options are set up properly).  MC picks the best bitrate for you.  Don't fight it, as you're not helping, and are risking degrading your audio quality.

[csimon]

 It is generally best to play the files back with matching Sample Rates (which MC does by default when the Audio Options are set up properly).  MC picks the best bitrate for you.  Don't fight it, as you're not helping, and are risking degrading your audio quality.

Except that MC automatically switches to a different sample rate when you output in Doby Digital, as it is assumed you are not interested in audio quality if outputting in Dolby Digital, which is processed, lossy and compressed.

[6233638]

what i find EERIE & peculiar is that my S/PDIF cable can ONLY accept up to 24/192 & obviously this is the same with my Headroom ULTRA 24bit DAC, only accepts max. 24/192 via S/PDIF optical....
HOW is it that i can play/input a 24/192 song & it is able to output a 32/192 to my S/PDIF optical?!?

Media Center always uses the highest bit-depth that the device driver will accept.
The Realtek driver evidently accepts a 32-bit input, and will convert that to a 24-bit output. (since S/PDIF is limited to 24-bit)
 
You may wish to configure Media Center to use a 24-bit output (or 24-bit padded if that does not work) rather than 32-bit.

[glynor]

Except that MC automatically switches to a different sample rate when you output in Doby Digital, as it is assumed you are not interested in audio quality if outputting in Dolby Digital, which is processed, lossy and compressed.

Yeah.

You may wish to configure Media Center to use a 24-bit output (or 24-bit padded if that does not work) rather than 32-bit.

If you know it is going out over a SPDIF link, and the drivers are dumb and accept the input anyway, then yes, this is a good example of a place to do this.  If you don't know how, and that's what this is about, refer to:

http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/WASAPI

You can set the bitdepth explicitly there.

[raul]

Media Center always uses the highest bit-depth that the device driver will accept.
The Realtek driver evidently accepts a 32-bit input, and will convert that to a 24-bit output. (since S/PDIF is limited to 24-bit)
 
You may wish to configure Media Center to use a 24-bit output (or 24-bit padded if that does not work) rather than 32-bit.

"The Realtek driver evidently accepts a 32-bit input, and will convert that to a 24-bit output. (since S/PDIF is limited to 24-bit)"

this conversion that the Realtek driver is supposedly doing.... does it now mean that the audio presented to the S/PDIF optical cable is not 'bit-perfect/untouched' anymore?
altho MC dus state "DIRECT" in the audio path...

but Y isn't it working wen i explicitly state 24-bit output? it says playback went wrong, & yet my cable & DAC obv can handle a 24-bit signal. what gives?

& obv as i've stated, wen i stick with the default "automatic", it outputs a 32bit value....& the audio works.

b4 purchasing MC20 recently, the last version [& time] i used was MC19 trial version, & it naturally ONLY accepted a 24bit signal & 32bit output wudn't work.

so sum things hav clearly changed......

[6233638]

"Direct" means that Media Center is doing no processing to the signal. (though I think the exception is Volume Leveling)
Media Center doesn't know what the device on the other end is doing with that signal, or whether that device is a 32-bit DAC or a 24-bit S/PDIF output.
So it is as direct as it can be, as far as Media Center is concerned.
 
Did you try both 24-bit output options? I'd be surprised if neither of them work.

b4 purchasing MC20 recently, the last version [& time] i used was MC19 trial version, & it naturally ONLY accepted a 24bit signal & 32bit output wudn't work.
so sum things hav clearly changed......

You probably updated your Realtek drivers. (or Windows Update did)

[Hendrik]

24-padded-to-32 should work as an output on those devices, I would think. And it ensures MC knows that only 24-bit are used for output.