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[tjobbins]

Hi all

I keep finding that, when working with video files,  something is causing those video files to render - invoking ffdshow - and this causes my audio to blip.

Two examples:

1. Building thumbnails is the primary (or maybe only) culprit.  Whenever I view a whole bunch of video files, it will start generating thumbnails.  To generate the thumbnail it invokes the ffdshow video codec - fair enough - but for some reason it also invokes the audio codec.  This causes my audio to 'blip' - meaning that if I'm playing music, the music will keep cutting out. Each cut out is very brief, but of course highly annoying.

I try to avoid this problem by going to Options->Tree->Build thumbnails and I have set Import to build thumnails on import.

I think the main problem is that there's no way to lock out thumbnail creation.  We need an option saying 'Dont build thumbnails automatically'.  This would mean that thumbnails are only generated: 1) when chosen in Generate Thumbnails  2) on Import, if this option is set.     This would be much better - if I'm playing some music, and I happen to browse video, I dont want my audio to cut out while video thumbnails generate!  If I'm missing some thumbnaisl that's no big deal, I don't want my music enjoyment spoiled by generating them on the fly.

2. This might just be the same issue as 1.   So I just selected 3500 video files and updated their tags.   As soon as I started doing this, the audio start blipping.   I figured that maybe some of those 3500 video files were missing thumbnails, and as all were selected in the view scheme, it was probably building them.   So I went to Tree options->Generate thumbnails, and it found 120 thumnails to build.   It built these - causing a period of audio blipping.     

But then after it said Complete, there was more blipping, but this stopped after another 1 min or so.  So it does seem that the Generate Thumbnails I ran caused the blipping to stop, but not quite immediately.

So this blipping is probably also the result of automatic thumbnail gen, so the same as 1 again.

So two things:

1. Either please find a way to stop thumbnail generation from blipping the audio.  Surely generating a thumbnail picture doesn't require that the video file invoke its audio decoder?   Is there any way you can render the video only, and tell it not to render audio, such that audio never blips?

2.  And/Or,  please provide a global option "Never generate thumbnails unless requested or on auto import"  - which when set to Yes, will disable any automatic background generation of thumbnails.  If the option is Yes, thumbnails will only be generated if the user:  a) Manually chooses Generate Thumbnails  b) has chosen Generate Thumbnails on Auto Import and an Auto Import runs.

This will give the most flexibility.  In my case, I would disable thumbnail generation globally, and also disable it on Import.  I would then only run thumbnail generation manually.  If I find I'm missing some thumbnails in the meantime, then that's fine - better than it causing an unpredidctable degredataion in music listening.


Thanks

[JimH]

That isn't normal.  Did you try the wiki entry here on DirectShow?

DirectShow is configured under options for filetypes.

[tjobbins]

That isn't normal.  Did you try the wiki entry here on DirectShow?

DirectShow is configured under options for filetypes.

OK, well that's great to know this isn't normal behaviour.  I'll read the DirectShow article and see if I'm doing anything wrong.

So just so I'm clear:  generating thumbnails of video files should NOT cause the audio of that video file to render and not cause my sound output to blip?   So I should be able to safely have thumbnails generate any time with no loss of audio quality for playing music (or other playing video files) ?

[JimH]

So just so I'm clear:  generating thumbnails of video files should NOT cause the audio of that video file to render and not cause my sound output to blip?   

Correct.

[sargebat]

I am having same problem, but mainly when importing files.

[tjobbins]

I've found no solution yet.

I looked throuh the Wiki DirectShow entry, I think I understand and am doing things corretly.

I use the latest CCCP and the Haali that came with that, with CoreAVC pro doing x264 and ffdshow doing all other codecs including DVD.  

In ffdshow audio, I have AC3 and DTS to SPDIF passthru, mixer turned off, stream switcher turned on, and no change to codecs or any other options.

My DirectShow options in MC are all on automatic.  If I change for example AVI to J River Video Engine, I see that Source Filter goes to; Automatic,  Other filters is ffdshow Audio Decoder, J River Bitrate Monitor, and Renderer is Automatic.  

MKV, by contrast does not list ffdshow audio decoder in Other filters.

I generated some more thumbnails tonight and found the following behaviour:

1. While generating 177 thumbnails, audio bilpped for 10-20 of them
2. On the taskbar, icons appeared and disappeared constantly.  The following icons could appear:  Haali media splitter, ffdshow video, CoreAVC Pro
3. When ffdshow video icon alone showed, no blipping
4. When CoreAVC/Haali icon showed, there was blipping
5. So I conclude I was getting blipping only on MKV files in this test.  
6. I noticed that the ffdshow audio decoder icon did not apper at all - so it appears it's not invoked.  Yet something still causes the audio to blip, maybe in Haali or maybe in CoreAVC

I looked in Haali and CoreAVC's options but found nothing audio related at all.

One consideration - these MKV files are quite liekly to have AC3 or DTS soundtracks.  If audio is triggered, this will cause the soundcard to tell the amp to switch to AC3 or DTS and that will blip the sound.  Could this be the key?  Maybe sound is invoked for all files, but on normal MP3/non-surround sound, you never notice because it's just mixed in; but when the mode changes, that will cause the amp to blip as it changes mode and then back again.

[JimH]

Check the settings for playback.  There are some options for buffering and for resetting the sound card.  Try them.

If that doesn't work, uninstall your codecs.  I believe CCCP provides a way to do this.  Then install only CCCP.  Turn off Taskbar Notification (3x) for Haali and FFDShow.

This is a big problem:

2. On the taskbar, icons appeared and disappeared constantly.  The following icons could appear:  Haali media splitter, ffdshow video, CoreAVC Pro

which will be fixed if you do the step above.

You could also try updating the sound card driver.

Simplify your setup, removing virus checkers, etc.

Check the "Weird Problems" thread in my signature.