Digger please read.........Audio Problems/AVI/MPEG/PCM

[DM]

Digger,

Further to your post above of 21/1/2004, I tried the following...........

1. Adjusted Hardware Acceleration to level 3, then level 2. No joy in either
case.

2. Checked driver version of my ATI Radeon 9000 Graphics card. It is up to
date.

Did the following............................

1. Downloaded and installed GSpot (brilliant application! If it isn't
already mentioned on PapaJohn's site, it should be.) Ran it. Opened two
video files in it. Resutls for both files the same: Video - MJPEG It says
that there are two compatible codecs installed. Audio - PCM: It says, no
codec required.

So, that tallies with my experience to date. i.e. I have what is required to
play the files. The problem is MM2's Storyboard?????

2. I looked in "C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\mplayer2.exe"
File/Properties-->filters For some reason, when I open mplayer2.exe
and go File/Properties, Properties is "greyed out" so I couldn't look in it.
So, I opened one of the same video files in it. Then went
File/Properties/Advanced. In the box called "Filters in Use" it says,
"Default DirectSound Device" and "Video Renderer".

So, both 1. and 2. appear to be functioning perfectly.

So, the only solution I have is to use an MPEG encoder.

This fault is undoubtedly within MM2 and its Storyboard. It SHOULD use the
PCM codec, installed in XP, for playback just as it uses it in Collections.

PapaJohn, you might ask your friends in Microsoft to release a fix for this.
It is MADDENING!

Thanks.

D.

 

[Digger]

DM,

I understand that your frustrated with the issue and yes, I would heartily
agree that there are certainly problems with MM2.

Ok, hope the following makes some sense. It is pretty late -- actually
pretty early -- and I'm no longer functioning at 100%.

PCM is PCM, regardless of what encoder/ or compression format is used for
the video stream. If the audio is bad while using default MJPEG handler,
and normal when using another MPEG decoder, it does not mean that the audio
format has changed; it hasn't, it is still PCM.

Since the original file now renders properly from within storyline, we can
reasonably assume that there is inherently nothing wrong with storyline; the
audio format is still PCM, and storyline is still playing the same file, in
the same manner as before.

So, what changed?

I'm not sitting at your desktop so I cannot say for certain, but, it is
possible the default system MJPEG Splitter was simply corrupting the audio
stream, during separation, or, maybe something was wrong elsewhere in the
rendering pathway. Whatever the source issue, it was apparently only being
manifested from within storyline; possibly indicative of greater burden upon
MM2's resources when rendering from storyline.

Anyway, by installing a different MPEG solution you may have physically
changed MJPEG/ MPEG Splitters, and/ or changed the rendering path in some
other manner. Without in-depth analysis we may never really know the true
answer.

Keep in mind that the MPEG/ MJPEG splitter actually separates the audio
stream from the video stream at the source input. Each stream is
subsequently passed along its corresponding pathway for final rendering to
the default DirectShow or DirectSound player device. Just becuase an MPEG
Splitter was used during stream separation does not mean that the audio
stream is an MPEG Layer.

What I can say with some certainty is that, from within Storyline, your PCM
audio stream is still being rendered via XP's default PCM handler. As far
as the actual decoding (rendering) of the audio stream goes, nothing has
changed.

 

[DM]

Digger,

Many thanks.

Guess I'll just have to wait for Microsoft to sort out this mess.

TP