2011-06-28T14: 40

2011-06-28T14: 40

Audiophile "s Software

Copyright (C) 2014, Taras Kovrijenko

Full or partial copying of the text is allowed only with the written permission of the author.

Introduction

With this article I would like to open a new section dedicated to video playback on a computer.

Please note: I in no way guarantee the correct functioning of the settings given here on any equipment other than my own.

- Dual-core processor not worse than Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2 GHz
- At least 2 GB of RAM
- Video card of nVidia 9600 / Radeon 3870 level or better
- 32- or 64-bit operating system Windows 7 SP1

If your system does not meet these requirements, this does not mean that the settings I have specified will not work at all. Most likely, you will have to exclude some components, or lower the quality of processing (see the section "Recommendations for weak computers")

2. Required software

For stable operation, we need specific, tested versions of programs and codecs. However, combinations of newer versions are likely to work as well. Thus, if you have any problems, or you find some significant bug, you can download the latest version of the program from its official website (links at the end of the article). I will describe the setting for the versions below.

So, here's what we need (download these files, but don't install anything yet):

• Microsoft Visual C ++ 2008 SP1 Redistributable Package is a set of C ++ 2008 libraries required for many programs to work.


• Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 (Full Package) (if not installed)- software platform from Microsoft. Required for correct video rendering.


• DirectX 9.29.1962 (June 2010) - The latest version of the DirectX 9 library set. Required for correct video rendering.


• Media Player Classic HomeCinema 1.5.0.2827 x86 is one of the best players (in my opinion - the best) using DirectShow. It has a simple, user-friendly design, and at the same time contains all the necessary functionality.


• ffdshow rev. 3760 - DirectShow audio / video filter containing decoders of all popular formats, as well as useful handlers. Has a completely transparent path.


• AviSynth 2.58 is a tool for video processing (including streaming). Allows you to connect special custom scripts (which contains SVP).


• ReClock 1.8.7.7 - DirectShow audio renderer with ample opportunities to synchronize audio and video series (by adjusting the sampling rate). It is also capable of outputting sound via Kernel Streaming and WASAPI Exclusive, which is also important.


• Smooth Video Pack 3.0.3 Lite is a software package that allows you to increase the frame rate of the video being played by calculating intermediate frames (for example, to convert 24-> 60 frames / s, you need to calculate 36 intermediate frames for each second of the video). This achieves maximum synchronization with the refresh rate of the screen and a significant increase in the smoothness of movements.

3. Preparing the system, installing software

This stage is very important - the stability of the installed components directly depends on it. The algorithm of actions is as follows:

4. Software configuration

4.1 Media Player Classic HomeCinema

To get into the settings, you must click in the menu bar on View and select item Settings... We will not focus on the parameters that do not directly affect the video playback process. Therefore, let's go straight to the decoders.

Here we need to turn off all built-in decoders, since we will use ffdshow to decode audio and video.

To exclude an extra link from the chain, turn off the track selector built into the player. We'll also use ffdshow for this.

Here, the main thing is to enable EVR rendering, set bicubic interpolation with maximum anti-aliasing, and also enable the use of the audio rendering ReClock. After setting, remember to press the button. Apply.

4.2 ffdshow audio / video decoder

To go to the settings of these decoders, open the list of programs in the menu Start and find the folder there ffdshow... It contains shortcuts for the audio and video decoder configurator.

4.2.1 Video

Here, if possible, set a decoder for all formats (for which decoding is prohibited) libavcodec.

This is where it will be useful to include a queue (for multi-thread processing).

We will set the output format to RGB32 with high quality conversion from YV12, which will guarantee the most accurate color reproduction.

4.2.2 Audio

By analogy with video decoders, instead of " banned"select a decoder libavcodec or another available. For Uncompressed, set " all supported". Immediately turn off mixer(uncheck the box) - we won't need it, the channel conversion will be performed by the sound card.

Here you need to enable switching of streams (audio tracks).

We will output sound in 24-bit PCM. If your audio driver does not support 24-bit, enable 16-bit mode.

ATTENTION: For correct soundtrack playback, the sound card settings must indicate the actual configuration of the speaker system (or headphones).

4.3 ReClock

Setting up ReClock is extremely simple. You just need to go to Start-> Programs-> ReClock-> Configure ReClock and check the settings:

pay attention to Sampling rate(sample rate) and Format (bit depth). The quantization depth should be set to the same as in the ffdshow audio output settings. Frequency - in accordance with the reference frequency of your sound card (for built-in cards, this is usually 48 kHz).

4.4 SVP Manager

Here, too, settings are kept to a minimum. To launch the program, open Start-> All Programs-> SVP 3.0-> SVP Manager. Note: to improve the smoothness of the video, SVP Manager must be running. You can add it to startup by right-clicking on the tray icon-> Settings-> Load with Windows.

If the video card supports OpenCL, it is very important to enable GPU acceleration- this will significantly reduce the load on the processor.

Just in case, check number of threads processing set in the manager - for optimal performance, it should correspond to the number of logical processors in the computer (for example, for dual-core processors with HyperThreading technology, the number of logical processors is four). For three-core (or more) processors, you can use the empirical formula Number of Threads = Number of cores * 1.823 (for example, for a quad-core processor, set 7 threads).

5. Debugging

And so, everything is set up, SVP Manager is running. Launch the player and open some video file. An image appears with a message overlaid on top of it. " SVP> Smooth playback ...". Open the context menu-> Filters- ReClock Audio Render, Enhanced Video Render, ffdshow audio / video decoder and source filter should be specified there:

Now pay attention to the system tray. There should be three icons: ffdshow video decoder, ffdshow audio decoder, ReClock, and SVP Manager:

When the pointer pauses over the ffdshow icon, information about the input and output stream should be displayed:

If there is no ffdshow audio or video decoder in the filter list and another one is present- it means either you did not completely follow the setup instructions, or another filter has a higher priority and should be disabled / removed (for example, using the Codec Tweak And Fix Tool).

If Enhanced Video Render does not work, it means you do not have .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 installed or there are problems with the video card driver.

If ReClock does not function audio render - check again the audio output settings, especially the.

If ReClock icon red, click on it and indicate in the upper right corner the refresh rate of your monitor:

Now, right during playback, press Ctrl + J in the player. The screen should display information and a synchronization graph:

Pay attention to the green line: ideally it should be straight, but this is not always the case. Bursts with an amplitude of more than one division (along the vertical axis) lead to a visible deviation in the frame time (single deviations are perceived as twitching, slowing down, constant - as jitter) - this indicates insufficient system performance or a problem with the drivers. You can visually evaluate the stability of synchronization by clicking Ctrl + T.

Also pay attention to the difference in the level of the green and red lines - it should always be approximately the same (or slightly fluctuate around a constant value). If the first graph is gradually approaching the second, you need to change the frequency in the ReClock settings (see above) - usually from 60 to 59.940 FPS.

If the picture twitches a lot, and the graph rushes up and down, check the processor load (Ctrl + Alt + Del) - perhaps its power is not enough to convert the frame rate. In this case, double-click the SVP icon in the tray and try to lower the conversion parameters.

If pressing Ctrl + T on the vertical crawling strip there are horizontal cuts, it means there is a vertical sync problem. Try turning on alternate sync:

Note: sync instability also possible after exiting some 3D applications. So you can try restarting your computer.

If the processor load is low (less than 90%), the picture is generally stable, but occasionally twitching (especially noticeable with uniform camera movement), try turning fullscreen Direct3D mode.

On weak machines (especially with single-core processors), the first thing to do is to exclude the Smooth Video Pack from the chain - it consumes a very large amount of resources. If you have a video card with DXVA support, it is very important to enable decoders marked DXVA in the MPC HC settings - this will allow you to view video encoded in H.264 / AVC even with a weak processor.

The next step can be to change the render (MPC output settings) and color space (ffdshow video decoder output settings). Below are the results of an express test for loading the CPU and GPU with video playback (Xvid 720x304 23.98fps 2023kbps). The measurements were taken at 2x magnification of the video in the window mode. We used an Intel Core i3 530 processor (2 cores, 2.93 GHz), an AMD HD3870 512 Mb DDR4 video card, and Windows 7 x64 Ultimate.

Therefore, to minimize CPU utilization, you should use EVR + YV12 or Overlay Mixer + RGB32. To unload the video card, you can use System Render + RGB32 (you can use high conversion quality) or Overlay Mixer. But keep in mind that hardware decoding (DXVA) only works with EVR rendering.

Useful links:

MPC is a versatile software for playing audio-video files on your PC. We offer Windows for free.

This player is capable of recognizing and playing most of the well-known formats, both video and audio. The main advantage of the software is a wide range of specializations for customizing playback.

The basics of working with MPC-HC

The MPC interface is presented in many languages, including Russian. It is enough to download Media Player Classic for Windows and select the language on the panel during installation.

Using the "File - Properties" tab, you can get information about the file being played: starting from the number of frames per second and ending with a detailed description of video resolutions. And in order for the subtitles to be displayed, you need to follow the "Navigation - Subtitle menu" tab. If they are not yet embedded in the video file, then you can download and add them through the "File - Subtitle Base".

Have you ever met .avi films where several audio tracks are indicated in the description, but there is only one file? In the "Play - Audio" menu, select the audio track you need. Often, these are different types of voice acting. For example, dubbing and amateur implementation in two voices.

The controls and hotkeys of this cinema can be customized. For example, you want to pause by pressing the spacebar. Open "View - Preferences" or the O key on the English layout. In the menu that opens, find "Keys". All hotkey operations are provided here. Find the "Pause" option and in the "Key" column enter "space".

Advantages and range of capabilities of Classic Media Player

Downloading the classic media player for windows means not just installing the player. MPC contains a range of codec packs that will provide playback of most modern formats in the Windows environment. If any media file does not play, you should not panic. In addition, it is enough to install K-Lite, which contains all the missing codecs. This software only complements MPC.

This player provides you with the ability to fully debug video or audio streams. The menu (eng. O) offers a wide range of manual playback settings. For example, if the audio track is lagging behind in a video file or the sound is too quiet, you can enhance or offset it in the Audio Switch tab.

Among the many programs, Media Player Classic for a computer is the best option. At its core, it is a freestyle tuning program. With its help, you will get more pleasure from watching movies. And if you are a professional in your field, then adapt it to external filters to idealize your home theater.

Hello everyone, friends! Today I will help you set up 5.1 surround sound, such as in a home theater (and maybe not only in a home ...).
Not a pseudo-quadro and not an expansion of the sound base by mixing the adjacent channel into phasing.
Namely, so that each audio track on the file has its own speaker in the room.
This article will help us to set up 5.1 sound.

By default, the player, or rather the codec, is configured so that the sound on the receiver from the computer is only in the front channels: left and right.
It's time to expand your horizons!

5.1 means the following system:
C- center channel (it is more often used for voice)
SW- subwoofer channel (to bomb the floor, but harder, to the joy of neighbors)
FL- far front left
FR- far front right
SL- far rear left (located behind the listener on the left)
SR- far rear right (located behind the listener on the right)

You need to get an amplifier (receiver) that will support the connection of 6 speakers, and so that each has a separate input and a separate output.
Also, on the computer, the sound card must support such a connection.

If there are fewer outputs, then you will have to purchase an additional sound card

Green connector, it is usually the main one by default. The speakers are connected to it: left and right front.
Orange combines the center speaker and subwoofer.
Black are the rear speakers that are in the back.
Gray is for 7.1 (plus 2 more columns for our still life).
In the sound card, for a start, let's put 5.1 (no, well, you can also 7.1, if the hardware allows it).
I show it using the Realtek sound card as an example. Although, the interface is not very different for older versions. However, the new one is more convenient and prettier.


There is a Play button to the right of the drop-down list. It allows you to check how each column is performing separately.

We will configure it using the example of the Classic player, which is included in the K-lite Codec Pack.

And it is not necessary to say that:

1. This is a codec wash (especially for people who edit video), I will say this: if your hands are straight, then the programs will work to your advantage.
2. It is impossible to get 5.1 in the Classic player, as only 2 speakers work. Anything is possible and 5.1 and even more: squeeze out all 17 channels simultaneously, if your equipment allows. Only in the case of 17 speakers - hang yourself with them and wires.

Let's start the video file in the Classic player. Let's move on to the settings and make sure that the sound is sent to the correct sound card (for me this is the 15th number of "Realtek Speakers"):


Is there a sound? In all columns? Not? We go to the tray, there are icons for the codecs with which the player works:


We need to open LAV.


Uncheck the "Mixer" box. It is usually set by default for 2-channel sound cards, but we have already gone further, breaking stereotypes and limitations!
Apply the changes. If sound does not appear in all speakers, then select 5.1 from the drop-down list and apply again.

Everything, the sound MUST be in all the necessary speakers.
If not, check the hardware, restart the player, or see if the video file has run out? =))

Search engine tags, don't read them:
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In this tutorial, we will take a closer look at setting up K-Lite Mega Codec Pack- the most popular codec pack. Experienced users may find this material useless, but beginners often have problems installing this kit.

Download the codec pack K-lite Mega Codec Pack from the official site. Install the codec pack by closing all programs. In the first window of the installer launch, click Next... In the next window, check Advanced Mode (All options are shown)- Advanced mode (all options are shown). Click on Next again.

You will see the main window with K-Lite Mega Codec Pack settings... From the top dropdown menu select Profile 7: Lots of stuff- the most complete installation. Most often, users leave the settings "as is", but you can also change the settings for yourself, in which case the name of the profile in the top line will change to Custom Selection. The default settings are well optimized, so it's up to you to change something in them or not, I'll just explain some of the nuances. Please note that when choosing settings, the recommended ones come first.

Attention! Also in the profile selection menu you will see the inscription (without player) - (without a player). If you select a profile with this name, then you do not agree to the installation of the Media Player Classic and will use the player installed in the system. It's up to you, but I recommend it for video playback.

When choosing an option with a player, you will be offered two editions of the well-known Media Player Classic(Regular) and (Home Cinema). I prefer to use the second option accordingly.

What filters to use in the K-Lite Mega Codec Pack

Now let's move on to considering the proposed filters for playing media files. To make it clearer for you:

Filter is a media decoder used for video decoding, supporting many video and audio formats. Currently the most popular filters are ffdshow and LAV.

Just the same, the second subsection after choosing a player will be DirectShow video decoding filters - DirectShow video decoding filters (DirectShow is an interface for implementing these filters in the Windows environment). To use all kinds of video standards (eg H.264), the K-Lite Mega Codec offers several options.

I will not go into a detailed comparison of the filters used, at your discretion you can use both ffdshow and LAV, both projects are worthy of choice.

I am a supporter LAV Filters and I will list them Benefits but also disadvantages :

• Large set of video decoders, high quality.
• It is based on ffmpeg, like the ffdshow filter, but unlike ffdshow, multithreading is implemented.
• Includes the author's own development of a CUDA decoder for Nvidia video cards.
• Support for exotic profiles Hi10P, Mpeg 4: 2: 2, etc.
• Bitstream support. TrueHD and DTS-HD support.

Flaws:

• It is inferior to ffdshow in the absence of post-process filters.
• It is advisable to use it for not too heavy video files, for FullHD video use DXVA decoders.

In chapter DirectShow audio decoding filters sets of filters responsible for decoding audio are presented. I advise you to use LAV or ffdshow.

Utility for switching audio tracks

Besides a set of filters for each video and audio format, you need to choose splitter ( in subsection DirectShow source filters), which divides the stream of information received from the container it supports (the most common containers are * mkv, * m2ts, * ts and of course * avi) into video, audio and subtitles, which are transmitted to the corresponding decoders. The splitter allows you to select the audio track and subtitle for playback. It is important to immediately understand that not all splitters work equally well with decoders. This is one of the main reasons why you will have to think about the choice. I can recommend you Haali splitter or LAV Splitter.

You can leave all other parameters by default. Click on Next, a window will appear with the choice of the folder for the location, click again Next... In the next window Select Additional Tasks(Select additional tasks) options for the components you have selected will be displayed, so their full composition may vary.

Important points of the additional tasks window:

• Reset all settings to their defaults - the settings of all components will be reset to the recommended ones (the option is relevant when updating the codec pack).
• Additional shortcuts- additional shortcuts for Media Player Classic on the Desktop and / or QuickLaunch and a shortcut for the Codec Tweak tool.

ffdshow configuration

• Hide systray icons- hide system icons, when playing a video file, ffdshow works, and icons appear in the system tray that provide quick access to its settings. Checking the box will turn off the display of icons.
• Restrict usage to whitelisted applications- in ffdshow there is a "white list" of applications compatible with this filter, respectively, there is also a "black list". By checking the box, ffdshow will be able to use only programs from the "white sheet".
• Force RGB32 output- when this option is activated, ffdshow will output video in RGB32 color space. This is necessary to customize the display of color, but this option puts a load on the processor.
• Volume normalization- loudness normalization, this option is useful if the volume level is very low. But I advise you to check the box in the settings of the Media Player Classic (the option is described below).

Haali Media Splitter configuration

• Hide systray icon- hide the system tray icon. Check the box to switch between audio streams and subtitle languages ​​from the tray without going into the player's menu.

Media Player Classic configuration

• Video renderer- I advise you to choose the renderer EVR or madVR.

Renderer (or render) Is a program that performs rendering (obtaining an image).

• Use internal subtitle renderer- use the built-in renderer for subtitles. Configuration is required to use hardware acceleration.

DirectX Video Acceleration(abbreviated DXVA) - an interface designed for video decoding by a video card processor.

• Use high rendering resolution- turns on high definition subtitles.
• Enable internal MPEG-2 decoder- use an internal MPEG-2 decoder. For example, you are satisfied with the decoder in an already installed third-party player.
• Volume normalization- sound normalization.
• Install language files for MPC—Installing language files, to enable the desired language, you must go to the tab View - Language.

Tweaks

• - allows you to choose between static, animated and animated buffered subtitles.

There may be more items in this window, depending on the settings. If you have any questions, write in the comments. Now press the button Next and go to the Hardware Acceleration window . You will need to select filters for the H.264 and VC-1 standards. For the owners of NVIDIA video cards we choose LAV Video - NVIDIA CUVID in both points (models older than 8800GT), for users of ATI video cards - LAV Video DXVA2 native (models starting from the HD series). We put None only if neither the central processor nor the video card supports hardware video acceleration. Other options need to be selected depending on the PC configuration and codec pack settings. Ffdshow DXVA Decoder has good reviews, and so much depends on the bundle: the renderer used and the HD video processing filter.

In the next window, you can select the software player with which you would like to associate your media files, that is, which player to play.

Click on Next, put a tick in front of the required media format for each player selected in the previous window. Press again Next and select your speaker configuration.

Press again Next, the window will display the configuration you selected for installation. Click on Install, wait for the package to install. After installation, you will be prompted to check the boxes in front of those filters that you can customize at your discretion. Click on Finish.

P.S. Check the performance of your player. If you have any problems, write in the comments below.

To akim, no matter how high-quality video playback may seem, it can always be improved. There are many ways to optimize your video, but one of the most important is the smoothness setting. There may be various reasons why playback may not seem smooth enough, but usually it is due to poor performance of the computer and its graphics subsystem, incorrect interlaced video fields, and mismatch in frame rates and refresh rates.

Most of the video files that can be downloaded on the Internet now have a frequency 24 FPS... This standard was adopted back in 1932 year as a compromise between reproduction quality and film consumption. Video playback at 24 frames per second could be made smoother by lowering the refresh rate to 24 Hz... But this can be done only for TV screens, but if you open the settings of a computer or laptop monitor, most likely only two parameters will be available: 50 Hz and 60 Hz... Supported Displays 24p are rare, but if your monitor is one of them, think you're in luck.

But what should everyone else do? Go the other way. If the monitor refresh rate cannot be reduced to the video frame rate, then it is very possible to increase the video frame rate to the existing screen refresh rate. How?

By interpolating adjacent frames. Its essence is to add intermediate frames generated on the basis of two "Real" adjacent frames. To do this, we suggest using a special program or abbreviated SVP... The principle of its operation is well demonstrated by a drawing taken from the official website of the project.

The main advantage of this program is that it does not need additional settings, and therefore can be used even by beginners. SVP includes two main modules: SVPflow and SVP Manager... The first module is responsible for calculating and adding frames to the video stream, the second provides access to the program parameters settings. You can download the full (not Core) version of the package from the official website www.svp-team.com/wiki/Download/ru... For SVP to work correctly, you will also need a video player with support for external filters DirectShow... Best suited for these purposes 32-bit (!) Media Player Classic Home Cinema (MPC-HC) ... Default MPC-HC is already included in the SVP installation package, therefore, it would be most reasonable to install its standard version with the parameters offered by the wizard and not bother with filter settings later. Component render MadVR is optional for SVP to work, but you can mark it as well.

If MPC-HC is already installed

If you already have Media Player Classic Home Cinema, the checkbox in the SVP installer wizard window can be unchecked, but the player itself will have to be configured a little, in particular, add components to it ffdShow and . To do this, go to the player settings,

In the left column we find "External Filters", click "Add".

And in the window that opens, select "Ffdshow raw video filter".

We return to the settings window and set a check mark for the added filter "Prefer"... For adding open any video file in MPC-HC, go to the system tray, find the icon there ffdshow and double-click on it to open the settings.

We find in the left column the item and mark it with a tick.

If MPC-HC was installed together with SVP, you do not need to configure anything. SVP is smart enough and makes all the necessary settings itself, taking into account the configuration of a particular computer, and to convert the video 24 FPS to 60 FPS, you just need to launch MPC-HC to play any video file. In this case, in the lower left part of the player window, you should have a line "SVP: Playback 23.976 * (18: 7) = 61.653 fps Auto crop:" .

Your aspect ratio and FPS may differ, but it doesn't matter. If such a line appears, consider that everything was done correctly and smooth playback is provided to you.

As for the settings of the SVP itself, you will not need them. However, it's still worth familiarizing yourself with them, only you don't need to change anything, unless you know exactly what your actions will lead to.

Perhaps our readers have already had a question, and is there a catch behind all this? It's too simple. No, there is no catch here, but the SVP interpolation algorithm is not without certain drawbacks.

Firstly, this is an increased load on the central processor during the entire video viewing period. This is explained by the fact that the program calculates additional frames and embeds them in the video sequence on the fly. Secondly, when watching a video containing scenes with fast moving objects, sometimes minor artifacts may appear in the form of hazy halos, whose blurred outlines resemble a moving object. And yet, against the background of all the advantages that the use of SVP gives, these disadvantages seem very minor.