Win XP cannot play AAC AC3 video

[soldar]

Again, I have half dozen WIN XP PRO SP3 machines and some play videos with AC3 or AAC audio and some don't.

AFAIK they are all configured alike. I believe the codec pack they use for this audio is the FFDShow codec pack. It is the one I always install. The same installer exactly.

When I paly a video some computers will use the FFDShow audio codec and some won't and then no audio is heard.  All computers use the FFDshow video codec but only some use the audio codec.

I am not sure what I can do so the media player will use the codec. When the audio codec is in use an icon appears in the system tray so I know if it is being used.

In Device Manager, Audio Codecs I can see the ffdshow ACM codec is installed. Using properties I can put it in any position (preference) and it makes no difference.

How could I force the media player to use the right codec (whatever it is)?

Taking one particular video's audio info I get: 

MPEG-4 AAC LC, 24000Hz  32 kb/s , mono (1/0)

I would like to avoid just installing more codecs willy nilly because I have tried it in the past and have managed to really mess things up. As I say, FFDShow seems to be working on some machines. What can I do to get it to work in the others? Any ideas on how to get the audio to work?

[Ampera]

VLC is (I believe) packaged with libavcodec on Windows which I believe has full support for AAC and AC3 audio within videos. VLC's codec system is separate from the V4W codec architecture, so any issues with missing or broken codecs should not affect it. If using the V4W codec architecture is important for applications relying on it, then I've had luck installing the Shark 007 codec packs, although I am unsure if there is a version with NT 5.1 support.

[mariush]

If you don't like VLC, try Media Player Classic Home Cinema  (mpc-hc): https://mpc-hc.org/downloads/

All major formats are supported with built-in codecs, no need to install extra things.

[soldar]

VLC is (I believe) packaged with libavcodec on Windows which I believe has full support for AAC and AC3 audio within videos.

I m pretty sure I have libavcodec which is included in ffdshow. It's just not working.

[soldar]

If you don't like VLC, try Media Player Classic Home Cinema  (mpc-hc): https://mpc-hc.org/downloads/

I am trying to get the codecs to work like they work on the other computers.

[Psi]

Yes, CD/DVD/BLURAY player software can install weird video drivers.
Sometimes this helps other times it break things.

I like Media Player Classic (MPC)
One reason is because you can see what filter it's using when playing a vid, then go into the options and BLOCK that filter from being used, or set it to prefer another one.
Very useful feature.

[Brumby]

I understand your wish to get all the machines playing happily ... but put me down for another vote for MPC.

[soldar]

I don't know if it helps. I had similar problems with the codecs after installing 'Nero Burning ROM'. Codecs were installed and pre-ranked, but they were not compatible everywhere. For example, in video encoding, the audio track was silent.
With the tool 'InstalledCodec' from 'NirSoft' you can deactivate and test the codes. Or with 'Autoruns' from 'SysInternals Suite'.

PeDre, thanks for the suggestions. I have Nero Burning Rom installed and it has never given me problems. The truth is that I hardly ever use it any more and would probably not niss it. I only use it to burn a CD or DVD once in a long while.

I have and use Autoruns but do not find it useful for what I am trying to do.

I have Nirsoft Codec and Radlight Filter Manager and both give so much information that it goes right over my head with a whooshing sound that makes me hang on to my toupee.

The thing is that I believe I have the right codec (ffdshow) installed but somehow the system does not use it.

It is a good idea to use these tools to compare a computer that works with one that does not work. I will try that when I have more time.

In this one I have selected a few items that may have relation to this issue:

Code: [Select]

AC3 Parser Filter DirectShow
AC3Filter AC3Filter
AC3Filter ACM codec AC3Filter
ACELP.net Sipro Lab Audio Decoder ACELP.net Audio Decoder
ACM Wrapper DirectShow
ffdshow ACM codec ffdshow ACM codec
ffdshow Audio Decoder ffdshow
ffdshow Audio Processor ffdshow I want to go carefully and slowly because I know it is easy to make things worse.

Psi, I am using Media Player Classic but it does not allow me to choose a codec. See atachment.

[Ampera]

VLC is (I believe) packaged with libavcodec on Windows which I believe has full support for AAC and AC3 audio within videos.

I m pretty sure I have libavcodec which is included in ffdshow. It's just not working.

That doesn't mean VLC won't work. If you're not going to try suggestions, why bother asking?

The entire POINT of using VLC is that it completely ignores VFW codec implementations, like ffdshow, so if you have issues with installed VFW codecs, you can still play videos perfectly fine on VLC.

[soldar]

That doesn't mean VLC won't work. If you're not going to try suggestions, why bother asking?

The entire POINT of using VLC is that it completely ignores VFW codec implementations, like ffdshow, so if you have issues with installed VFW codecs, you can still play videos perfectly fine on VLC.   

VLC might work. Or it might not. It could even mess things up and make them worse.  It does not matter because I have no interest in trying it.

My interest is to get Media Player Classic, which is the program I use for video clips, to work correctly as it does in my other computers.  That is my quest.

In the meantime I can view the videos in another machine or skip them.

I have compared two computers, one plays AC3 and the other does not.  Both have the same ffdshow pack installed ffdshow_rev4532_20140717.

In the audio codec list "ffdshow ACM codec" appears in both but "ffdshow audio  decoder" only appears in the one that  plays.

The  ffdshow audio configuration panels look pretty much alike.

This problem  has been present  probably since I last  reinstalled windows.I believe I remember reinstalling ffdshow several times so that is probably a dead end.

[mariush]

Download Media Player Classic Home Cinema I recommended : https://mpc-hc.org/downloads/

Stop messing with codec packs and priority codecs and all that crap, the player above has all the codecs built in and the ones built in have "priority".

Doesn't require installation, you can simply download a zip from the website and unpack it in a folder and run the player from there.

ACM is Video For Windows stuff... the player should default to its internal AAC/AC3 decoder. If you want third party AAC/AC3 decoder, I'd suggest installing AC3Filter and setting it as priority decoder in MPC HC: http://www.ac3filter.net/wiki/Download_AC3Filter
 

[soldar]

When I play the video in the good computer the ffdshow audio decoder, which seems to be a different thing from the ffdshow audio codec, is started and shows in the system tray.

I do not know how the ffdshow audio decoder is installed but I would guess it goes together with the ffdshow audio codec. I might start comparing things in both Registers and see if I can spot anything obvious.

I found out something interesting. Because a certain file would not play the audio and it was AAC audio I assumed the computer was not playing AAC but now I have checked and I have many files with AAC audio are playing correctly. I checked the file that does not play and it is not plain AAC but the newer HE-AAC v2.

That gives me something to continue to work on.

[Ampera]

Codec, what a funny word.

COderDECoder

I'm not even sure how you want this fixed, obviously your software doesn't work, but you seem opposed to using any other suggestion for software. Presumably this is why you are still using an OS as old as some adults to do modern tasks that could very easily be given to literally anything else.

If you're bent on using a V4W solution, I suggested the Shark 007 Codec Pack, which has pretty much everything you need, and I know it works for AAC and AC3 video (as I've used it before).

[Psi]

Psi, I am using Media Player Classic but it does not allow me to choose a codec. .

You set the prefer/block in a different place in the options.
They're called filters -  See attached

Try add the 'AAC Decoder' and select 'block'.
Then close/open MPC and see if it picks some better to play the file with.

If all else fails, install a codec pack. (Ive been out of the game for a while. maybe K-Lite codec pack)?

[soldar]

Psi, thank you! You directed me to the right place. Comparing the Options configurations between the two computers I saw the difference and once corrected the audio is working.

I had to uncheck the AAC internal filters so MPC uses the external FFDSHOW. Now the ffdshow audio icon appears in the system tray and the audio works fine.

[Psi]

Cool, glad to help

[soldar]

So, in summary, the problem was:

- There is more than one AAC type, there is AACV2
- Using its internal codecs Media Player Classic could play AAC but not AACV2
- Once configured to not use its internal codecs MPC will use the system codecs, in this case ffdshow, which can play accV2

When confronted with codec problems many people will say "just get MPC because it has its own codecs" but here that is the cause of the problem. The system (ffdshow) codecs work better in this case.

[Psi]

Yep, codec priority is definitely an issue.