Hi! I'd like to know whether someone know how to integrate FXsound's DFX Audio Enhancer with Zoom Player. It comes with built in support/integration for a long list of players, such as VLC and Winamp, but unfortunately ZP isn't among them.
13 replies to this topic
#2
ehathgepiurhe
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Posted 16 April 2012 - 11:22 AM
Hi,
There are two possible ways a program like that could work that I know of.
1. The first would be to provide a DirectShow filter. Zoom uses DirectShow based filters, so if a program provides one of these, Zoom should be able to use it. You would basically do this by installing it so that it is registered system wide. Then, inside Zoom's Smart Play options, add it to whatever Smart Play profiles you want Zoom to use it for. Here is an example that I did earlier for another thread:
http://img32.imagesh...50/snap034e.png (LAV and ffdshow chained together in the same profile)
http://img690.images...49/snap035k.png (and Zoom using them both when it plays the file)
2. The second way is to have a separate program running in the background, intercepting the audio after the player outputs it, but before it reaches your speakers, or something like that anyway. If this is how the program works, it should be easy enough to check if it is compatible with Zoom. To do this, you would shut down the program and play a file in Zoom. Listen carefully to the audio for a while. Then, close Zoom. Run DFX Audio Enhancer and select some really divergent values for those various sliders, and then start Zoom. Play that same file - and the audio should be different to what it was if the program is working.
Having said all that - I have just tried it myself, and I couldn't get it to work. The tray icon and interface make it look like it falls into the second category (separate program that intercepts the audio), but I couldn't get it to work (and I did try a few different things, tinkering with the Smart Play profiles included). I think the best thing to do would be to contact FXsound's support, point them to Zoom Player (they may not even know it exists) and ask them if they can support it.
Though if anyone else has had some experience with this program and knows how to get it working with Zoom as is, please speak up!
Regards,
ehat
There are two possible ways a program like that could work that I know of.
1. The first would be to provide a DirectShow filter. Zoom uses DirectShow based filters, so if a program provides one of these, Zoom should be able to use it. You would basically do this by installing it so that it is registered system wide. Then, inside Zoom's Smart Play options, add it to whatever Smart Play profiles you want Zoom to use it for. Here is an example that I did earlier for another thread:
http://img32.imagesh...50/snap034e.png (LAV and ffdshow chained together in the same profile)
http://img690.images...49/snap035k.png (and Zoom using them both when it plays the file)
2. The second way is to have a separate program running in the background, intercepting the audio after the player outputs it, but before it reaches your speakers, or something like that anyway. If this is how the program works, it should be easy enough to check if it is compatible with Zoom. To do this, you would shut down the program and play a file in Zoom. Listen carefully to the audio for a while. Then, close Zoom. Run DFX Audio Enhancer and select some really divergent values for those various sliders, and then start Zoom. Play that same file - and the audio should be different to what it was if the program is working.
Having said all that - I have just tried it myself, and I couldn't get it to work. The tray icon and interface make it look like it falls into the second category (separate program that intercepts the audio), but I couldn't get it to work (and I did try a few different things, tinkering with the Smart Play profiles included). I think the best thing to do would be to contact FXsound's support, point them to Zoom Player (they may not even know it exists) and ask them if they can support it.
Though if anyone else has had some experience with this program and knows how to get it working with Zoom as is, please speak up!
Regards,
ehat
Edited by ehathgepiurhe, 16 April 2012 - 11:32 AM.
Correction
#3
alexgieg
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Posted 21 April 2012 - 03:46 AM
Thanks for your reply, and please excuse for not having replied before. It's definitely "2", but via specific plugins, not a system wide hook, so, if DFX doesn't support a player out of the box, it won't automatically process its audio.
I found an older thread in FXsound's forums mentioning a way to integrate DFX and ZP by manually copying and installing DFX's Winamp plugin into ffdshow, which seems to support Winamp-style audio processing plugins, then setting ZP to use ffdshow for its own audio processing. Alas, that thread didn't provide step-by-step instructions, assuming the reader knew how to do this, which I don't, so I have no idea how to proceed (newbie ZP and ffdshow user here). Maybe you can point me in the right direction based on the above?
I found an older thread in FXsound's forums mentioning a way to integrate DFX and ZP by manually copying and installing DFX's Winamp plugin into ffdshow, which seems to support Winamp-style audio processing plugins, then setting ZP to use ffdshow for its own audio processing. Alas, that thread didn't provide step-by-step instructions, assuming the reader knew how to do this, which I don't, so I have no idea how to proceed (newbie ZP and ffdshow user here). Maybe you can point me in the right direction based on the above?
#4
ehathgepiurhe
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Posted 21 April 2012 - 08:24 AM
Hm, that's an interesting idea - ffdshow does support Winamp DSP's, and Zoom does support ffdshow. Ok, try this - it might look like a lot of text (and it is), but I've tried to make it as simple as possible and the length of the text makes it look a lot harder than what it actually is.
1. Make sure ffdshow is installed, either via Install Center (recommended) or a separate ffdshow installer (will still work, but a few more steps to install than with Install Center).
2. Once installed, there will be a new 'ffdshow' folder in your Start Menu. Find it, and click the 'Audio Decoder Configuration' option.
3. You will see the audio decoder configuration dialog open. Scroll down to find 'Winamp 2'. Click it. You will see the following:
http://img137.images...747/snap063.png
4. Now, tick the option (see the arrow on the image). Then, you need to select the Winamp folder. Obviously, if you have Winamp installed, this is easy - you simply browse to the folder that Winamp is installed in. If you don't have Winamp installed, I think there is some guesswork here. When you mouse over that button, you will see it says to select the Winamp application folder, not the folder with the plugin in it. WIth Winamp, it installs to a base folder, and then creates a sub-folder called "Plugins". I believe what ffdshow is looking for here is a folder called Plugins inside the folder you actually select, so when you copy your DFX plugin, copy it to a sub-folder called Plugins, and then point ffdshow to the parent folder of Plugins. If this doesn't work, you may have to try pointing ffdshow to the actual folder the DFX plugin is installed to and see if that works.
5. While you are in ffdshow's audio options, scroll up to "Tray, Dialog and Paths" and click it. Then click the "Modern" option for the "Tray Icons" option. This will show the ffdshow audio tray icon, which will make things easier later. Once you have done that, click Ok to exit ffdshow's audio configuration.
6. Now, to make Zoom use ffdshow. We are going to assume you have Smart Play enabled. Setting up Smart Play is covered here:
http://www.inmatrix....smartplay.shtml
However, it can be a bit daunting for people not familiar with how media playback works, so I will go through it briefly.
7. So, open Zoom, go Advanced Options-->Playback-->Smart Play. Inside the Smart Play options, click the 'Audio and Video Decoders' tab. You will see an 'Audio Decoders' field on the left hand side. This is the only thing you need to touch in Smart Play - ignore the video decoders, ignore the splitters, ignore everything else.
8. What you need to work out is what audio type your media files use, and then ensure ffdshow is set as the active profile for that audio type in the relevant field in Audio Decoders. There are a number of ways to work out what audio type your file is, but the Zoom Player "Information and Statistics" dialog is an easy way to gain this information (default key is "I" to open the dialog). Play a file, open the dialog and check the "Format" field. Here is an example from one of my test files:
Source : Windows Media Format (Devil_May_Cry_Gameplay.wmv)
Audio : Windows Media Audio
Video : VC1
Thus, the audio is Windows Media Audio (WMA).
9. We will use an example of WMA audio, so you can see how it works. So, you know your file uses WMA audio, and you are in the Audio Decoders section. Scroll down the list to find 'Windows Media Audio'. Single click it once to highlight it. Below the Audio Decoders field, you will see a 'Filters in use by Selected Profile' field. If this says 'ffdshow Audio Decoder (Registered)' when you click the audio profile, then you do not need to do anything else. It is only when the format does not show ffdshow that you will need to change things. In my case, WMA does not show ffdshow as the audio filter in use. At this point, you need to click the 'Configure' button. A "Configure Decoder" dialog will appear. Find the ffdshow profile in this dialog, single click it to highlight it, then click "Ok". The audio type will now be using ffdshow.
10. As Smart Play works on individual audio types, you need to repeat this for each audio type that you use that does not have ffdshow set as the audio decoder. So for example, if you have a file with AC3 audio, then you need to check the AC3 profile as well. Once you have checked all your profiles, click "Ok" to exit back to Zoom.
11. Finally, exit Zoom, restart it and play one of your files. It should now be using ffdshow as the audio decoder. If you enable the tray icon for ffdshow (as in step #5 above), then you should see a new icon in your tray that confirms this. All you need to do then is to right click the icon and check that "Winamp 2" has a tick beside it (to indicate it is active). If it does, then hopefully the DFX Audio filter should be working.
If you have any questions, or get stuck on a step, don't be afraid to post back here.
Regards,
ehat
1. Make sure ffdshow is installed, either via Install Center (recommended) or a separate ffdshow installer (will still work, but a few more steps to install than with Install Center).
2. Once installed, there will be a new 'ffdshow' folder in your Start Menu. Find it, and click the 'Audio Decoder Configuration' option.
3. You will see the audio decoder configuration dialog open. Scroll down to find 'Winamp 2'. Click it. You will see the following:
http://img137.images...747/snap063.png
4. Now, tick the option (see the arrow on the image). Then, you need to select the Winamp folder. Obviously, if you have Winamp installed, this is easy - you simply browse to the folder that Winamp is installed in. If you don't have Winamp installed, I think there is some guesswork here. When you mouse over that button, you will see it says to select the Winamp application folder, not the folder with the plugin in it. WIth Winamp, it installs to a base folder, and then creates a sub-folder called "Plugins". I believe what ffdshow is looking for here is a folder called Plugins inside the folder you actually select, so when you copy your DFX plugin, copy it to a sub-folder called Plugins, and then point ffdshow to the parent folder of Plugins. If this doesn't work, you may have to try pointing ffdshow to the actual folder the DFX plugin is installed to and see if that works.
5. While you are in ffdshow's audio options, scroll up to "Tray, Dialog and Paths" and click it. Then click the "Modern" option for the "Tray Icons" option. This will show the ffdshow audio tray icon, which will make things easier later. Once you have done that, click Ok to exit ffdshow's audio configuration.
6. Now, to make Zoom use ffdshow. We are going to assume you have Smart Play enabled. Setting up Smart Play is covered here:
http://www.inmatrix....smartplay.shtml
However, it can be a bit daunting for people not familiar with how media playback works, so I will go through it briefly.
7. So, open Zoom, go Advanced Options-->Playback-->Smart Play. Inside the Smart Play options, click the 'Audio and Video Decoders' tab. You will see an 'Audio Decoders' field on the left hand side. This is the only thing you need to touch in Smart Play - ignore the video decoders, ignore the splitters, ignore everything else.
8. What you need to work out is what audio type your media files use, and then ensure ffdshow is set as the active profile for that audio type in the relevant field in Audio Decoders. There are a number of ways to work out what audio type your file is, but the Zoom Player "Information and Statistics" dialog is an easy way to gain this information (default key is "I" to open the dialog). Play a file, open the dialog and check the "Format" field. Here is an example from one of my test files:
Source : Windows Media Format (Devil_May_Cry_Gameplay.wmv)
Audio : Windows Media Audio
Video : VC1
Thus, the audio is Windows Media Audio (WMA).
9. We will use an example of WMA audio, so you can see how it works. So, you know your file uses WMA audio, and you are in the Audio Decoders section. Scroll down the list to find 'Windows Media Audio'. Single click it once to highlight it. Below the Audio Decoders field, you will see a 'Filters in use by Selected Profile' field. If this says 'ffdshow Audio Decoder (Registered)' when you click the audio profile, then you do not need to do anything else. It is only when the format does not show ffdshow that you will need to change things. In my case, WMA does not show ffdshow as the audio filter in use. At this point, you need to click the 'Configure' button. A "Configure Decoder" dialog will appear. Find the ffdshow profile in this dialog, single click it to highlight it, then click "Ok". The audio type will now be using ffdshow.
10. As Smart Play works on individual audio types, you need to repeat this for each audio type that you use that does not have ffdshow set as the audio decoder. So for example, if you have a file with AC3 audio, then you need to check the AC3 profile as well. Once you have checked all your profiles, click "Ok" to exit back to Zoom.
11. Finally, exit Zoom, restart it and play one of your files. It should now be using ffdshow as the audio decoder. If you enable the tray icon for ffdshow (as in step #5 above), then you should see a new icon in your tray that confirms this. All you need to do then is to right click the icon and check that "Winamp 2" has a tick beside it (to indicate it is active). If it does, then hopefully the DFX Audio filter should be working.
If you have any questions, or get stuck on a step, don't be afraid to post back here.
Regards,
ehat
#5
alexgieg
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Posted 21 April 2012 - 10:39 PM
Thank you very much! Unfortunately after trying it it didn't work. Searching around it seems the problem is that the current DFX Winamp plugin is a Winamp 5-style DLL, and ffdshow only supports Winamp 2-style ones (that menu name is quite literal). I've contacted FXsound's support asking whether they know of some other way to make DFX work with Zoom Player. Once I receive a reply I'll post an update here.
#6
Zplayer1fan
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Posted 10 August 2012 - 02:25 PM
Thank you very much! Unfortunately after trying it it didn't work. Searching around it seems the problem is that the current DFX Winamp plugin is a Winamp 5-style DLL, and ffdshow only supports Winamp 2-style ones (that menu name is quite literal). I've contacted FXsound's support asking whether they know of some other way to make DFX work with Zoom Player. Once I receive a reply I'll post an update here.
So I'm guessing support didn't have a fix for DFX in version above Winamp 2. I'vev also been trying to get DFX to work with ZP8 with no luck. Might need to check with DFX support as well.
#7
marwin.biz
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Posted 29 October 2012 - 05:48 PM
Recently purchased DFX 11.017. Simply install DFX, then go to options>advanced mode>audio and select DFX speakers under Audio renderer (is shows up in my zoom as the first one), select that apply and Voila! - the magnificence of Zoom player meets the power of DFX! 
#8
ehathgepiurhe
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Posted 30 October 2012 - 07:07 AM
Ah, they must have added Zoom Player support to the program. Nice - thanks for letting us know marwin.biz.
Regards,
ehat
Regards,
ehat
#9
alexgieg
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Posted 10 November 2012 - 07:07 PM
Hi again! From what I've read in their FAQ it isn't that they added ZP support in 11.x. Rather, they added an audio driver to Windows that captures and processes all audio in the system no matter the origin. This works on Windows version from Vista and up. On XP, however, they still work on a plugin basis, and there ZP probably isn't supported. In any case, I know they benefited from going this route. As soon as I saw new versions worked with ZP, even though indirectly, I purchased a license. 
By the way: it isn't necessary to explicitly direct ZP's audio to the virtual DFX speakers. If you send it to the normal speakers it works the same. Maybe there's a small gain in performance and/or latency by doing that though?
By the way: it isn't necessary to explicitly direct ZP's audio to the virtual DFX speakers. If you send it to the normal speakers it works the same. Maybe there's a small gain in performance and/or latency by doing that though?
#10
ehathgepiurhe
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Posted 11 November 2012 - 12:00 AM
Maybe there's a small gain in performance and/or latency by doing that though?
I'm not sure to be honest - if there is, I'd imagine it would be very small. Or at least I hope it would be! Thanks for the explanation of how it works with Zoom too
ehat
#11
Zplayer1fan
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Posted 19 January 2013 - 03:56 PM
Recently purchased DFX 11.017. Simply install DFX, then go to options>advanced mode>audio and select DFX speakers under Audio renderer (is shows up in my zoom as the first one), select that apply and Voila! - the magnificence of Zoom player meets the power of DFX!
Thanks for this information. FINALLY support and easy configuration for DFX.. Incredible sound watching movies. Big differnce and DFX is a must to have.
.. Now if they can only incorporate more options in ffdshow video decoder > Offset and Flip > Rotate 90 (besides the Miirror and Flip)
#12
mrsgil
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Posted 23 January 2013 - 08:35 AM
I am currently demoing DFX Audio Enhancer 11. Since it used to be an audio plugin with limited player supports where Zoom Player happened not to fall into them, 
I could not have it worked along Zoom Player before. But now that it has been redesigned as a system-wide application, not only with standalone programs, it can run even through a file manager's built-in previewer.
My first impression was good. Compared to similar program SRS Audio Essentials, it is friendlier in both setup size and system resources. While SRS AE costs around 28 MB for setup and 25 MB memory during idle, DFX takes only about 6 MB for setup and 5 MB memory during idle.
The feature I like the most so far is the Dynamic Boost. It increases the loudness of volume output without sacrificing quality.
I have an integrated audio card and just like the likes of it, it is nothing more than an entry-level hardware. Lucky enough, the motherboard comes with Realtek High Definition Audio Codec which is quite good actually. All this time, I utilize one of Realtek HD Audio feature named Loudness Equalization to increase the loudness. It also wields several common DSP features, such as sound effects, headphone virtualization, and predefined sample and bit rate. Too bad, it does not work seamlessly with my system. I found that everytime the device is being paused for awhile after playback session, it always winds up ceasing to function. No sound comes out and I have to restart by unplugging and then replugging the audio jack. Not a very handy workaround.
I suppose having DFX by my side, I am to bid farewell to Realtek HD Audio.
With that being said, a question rises up in my mind. Is DFX going to be at the same worth for both video and audio playback, looking back its origin as audio plugin?
Looking into the list of available presets, there are no preset specifically tailored for watching movies or playing games. This is a question worth to think of for any video players, including Zoom Player. Using Zoom Player is not all about listening to music, right?
All in all, DFX Audio Enhancer is a fantastic audio enhancer for any multimedia players, especially ones which do not ship with refined DSP capabilities (unfortunately, Zoom Player falls into this
). Furthermore, I believe we can get the most out of it if we have a dedicated high class sound card.
I could not have it worked along Zoom Player before. But now that it has been redesigned as a system-wide application, not only with standalone programs, it can run even through a file manager's built-in previewer.My first impression was good. Compared to similar program SRS Audio Essentials, it is friendlier in both setup size and system resources. While SRS AE costs around 28 MB for setup and 25 MB memory during idle, DFX takes only about 6 MB for setup and 5 MB memory during idle.
The feature I like the most so far is the Dynamic Boost. It increases the loudness of volume output without sacrificing quality.
I have an integrated audio card and just like the likes of it, it is nothing more than an entry-level hardware. Lucky enough, the motherboard comes with Realtek High Definition Audio Codec which is quite good actually. All this time, I utilize one of Realtek HD Audio feature named Loudness Equalization to increase the loudness. It also wields several common DSP features, such as sound effects, headphone virtualization, and predefined sample and bit rate. Too bad, it does not work seamlessly with my system. I found that everytime the device is being paused for awhile after playback session, it always winds up ceasing to function. No sound comes out and I have to restart by unplugging and then replugging the audio jack. Not a very handy workaround.
I suppose having DFX by my side, I am to bid farewell to Realtek HD Audio.With that being said, a question rises up in my mind. Is DFX going to be at the same worth for both video and audio playback, looking back its origin as audio plugin?
Looking into the list of available presets, there are no preset specifically tailored for watching movies or playing games. This is a question worth to think of for any video players, including Zoom Player. Using Zoom Player is not all about listening to music, right? All in all, DFX Audio Enhancer is a fantastic audio enhancer for any multimedia players, especially ones which do not ship with refined DSP capabilities (unfortunately, Zoom Player falls into this
). Furthermore, I believe we can get the most out of it if we have a dedicated high class sound card.
#13
ehathgepiurhe
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Posted 24 January 2013 - 08:52 AM
Nice - thanks for the mini-review mrsgil
ehat
ehat
#14
mrsgil
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Posted 27 January 2013 - 09:36 AM
Song Associations is another feature worth mentioning. It allows us to associate songs with certain preset so that we can always have our favorite songs played with the same preset, thus switching between other songs will not ruin the previously developed mood but this feature is only available once we become a registered user. Through similar way, enhancement level is increased with the presence of 3D Surround Sound. If I recall correctly, DFX used to cooperate with a few supported players to offer CD ripping capability but now this feature seems to have been completely removed.
Regarding the DFX's worth for video playback I had wondered before, I decided to play a suspense movie and DFX turned out works great as well. Upon adjusting the Ambience slider in conjunction with the Dynamic Boost, I managed to gain a dramatic output sound which made for a splendid environment for the genre. Hence I guess DFX can also be used for video playback, it just that the result may depend on whether we are able to figure out the correct values by ourselves. These values later can be saved into a new preset or even archived for future installation.a dramatic output sound which made for a splendid environment for the genre. Hence I guess DFX can also be used for video playback, it just that the result may depend on whether we are able to figure out the precise values by ourselves. These values later can be saved into a new preset or even archived for future installation.
Regarding the DFX's worth for video playback I had wondered before, I decided to play a suspense movie and DFX turned out works great as well. Upon adjusting the Ambience slider in conjunction with the Dynamic Boost, I managed to gain a dramatic output sound which made for a splendid environment for the genre. Hence I guess DFX can also be used for video playback, it just that the result may depend on whether we are able to figure out the correct values by ourselves. These values later can be saved into a new preset or even archived for future installation.a dramatic output sound which made for a splendid environment for the genre. Hence I guess DFX can also be used for video playback, it just that the result may depend on whether we are able to figure out the precise values by ourselves. These values later can be saved into a new preset or even archived for future installation.
