42 replies to this topic

[cirerita]

ok, I downloaded a trailer file and after dragging&dropping it into the MatroskaDiag utility, I get this info:

Writing application : mkvmerge v1.4.1 ('Cherry Lips') built on Mar 15 2005 09:58:06
Muxing application : libebml v0.7.3 + libmatroska v0.7.5
Date : 2004-04-08 09:41:24.000
Tracks : 3
Track 1 : Video

Codec : Microsoft VFW compatibility mode (V_MS/VFW/FOURCC)
Fourcc : Intel ITU H.264 (H264)
Language : Undetermined (und)
Pixel Width : 704
Pixel Height : 288
Track 2 : Audio

Codec : AAC Low Complexity with Spectral Band Replication (A_AAC/MPEG2/LC/SBR)
Possible filter : CoreAAC
Installed : yes, in C:\Archivos de programa\Core AAC Decoder\CoreAAC.ax (1.1.0.642)
Link : http://coreaac.corecodec.org
Name : English
Language : English (eng)
Sampling Frequency : 24000
Output Sampling Frequency : 48000
Channels : 2

there's no way I play the file using the customised mode, I always get the same error, no matter which video/audio filters I use. The standard mode chooses this combination:

1) Haali Splitter
2) Nero video decoder --> FFDshow
3) Moonlight Odio Dekoda --> Ac3

the file plays fine and I can switch from audio1 to audio 2.

I'd like to play the file using the customised mode, but avoiding FFDShow. I tried to use Nero Video Decoder, Moonlight h.264 decoder, Mainconcept h.264 decoder, to no avail. I always get the same warning red window. For audio I use Core AAC Decoder.

Any idea?

[bLight]

How about a link to the trailer so I can test it out?

[cirerita]

It's the Cars trailer (by Pixar), I got if from a P2P program, but as far as I know i'ts not illegal to download such a trailer. maybe it's also available somewhere in the net...

[cirerita]

ok, here's another h.264 file (actually a quicktime .mov file):

http://movies.apple.com/movies/universal/k...g-tlr_h720p.mov

can ZP play it without FFDShow? If I drag&drop the file into the MatroskaDiag window, it says it can be played using the Moonlight H.264 Decoder, but when I play this file using the customised mode in ZP, the filter properties tab is grayed (meaning I cannot see which filters uses ZP to play the .mov file).

any idea?

[Roscoe62]

Hi cirerita,

I have managed to play this trailer via Zoom without having ffdshow installed. However, I have Nero 6 reloaded on my PC (this takes care of the video via directshow) and if you install the CoreAAC filter then you'll get audio as well.

Remember zoom, by default, will playback quicktime files using ActiveX - of course it can't do this if you don't have QT installed on your machine, but if you've no desire to do this, make sure QT is in advanced mode, go to the filter settings tab, and the default window will have the "Use ActiveX to play quicktime movies" option checked. To play this under directshow, you need to uncheck this box. I'm not sure how successful you'll be without nero on your system.

Also, as outlined in this thread http://forum.inmatrix.com/index.php?showtopic=3674
this trailer's audio stream is AAC stereo 44.1kHz and the CoreAAC filter will have no problem with it. What I've found so far is that those trailers with an AAC 5.1 48kHz audio stream will not work with CoreAAC (the latest King Kong trailer, Harry Potter - Goblet of Fire trailer as examples). From the reading I've done so far, there are a couple of solutions - one is AC3Filter (only 1.0x and above), another is ffdshow. I'm still to do some testing to see what works. When I get some results I'll post them in the above thread.

Good luck!

EDIT: BTW...I'm using Zoom WMV Pro - latest version.

[cirerita]

that did it! I mean, unchecking the Quicktime box in ZP filters settings. however, there's an issue with the sound. I do have Nero7 and AACParser and CoreAAC, but there's some problem the file doesn't render properly, and I think it's the sound. I also tried Moonlight H.264 + CoreAAC, but no luck!!!

[cirerita]

roscoe,

would you be as kind as to post here your costumised configuration for playing the king kong 720p clip??? I mean, I know you're using NeVideo + CoreAAC, but what about the splitter & source filter? could you post your working graph here?

[soleinvictus72]

OK! Got this working, although not via Customised Media Playback.

Follow my first steps for the video playback setup under this post:
http://forum.inmatrix.com/index.php?showtopic=3674,

then:

- download CoreAAC (free) from here: http://rarewares.org/aac.html
- unzip the file (to a permanent location - i used c:\program files) and double click on the file named: register_release.bat to install

Playing the file gives me these errors (with 'Show Customised Media Graph creation errors' switched on):

- Could not find a suitable decoder for "[Source File: Customised Graph]. Video Out" Sub Types: {31435641-0000-0010-8000-00AA00389B71}

- Pin Connection Warning (Not an Error): [Source File: Customised Graph]. Audio Out -> [Nero Digital Audio Decoder].Digital Audio In. Code: There is no common media type between these pins (80040207)

- Could not create a Customised Media Graph will now try a standard graph...

The file then plays perfectly, with video, audio, and a low processor level.

@Blight (or Roscoe62) perhaps you can post what the Customised Graph should be, please?

[cirerita]

well, you're using the standard mode and if you have FFDShow in your computer, it will use it. Depending on your FFDshow settings that could mean your CPU is going to suffer some extra stress!

I'd like to use the customised mode because I could play the files WITHOUT FFDshow, even if it's installed in the computer.

[soleinvictus72]

uhh, no. I dont have FFDShow on my computer, per the title of this thread.
and until installing CoreAAC, I did not get any Audio. Please reread my previous posy for further clarification.

[cirerita]

I read your post, but it's not clear to me which VIDEO codec you're using. If you had FFDshow installed, ZP would probably use it; since you don't have installed, I wonder which codec uses ZP in the standard mode (Nero Video Decoder maybe???)

[soleinvictus72]

Fair enough, as there are two threads discussing this similar issue.
I have edited my above post to point to the other thread.
Yes video is using the Nero codec, and my other thread explains this more fully.

Hope this helps everyone, as it seems even the zoom player guys couldnt give us 'greenhorns' a definite and simple work around.

Otherwise Im now very happy again. Great playback in Zoom Player, Audio works, and low processor levels

The only thing I am waiting on, is to see if everything still works once the trial of Nero Showtime expires. I am a Meedio user and my understanding from their forums is that whilst the trial expires the filters still work. Here's hoping!

PS (for Roscoe62 and others): I was not able to get the King Kong 720p trailer with AAC 5.1 audio to play audio. I tried installing the latest version of AC3 Filter but this caused other problems so I reverted back to version 0.70b which I have been using succesfully for several years now with all my other DD 5.1 videos/DVDs. I didnt do much more testing on this as it is not a priority for me given that my system struggles with HD video anyway. However I did notice that when playing this trailer right clicking and viewing the filter properties Did Not show the CoreAAC filter being used. So I am assuming this is where the problem lies.

If I play a 'normal' (2 channel stereo) AAC quicktime trailer right clicking and viewing the filter properties enables me to bring up a small configuration app for the CoreAAC filter.

[cirerita]

well, that happens because:
1) you don't have FFDshow installed
2) You're using ZP standard mode.

that's not feasible for people who have FFDShow installed because ZP uses FFDshow by default in the standard mode.

the solution would be to use the customized mode, but I always get some error or other.

try using nero video decoder in the customised mode. if you get an error and ZP reverts to standard mode, then there's work to be done!!!

[cirerita]

Blight,

I guess there's no way as of yet to play h.264 files without FFDShow under the customized mode, is there? I read your comments saying you could play the apple .mov trailers using FFDshow for both audio&video, but I guess you already knew that. Problem is, FFDShow needs quite a powerful machine to process those h.264 files or you need to manually disable FFDShow postprocessing commands. If you have a truly powerful PC, then it's ok to use FFDShow, but if you don't then it'd be nice to use other video codecs, such a Nero Video Decoder, Moonlight, Mainconcept, etc. I tried to use them, but I always get errors.

any idea?

[bLight]

cirerita:
Not all decoders may be fully compatible with apple's H.264, ffdshow is usually the fastest decoder I'm aware of.

You need to understand that H.264 is a very CPU-Intensive format. Just look at apple's page for CPU requirement. With ffdshow I am able to play their clips with a CPU under their requirement, which indicates to me that FFDShow is fast.

I also know that Elecard's decoder hasn't been in development for 6 months or so now (since they were bought by MainConcept) and I'm not sure if there are compatibility issues there.

[cirerita]

I also tried Mainconcept's h.264 decoder (v. 1.1.0.4 from 2004) to no avail. Maybe they have a new working version????

Actually, I don't have a problem with the video decoder. The Moonlight decoder (v. 0.82) seems to work, but the audio fails to render. I'm using CoreAAC, but I get this error:



could it be the aac parser??? any idea???

[bLight]

cirerita:
I never encountered a media file with this sub-type... You got a link to the file? And which splitter are you using? It's possible that if you're not using Haali's Media Splitter, a different splitter may use a different subtype which no decoder other than its own would recognize.

[soleinvictus72]

@Blight

Can you please check my above post on Nov 10 for me? Maybe I am confused, but my understanding is that I am getting the errors stated because my Customised Media Mode is not configured correctly?

So, ZP is using a standard graph, which, as stated, works great.
However, surely this standard graph is using the Nero and CoreAAC filters that I installed?

(when right clicking on the trailer and choosing filter properties I get the following: Video Renderer > Default DirectSound Device> Nero DVD Decoder > CoreAAC Audio Decoder)

Prior to installing Nero and CoreAAC ZP would play the file, but with no Audio, and a maxed processor. So, ZP is defintely doing something different after the instalation of those filters.

So, what I would like to know is how to set up Customised Media Mode to use Nero and Core AAC, when trying to play and H.264 file.

I would have thought this was simple enough but I still get errors.
Can you please give me step by step instructions for this?

THANKS!

[cirerita]

Blight,
it's the 720p QT trailer I posted earlier in this very same thread.

Ok, the problem seem to be the Splitter. I do have Nero codecs installed, but I don't want to remove them I also have Haali's. Couldn't I choose Haali's over Nero's????

Let's try to put it as clear as simple:

Special Purpose Filters--> ??? --> ??
Audio/Video Splitters--> ?? --> ??
Audio Decoder-->AAC Audio-->CoreAAC Decoder
Video Decoder--> H.264-->Moonlight or Mainconcept or Nero DVD Decoder (FFDShow, too, but I don't want it here!)

Can you help me to fill up the empty spaces above??? That is, where should I choose Haali splitter over Nero Digital Parser???

soleinvictus:
I noticed you use Nero DVD Decoder, but Nero's Showtime comes with two video decoders: Nero Video Decoder and Nero DVD Decoder; I think it's the same file, NeVideo.ax, but with different merits. Have you tried using Nero Video Decoder instead of Nero DVD Decoder???