AC3Filter User`s manual
Contents
1. mono stereo multichannel SPDIF Win95 Win98 Win98SE WaveOut 1 WaveOut 1 patch 2 WinNT 3 SP6 Win2000 SP2 WinXP T 1 refer to 2 You can download the patch from patch effect is described at 3 Sound card must support 48 kHz output mode 3 2 Setup for analog multichannel output mode Configure speakers in filter settings refer to 5 2 Main settings Some audio cards op erates incorrectly with odd number of channels for instance 2 24 SW 4 1 quadro or 3 0 3 front Therefore such modes should be avoided if possible Dolby Surround ProLogic and Dolby ProLogic2 modes are not multi channel modes Moreover modes with sub woofer 2 0 SW 2 1 stereo 4 0 SW 4 1 quadro should not be used if acoustics has no separate input for subwoofer refer to 6 What is LFE Je Set speakers mode in Control Panel Sounds and Multimedia Audio Sound Playback Advanced Furthermore audio card drivers often have their own utilities for switching of speakers configuration It is necessary to set the proper configuration at both locations within audio card driver settings and within the Control Panel For Creative audio card it is necessary to switch off all sound effects and equalizers otherwise there can be a loss of central rear channels Audio card can operate in two modes DirectSound and WaveOut In some cases the multi channel mode can operate only in one of th2. DVD ability to play DVD files F player supports filter configuring feature O player supports output device changing feature D player supports decoder changing feature A player has an ability to use AC3Filter 4 2 Media Player Classics It is one of the most multifunctional players Though it has a simple look and a small memory size 1Mb of player surrenders only ZoomPlayer by functionality Furthermore the player has a great number of internal decoders there is no need to install any codec packs and other external decoders It supports DVD playing Flash animation with rewind function RealVideo RealAudio QuickTime and many others This player is reliable stable and has no special requirements for resources my favorite player During watching filter settings can be called by right button click on the frame then select Filters AC3Filter in drop down menu des YTS_01_1 YOB Media Player Classic File View Play Navigate Favorites Help v Play Pause Space Stop Period Full Screen Alt Return Zoom Video Frame Pan amp Scan Navigate Favorites Default DirectSound Device M mm Pem __ video Renderer gt log K 4 paid AC3Filter ra Elecard MPEG2 Video Decoder a Plas Volume gt F l_dwditermimator2 YT5_01_1 YOB gt View Properties Shift F10 Options O Player settings can be called from View Options menu To make the player to use AC3Filter player
3. Previous Chapter Track E Skip Forward DYD Mode Video Renderer Skip Backward Player Options Default DirectSound Device Jump Forward a iL Jump Backward tes 2 i Elecard MPEG2 Video Decoder Stay On Top Exit Player E 2 Demultiplexer 4 7 LightAlloy Filter settings calling is shown in the picture 2A5vrs_01_1 oopa mAr A aaa 0 30 00 1 00 00 1 30 00 2 00 00 Player has no settings for specific AC3Filter use therefore if there were several decoders installed in the system the decoder with the highest priority will be in use To modify filter priority refer to System settings 13 4 8 PowerDVD WinDVD Both players cannot use the AC3Filter to play DVD Its concerned with the players fea tures therefore it is impossible to force them to use AC3Filter That is no ways in principle to force those players to operate with AC3Filter So to watch DVD with AC3Filter use it is recommended to use other players Media Player Classics LightAlloy or ZoomPlayer When playing AVI files by these players you can use AC3Filter both for post processing and for AC3 DTS audio track decoding However the player cannot call the filter settings so you should configure the filter by configuration utility before watching only 5 Filter settings After installation filter is already well configured and in general it does not require additional setup Therefore if you are not familiar with it do not make any changes I
4. field 5 3 4 Matrix Matrix selection list allows to save and upload matrices 5 4 Gains This page contains gain level settings 21 Units selection list Properties xj Main Mizer Gains system r Gains Master Gain 20dB 14 OdB T Voice Surround LFE Lak r Input gains r DAC Delays 7 Enable I Enable f lt E R 0 p p a aia SL LFE SR 0 0 0 D E i i J e 4 p 0 i rhe p p 0 fo 0 AC3Filter v1 01a Copyright c 2002 2004 by Alexander Vigovsky 5 4 1 Gains Master Gain desirable and current gain level refer to 5 2 Main settings 5 4 2 Dynamic range compression DRC DRC Enabled checkbox switches dynamic range compression function The first level defines compression level of the dynamic range The second level reflects current gain level For more information refer to 7 1 Loudness and dynamic range 5 4 3 Delays These are delays for each output channel Delay values can be set in different units Positive values for time units mean that positive delay will be introduced i e the sound will be delayed Conversely positive values for distance units mean negative delay i e the sound will be played in advance In both cases there can be negative delay values There are two main applications of delays e Compensating of distance difference between speakers Acous
5. that the LFE channel will never be switched on during the entire movie This also will be normal The computer acoustics has quite another specific character Most of contemporary 5 1 acoustics just is not able to reproduce low frequency through main speakers satellites and subwoofer should be entirely responsible for its reproduction Thus if we connect 5 1 acoustics and begin to watch movie with sound track of the 5 1 format assigning the LFE channel to the subwoofer without redirection of low frequencies from main channels we risk not to hear low frequencies at all Acoustic systems with subwoofer may be divided into several categories First an acoustic system may have a subwoofer and however not have separate input for it In this case the acoustic system itself separates input signal into low frequency signal for the subwoofer and signal for main speakers It is necessary for such systems that all low frequency information is already contained in the signal for main speakers i e it is necessary to mix the LFE channel into all main channels Thus output mode should be indicated without subwoofer From the point of view of operating system and sound card the acoustic system has no subwoofer as the acoustic system has no separate input for it Systems where subwoofer is controlled separately may be divided into two categories e Main speakers cannot reproduce low frequencies thus only subwoofer is responsible for reproduction of lo
6. you can set the desirable gain level in the entry field without any restrictions Gain level reflects the current gain level If there is no overflow then the Gain level coincides with the Master level When an overflow takes place the automatic gain control system decreases this level Thus changing of gain level can indicate too high Master level set Refer to Auto gain control and One pass norm options of 5 3 Mixer settings 5 2 4 Dynamic range compression DRC DRC Enabled checkbox switches dynamic range compression function The first level defines compression level of the dynamic range The second level reflects the current gain level For more information refer to 7 1 Loudness and dynamic range 5 2 5 Decoder info It displays type and parameters of the current audio stream Input row reflects type of input stream Text box displays the format information Decoders for different formats display different information including 17 e speakers channel configuration of the stream sample rate bitrate stream bit stream type 8 14 16 bit big little endian e frame size e nsamples number of samples per frame Frames errors fields reflect the decoder statistics number of decoded frames number of error frames There must be no errors in normal operating mode 5 2 6 Processor usage CPU This indicator shows the usage of CPU resources by the filter 5 2 7
7. AC3Filter User s manual Alexander Vigovsky AC3Filter home A Support forum AC3Filter is a high quality free DirectShow filter designed for real time audio decoding and processing It has a priority on wide functionality and convenient settings Filter can decode following audio formats AC3 DTS MPEG Audio It also supports multi channel and digital SPDIF outputs This documentation was written for AC3Filter v1 01a Newer versions may have new options or some options removed Refer to the Support forum for comments about these changes Main features e Decoding of AC3 DTS MPEG1 2 Audio Layer I II formats e Support of DVD AVI AC3 AVI DTS WAV AC3 and WAV DTS e Audio processing for any source e Decomposition of any source to 6 channels e Full information about audio track format e Support of SPDIF passthrough mode e Multi channel audio output from all sources on SPDIF on the fly AC3 encoding e Per channel amplification for all input output channels e Per channel delays for compensation of distance difference to speakers e Automatic gain control e Clipping e Dynamic Range Compression DRC e Level indication for input and output channels e Matrix mixer and ability of direct modification of mixing matrix e Dolby Surround Pro Logic Pro Logic II downmix Contents 1 Download amp Support 4 MA AI 4 ME s ose modupe e hk g Sie Ree Wo he Pe hee ee ee Es 4 2 Installation 4 AM A III 4 2 2 Uninstallation XS o
8. IF passthrough r Filter merit Iv PCM If you want to use this filter as default decoder choose M ac3 M AC3 Prefer AC3Filter If you want to use other decoder choose Prefer other decoder In this case it will be a DTS M DTS used only if it is no other decoder installed M MPEG Audio A IZ PES DVD J MPEG Audio r Audio Video syne Prefer AC3Filter a Prefer other decoder 0 5s 0 0 5s y Default audio renderer Time shift ms fo IF you have no sound at all in analog or spdif mode try to switch this option Note that this option changes System options system default renderer but some players may have its sii conortan fie own audio renderer settings In this case you have to e configuration files change your player s settings tamps ction Current jitter Oms Use Direct Sound as default audio renderer C Use Wave Out as default Audio renderer ACFilter v1 01a Copyright c 2002 2004 by Alexander Vigovsky 5 5 1 Use AC3Filter for It defines the cases of AC3Filter use PCM use AC3Filter for post processing of all audio streams To use this mode the filter must have high priority refer to Filter merit option further in this section AC3 use AC3Filter for AC3 decoding DTS use AC3Filter for DTS decoding MPEG Audio use of AC3Filter for MPEG Audio decoding 23 PES DVD use AC3Filter for audio decoding in MPEG1 MPEG2 PES streams This mode is required for DVD VideoCD playing 5 5 2 SPDIF passthrough Thi
9. Levels Here the current input and output peak levels of signal are displayed They are shown in a logarithmic form When there is an overflow output level indicators become red In this case it is recommended to reduce gain Gain level since overflow means appearing of distortions refer to 7 1 Loudness and dynamic range 5 3 Mixer settings This page contains settings for mixing control Main Mixer Gains System r Gains m Matrix Master Gain Voice Surround LFE E A SL SR LFE 208 Be f jon fo fi jo T t he oo heee a e E 0 e T Jj ii T o jaar fi p fi 1 R o l ar Pama baad ORES fs Ca r Output Options p p p p a 0 LFE Input AC3 IV Auto gain control 2 0 stereo z I One pass norm foe e al igo level PCM tet y IV Auto matri 1 TC Non ig p Matrix Y Voi ls IV Expand stereo lil _Save Delete Bassredic i20 5048 pg L R SLSR 50d FEL C RSLSR AC3Filter v1 01a Copyright c 2002 2004 by Alexander Vigovsky 18 5 3 1 Matrix The main element of this page is mixing matrix It is represented in a form of matrix multiplication E 2 oe ri si sy lfa L Cc le ce ye Sle sre fec C R i v w Sly syy fey R ya isi esl ysi sisi sysi lfs aL oR isy esy sy sisy sysy lfesy SR LFE ilfe clfe rife silfe srife lfelfe LFE Simpler it means that there is a following rule for every cell we mix the channel given by the column into the c
10. a o L o a a x lt 1 s vU Turn Off Computer 113 cat B BASH wm Warning When configuring by the utility the current statistics cannot be displayed in the settings window All settings will take effect after the settings window is closed and the player restarted 5 2 Main settings This page contains most essential filter settings and information about audio playing Information and levels are displayed when calling the settings from the player only Properties xj Main Mizer Gains System r Output Gain A DRC r Levels 3725W 5 1 channel y Master Gain T Enable pp Puleva Pow ter yl 20dB Ai gt 20dB J SPDIF disabled o E i o fas gt E 7 Preset 7 ij T T ji Il m IS N 208 i Ii 0 E bd 50dB Save tic Delete p fp gt m LFE L gt E a i r Decoder info cPU Input AC3 48000Hz ACI speakers 3 2 LFE 5 1 Output levels OdB frame size 1792 bytes xl JAC3 as A i i a Frames Errors 3435 i T E R a SWL C RSLSR AC3Filter v1 01a Copyright c 2002 2004 by Alexander Vigovsky 5 2 1 Output This section describes the settings of filter output format Filter will automatically convert all input formats into defined configuration Speakers configuration is represented 15 in the form of front rear subwoofer There are conventional names for som
11. card manual Audio card can operate in two modes DirectSound and WaveOut In some cases the SPDIF mode can operate only in one of those modes and cannot operate in another one If that is the case output device should be changed in player settings To get information whether the player supports the device changing function refer to Players compatibility If the player has no such function it is possible to change the default system output device refer to However this option changes the global system settings therefore it is recommended to use it only if the player does not support the mentioned function Most of audio cards can operate in digital transfer mode only with 48000 Hz sample rate Therefore in all other cases the digital transfer is impossible at all Current digital output mode can be checked during playback on the Main page of filter settings refer to 5 2 Main settings 3 4 Subwoofer setup It is recommended to read 6 What is LFE firstly If acoustics has no separate input for subwoofer modes with subwoofer 2 0 SW 4 0 SW should not be used refer to 6 What is LFE It is recommended to activate bass redirection for the modes with subwoofer In acous tics documentation information about bandwidth of speakers and subwoofer should be found it is recommended to set the cutoff frequency equal to lower bound for main speak ers and to upper bound of subwoofer For instance if the bandwidth of main speake
12. der than if we would have the real third speaker Thus we will hear the central channel in the middle of the left and right speakers Changing factor of the left or right channel you can move the center Thus setting column value of the L row as 1 will result in louder sound effect of the center from the left channel The center will seem to be moved to the left In most cases theres no need to change the matrix manually when the AutoMatrix option is on the mixing matrix is calculated automatically based on the following parame ters speakers mode Voice Surround LFE levels Normalize matrix Voice 19 control and Expand stereo options Thus level changing for the central voice chan nel will result in changes of matrix coefficients column C 5 3 2 Gains Master Gain desirable and current gain level refer to B 2 Main settings Voice gain level of the center channel If the input signal contains real central channel then this level affects only on this channel If there is no central channel but Voice control flag is set this level controls the level of virtual center This level is a matrix parameter so it makes sense only when the Auto matrix option is on When changing level the matrix is recalculated Surround rear gain level If there are rear channels in input signal then this level affects only on them both in case of down mixin
13. documentation Many problems are successfully solved by available settings Besides I recommend to use the forum you may find people with similar problems which were successfully solved 9 Donate The project needs your help If you like the program it enables you to solve your problems you will use it at home or in your professional activities and if you have ideas how to improve it you may support the further project development A financial support is accepted at this address Any sum is important this is not only money but a moral support too You may support the project not only financially I accept any help In the first place I need equipment for testing E g a large number of problems relating to the SPDIF mode are caused by fact that I have absolutely no SPDIF equipment 27 Besides the project needs a site and its maintenance In addition first of all a support of the forum is needed to provide a patient help to beginners as well as to identify really serious problems It is required to translate the documentation as for large number of users neither Russian nor English languages are the native ones Unfortunately interface translation is not planned yet but translation of documentation is necessary 28
14. e configura tions For instance 2 0 stereo means 2 front speakers i e stereo 2 2 quadro means 2 front and 2 rear speakers i e quadro 3 24 SW 5 1 channels 3 front speakers 2 rear speakers and subwoofer 5 1 configuration It is desirable for defined configuration to be in accordant with the system settings refer to which in turn must match with the actual number of speakers To know the difference for subwoofer and for LFE channel and how to set configuration refer to 6 What is LFE Dolby Surround ProLogic and Dolby ProLogic Il modes are required only when computer has stereo output only and is connected to Dolby ProLogic decoder In this case central and rear channels are mixed into two channels to let external decoder to extract them from those two channels backwards This is not a multi channel mode This is a special type of stereo mode required only if the external Dolby ProLogic decoder exists The second selection list sets the sample output format Filter will automatically convert any input format into defined one When decoding the filter defines decoding precision At present 16 24 32 bit and floating point formats are supported SPDIF checkbox switches the digital output mode This mode is required only when digital SPDIF connection and external hardware decoder receiver exists In this case the coded stream will be transferred to external decoder without any modifications if the decoder supports this forma
15. e decoder with the highest priority will be in use To modify the filter priority refer to System settings 4 5 BSPlayer Multifunctional player with skins support Filter settings can be called by right button click on the frame Then select Options iFilters AC3Filter in drop down menu 11 Options Filters AC3Filter Player settings can be called from Options Preferences menu To make the player to use AC3Filter you should change player settings as shown in the figure Ts BSPlayer preferences x File types Que Dedynamic filter Video FFDshow properties For 403 decoding use Default Divx 3 Audio n Win mp2 DSP plugins Output device ACA InterVideo AC3 ereBialfal Audio Decoder Equalizer Subtitles Key definitons amp W inLIRC Skins Plugins 4 6 ZoomPlayer This is the most multifunctional player There is no sense to specify all functions because of their great number Filter settings can be called by right button click on the frame Then select Filter Properties AC3Filter in drop down menu 12 Play Pause Sto ES Color Controls Fullscreen ON OFF Dialogs Zoom ON OFF Navigators gt Mute ON OFF 7 Wheel Function gt Toggle Control Bar y Aspect Ratio gt Slow Motion Set Video Preset gt Fast Forward Save Video Preset gt Rewind Language Next Chapter Track Audio Track gt S js Filter Prop Graph Information
16. e several decoders installed in the system the decoder with the highest priority will be in use To modify the filter priority refer to System settings 4 4 Windows Media Player 7 This family of players has no ability of calling the filter settings during watching Thus you cannot know whether AC3Filter or some other decoder is in use Also you cannot change the settings and monitor the current activity properties of current audio stream input output levels DRC activity etc during playing The single exception is the Windows Media Player 9 in DVD playing mode only In this case the filter settings can be called from Tools Options menu this option will not take effect when watching avi files or files of other formats 10 Options X Player Copy Music Devices Performance Media Library Plug ins Privacy Security File Types DVD Network Co Set parental control and default language settings For all DYDs wo Parental control Parental control Select a rating Not rated ES Language settings To set the default languages used when playing DYDs and other content click on the Defaults button Defaults DK Cancel Apply Help In all other cases it is possible to configure the filter only by configuration utility before watching the film Player has no settings for specific AC3Filter use therefore if there are several decoders installed in the system th
17. e sum of the output channels 1 But at the same time changing of LFE Voice and Surround gain levels may lead to loudness redistribution for instance when increasing LFE loudness loudness of other channels will decrease that is not always convenient Besides in most cases matrix normalization strongly reduces total loudness Switching this option off allows to avoid those effects however possibility of overflow appears at the same time Expand stereo takes effect only if there are no rear channels in input signal This option allows to control gain level of the virtual environment by means of Surround level If there are rear speakers in output speakers configuration the separated environment information is redirected that way Voice control takes effect only if there is no central channel in input signal This option allows to control gain level of the virtual center by means of Voice level If there is a central channel in output speakers configuration the separated virtual center is redirected that way This option together with Expand stereo option allows to decompose the stereo signal to 5 speakers Bass redirection bass redirection from all channels to subwoofer It takes effect only if there is a subwoofer in output speakers configuration This option is recommended for systems with separate subwoofer refer to 6 What is LFE You can set the cutoff frequency Hz in entry
18. ed and a problem arouse To begin with I inform you on my configuration Windows 98SE C Media 8738 PCI card speaker mode 5 1 I used 3 different players WMP 6 01 05 0217 ZoomPlayer 2 5 BsPlayer 0 86 26 The problem is while playing DivX AC 3 a sound is reproduced but not AC 3 to be more precise not a full fledged AC 3 In the Output levels of codec s properties level of only three channels can be changed two front and the central ones see the figure The subwoofer sound exists but it is quiet and very dirty and there is no subwoofer level in Output levels Rear speakers are silent Default WaveOut Device properties are wFormatTag 65534 nChannels 6 I wish to warn right away that I downloaded and installed a patch for W98 a reference to which you gave on the project page I send registry branch and the Main page of codec s properties as attached files Before writing on an existence of a problem make sure that the problem is really caused by the filter uninstall the filter If the problem remains the filter has no connection to it during deinstallation the filter completely removes itself from the system leaving no traces I try to review all incoming problems but simply do not have a physical capacity to deal with every problem individually However in any case your messages are not lost for nothing using accumulated statistics often leads to a successful solution of very knotty cases Read the
19. g in this case level of rear channels mixing into front channels is controlled or without it i e just control channel levels in respect of the frontal channels If there are no rear channels in source but Expand stereo flag is set then this level controls the level of virtual rear This level is a matrix parameter so it makes sense only when the Auto matrix option is on When changing level the matrix is recalculated LFE LFE channel level This level is a matrix parameter so it makes sense only when the Auto matrix option is on The matrix is recalculated when changing the level 5 3 3 Options Auto gain control this option reduces the current gain level to avoid an overflow Gain indicator displays the current gain level When this option is off the ex tremely strong signal will be cut off resulting in distortions which are unpleasant to hear If the option is on then in case of overflow the sound becomes quieter thereby excluding overflow System behavior after overflow is defined by One pass norm option If this option is off the current level will return to adjusted Master level At that this level specifies an average gain level If there are many locations with overflows such behavior may result in unpleasant leaps of loudness therefore you should not set the Master level at extremely high value It is recommended to use this mode when overflow is not expected or when it appear relatively rare
20. hannel given by the row with gain given by the cell Therefore if we want to direct left channel into right channel we should set the value of cell on the cross of L column and R row as 1 Then we will hear both left and right channels from right channel It is necessary to clear the difference between input and output channels Input channel is information that was encoded in original stream Output channel is that of we will hear from speakers Matrix row defines the contents of output channel speaker given by this row There fore the first row of the matrix above indicates sound which will be heard from the left speaker L 1 L 0 7071 C 1 SL 1 LFE i e from the left speaker we will hear the left channel part of the central channel the left rear and the low frequency effects channel Thus mixing from 6 original channels into 2 stereo channels is performed downmix One important property of matrix is that when swapping contents of two matrix rows we can interchange appropriate speakers Therefore swapping of the first and the third rows results in interchange between the left and right speakers This property can be used to rearrange speakers without their physical switching Values of the matrix column show the target of the channel mixing Therefore the central channel is directed both to the left and right speakers with the 0 7 factor otherwise the center outgoing from two speakers will sound lou
21. l as o Pook ee eee RANA AA 4 3 System setup 4 A ATI UN 5 3 2 Setup for analog multichannel output mode 5 3 3 Setup for digital SPDIF output mode a suk ano edace eax 6 3 4 Subwoofer setup as eu kao oe RO RRR ERE OwME REO DERE EE SS 6 3 5 Filter set p s ss y Woe Be amp Hie A DRAM pated ew Bees 7 4 Player setup 7 4 1 Players compatibility tables suas as 2 ee eS ek ee 7 4 2 Media Player Classics o o e T 4 3 Windows Media Player 6 4 oa a aa a 0 9 4 4 Windows Media Player TH oaoa aaa o 10 A A III oh a 11 4 6 ZoomPlayer 2 e Bene as idea bee ew ia E 12 A aes aca EII 13 4 8 PowerDVD WiaDVD 264 2242 dara eh ee a 14 5 Filter settings 14 5 1 Filter settings window opening e 14 5 2 Maimsettin s EIA 15 5 3 Mixer 5ettings lt z e ecran ai ode BRS Ge OR oa ee ee ee 18 gA Gan ese e dc A N a Le a Rey e E 21 Ci A 23 6 What is LFE 25 7_ Distribution 26 8 Contact author 26 27 1 Download amp Support 1 1 Download Latest releases and sources are always available at the official download location 1 2 Support You may get support at AC3Filter support forum or directly from the author by email see Contact author Note that using of forum is preferred because there re many people with similar problems and possible someone already have found the solution 2 Installation 2 1 Installation R
22. ly If One pass norm option is on gain level is not recovered after overflow Thus ev ery overflow reduces probability and intensity of next overflows therefore after some time the gain level adjusts to a certain average value and keeps around it thereafter As a rule level becomes stable and the current level is displayed by the Gain level after 10 minutes of film playing This mode is used to reach the highest possible loudness with minimum of possible artifacts In this case the Master level acts as an initial gain value for the one pass normalization operation therefore usually it is adjusted at maximum For more information refer to 7 1 Loudness and dynamic range 20 One pass norm one pass normalization Refer to Auto gain control Auto matrix automatic calculation of the mixing matrix When this option is on you cannot edit the matrix directly LFE Voice and Surround gain lev els are parameters for matrix calculation when changing them matrix is changed immediately When this option is off the following control elements loose their ef fect LFE Voice and Surround gain levels Normalize matrix Expand stereo Voice control options Then ability of direct editing of the mixing matrix is available Normalize matrix When this option is active the mixing matrix is normalized to ensure that no overflows occur in output channels th
23. or any support of an error correction of recovery of data lost due to operation of the program of liability for spoilt hardware as well as for lost working time I am not responsible for legality of multimedia products reproduced by this program 8 Contact author All questions relating to the filter operation errors new ideas proposals etc should be addressed to the following address AC3Filter Due to a vast number of spam filtering is used so the subject of the message itself should contain AC3Filter word and the message size should not exceed 20K If you wish to send files send a preliminary notice If you have a problem describe it in detail up to a sequence of pressed keys Information on the system s configuration OS version sound card the player being used filter settings it is desirable to indicate fields is required Here is an example of a style that should not be used in a letter a real message You have a cool prog but I failed toanderstand anything I have such stuff Topdevice 440D 5 1 and tsenter does not plough with AC 3 only 5 1 big requezt wha should be done for a tsentor to play Winamp playr One more requezt if you can this all quicker a big desire that everything work OK Such letters will be simply ignored And now this is an example of a well made message which helped to solve the problem quickly Good day I have found a link to your codec at the IXBT forum downloaded it in stall
24. ose modes and cannot operate in another one If that is the case output device should be changed in player settings To get information whether the player supports the device changing function refer to compatibility table If the player has no such function it is possible to change the default system output device refer to System settings However this option changes the global system settings therefore it is recommended to use it only if the player does not support the mentioned function 3 3 Setup for digital SPDIF output mode It is recommended to read 7 3 SPDIF section firstly SPDIF mode is required only in case of digital connection to external decoder receiver exist It is important previously to ensure whether the receiver connected correctly refer to audio card and receiver documentation It is necessary to check SPDIF box in filter settings to switch the SPDIF mode on refer to 52Main settings Digital connection supports different formats of data transfer PCM AC3 DTS MPEG Audio Refer to receiver documentation to get information about the formats supported by receiver In most cases only AC3 format is supported if that is the case there is no need for additional settings it is active by default If the receiver supports some other formats they can be indicated in filter settings refer to Je Some drivers have an ability of AC3 decoding If such option is available it should be disabled refer to audio
25. ot support stereo decomposi tion into multi channel format Remember that AC3 encoding leads to quality loss therefore it is preferable to use analogue connection for multi channel formats 16 Formats supported by the external decoder are shown in the system settings page in SPDIF passthrough section refer to 5 5 System settings Note that the current mode can be changed during watching when the input stream format is changed For instance when watching DVD there is a possibility of audio tracks switching At that the track format can be changed If the receiver supports only AC3 format then when switching from audio track of AC3 format to track of DTS format there will be switching from passthrough mode to AC3 encode mode 5 2 2 Preset All filter settings can be recorded as single composition of settings preset for fast uploading them later There are several standard presets installed together with the filter Standard no additional processing performed signal is transferred without any modifi cations Loud maximum loudness Default it is loaded during the filter loading 5 2 3 Gains You should not use this option instead of player volume or system volume An overflow and a noticeable decrease of playing quality can take place when there is a high gain For more information refer to 7 1 Loudness and dynamic range Master level defines the desirable gain level in dB If the existing scale is insufficient
26. rs is 100 Hz 20 kHz and that of subwoofer is 30 Hz 100 Hz then the cutoff frequency must be set at 100 Hz In most cases the default setting is satisfactory so there is no need to change anything Some audio cards have their own bass redirection control settings It is not recom mended to activate both options at the same time This can result in significant distor tions Bass redirection must be switched on either in filter only or in audio card settings only 3 5 Filter setup After installation filter has already all settings and in general it does not require any additional settings Therefore if you are not familiar with it do not make any changes It is recommended to modify settings only if there are some problems with sound However if you are inquisitive and you like to play with settings please refer to 7 Theory section 4 Player setup This section briefly describes the most known players and possibility of their operation together with AC3Filter abilities of players and required settings 4 1 Players compatibility table Player License AVI DVD F O D A Setup e les lll e Freeware sec Freeware sec Freeware sec Freeware sec Shareware sec Freeware sec Shareware AVI sec Shareware AVI sec AVI ability to play AVI files
27. s setting defines formats supported by external decoder and being transferred with out any modifications when digital output is used It makes sense only if the SPDIF option is on refer to 5 2 Main settings 5 5 3 Filter merit The filter is installed into the system with the highest priority i e it will be used instead of any other decoders installed If it is required to use other decoders by any reasons the priority can be decreased to minimum using the Prefer other decoder option Filter will stay in system and will be used only if there are no other decoders installed Prefer AC3Filter option means the high priority 5 5 4 Default audio renderer Audio card can operate in two modes DirectSound and WaveOut If there are some problems occur when using the filter e g SPDIF is inoperative sometimes they can be solved by switching of operating mode Some players have settings to change output device refer to others use the default system settings To switch the operating mode use Use DirectSound option for DirectSound interface and Use WaveOut option for WaveOut interface This option changes the system global settings Thus it is preferably to use native settings of player if possible This option takes effect only if the player uses the default output device or if it has appropriate settings 5 5 5 Audio Video sync In some cases audio and video can be non synchronized Generally this can occur d
28. settings should be changed as shown in the figure Formats Keys M Enabled built in Filters FA IV avi Splitter I audio CD Reader i PO arias P IV Matroska Splitter F VCD SVCDIXCD Reader DVD OGM M Ogg Splitter IV DYD Video Title Set Reader Output IV RealMedia Splitter IV FLI FLC Decoder a IV Realvideo Decoder IV DYD2AVI Project File Decoder Budo Meche I RealAudio Decoder I DTS AC3 Parser Audio Decoders r 7 Mpeg Decoder MPEG Splitter V SHOUTcast Receiver Overrides MPEG 1 Video Decoder I Stacker amp Bink Decoder n a E Subtitles TT MPEG 2 Video Decoder IV RoQ Decoder Id Software Default Style MPEG Audio Decoder I AAC Decoder 7 peas C3 Decoder a Decoder PCM Decoder M Nut Splitter experimental Tf you would like to use the stand alone version from these filters or a some other replacement disable them here If there are several decoders installed in the system decoder with the highest priority will be in use To modify the filter priority refer to 5 5 System settings The player can be configured for continuous use of AC3Filter independently of current system settings For that enter the Overrides section of player settings press AddFilter button and then select AC3Filter from the list That will result as follows Options x Overrides E Player Formats Keys T2AC3Filter Logo Remove Web Interface E Playback e Prefer DYD OGM Blo QUIPUE C Se
29. t or will be recoded into the format clear for decoder for more information refer to 7 3 SPDIF Current digital output mode status is shown in parentheses disabled digital output mode is inactive there is an ordinary decoded PCM stream trans ferred to the output When SPDIF is on the filter always attempts to use digital transfer And only in case when digital transfer is impossible audio card driver rejects to process the indicated format ordinary PCM is transferred For instance many audio cards support digital transfer only when the sample rate is 48000 Hz but do not support widespread format of 44100 Hz passthrough pass through transfer mode for AC3 DTS and MPEG Audio formats only In this case encoded digital stream is transferred without any modifications and decoding is performed by external decoder In this mode the filer does not display current activity and all filter settings do not affect sound since sound is not decoded and the coded data is transferred as is AC3 encode AC3 encoding mode In this mode filter performs decoding of the input stream and post processing all filter options are active including changing of speak ers number Then the resulted signal is encoded into AC3 and transfer into external hardware decoder in digital format This mode is required to transfer multi channel audio in formats which are not supported by external decoder e g AAC or OGG Vorbis or in case when the external decoder does n
30. t is recommended to modify the settings only if there are some problems with sound However if you are inquisitive and you like to play with settings please refer to 7 Theory section There are two principal rules of configuring e If you have no idea what does this setting make do not change it e If something has broken load the standard preset Main page Preset Standard 5 1 Filter settings window opening You should enter the filter property window to configure the filter There are two ways to do that e Directly during playing Here you can monitor the filter activity and change settings directly during playing Player must be able to configure the filters Refer to to know whether the player supports this function or not The mentioned section also describes actions required to call the settings window When changing settings changes take effect immediately or rather with a little delay of 0 5 2 s depending on player buffer size e If the player has no ability to configure the filter you can adjust settings by configu ration utility from the Start menu 14 I Video fm AC3Filter i AC3Filter Config a 7 Accessories 2 AC3Filter Help English Graphedit i i Mz ES F Audio Y AC3Filter Help Italian Devel 2 AC3Filter Help Russian Programs a FAR manager gt 54 uninstall 7 gt Documents Settings Search Help and Support Run Log Off valex c 2 a
31. t merit E Filters Audio Switcher Audio Decoders Mpeg Decoder Up Down E Subtitles MEDIATYPE_MPEG2_PES Add Media Type Default Style MEDIASUBTYPE_DOLBY_AC3 Tweaks MEDIASUBTYPE_MPEG1 AudioPayload MEDIASUBTYPE_MPEG2_AUDIO MEDIASUBTYPE_DYD_LPCM_AUDIO MEDIASUBTYPE_DTS E MEDIATYPE_DYD_ENCRYPTED_PACK MEDIASUBTYPE_DOLBY_4C3 xl Reset List 4 3 Windows Media Player 6 4 Simple player delivered within all Windows versions from Win98 Win98 WinME Win2000 WinXP Player is located at C Program files Windows Media Player mplayer2 exe This player is extremely reliable has no special requirements for resources and utilizes stan dard playback methods only therefore it is essential for detection of different problems Many functions are not available but the player excellently copes with its general task file playing If there any playing problems appear when using other players it is recommended to try this player During watching filter settings can be called from File Properties Advanced menu dy YTS_01_1 YOB Windows Media Player Al ES File View Play Favorites Go Help Properties 2 X Clip Details Advanced TS_01_1 OB Filters in use Default DirectSound Device Elecard MPEG2 Video Decoder Video Renderer Properties Codecs in Installed use My More information Close Player has no settings for specific AC3Filter use therefore if there ar
32. tic wave needs certain time to reach listener therefore ideally all speakers must be located at equal dis tance from listener so as the sound simultaneously produced by all speakers at a certain time could reach listener simultaneously Otherwise sounds will be in wrong positions However the distance to speakers may differ in practice The farther the speaker the earlier sound produced by it must be played To compensate this defect you can set distances to speakers directly e Ambisonic effect creation when decomposing stereo record to multi channel system Introduction of additional delay to rear channels can enhance the ambisonic effect 22 coca amt 5 4 4 Input gains Gain levels of input channels Sometimes it is required to change gain levels namely of input channels That s the case when the input signal has a central channel while the output one has no central channel the center is mixed to front channels and it is required to change dialog level namely I e these levels are intended for record defects compensation 5 4 5 Output gains Gain levels of output channels These levels serve for speakers loudness equalization if speakers are located asymmetrically In other words they serve for compensation of acoustic system defects 5 5 System settings This page reflects system settings which have no direct influence on sound Main Mixer Gains r Use AC3Filter for SPD
33. ue to incorrect mixing of video file but the hardware causes of desynchronization are possible too This option is intended to solve hardware problems It can be used for defect correction of certain file but do not forget to change it back Here shift between audio and video is specified in ms If sound is heard before video you should increase this value If sound occurs after picture on the screen you should decrease the value This option helps to correct constant time shift only Option takes effect immediately When changing the delay value the picture can freeze or jerk within several seconds 24 6 What is LFE The first that should be noted LFE is not the same as a subwoofer In addition the designation 5 1 for AC3 does not coincide with 5 1 for an acoustic system Thus let us begin from considering this difference The AC3 format was created for cinema and not at all for a computer At cinemas quality acoustics may reproduce low frequencies quite adequately whereas LFE was de signed as a channel for powerful low frequency effects that is effects with which usual acoustics cannot cope any more It is used in order to make walls to shake people to cry from a horror and weak nerved young ladies to faint Thus all channels of the ac 3 stream contain low frequencies and only sometime in especially explosive moments the LFE channel begins to operate just to help the basic acoustics to shake wal ls It may quite happen so
34. un the installation program and follow the instructions Additional system settings may be required for using of multi channel modes and digital output mode refer to System setup 2 2 Uninstallation Run uninstall program from the Start menu or from the Control Panel Warning All saved settings of matrices equalizers etc will be lost Filter can be installed together with other programs codec packs players In this case filter can be uninstalled only together with that program If you have no idea about what program filter was installed with or you are going to uninstall the filter but not the program you can uninstall the filter independently as follows e Download installation package from the e Install the package After that filter will appear in the installed programs list of the Control Panel e Uninstall filter from the Control Panel Filter will be deleted from the system 3 System setup This section describes one time settings which should be made after the filter instal lation The most compatible operation mode is 16 bit stereo mode not multi channel which is the default filter operating mode This mode is compatible with all Windows ver sions and all audio cards There is no need for additional settings to operate in this mode 4 For operating in multi channel modes and in digital output mode some system settings may be required 3 1 Windows Windows compatibility table
35. w frequencies In this case bass redirection from main channels to subwoofer is necessary Cutoff frequency of subwoofer may be found in the acoustic system s documentation Cutoff frequency equal to 120 Hz and set as default is suitable for most of such systems e Main speakers are broad banded and are capable to reproduce low frequencies inde pendently and subwoofer plays a supporting role only In this case bass redirection is optional but it may be used for the lowest frequencies 40 Hz To obtain more detailed information on purposes of channels subwoofer and bass con trol address the Dolby site http www dolby com tech c in 0011 LFE pdf Eng 25 7 Distribution This software product is distributed under the GNU General Public License v2 the text is appended as the GNU_eng txt file in English and the GNU_rus txt in Russian The variant in Russian is provided as a reference only in case of any discrepancies the English version prevails This software product may be used only for demonstration and training purposes Any use for other purposes may be prohibited in some countries This product may be distributed freely except for cases prohibited by the legislation This software product is distributed exceptionally with a hope that it will be useful however without any guarantees of operation on a specific equipment of meeting any con ditions standards or needs I do not undertake an assurance of twenty four hour
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search