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Topic: Learning how to play DVD-AUDIO: my new computer experience. (Read 6151 times) previous topic - next topic
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Learning how to play DVD-AUDIO: my new computer experience.

So.. I've always played SACDs with my PS3, I've never owned a DVD-AUDIO player, so I never knew what the best way to play them was.

I bought a new laptop today.. I may or may not return it. It's a Toshiba with WiDi (wireless HDMI output), part of Best Buy's new Blue Label program. I didn't really like the wireless display function.. so that's probably why I'll return it, but.. I've used this is an opportunity to play some of the DVD-AUDIO discs I have over the HDMI connection (it won't work over a wireless connection). I'll post my results so you can guys can take a look and maybe help me figure out what's going on.

Here's my PC: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/01/toshiba...-display-review

and here's my receiver: http://www.onkyousa.com/model.cfm?class=Sy...&m=HT-S6200

Here are my 3 test sources: Linkin Park - Reanimation DVD-A, Everclear - So Much For the Afterglow DVD-A, and NIN - With Teeth DualDisc.

So.. the device I'm using to play these discs identifies itself as HT-R670 in Windows 7. Here is how it reports itself; max channels: 8, max bit-depth: 24-bit, HDCP supported, highest sample rate: 192 kHz. It also says it supports all the latest codecs. I haven't messed with the settings for the audio output within Windows at all.. but I have played the disc through a number of discs in a number of players, this is what happened to my Linkin Park disc:

PowerDVD 9: If I don't change any settings it'll report itself as Dolby Digital 5.1 448 Kbps LCPM 48 kHz/16-bits 6 channels, video: MPEG-2. Clearly this isn't the 24-bit audio I was promised with this DVD-A disc. This will make the PCM and HDMI buttons light up on my Onkyo receiver. If, however, I change the Audio Output mode from: PCM decoded by PowerDVD to non-decoded Dolby Digital/DTS audio to external device I get different output results. (This might be obvious to you but I've never played DVD-A's before so it's new to me.) The difference here is that while it used to the Audio Output in the software window, it's now replaced with the words "Compressed Audio". Since that makes the Dolby Digital button light up on my receiver. I assume the software is just passing the same compressed Dolby Digital signal over to the player to decode. So, either way I'm getting the same results. Moving on.

WinDVD 10: Without changing any settings, I see WinDVD reporting the output as Primary Video: Encyrpted MPEG-2, 0.1 or so Mbps, Primary Audio: Dolby Digital (AC3
), 448 Kbps. It also lights up the Dolby Digital and HDMI buttons on my receiver, so I assume WinDVD is sending the signal over for the receiver to do all the decoding work. Same as with PowerDVD.. however this bit of information confuses me:
Quote
Audio:
    Audio/Primary Audio Stream
    Hardware:
        Audio Device: Default WaveOut Device
        S/PDIF: Present
        Number of speakers: 2
    Stream:
        Type: Dolby Digital (AC3)
        Bitrate: 448 Kbps
        Number of main channels: 5
        LFE Channel: Present
        Sampling Frequency: 48khz
        Bits Per Sample: 16
    Output:
        Sample Rate: 48 KHz
        Bits Per Sample: 16


It said number of speakers: 2 when I actually have 7 attached to my receiver.

Foobar2000 1.0 with DVD-Audio plugin version: 0.3.5: Completely differnet results. It still reports as 48 kHz (as it should), but now it's reporting 24-bit bitstream depth, MLP codec, and lossless encoding. I think I've found the way this disc is supposed to be played. It makes my PCM and HDMI buttons light up on the receiver.

ShaPLAY: Same as foobar2000.

Latest VLC trunk: Silence.. and it reports as 32-bits. Weird.

Anyway.. if anyone can help me figure out what's going on I'd appreciate it. I assume the commercials software products are outputting the compressed Dolby signals (or dts-ES in the case of the Everclear) disc instead of LPCM, like foobar2000 and ShaPlay do. Here's my only question: when I set my receiver to Direct Output mode.. how come I only get sound from the 2 Stereo channels? No 5.1? And how come out of the buttons that could possibly light up, the "MULTI CH" button never does?

Learning how to play DVD-AUDIO: my new computer experience.

Reply #1 –
A friend of mine revealed the problem... I had to set up the speaker configuration in Windows first... now it makes sense. xD

I told Windows that I had a 7.1 configuration and now it actually sounds pretty good.

Learning how to play DVD-AUDIO: my new computer experience.

Reply #2 –
You're likely playing the DVD-Video section of the disc. Does PowerDVD support DVD-A anymore, anyway? I could never get it to work with one hybrid DVD-A and was getting mixed results with others. It needs to update a CPPRMSCSSS key or whatever it's called, and if the internets don't like you it will only open the DVD-Video section. You're better off just playing with foobar2000 or ripping it to some lossless easily playable format.

Learning how to play DVD-AUDIO: my new computer experience.

Reply #3 –
If you're getting AC3 you're probably not actually playing the DVD-A part of the disk.
 

Learning how to play DVD-AUDIO: my new computer experience.

Reply #4 –
Well, I think I had it working in foobar2000/ShaPLAY.