WMC Disabling System Volumes

[element192]

I recently setup Relaunch to create shortcuts for Youtube, HBOGo, Xfinity, etc. but I found that if I have WMC open it doesn't allow any other programs to have sound. Even if I minimize WMC and open any other program, no sounds are made (nothing is muted in the system volume mixer). As soon as I close WMC though, the sounds in other programs work perfectly fine.

I'm using the Shark 007 codecs if that makes a difference, anyone have any thoughts on this?

[richard1980]

Is audio playing in WMC when you try this? If so, is the audio bitstreaming? Applications must have exclusive control of the audio device in order to bitstream. So if you want multiple applications to be able to use the audio device simultaneously, you have to disable bitstreaming. Open the sound applet in Control Panel, find your device, open the properties, go to the Advanced tab, and uncheck the two boxes to disable exclusive mode.

If that's not the issue, then I bet it has something to do with the codec pack. You really shouldn't have any codec packs in the first place, but if you insist on using one, the developer should be able to help you fix any issues.

[Shark007]

If you're going to uncheck the exclusive mode boxes as Richard suggests, you also need to go to the Audio TAB of the Shark007 Apps and change that to the (anolog) setting. Actually, I'm pretty sure that changing that setting in my Apps will negate the need to uncheck the Exclusive mode boxes. You should now get Multi-channel PCM sent to your AVR and other applications should be able to produce sound simultaneously also.

[element192]

Why should I not have codecs at all? I was just following the setup guide on AssassinHTPC's blog and used the Shark 007 method because the first option he suggested didn't get MKV files playing on my system.

I'm pretty sure I am using bitstreaming, but no audio is playing when I try to switch. If I disable this or switch to "analog" what am I losing? I am streaming straight to a receiver so I want to keep the "unfiltered" signal going to my receiver for processing. Will this still be the case?

[Shark007]

The difference is simple.... there is no difference.
With bitstreaming, the audio is decoded by hardware to PCM by the AVR
With anolog, the audio is decoded by software to PCM on the PC by the installed codecs.

The only difference is where the audio is decoded. There is no loss of quality from one method to the other.

EDIT: Often, with bitstreaming, it is suggested to set the speaker configuration in Control Panel | Sound, be set to stereo
Using anolog, this speaker count should be set to the actual speaker count.
My software picks up on this Windows setting and uses it to configure the analog output properly.

[element192]

The difference is simple.... there is no difference.
With bitstreaming, the audio is decoded by hardware to PCM by the AVR
With anolog, the audio is decoded by software to PCM on the PC by the installed codecs.

The only difference is where the audio is decoded. There is no loss of quality from one method to the other.

Okay, thanks for your replies. I'll give the analog a try and see if that will fix the issue. I appreciate your help!

[Shark007]

You really shouldn't have any codec packs in the first place

Why should I not have codecs at all?

It is my opinion that Richard simply lacks knowledge on the subject.
Not using a 'quality' codec pack is akin to being satisfied with notepad and not exploring the usefulness of Microsoft Word.

The reason I placed quotations on the word quality is that in the past,
using packs like klite often left users with broken systems.
So I set out to create a quality pack that doesn't leave people broken.

[richard1980]

the first option he suggested didn't get MKV files playing on my system.

MKV is not a codec. It's a container. Codecs don't open containers. They decode the audio and video streams. It's the splitter that comes with the codec pack that is actually enabling you to open the MKV file in WMC. So all you really need is a splitter, such as Haali Media Splitter. It is only after the MKV is actually opened that codecs become important, and I have yet to see an MKV that contained streams that WMC's native codecs don't support.

You really shouldn't have any codec packs in the first place

Why should I not have codecs at all?

It is my opinion that Richard simply lacks knowledge on the subject.

That's your opinion, and you are certainly entitled to it. However, you are incorrect. There are two primary reasons why I do not recommend codec packs:

1. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the codec pack is not actually necessary. I would say that about 90-95% of the posts that I've seen about codec packs boil down to the end-user trying to enable WMC to open MKV files, and for whatever reason, there are many people that say the solution to that problem is a codec pack. But as I explained above, it's not the codec pack that enables WMC to open MKV files....it's the splitter.
2. The smoothest WMC experience is achieved by letting WMC do what it was designed to do. Which means don't mess with the codecs. If WMC doesn't have the necessary codecs OOTB, I recommend switching to a different player.

Not using a 'quality' codec pack is akin to being satisfied with notepad and not exploring the usefulness of Microsoft Word.

While Microsoft Word may have a lot of additional features that Notepad lacks, those features are only useful if a task can actually utilize those features. I certainly don't tell people they need Microsoft Word to edit basic text files.

The difference is simple.... there is no difference.
With bitstreaming, the audio is decoded by hardware to PCM by the AVR
With anolog, the audio is decoded by software to PCM on the PC by the installed codecs.

The only difference is where the audio is decoded. There is no loss of quality from one method to the other.

It is my opinion that Shark007 simply lacks knowledge on the subject , since he failed to mention a few things:

• PCM is digital, not analog. In order for the PCM signal to have any meaning, it must be converted to analog with a digital-to-analog converter (DAC). When bitstreaming, the DAC in the AVR is used, but when the PC is outputting analog, the DAC in the PC is used. Unless both are using the exact same DAC, one DAC will be superior to the other (most likely the DAC in the AVR), thus there will be a quality difference between the analog audio signals output by each DAC.
• You can decode the audio at the PC and still output PCM from the PC. That would make the previous point mostly moot, assuming you could get the decoded PCM before it was processed through the DAC (I'm not sure if the PCM output is ran through a PCM-analog-PCM conversion or if it's just output directly...I'd have to look it up, but I don't think it really makes a difference one way or the other in this conversation.)
• Disabling bitstreaming prevents the AVR from receiving an encoded signal. Some AVRs (like mine) do not make all processing features available to PCM and analog audio.
• Disabling bitstreaming reduces the number of audio channels that can be transmitted over S/PDIF to 2. While not likely to be an issue, it should also be noted that disabling bitstreaming also sets the maximum number of audio channels that can be transmitted over HDMI to whatever the receiving device's EDID says is the maximum number of audio channels the device supports. So if a device's EDID claims that it can only support 2-channel PCM, that's all you'll get.

[Shark007]

the first option he suggested didn't get MKV files playing on my system.

MKV is not a codec. It's a container. Codecs don't open containers. They decode the audio and video streams. It's the splitter that comes with the codec pack that is actually enabling you to open the MKV file in WMC. So all you really need is a splitter, such as Haali Media Splitter. It is only after the MKV is actually opened that codecs become important, and I have yet to see an MKV that contained streams that WMC's native codecs don't support.

Wow. you're so smart. Just a splitter and you're good to go huh?

So tell me then, how do you get an mkv (or any other container such as flv) to play in the Preview Pane of Windows Explorer?
Installing my codecpack enables that.

How do you use Play To (DLNA) to send an MKV to a dlna enable TV?
Installing my codecpack enables that too.

How do you get windows explorer to display full file details for an mkv (or any other container such as flv) just like windows does for an mp4?
Installing my codecpack enables that too.

How do you get mkv's (or any other container such as flv) to play on an xbox360 without breaking Windows?
Installing my codecpack does that too.

How do you play M4A files from iTunes (ALAC audio) in the Windows players?
Installing my codecpack does that too.

How do you get Media Center to play a Playlist?
Installing my codecpack does that too.

How do you enable right-clicking of an mkv (or any other container such as flv) and have 'Add to Windows Media Player List' ?
Installing my codecpack does that too.

How do you get full colour thumbnails of all files such as mkv or flv files?
Installing my codecpack does that too.

Another feature I offer to users . . .
On Windows 8.x, my codec release allow alternate (LAV) filters to be used for the Play To feature.

All that in a neat little FREE package that wont break Windows and when uninstalled, removes itself properly.

It is my opinion that Shark007 simply lacks knowledge on the subject

That's your opinion, and you are certainly entitled to it. However, you are incorrect.

sorry that you didn't like my use of the word analog.
Its been used many times on my forum as the opposite of bitstreaming and I used it that way in my post.

[epayson85]

+1 for shark007. I thought I knew a lot about codecs / audio / video until I started going through his forums. When I switched to wmc a few years ago and needed to get my mkv's working he has been an incredible resource. He doesn't lack knowledge, richard1980 didn't understand what shark007 perfectly explained. He never said PCM was analog. Also sharks software is incredible and just like he says if you uninstall his software everything is removed and all your settings go back to normal perfectly. There is no harm done for trying his FREE software that he made for all of us. Shark007.... Thank you for everything you have done for this community!

[richard1980]

Wow. you're so smart. Just a splitter and you're good to go huh?

When the task is simply to get WMC to open MKV files, yes.

So tell me then, how do you get an mkv (or any other container such as flv) to play in the Preview Pane of Windows Explorer?
Installing my codecpack enables that.

How do you use Play To (DLNA) to send an MKV to a dlna enable TV?
Installing my codecpack enables that too.

How do you get windows explorer to display full file details for an mkv (or any other container such as flv) just like windows does for an mp4?
Installing my codecpack enables that too.

How do you get mkv's (or any other container such as flv) to play on an xbox360 without breaking Windows?
Installing my codecpack does that too.

How do you play M4A files from iTunes (ALAC audio) in the Windows players?
Installing my codecpack does that too.

How do you get Media Center to play a Playlist?
Installing my codecpack does that too.

How do you enable right-clicking of an mkv (or any other container such as flv) and have 'Add to Windows Media Player List' ?
Installing my codecpack does that too.

How do you get full colour thumbnails of all files such as mkv or flv files?
Installing my codecpack does that too.

Another feature I offer to users . . .
On Windows 8.x, my codec release allow alternate (LAV) filters to be used for the Play To feature.

So which of those features has anything to do with opening MKV files in WMC? Again, you don't need Microsoft Word when all you want to do is edit a basic text file.

And for the record, all of the things you noted above can be accomplished without installing your codec pack (or any other codec pack).

Its been used many times on my forum as the opposite of bitstreaming and I used it that way in my post.

Perhaps you should use the correct terminology.

He doesn't lack knowledge, richard1980 didn't understand what shark007 perfectly explained.

I understood exactly what was written. Shark007 said there was no loss of quality when outputting analog instead of bitstreaming, which is not true. When he used the term "analog", I assumed that he actually meant "analog". But as it turns out, he really meant "PCM". So what happens when we use the correct terminology in his original statement?

The difference is simple.... there is no difference.
With bitstreaming, the audio is decoded by hardware to PCM by the AVR
With anolog PCM, the audio is decoded by software to PCM on the PC by the installed codecs.

The only difference is where the audio is decoded. There is no loss of quality from one method to the other.

It's still wrong! See the last two points I made in my previous post.