Jump to content

No Surround Sound in MBC. Only Stereo


adabo

Recommended Posts

My Setup:

  • HTPC (Living Room): Win7 SP1 x32, Media Browser Classic (No Codecs/Filters)
  • PC (Office): Win7 SP1 x64 Media Browser Server, Video collection.
  • Network: Netgear WNDR3700v3

So far the HTPC plays all the videos. It's a fresh install with windows default codecs. One of the problems is that there is no sound from the center channel (3.1 system ie: L, R, C, LFE). It seems the sound is only through left and right speakers and sub. I've configured the speakers Windows Media Center for 5.1 in the General Settings, however it did not fix the problem. Is there a speaker setup for Classic?

 

Also, FF and RW don't seem to work either, nor can I use the mouse to manually move the time.

 

I was surprised that MBC played my MKVs, so I'm assuming it comes with a built in player, and not using WMC's video player. Should I just install MPC-HC using it as an external player?

 

Thanks in advance :) -adabo

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's interesting. I have no idea how it's playing mkv. Windows Media Player can't. Doesn't WMC use the same video player?

 

*Edit: I want to add that the surround channels work fine on the desktop when playing a dvd. I also checked the playback devices > Configure Speakers and set it to 3.1. Did a test and heard all the jingles.

Edited by adabo
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You are going to need codecs but it may also be streaming from the server if you didn't setup your library so that the MBC machine can access it directly.  A log would shed some light.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hedgehogg

In your original post you don't mention how you are connecting to your amp/reciever or if indeed you are is it S/PDiF , HDMI ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Apologies, and please forgive me for the late response.

 

@@ebr Took advice and installed LAV filters. I wondered if it was a stream or not. I'm hoping MBC has all the access it needs so that it's getting the full bitrate. I'll look at the log

@@yardameus Yes, surround is working fine from other applications. I've even got graphstduio to show the output. It shows all the lav codecs. Also, the lav icons show in windows taskbar in other applications, but they don't work when using Media Browser Classic.

@@hedgehogg The HTPC is connected by: HDMI > AVR > HDMI > TV.

 

There are some strange things going on. Installing LAV codecs didn't fix the issue. So I went against the advice and also installed FFDShow video codecs on top LAV. All of a sudden, the all speaker channels are playing and I can now use the seek bar and ff and rw. But this doesn't always work. One day to the next, MBC will just stop using the LAV which goes back to 2 channel sound and no ability to seek. I've tried giving careful attention to the order in which to turn on the systems since Windows detects what sound and video it is outputting in realtime. First, PC > AVR > TV. It doesn't seem to matter. MBC just decides which codecs to use whenever it wants to.

 

I've noticed that Windows Media Center does not play menu sounds when I set windows speaker configuration to 3.1 mode. It does however play menu sounds when I switch windows speaker configuration to 5.1 or stereo. BTW, switching back and forth between those configuration auto-magically makes MBC use the right codecs and playing through all channels. I'm very confused.

 

Thank you very much for your patience and help, it is most appreciated.

Edited by adabo
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just  a small update. I was informed by a relative that one of his problems with his setup was the HDMI handshake and he was able to resolve his issue with Gefen's HDMI detective. Not cheap, but I decided it was worth it since there were times that I would turn on the TV and get a black screen too (Something other people living in the home wouldn't know how to fix.) So far it has kept the surround signal going even after powering off devices.

 

I still wonder why when I set 'Configure Speakers' in Windows 'Sound' for the Denon AVR to 3.1 why Windows Media Center doesn't have sound. I know it's unrelated to MBC, but I thought I might mention it to you more experienced individuals :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...