[dc197]

Hello
I have a video with two audio streams, the original film's sound track plus a music alternative. (The music is Dark Side of the Moon over the top of the Wizard of Oz video.)

When the "audio stream" is set to use the original ("AC3"), both the audio and the video play well.
But when it's set to use the alternative ("5 Channel"), not only is there no audio but the video judders an unusable amount. Turning over to this alternative stream immediately gives not sound and the video runs at double pace for a few seconds before freezing. Then 10 seconds later it repeats this cycle for a moment. It sucks.

I know that the video file is OK because I have listened to it on Windows an d it's just fine.
Why can XBMC (installed from this image: http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=67819) not play the alternative audio?


I have looked in the wiki and it says nothing useful on this setting.

Thanks in advance

DC

[cowfodder]

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=34655

Debug log and hardware needed.

[dc197]

Sorry. Of course.
Here is hopefully everything:

Hardware:
Acer revo 3610, dual-core Atom 330
Nvidia ION

Linux:
Ubuntu 9.04
i686
"Build operating system" = linux 2.6.24-23-server i686 ubutu
"current o/s" = Linux xbmc 2.6.28-17-generic #58-ubuntu SMP

XBMC:
Skin = confluence
Version - don't know, hopefully the log will say
Key settings: video render = VDPAU; resolution =1920x1080@50, full screen; vertical blank synch = let driver choose; Audio out = digital; audio out device = hdmi; audio passthough = hdmi; downmix to stereo = no



Media in question:
Filename = the.dark.side.of.the.rainbow.720p.bluray.x264.ac3.HMV.mkv
Audio stream at fault = "5 channels"
Other stream (OK) = "AC3 5.1"

Steps:
1. Loaded xbmc from command line: exec xbmc --standalone
2. Loaded video, resumed playback from part-way though.
3. Let it play for 10 seconds, then paused it. It was already set to use the duff sound track.
4. Stop the video, exit xbmc.

Log file:
At below link. Interesting lines are (I'm guessing) these:
21:36:48 T:2857544592 M:1673564160 ERROR: AddPackets - failed to add leftover bytes to render
21:36:48 T:2857544592 M:1673564160 DEBUG: CDVDPlayerAudio:: Discontinuty - was:566170715.334000, should be:565061250.000000, error:-1109465.334000
21:36:49 T:2857544592 M:1676976128 ERROR: CDVDAudio::AddPacketsRenderer - timeout adding data to renderer
21:36:49 T:2857544592 M:1676976128 ERROR: AddPackets - More bytes left than can be stored in buffer

Link: http://pastebin.com/raw.php?i=EpDb2ugi

[dc197]

Interesting, when I toggle between the audio streams my AV amp (fed by HDMI) shows the Dolby DIgital logo for the good stream, and not for the bad. On the bad it shows "Ana(log)".

[cowfodder]

No idea. The same file plays fine on my setup. I am going straight to the TV though, with "Downmix to Stereo" turned on. Might try the newer drivers?

[dc197]

Hello everyone
I have a solution to this problem. I stumbled upon the fact that this was the cure by accident while trying to make my Acer's headphone socket work.

Thread: http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=70754

I followed these instructions to add a custom .asoundrc file that defines a new custom output device. Selecting that output device (in XBMC > System > System > Audio > Output device > Custom > my custom device ("alsa:xbmc")), restarting, and playing The Dark Side Of The Rainbow allows me to hear the Pink Floyd soundtrack and have the video play smoothly.

Amazing.

I thought it was a problem with the video, but clearly it's a sound issue.


Now the only trouble is that the sound of the soundtrack sounds like it's in multichannel, and the custom device can't quite reproduce this. THis is most easily heard in the track Money (just as Dorothy enters Oz, when the colour starts). Some of the money sound effects are clearly panned to a centre of other channel and do not come out properly. The cure for this is simple, just turn on "Downmix multichannel audio to stereo".

So, in conclusion, heaven knows why this works but it does.

[Flomaster]

I can't wait to try this out when I get home, I have already made my changes to my asound.conf file via ssh here at work.

my goal is to play music to my zone 2 backyard speakers via the headphone out jack into my amp.

-=Jason=-