PC based DVD-Audio Players

[MusicMtnMonkey]

Is anybody using PowerDVD 7 Deluxe for playing DVD-Audio? (not the DTS/DVD Video layer) Is it worth my money, I would like to save on buying a universal disc player by using my computer to play DVD-Audio??

Can anyone recommend a different software than PowerDVD 7 for playing DVD-Audio on a PC??

Is there a way to playback DVD-Audio on a Macbook Pro??

[Chris Desjardin]

I'm using Power DVD Deluxe 7 on a PC with an Intel Xeon processor, Windows 2000 with 4GB RAM, and it still stutters when I scroll down internet pages, etc. while a disc is playing. Playing these discs must use a TON of a computer's resources. It does sound good, though

[jkauff]

I use the Creative Audigy 2 DVD-A player. Works OK, but you don't get the graphics like with PowerDVD (at least I haven't figured out how to get them). Also a resource hog.

[YaQuin]

I'm using Power DVD Deluxe 7 on a PC with an Intel Xeon processor, Windows 2000 with 4GB RAM, and it still stutters when I scroll down internet pages, etc. while a disc is playing. Playing these discs must use a TON of a computer's resources. It does sound good, though

It's not stuttering because it is a resource hog. It's stuttering because your hard disk can only do one thing at a time. Your processor can do many things at once, but your disk can't.

No matter how fast or powerful your computer is, if you have a single hard drive or both hard drives on the same channel this type of thing bound to happen.

BTW I use PowerDVD 7 and am very happy with it. It can access way more than what the Soundblaster software offers.

[NowhereMan]

By the way,

I have tried playing Eagles Hotel California DVD-A on PowerDVD and WinDVD

PowerDVD plays only DVD-Video part, WinDVD just freezes.. Haven't tried creative player yet..

[MusicMtnMonkey]

Do you have version 7 the "Deluxe" edition of PowerDVD?
(the PowerDVD website claims only the Deluxe version has DVD-A playback)...

I also play my DVD-Audio's "DVD-Video part" with Power DVD 5. I am pondering the upgrade to this "Deluxe" pay version that is supposed to access the DVD-Audio part. PowerDVD is cheaper than the Oppo :)

Everyone else, Thanks for input, especially on the stuttering!! I will soon have two PC's again and one can be dedicated to audio, I'm glad to know to plan ahead and have a decently powerfull media server to play DVD-Audio... (hopefully solving those stutter problems..)

Anybody play DVD-Audio on a Mac or is it not easy yet??

By the way,

I have tried playing Eagles Hotel California DVD-A on PowerDVD and WinDVD

PowerDVD plays only DVD-Video part, WinDVD just freezes.. Haven't tried creative player yet..

[Chris Desjardin]

It's not stuttering because it is a resource hog. It's stuttering because your hard disk can only do one thing at a time. Your processor can do many things at once, but your disk can't.

No matter how fast or powerful your computer is, if you have a single hard drive or both hard drives on the same channel this type of thing bound to happen.

BTW I use PowerDVD 7 and am very happy with it. It can access way more than what the Soundblaster software offers.

I'm not trying to be wise when I ask this question, but why do CD's not stutter when I play them on the same machine under the same circumstances? Wouldn't they have the same hard drive problem as playing DVD-A's? Is there a way to correct the stuttering problem? I have 2 hard drivers on the computer.

[tas]

I'm not trying to be wise when I ask this question, but why do CD's not stutter when I play them on the same machine under the same circumstances? Wouldn't they have the same hard drive problem as playing DVD-A's? Is there a way to correct the stuttering problem? I have 2 hard drivers on the computer.

Bit rate. The CD's paltry bit rate is a small fraction of DVD-A so it is most likely not a problem. DVD-A has a much higher bit rate so interruptions are more likely to occur.

Also check you have DMA turned on for the drive. If it is off this may be the problem.

[apileocole]

MusicMtnMonkey, have you looked into VideoLAN?

http://www.videolan.org/

VideoLAN is a legit, open source, free software program which plays DVDs. I do not know if it does, or can be extended to, play DVD-Audio. I use it instead of WinDVD for DVD and videos playback because it looks just as good and uses less resources. They also support Mac and Linux platforms.

Also check the free open source Media Player Classic for DVD-Audio capabilities.

http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=82303

No need to spend any money on the software IMHO.

If a system cannot play reliably from the disc in real time, often it can play the files trouble free after the DVD / DVD-Audio has been ripped to your hard drive (and preferably the disc then defragmented). Although I'm sure they are your own discs and you would use it only for legal purposes, since the legality of this is debatable I won't go into detail. Good luck on getting your DVD-Audio fix :)

[Metoo]

I play my DVD-Audios using WinDVD and Creative Audigy DVD-Audio player. On the first one I get the screens and the music, but oftentimes it plays at resolutions below the marked one. For example, The Beatles' "Love" DVD-Audio part plays at 48/16. My own 96/24 DVD backups play at 96/24, but 192/24 DVD-Audio tracks play at 96/16. I have been looking for ways to 'solve' this but have been unable to find anything not even on their site.

The Creative DVD-Audio player is the only one that playes 192/24 DVD-Audio files at the correct resolution, but it shows no screens and navigating the discs get quite user-unfriendly. Also, it disconnects all recording possibilities so that the discs are not copied with any program.

[apileocole]

Update: I have tried the DVD-Audio disc I have with me at the PC. It's a 24/96. Both VideoLAN and Media Player Classic are in fact playing the DVD-Audio (and the navigation menus). VideoLAN sounds better (excellent in fact), I don't know why (possibly a wrong setting on MPC). So I'd suggest giving VideoLAN a try if you're interested.

[YaQuin]

Bit rate. The CD's paltry bit rate is a small fraction of DVD-A so it is most likely not a problem. DVD-A has a much higher bit rate so interruptions are more likely to occur.

Also check you have DMA turned on for the drive. If it is off this may be the problem.

Chris, not a problem. I hope this is an enviroment where we can all ask questions and get some honest answers. I believe tas is right on target with the answer above.

[SamS]

I hope this appropriate to ask in this thread. I have several DVD-As, including some that I bought scuffed/scratched.

Is there any way to back up the hi-rez content on these discs? I am very proficient with backing up my regular DVD-V discs.

[Metoo]

Update: I have tried the DVD-Audio disc I have with me at the PC. It's a 24/96. Both VideoLAN and Media Player Classic are in fact playing the DVD-Audio (and the navigation menus). VideoLAN sounds better (excellent in fact), I don't know why (possibly a wrong setting on MPC). So I'd suggest giving VideoLAN a try if you're interested.
It must be the DVD-video section of the DVD-Audio becuase this VideoLAN page mentions nothing about DVD-Audio or MLP: http://www.videolan.org/vlc/features.html

[Metoo]

I hope this appropriate to ask in this thread. I have several DVD-As, including some that I bought scuffed/scratched.

Is there any way to back up the hi-rez content on these discs? I am very proficient with backing up my regular DVD-V discs.
The best way is recording the analog outs. I had a friend come in very excited about having ripped a DVD-Audio with some ripping software that was let loose on the Internet and we compared the results of his rip to my recordings of the analog outs (I do them at 192/24 and then downsample to 96/24 even if they are originally at 96/24) and mine sounded more alive.

[SolarWind]

The best way is recording the analog outs. I had a friend come in very excited about having ripped a DVD-Audio with some ripping software that was let loose on the Internet and we compared the results of his rip to my recordings of the analog outs (I do them at 192/24 and then downsample to 96/24 even if they are originally at 96/24) and mine sounded more alive.

Don't forget that when recording via analog output (that is going D-A-A-D+post processing in D) you are never going to achieve same SNR as when you just rip the DVD-A (that is just going "D" - one step, that's it). Not to mention other things (like how do you select the optimal recording level, etc.).

I'd always prefer the unaltered, first generation digital copy over the second generation D-A-A-D copy.

[SamS]

The best way is recording the analog outs. I had a friend come in very excited about having ripped a DVD-Audio with some ripping software that was let loose on the Internet and we compared the results of his rip to my recordings of the analog outs (I do them at 192/24 and then downsample to 96/24 even if they are originally at 96/24) and mine sounded more alive.


I don't have any 6-ch analog outputs on my PC sound card, nor anyway to capture incoming audio, much less a 6-ch version.

So there's still no way to digital back up my DVD-As? Can you provide a link to the ripping software?

[SolarWind]

I don't have any 6-ch analog outputs on my PC sound card, nor anyway to capture incoming audio, much less a 6-ch version.

So there's still no way to digital back up my DVD-As? Can you provide a link to the ripping software?

As always with digital, of course there is a way to back up your digital audio. It is just a matter of effort somebody puts to it.

This article gives you some general information on the matter
http://www.highfidelityreview.com/news/news.asp?newsnumber=14550899

It also explains, why providing a direct link to the software would be illegal.
Actually, the topic is forbidden ground.

Having said that, I can only add, that the described method (WinDVD DVD-Audio plugin output interception) is much too complicated and unreliable. I read that it can be actually done much simpler than that. :)

If you want to investigate this topic on your own, you may find this thread (especially the post #304) interesting
http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?&showtopic=34368&st=304#

Hope this helps.

Just don't ask me how to rip SACDs ;)

[SamS]

Thanks SolarWind. Whew! And I thought backing up my DVDs was complicated. Oh well, I got nuttin' but time, so I might tackle it next weekend.

[I Am The Lolrus]

Thanks SolarWind. Whew! And I thought backing up my DVDs was complicated. Oh well, I got nuttin' but time, so I might tackle it next weekend.

i have "friends" that "tell" me that the post "doesn't work" :(

[Metoo]

I don't have any 6-ch analog outputs on my PC sound card, nor anyway to capture incoming audio, much less a 6-ch version.

So there's still no way to digital back up my DVD-As? Can you provide a link to the ripping software?
My backups are mostly stereo, I find it quite a hassle to do surround recordings and if you want to listen to them without the use of MLP compression you will have to settle to listening to them at 48/24 because that is all the bandwidth non-MLP-compressed LPCM surround will handle.

I can't give provide you with a link to the ripping software because I don't use it. A friend of mine was the one who used it and I believe he found it floating around Internet.

[rpd]

IS being able to play a DVD-A on the computer a function of the audio card, the audio software, or boht? I have a Creative SB Live! card and just installed WinDVD Platinum. Can I now play a DVD-A? If so, can't figure out how...

[I Am The Lolrus]

IS being able to play a DVD-A on the computer a function of the audio card, the audio software, or boht? I have a Creative SB Live! card and just installed WinDVD Platinum. Can I now play a DVD-A? If so, can't figure out how...

both. The soundcard must be able to process and output 24bit and 96 or 192 khz sound, and the software must be licensed to play DVD-A (extortion fee).

[SolarWind]

i have "friends" that "tell" me that the post "doesn't work" :(

Hi cybermantis,

Your "friends" are probably mistaken.

I asked somebody who knows that stuff and has been told that
the key to success in decoding DVD-Audio 5.1 MLPs is to check "Use Mirrored VIDEO_TS" option under File->Album Properties... in DiscWelder CHROME (16,719,007 Bytes, MD5: BFE36AD61A7382E7919C0190C42AECFB).

The six PCM decoded channels (.wavs) you want will be found in the "Cache Directory", after you add one .mlp (extracted off a DVD-A with Ctrl-E in DVDAExplorer_a7.exe, 81920 Bytes, MD5: A6860C89095AC0A32B03EE70F880D652) to the DiscWelder project at a time and start "Create Disc Image".

The file names will be as follows:
Track01_mlp_MLPTOWAVE_0_0.wav = LEFT
Track01_mlp_MLPTOWAVE_1_0.wav = RIGHT
Track01_mlp_MLPTOWAVE_2_0.wav = CENTER
Track01_mlp_MLPTOWAVE_3_0.wav = LFE
Track01_mlp_MLPTOWAVE_4_0.wav = LEFT SURROUND
Track01_mlp_MLPTOWAVE_5_0.wav = RIGHT SURROUND

Hope this helps. :)

[Mal]

Hi SolarWind,

I need some help with getting this DVD-A ripping to work - I have WinDVD ver. 5 on my PC but PPCMripper always says "Cannot find WinDVD" when I try to run it.

Any ideas?

Do you have PM's turned off by the way?.....

Cheers,

Mal

:)