foo_spdif - SPDIF support for foobar, SPDIF passthrough support for foobar2000 Options

[Grzesio]

Hi everyone!

Is anybody interested in SPDIF passthrough for AC3/DTS?

Here it is foo_spdif page

This post has been edited by Grzesio: Apr 26 2007, 21:52

[Erik Garci]

I tried v0.2, and 44.1kHz .AC3 files have no problem now. Thanks for correcting it.

However, 48kHz .AC3 files still have the same problem as before. I will try to explain it in more detail. The problem happens when you use any of the following methods to start playing the .AC3 file:

1. Press the Play button.
2. Double-click it in the playlist.
3. Press the Next button.
4. Press the Previous button.

In addition, the behavior depends on whether the sound card is set to 44.1kHz or 48kHz before you start playing it.

If the sound card is set to 44.1kHz before you start playing it, then foobar2000 sets the card to 48kHz, which is the correct sampling rate. However, the progress slider and the elapsed time in the status bar will get stuck after 1 second. foobar2000 continues to play the file anyway. When the end of the file is reached, foobar2000 will not automatically play the next file in the playlist. It just stops completely.

Or, if the sound card is set to 48kHz before you start playing it, then foobar2000 sets the card to 44.1kHz, which is the incorrect sampling rate. However, there is an easy way to work around this situation. While it is playing, you can simply press Pause twice (or press Pause and then Play), which causes foobar2000 to set the card to 48kHz, which is the correct sampling rate. In this case, the progress slider and the elapsed time in the status bar will not get stuck. foobar2000 will automatically play the remaining files in the playlist as well, and it will play them with no problems.

I figured out that the best way to start playing a 48kHz .AC3 file is to perform these three steps:
1. Start playing it.
2. If it is playing at 48kHz, then start playing it again, so it is playing at 44.1kHz now, even though it is incorrect.
3. Press Pause twice, so it is playing at 48kHz now, which is correct.

By the way, I also tried playing MPEG Audio files by renaming them to .SPDIF. It seems that foobar2000 is sending audio to the sound card at the correct sampling rate, but the external decoders do not seem to be receiving or recognizing the audio.

[Grzesio]

Ops, that is very very odd what you have discovered
Thanks for detailed explanation of the problem. I will try to do something about it.
To be shure, does it mean that if you don't click anything (just let the playlist play itself continously) then everything is ok?
Does the problem become only when you are changing from one playing track to another or is it present also when you are starting to play from silence (stopped state)? Could you test it again with output plugin set to null renderer?
And also I would like to know if the <FORCED!> tag is visible at any time in the status bar.

About mpeg audio, does it mean that your receiver is capable of decoding mpeg audio? Because mine simply is not

This post has been edited by Grzesio: May 1 2007, 12:48

[Erik Garci]

Could you test it again with output plugin set to null renderer?

I tested Null Output. The progress slider and elapsed time never get stuck, and it seems to be playing at the correct sampling rate, or at least the total elapsed time seems to be accurate.

[Grzesio]

So it looks like some kind of incompatibility with your asio output but I have also found some weak points in the source code that may cause your problem. I going to rewrite part of the plugin but unfortunately it may take a little longer.

This post has been edited by Grzesio: May 2 2007, 12:46