Unable to get AC3filter to function.

I have tried everything I can think of to get it to be used, but so far nothing has been able to activate it. It used to work perfectly on 10.9.x, but not anymore. I started by using identical settings to when I had it working just fine in previous versions, but it didn't work. I then moved to making it the only active codec, but even that wouldn't work.

Windows 7 x64, all version 11.0.x Mega codec packs, Lenovo G780 laptop.

Are you using Windows Media Player? That uses an AC3 decoder from Microsoft by default.

Codec Tweak Tool > MS Codec Tweaks > disable Microsoft DTV-DVD Audio decoder
Then WMP should be able to use a different decoder such as AC3Filter.

All Windows default filters are disabled, (one of the first things I do) and I still can't get it to run on either the 64 or 32 bit versions of MPC. (I loathe WMP)

I even tried doing a clean install, and went through changing all the settings again... No dice.

You don't have to disable the Windows filters if you are using MPC. That is only needed when using WMP.

Open the GraphStudioNext tool. That allows you to manually construct a filter graph. Are you able to use AC3Filter in there?

It lets me insert AC3Filter, but not to connect it.

Code:

No combination of intermediate filters could be found to make the connection.
Connecting Pins (decimal -2147220969)

The only items in the flow are LAV Splitter Source, LAV Audio Decoder, AC3Filter, and Default DirectSound Device. No combination of them that includes AC3Filter results in anything but that error.

Double-click AC3Filter to access its settings. On the "System" tab you can select the formats for which you want it use it. If you want to connect it after LAV Video decoder, then you need to enable PCM. If you want to use it as decoder, then you need to enable AC3 (and DTS) and connect it directly after the splitter.

You mentioned that you are using some custom settings in AC3Filter. Try with the defaults, meaning SPDIF disabled.

Tried all of that, no change.

Then I have no idea what is wrong. It works perfectly here and AC3Filter hasn't been updated for almost two years.

Yeah, it's very weird... As I said, it's only been an issue since the v11.x came out.

It has the exact same AC3Filter as 10.9.x.

I know, but there's obviously something else that's interfering... Possibly LAV or MPC-HC... I just can't seem to find any correlation to anything specific, except that everything newer than v10.9.X won't run AC3Filter. Frustrating in the extreme.

AC3Filter works just fine here. I have also not seen any other reports of problems with it.

Since the problem also occurs when building manually with GraphStudioNext, it is impossible that it is related to MPC-HC, and unlikely to LAV. Have you tried disabling your AV and other security tools? Maybe something like that is blocking AC3Filter somehow.

Copy this info here:
Codec Tweak Tool > Generate Log
Maybe I can spot something unusual.

You should also try 10.9.x again. It is possible that it also does not work anymore like in the past. Then you at least know it is an external factor.

Here's a link to the log.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2fgPSGiOHEsYXlqQ3NiYXVxaHc/view?usp=sharing

I'll give 10.9.x a retry and see what happens.

I don't see anything unusual in the log.

10.9.x runs AC3Filter just fine... Definitely something in v11.x.

Problem is that nothing was changed with regard to AC3Filter. I am out of ideas.

Well, whatever was causing it was fixed in v11.1.0... I guess we'll never know what the issue was.

Nothing was changed with regard to AC3Filter in that version either. It must have been some strange settings issue.

But good to hear the problem is solved.

Ok, 11.1.1 reintroduced the issue... This is incredibly odd...

Ok, I think I may have figured out what caused it... It has taken many clean installations to figure this out. It is linked somehow to a setting in AC3Filter... If AC3Filter has the format set to PCM Double, it won't work. (it did in 10.9.x)

I think the problem is that the settings for AC3Filter weren't completely wiped previously, and the upgrade to 11.1 wiped the setting... How it got changed back, I have no clue. (I have been setting it to Float)

Settings are reset on each fresh install. The installer can do that only for your current admin user account. It does not have access to any other user accounts.

The default value that AC3Filter uses is "PCM 16bit" and the codec pack does not change that specific setting. If the setting is getting changed, it means something else is messing with it.

Yeah, it acted like some older setting somewhere was used after the update to 11.1.1, but was ignored by 11.1.0... Still not sure why, but it's out there as a possible longer-term issue, as is the fact that AC3Filter's PCM Double is no longer functioning on the exact same hardware (and software) it worked perfectly on with 10.9.x and earlier versions of K-Lite.

The update does not touch anything related to AC3Filter. Maybe AC3Filter itself is changing the setting.

You should check if the sound driver was recently updated, which can happen by Windows Update.

I have WU disabled because it keeps trying to downgrade my video drivers... (the Intel drivers it's trying to install are 9 years older than the first build date of the HD4000, and the Nvidia drivers are 16 months out of date for the GT 630m) So that's not altering anything. UAC can't do anything, since it's disabled. Avast isn't affecting anything. Windows shows no alteration to anything that coincides with this issue, so far as I can tell.

Also, even if AC3Filter was changing the setting itself, it wouldn't explain why the PCM Double setting works in v10.9.x and earlier, (still does when I remove v11.x.x and install the old versions) but not in v11.x.x. You said it's the exact same AC3Filter between the two versions.

If I select PCM double then AC3Filter isn't used here either. Not with the new version and not with the old version. It is not strange that the audio renderer does not accept that format as input, since it is not a common format. Renderers often only accept 16/24/32bit integer and 32-bit float input.

If you look at Menu > Play > Filters in Media Player Classic you can see which filters it uses. By clicking on a filter name, you can see pin details (the input and output).

So PCM double not working is not abnormal. The setting being changed from float (what you set it to) is something for which I have no explanation.