Make DVB Dream have all codecs set out-of-box on Windows 7

[Atom]

Windows 7 includes some excellent codecs for MPEG-4 video, h.264 video, MPEG-1 sound and AAC sound.

They are hardware accelerated and work like charm with the Direct Connection option turned on. And no "Incompatible codec and renderer combination" error messages! Note that like all hardware accelerated codecs, the video codec requires the Enhanced Video Renderer to be used (the Enhanced Video Renderer must definitely be made the default video renderer).

And these codec are FREE, they come included in Windows 7! It looks like the codec struggle is totally over.

I use the Microsoft DTV-DVD Video Decoder as my Video Codec and H.264 Codec, and the Microsoft DTV-DVD Audio Decoder as my Audio Codec and AAC Codec. For AC3 I use RatDVD.



As far as I can see, these superior codecs are not yet present in the codecs.ini file of DVB Dream 1.5 beta 7. The following lines need to be added (don't forget to find proper places for those blocks in the ini file and change the codec ordinal numbers as needed):

Code: Select all

[VIDEO-MPEG-CODEC35]
NAME=Microsoft DTV-DVD Video
CLSID={212690FB-83E5-4526-8FD7-74478B7939CD}

[VIDEO-H264-CODEC20]
NAME=Microsoft DTV-DVD Video
CLSID={212690FB-83E5-4526-8FD7-74478B7939CD}


[AUDIO-MPEG-CODEC33]
NAME=Microsoft DTV-DVD Audio
CLSID={E1F1A0B8-BEEE-490D-BA7C-066C40B5E2B9}

[AUDIO-AAC-CODEC13]
NAME=Microsoft DTV-DVD Audio
CLSID={E1F1A0B8-BEEE-490D-BA7C-066C40B5E2B9}

Moreover, DVB Dream can detect when it's first run on Windows 7, and use the Enhanced Video Renderer and the Microsoft DTV-DVD codecs by default on that OS!

By the way, it looks like DVB Dream has a peculiar bug that dramatically narrows the choice of AC3 codecs. Although the Microsoft DTV-DVD Audio Decoder can decode AC3 only with Microsoft's own applications (due to licensing restrictions), there are a lot of other AC3 decoders (Cyberlink, etc) that work fine everywhere except DVB Dream. Until that bug is fixed, the RatDVD codec can be used.

[mohamedyh]

Thanks Atom
I have TechniSat SkyStar S2 PCI over the "B2C2 SDK" interface of DVB Dream 1.5 beta 7 on Windows 7 and I use the Enhanced Video Renderer and the Microsoft DTV-DVD codecs. I choosed Microsoft DTV-DVD codecs for all entries in Auto Graph, even with AC3 codec. It works great except when I choose Direct Connection option, close the program, open it again it crashes and not responding.
How to solve this problem?
Thanks in Advance.
With my best regards,
mohamedyh

[jackbauer]

I get problem that when i change screen size from full-screen to window or vice-versa the channel resets (I have to wait like 2 seconds for it to show). Is there a fix for that ?

[Atom]

mohamedyh, then maybe you should let the Direct Connection option be turned off?

jackbauer, I have this problem too, but this is a problem you can live with, at least for some time. This must be a problem of DVB Dream, because in another DVB viewing application (DVB Viewer, for example) this problem is not present (with the same codec).

[mohamedyh]

mohamedyh, then maybe you should let the Direct Connection option be turned off?

Thanks Atom.
What is the function and benefit of Direct Connection?

[Atom]

I don't know for sure, but I guess that maybe in direct connection mode it will not allow any additional filters (that may be installed on the computer) to attach (they may degrade the video quality or framerate). If you can turn it on, do it. If not, don't worry then, let it be off.

[mohamedyh]

I don't know for sure, but I guess that maybe in direct connection mode it will not allow any additional filters (that may be installed on the computer) to attach (they may degrade the video quality or framerate). If you can turn it on, do it. If not, don't worry then, let it be off.

It works like charm.
Excellent Topic.
Thanks Atom.

[Nordmann]

Big THX for this hint.
Was already wondering why it didnt showed up as it did in dvbviewer.

Picture quality is superb although the error correction rate is not as good as FFDShow - but this only matters if u got a poor signal (like me )

Regards,
Nord

[nitroshift]

On a clean install of Windows 7 x64 the EVR doesn't show in the renderers list of DVBDream... Anyone knows what's going on? Video Card in use is a nVIDIA 8800GT with latest drivers available on nvidia website and DD version is 1.4i. Thanks for help.

Regards,

nitroshift

[SiLæncer]

DD 1.4x doesn´t support EVR ...wait for 1.5

[asp]

works good , HD channels takes only 21% of CPUI power ,

However when shifting between FULL-screen and normal mode video and sound cuts-off.

[dupko]

DD 1.4x doesn´t support EVR ...wait for 1.5

1.5 doesnt support too :S