HD Extender - No audio with mp4

[vinny]

The extender works pretty well except audio on mp4 files, I get nothing, video is fine. DVD video and mp3 files work just fine.

Relevant details :
1. Using component for video.
2. Using S\PDIF for audio.
3. Server running Vista Ultimate.
4. MP4 files created using Nero Ultra 7.
5. I ran the file through GSpot and the video codec is H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, and the audio codec is MPEG-4 AAC LC.
6. Sound card is Realtek High Definition Audio.

[VikingCrown]

I'll second this Vinny, I also have mp4 files made by nero 7, H.264/MPEG-4 AVC and the audio is AAC. They video plays smoothly but there is no audio on the HD Extender.

[Taddeusz]

Are you sure the audio isn't actually HE-AAC? I believe that's actually what Nero Recode uses as it's destination format. Technically an AAC LC decoder should be able to playback an HE-AAC stream but at lower quality. But I can understand how something like the HD Extender might refuse to play an HE-AAC stream.

[VikingCrown]

I'll have to look at my settings in Nero when I get home, now that you mention it Tadd, I think Mine may in fact be HE-AAC. Do you think this is something that could be fixed with an update?

[dvd_maniac]

What type of audio is it? Stereo or 5.1?

@Vinny

Are you sure the audio isn't actually HE-AAC?

I believe that you can't have AVC and LC AAC.
When doing AVC it automatically uses HE, when doing ASP it uses LC.
How did you get AVC + LC AAC? Did you use an avisynth script?

[vinny]

I used the automatic settings, and I'm not sure what nero uses as default without digging through their manuals. However, the sage owners manual does not make a distinction between the 2, it just says AAC.

On a side note, I can only get audio on dvd video to play if I open a sage client on the server and set the audio\video settings for DVD & media all to Default.

[dvd_maniac]

I just received mine today and I hope there is not a problem with Nero AAC since I have over 1000 movies converted to MP4 using Nero...

[vinny]

When I recode with Nero, I use the Nero Digital AVC category with the HDTV-AVC profile. I set the Encode Nero Digital Audio to 5.1-channel. As far as whether it's really AVC\AAC-LC, I'm just going by what GSpot tells me, but I think it's accurate. All my mp4 movies were made using the same settings, so I'll be bummed out also if it can't play them.

[parkimar]

With regards .mp4 via nero, see this.

http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29203

Basically for 5.1 AAC, it gets down-mixed.
I use Nero V6, all standard settings for my encodes.

Luckily I only have about 10 Nero encodes, I generally use .avi (Via fairuse Wizard 1.0) , but I did like the quality vs file size I got from Nero.

(Pre extender I had a PC that used FFMpeg Audio to output 5.1 via Spdif - I had a manually created set of channel settings to make it good output - worked nicely).

Cheers

Mark

[vinny]

I would be fine with downmixed audio at this point, but i don't get anything. I'm not going to re-encode everything, hopefully it gets resolved. That being said, I'm still pretty satisified with it.

[Taddeusz]

Have you made an official report to support? I'm not sure if they can support HE-AAC, which I'm sure these files are encoded with, but it would be worth a try. From what I understand from reading the Wikipedia page about it AAC LC decoders are supposed to be able to play HE-AAC just at a lower bitrate. So the quality might not be as good but it should still play.

This might not be the problem though. Best to go through support. You may have to provide a sample. The more they know the better they can deal with it.

BTW, I just provided a couple samples to support for the issue I've been having with my Handbrake encoded H.264/AC3 AVI files as well as a timeline issue with H.264/AC3 MKV files. Hopefully they'll be able to replicate the problem and have a fix.

[VikingCrown]

Ok, I went home last night and played with audio cables and this is what I found:

1. When the HD100 is connected through Optical to my receiver I get DTS on my DVD's but I get no sound on my mp4 files from Nero.

2. When the HD100 is connected through regular rca audio to the receiver I get sound on my mp4 files (stereo sound).

3. When I play the same mp4 files on my PS3 connected through Optical into the receiver I get sound (but not 5.1) it seems to be downsampled to stereo.

So I'm not sure what this means for my mp4 files on the HD100, but it looks to me that they don't have 5.1 anyway so does anyone have Nero created mp4 files that actually have 5.1 audio that works?

[Taddeusz]

This is the main reason I started using Handbrake. I create AVI files with AVC/H.264 video and do a pass-through of the AC3 audio from the DVD. That way I get an AVI with H.264 video and AC3 audio. Works much better that way but those video files aren't currently playing smoothly on the HD Extender. Hopefully it will be fixed soon enough.

[SHS]

To all thoses that who need a better unstanding on how things works.

1: If you have a External Receiver it dosen't matter if you using Optical or HDMI the SageTV Media Extender only pass the raw digital data which mean your Receiver must decoder the audio, so there for if the Receiver dosen't have the rigth hardware audio decoder then may as well forget about get other audio format to work.
Option are
A: Used RCA Stereo output
B: Buy a Receiver that dose support it

2: If your using a diff device and it connected through Optical or HDMI into the Receiver and you get sound (but not 5.1, etc) that just means it automatic downsampled (hard/soft decode) in to stereo in raw wave output by the device that your using.

[VikingCrown]

SHS, Thanks for the clarification. So since using Optical into the receiver and playing the DVD results in getting 5.1 working, what is the audio that is being used there? Is it AVC or AC3?

[Rob]

Originally Posted by SHS

To all thoses that who need a better unstanding on how things works.

1: If you have a External Receiver it dosen't matter if you using Optical or HDMI the SageTV Media Extender only pass the raw digital data which mean your Receiver must decoder the audio, so there for if the Receiver dosen't have the rigth hardware audio decoder then may as well forget about get other audio format to work.
Option are
A: Used RCA Stereo output
B: Buy a Receiver that dose support it

2: If your using a diff device and it connected through Optical or HDMI into the Receiver and you only get sound (but not 5.1, etc) that just means it automatic downsampled (hard/soft decode) in to stereo in raw wave output by the device that your using.

This does not all add up for me.

I have two recievers that support DTS and work fine with my client PC's; however, when I move the audio cable to the HD extender I get 5.1 DD fine, but there is no sound on DTS sound tracks. So, I believe there is somenthing missing in the passing of the raw digital data from the HD extender.

[SHS]

Must DVD mainly used LPCM or Dolby Digital (AC3) which can be 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 5.0 all the way up 5.1 channels.
Other Extended Surround formats: Dolby Digital (Surround/EX/Plus, THX Surround EX & DTS Extended Surround (DTS-ES).
Other Know Format: MPEG 1 Layer 2 (MP2).

[SHS]

Originally Posted by Rob

This does not all add up for me.

I have two recievers that support DTS and work fine with my client PC's; however, when I move the audio cable to the HD extender I get 5.1 DD fine, but there is no sound on DTS sound tracks. So, I believe there is somenthing missing in the passing of the raw digital data from the HD extender.

Rod just wonding have try sel the DTS option before starting that moive and how about try in the audio option ocen the movie is going?.

[Rob]

Originally Posted by SHS

Rod just wonding have try sel the DTS option before starting that moive and how about try in the audio option ocen the movie is going?.

I started another thead titled HD extender and DTS. It may be better to talk about this there (or Andy may want to move this there).

I badly want to figure this out and get it working and am willing to try any ideas.

I have selected DTS on the receivers before starting the movie. Still no DTS audio. I've also selected it once the movie is running.

Is there anything to select on the extender itself that tells it DTS?

[vinny]

So, SHS, what you are saying is the media extender is passing aac audio to my receiver, but my receiver doesn't know what to do with aac audio? Is there a way to use ffdshow, ac3filter, hali splitter, or something else to convert the aac audio to ac3 audio before the extender gets it?