No Sound on DVD Created From Hauppauge HVR-1600 in Windows Media Player

[JimBarbasol]

I've created a DVD from video captured with the Hauppauge HVR-1600. The video plays fine, but there is no audio at all when using Windows Media Player or Real Player. It plays fine on my home DVD player and using WinDVD, however. I had hoped this problem would be limited to only my computer, but it isn't. I gave the DVD to a friend to try using WMP on his computer, and again, no audio. How do I find out which codec the DVD is using and how do I change it to one that will play in Windows Media Player and Real Player? Thanks very much.

[guns1inger]

WMP is a very poor DVD player, and actually requires that have other DVD software installed to work correctly.

I suggest you use Media Player Classic or VLC or The KM Player. All of these have the codecs required for DVD player back.

[JimBarbasol]

But the thing is, before I installed the HVR-1600, DVDs I made from captured video from another device (ADS' DVD Xpress) would work properly in Windows Media Player. So, this seems to me to be a Hauppauge issue.

[guns1inger]

The old device may have encoded the audio as mpeg1-layer2, which is playable without the need for extra, licensed codecs, such as AC3. The new device probably encodes as 2.0 AC3. You might try installing AC3 Filter to see if that helps.

You can open one of the VOBs with the latest g-spot to see what audio format has been used.

[JimBarbasol]

GSpot says the codec is MPEG-1 Layer 2.

[guns1inger]

WMP should be able to play that without any extra software being installed.

[JimBarbasol]

It does, but with only video. No audio.

[guns1inger]

Try one of the other programs I suggested in my previous post and see what you get.

[JimBarbasol]

I tried the KM Player. It works. I guess I'm just worried that if this problem occurs with Windows Media Player, some standalone DVD players might have problems playing the files, as well. I may format my hard drive in a few days to remove all traces of the old capture software for the DVD Xpress and then load the Hauppauge software and see if that helps.

[guns1inger]

Two things

1. Formatting the hard drive will fix pretty much any problem, although it is drastic. Codec problems are a bitch to trace, so they are best avoided to begin with. The simplest way is to never, ever, install codec packs.

2. Mpeg1-layer2 support is mandatory in PAL players, and included in the majority of NTSC players less than 3 years old, and many of the earlier ones. AC3 is the most universal audio compression format for DVD Video. WMP's failure or success at anything should not be seen as a reflection of the real world. It is a very basic player, and the fact that it fails, especially on DVD video playback, means very little when it comes to judging how a stand alone player will react.

[JimBarbasol]

Thanks for your replies, my friend. Much appreciated. I'll keep you posted.

[JimBarbasol]

I've emailed Hauppauge. They had me try things that, in the end, never worked. So, I am thinking of ditching the Hauppauge software and decoders altogether with a hard drive format. I have some questions.

I'm thinking of switching to GBPVR and using it with my Hauppauge HVR-1600. Can GBPVR be tweaked to allow a 4 mbps bitrate for recording? I can't seem to get it to 4 in WinTV. Also, I was testing out GBPVR a few days ago, and noticed that the file that was created was out-of-synch despite being run through VideoRedo TVSuite. Is there a fix for this? Also, is there a way for TV programs to have closed captions appear during live TV as well as on the finished DVD?

Jim