Req: Configuration help for best audio/video using freeware and PC

[Morcas]

Hi everyone.

I'm sorry to say that I really don't know very much about configuring my PC for quality reproduction of audio and video. This is my request:

1. I don't have any spare cash to purchase any additional hardware or software, feeding a family of six takes care of that
2. I would like to configure my PC to reproduce the best quality It is capable of, given its/my limitations.

Conditions:

PC is based around an E8400 with and ATI 4850 and 4GB RAM. It has a DVD RW and 1TB SATA II. I use the onboard Realtek HD. I like to watch DVD's and other downloaded media including MKV files. I like to listen to my CD collection and my fairly extensive collection of FLAC/MP3 music. I use headphones.

Right now I am using both MPC-HC and MPlayer to watch films, both configured as default. I also use foobar2000 for my audio collection.

I have tried a variety of alternative players and the aforementioned are, In in my opinion, the best. (I am willing to listen to alternative suggestions for players) What i really want to understand is how best to configure these for best reproduction.

I have tried to read various sources of information regarding the pro's and con's of codec packs (seems a no no to me) I have read about FFDShow and Directshow but I am confused.

Could some kind soul(s) try and help me achieve a better understanding and perhaps provide a path to better sound and video

Thank you

[guns1inger]

First law of digital video : garbage in, garbage out. Your audio and video playback will only be as good as the source you put in. If you play back downloaded material then you have immediately given up all quality control to some spotty teenager on the internet.

FFDShow is not a codec pack, and is safe to use.

Your choice of players is sound. Personally I prefer The KM Player, but MPC-HC does just as good a job.

My question to you is : What exactly are you asking ?

help me achieve a better understanding and perhaps provide a path to better sound and video

Better than what ?

Going back to my garbage in, garbage out statement, if you are having specific quality issues with what you are currently playing back, stop downloading and play back the real deal. Unless you are downloading 3 - 50GB original blurays, you are seeing very heavily compressed, re-encoded, resize, potentially badly cropped video.

[Morcas]

Thank you or your reply guns1inger.

My apologies for being vague. My primary source of video material is my own DVD collection. I do however watch TV programs from home that I am unable to get in my adopted country.

I guess what I'm really asking is simply this. Do I need to do anything to improve the video/sound quality of any given DVD.

I have read, for example, about coreavc and Koepi's Xvid. would these provide better quality than the default solutions?

I have read somewhere that 'correctly' configured Directshow filters are a better solution than codec packs; what does this mean.

When using either of the players mentioned above should I also use fddshow. if so how?

[guns1inger]

I think you are worrying needlessly and causing yourself confusion.

Starting at the beginning, DVDs use Mpeg2 for video encoding. Niether CoreAVC or Koepi's Xvid will do anything for DVD playback. CoreAVC is for H264 compressed video source, and Koepi's Xvid is for, well, Xvid encoded source.

As a general rule, it is better to install only the codecs you require, than allow a codec pack to randomly dump any number of unnecessary codecs on your system. It is so easy with tools like Mediainfo to determine what codec you need, then to come here and download it, that there is simply no excuse for using a codec pack. Ever.

If you are only playing videos back, and not encoding, life is even easier. MPC-HC, VLC or The KM Player (and others) carry a wide range of codecs with them. They can play back most formats without the need for external codecs. Where something like COREAVC comes into play is when you have a machine that is only just powerful enough to play HD video. Core's optimised code can be enough to ensure smooth playback on marginal machines.

Your system is capable of playing back HD, and certainly DVD, without any extra assistance.

[Morcas]

Thank you for your help, it's been most useful. As I said, I really don't know much about this stuff and in my case a little knowledge could well be dangerous