MKV audio making choppy popping noises

[Shadow-Sama]

OS Windows 7 x64 Home Premium
CPU Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 Ghz
GPU ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4670
VLC 1.1.2 Latest Build

Never had a problem like this before, the file plays in Media player Classic without problems but doesn't look as good visually. Video is fine, Audio has moments where it plays fine every few seconds but it constantly plagued by popping static noises. Tested on multiple speakers, Updated audio driver, Tested similar files yet no problem. It seems to be a combination of this File with VLC only.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

File:
Video H264 - MPEG-4 AVC
Frame Rate 23.976215

Audio MPEG AAC
Sample Rate 48000 Hz

VLC Message Log:

Code: Select all

main debug: Stream buffering done (5005 ms in 8 ms) aout_directx debug: found device: Primary Sound Driver aout_directx debug: found device: Speakers / Headphones (IDT High Definition Audio CODEC) aout_directx debug: device supports 2 channels (DEFAULT!) aout_directx debug: device supports 1 channel aout_directx debug: Windows says your SpeakerConfig is stereo aout_directx debug: creating DirectSoundThread main debug: thread started aout_directx debug: DirectSoundThread ready main debug: thread (DirectSound Notification Thread) created at priority 15 (../../.././modules/audio_output/directx.c:321) main debug: using audio output module "aout_directx" main debug: TIMER module_need() : 28.000 ms - Total 28.000 ms / 1 intvls (Avg 28.000 ms) main debug: output 's16l' 48000 Hz Stereo frame=1 samples/4 bytes main debug: mixer 'f32l' 48000 Hz Stereo frame=1 samples/8 bytes main debug: filter(s) 'f32l'->'s16l' 48000 Hz->48000 Hz Stereo->Stereo main debug: looking for audio filter module: 14 candidates audio_format debug: f32l->s16l, bits per sample: 32->16 main debug: using audio filter module "audio_format" main debug: TIMER module_need() : 3.000 ms - Total 3.000 ms / 1 intvls (Avg 3.000 ms) main debug: found a filter for the whole conversion main debug: looking for audio mixer module: 3 candidates main debug: using audio mixer module "float32_mixer" main debug: TIMER module_need() : 1.000 ms - Total 1.000 ms / 1 intvls (Avg 1.000 ms) main debug: input 'f32l' 48000 Hz Stereo frame=1 samples/8 bytes main debug: looking for audio filter module: 1 candidate scaletempo debug: format: 48000 rate, 2 nch, 4 bps, fl32 scaletempo debug: params: 30 stride, 0.200 overlap, 14 search scaletempo debug: 1.000 scale, 1440.000 stride_in, 1440 stride_out, 1152 standing, 288 overlap, 672 search, 2400 queue, fl32 mode main debug: using audio filter module "scaletempo" main debug: TIMER module_need() : 0.000 ms - Total 0.000 ms / 1 intvls (Avg 0.000 ms) main debug: filter(s) 'f32l'->'f32l' 52800 Hz->48000 Hz Stereo->Stereo main debug: looking for audio filter module: 14 candidates bandlimited_resampler debug: f32l/52800KHz/2->f32l/48000KHz/2 main debug: using audio filter module "bandlimited_resampler" main debug: TIMER module_need() : 0.000 ms - Total 0.000 ms / 1 intvls (Avg 0.000 ms) main debug: found a filter for the whole conversion main debug: End of audio preroll freetype debug: Took 321000 microseconds freetype debug: Using Arial as font from file C:/Windows/fonts/arial.ttf freetype debug: using fontsize: 2 main debug: using text renderer module "freetype" main debug: TIMER module_need() : 325.000 ms - Total 325.000 ms / 1 intvls (Avg 325.000 ms) main debug: looking for video filter2 module: 18 candidates swscale debug: 32x32 chroma: YUVA -> 16x16 chroma: YUVA with scaling using Bicubic (good quality) main debug: using video filter2 module "swscale" main debug: TIMER module_need() : 2.000 ms - Total 2.000 ms / 1 intvls (Avg 2.000 ms) main debug: looking for video filter2 module: 18 candidates yuvp debug: YUVP to YUVA converter main debug: using video filter2 module "yuvp" main debug: TIMER module_need() : 4.000 ms - Total 4.000 ms / 1 intvls (Avg 4.000 ms) main debug: window size: 888x480 main debug: Deinterlacing available main debug: deinterlace 0, mode blend, is_needed 0 main debug: looking for video output module: 1 candidate vout_wrapper debug: Opening vout display wrapper main debug: looking for vout display module: 8 candidates direct3d debug: creating Vout EventThread direct3d debug: DirectXCreateWindow main debug: looking for vout window hwnd module: 3 candidates qt4 debug: requesting video... qt4 debug: Video was requested 0, 0 qt4 debug: embedded video ready (handle 00140a48) main debug: using vout window hwnd module "qt4" main debug: TIMER module_need() : 181.000 ms - Total 181.000 ms / 1 intvls (Avg 181.000 ms) direct3d debug: created video sub-window direct3d debug: Vout EventThread running direct3d debug: disabling screen saver main debug: VoutDisplayEvent 'resize' 904x518 window direct3d debug: DirectXUpdateRects image_dst_clipped coords: 0,0,904,488 direct3d debug: DirectXUpdateRects image_src_clipped coords: 0,0,720,480 direct3d warning: trying surface pixel format: YV12 direct3d debug: selected surface pixel format is YV12 direct3d debug: Direct3D scene created successfully direct3d debug: Direct3D device adapter successfully initialized main debug: using vout display module "direct3d" main debug: TIMER module_need() : 301.000 ms - Total 301.000 ms / 1 intvls (Avg 301.000 ms) main debug: using video output module "vout_wrapper" main debug: TIMER module_need() : 302.000 ms - Total 302.000 ms / 1 intvls (Avg 302.000 ms) main debug: got 1 direct buffer(s) main debug: pic render sz 720x480, of (0,0), vsz 720x480, 4cc I420, sar 37:30, msk r0x0 g0x0 b0x0 main debug: pic in sz 720x480, of (0,0), vsz 720x480, 4cc I420, sar 37:30, msk r0x0 g0x0 b0x0 main debug: pic out sz 720x480, of (0,0), vsz 720x480, 4cc I420, sar 37:30, msk r0x0 g0x0 b0x0 main debug: direct render, mapping render pictures 0-23 to system pictures 1-24 main debug: VoutDisplayEvent 'resize' 888x480 window direct3d debug: DirectXUpdateRects image_dst_clipped coords: 0,0,888,480 direct3d debug: DirectXUpdateRects image_src_clipped coords: 0,0,720,480 avcodec debug: using direct rendering main debug: End of video preroll main debug: Received first picture main debug: Decoder buffering done in 645 ms main warning: PTS is out of range (-10000), dropping buffer main warning: PTS is out of range (-31333), dropping buffer main debug: Post-processing available main warning: vlc_object_find_name(postproc) is not safe! freetype debug: using fontsize: 30 main debug: looking for video blending module: 1 candidate blend debug: chroma: YUVA -> I420 main debug: using video blending module "blend" main debug: TIMER module_need() : 1.000 ms - Total 1.000 ms / 1 intvls (Avg 1.000 ms) main debug: audio output is too slow (67334), trashing 50000us main warning: output date isn't PTS date, requesting resampling (67334) main warning: buffer is 46000 late, triggering upsampling main warning: resampling stopped after 9707000 usec (drift: 84) main debug: control type=1 main debug: auto hidding mouse main debug: control type=1 main warning: computed PTS is out of range (15302917), clearing out main warning: output PTS is out of range (15333000), clearing out main debug: audio output is starving (416000), playing silence main debug: control type=1 main debug: auto hidding mouse main debug: control type=1 main warning: audio drift is too big (-424000), clearing out main warning: mixer start isn't output start (-186367) main debug: audio output is starving (396333), playing silence main warning: output date isn't PTS date, requesting resampling (-46333) main warning: buffer is 46000 in advance, triggering downsampling main debug: control type=1 main debug: control type=1 main warning: computed PTS is out of range (28147), clearing out main warning: timing screwed, stopping resampling main warning: output PTS is out of range (90000), clearing out main debug: audio output is starving (395333), playing silence main warning: output date isn't PTS date, requesting resampling (-45333) main warning: buffer is 45001 in advance, triggering downsampling main debug: control type=1 main debug: control type=1 main warning: audio drift is too big (-462458), clearing out main warning: timing screwed, stopping resampling main warning: mixer start isn't output start (-190335) main debug: audio output is starving (395666), playing silence main warning: output date isn't PTS date, requesting resampling (-45666) main warning: buffer is 45334 in advance, triggering downsampling

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

VLC version?
CPU?

[Shadow-Sama]

VLC Verson 1.1.2 latest build, cpu was stated before as an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 Ghz

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Ok, can you share a small sample to me?

[Shadow-Sama]

Here is a sample

http://www.mediafire.com/?x06bpvbb3dh91wx

as you can hear, the artifacts appearing in the sound are much louder than the media itself, appear quite frequently, and vary in sound.

This excerpt is from the Anime Shakugan no Shana, the encoding is listed in the first post.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Indeed. VLC and ffplay don't play this sample. Who can play it correctly ?

[Shadow-Sama]

Media player classic played the audio fine

[Shadow-Sama]

Keep in mind the sample i supplied you is not a direct sample from the file, it's a sample of what is produced by VLC.

Here is a link to the uncut original track extracted from the MKV.

http://www.mediafire.com/?tqwoh5xvd8y4tf8

[Lotesdelere]

I can supply you with the original uncut audio track if you'd like.

Yes please, that's exactly what we want.

[Shadow-Sama]

I had edited the previous post to include a link to the file. Please let me know what you find.

[Lotesdelere]

Code: Select all

Audio Format : AAC Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec Format version : Version 4 Format profile : Main Muxing mode : ADTS Bit rate mode : Variable Channel(s) : 2 channels Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz

Profile = Main
This is quite unusual as this type of profile is old and somehow deprecated, nowadays most people are using LC and HE. Maybe that's the reason of the problem and if it's the case I guess VLC should handle this profile, and LTP as well, for compatibility reasons.

[Shadow-Sama]

Media formatting and encoding isn't my forte, but you make it sound like a recently depreciated media profile was not included for backwards compatibility reasons. If there's anything i can do to make VLC process that format profile, let me know; but i think there might be more to it. It's already late for me so I'm going to head to bed, I'll check back in the morning.

Thanks to the VLC community for the assistance so far.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Code: Select all

Audio Format : AAC Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec Format version : Version 4 Format profile : Main Muxing mode : ADTS Bit rate mode : Variable Channel(s) : 2 channels Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz

Profile = Main
This is quite unusual as this type of profile is old and somehow deprecated, nowadays most people are using LC and HE. Maybe that's the reason of the problem and if it's the case I guess VLC should handle this profile, and LTP as well, for compatibility reasons.

Do you reproduce the issue?

[Lotesdelere]

you make it sound like a recently depreciated media profile was not included for backwards compatibility reasons.

That's not really what I'm saying, it's actually just and only a supposition that AAC Main profile might be the cause of the trouble.
But we need to do more testing to be sure about, so thanks for the report and the sample anyway.

Do you reproduce the issue?

Yes but with this stream only. I have other AAC Main Profile streams which are playing fine.

[Shadow-Sama]

I guess no one has had much luck trying to figure this out huh? there's nothing i can do to try and fix the problem?

[esz]

I have also choppy sound on mkv. But only on 5.1 or Quad mode. All other media players play the files well. I have tried all setting in preference regarding sound. I have tried also nightly 1.1.5. Whats wrong?

[zezima]

Get another monitor and hook it up to your computer. Start up a video on your computer using VLC player. Maximize the video to your main screen. You will notice that it makes the popping noise when the little menu at the bottom disappears. To fix this, move the little menu to your second monitor. Then click on the maximized video on your main screen; then move your mouse to the second screen. And then shut off the second screen and enjoy your non-popping video.