Support for Avermedia HDMI Capture Cards via DirectShow

[K4i]

Avermedia makes a number of affordable (around $100) capture cards that allow for high quality (720p or better) capture from HDMI sources.
This is super useful for various PVR and home theater setups.

Personally I have the AVerMedia AVerTV HD DVR MTVHDDVRR C027, also known as the DarkCrystal HD Capture Pro C027.
With a little tweaking, HDCP sources can also be captured.

The problem is what while the Directshow component of VLC shows the video device, it does not show up in the audio device list so there is no sound.
Other applications, like VirtualDub, have no trouble capturing from this device.

I'll be happy to buy a new capture card for one of the developers so you could make the necessary modifications to DirectShow in VLC.
Or, if you prefer, provide remote access to Windows 7 machine with the card installed.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

We could buy a card, indeed.

[K4i]

We could buy a card, indeed.

I can purchase a card and have it sent to a developer in the US/Canada or provide funds if it means that somebody will work on this.
It would probably take one of the experienced developers no more than an hour or two.

Just let me know where to send.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Nah, just give the full reference and file a bug.

[VLC_help]

I think it is the same dshow crossbar issue that has bothered VLC for years. So it isn't limited to certain devices.

[rogerdpack]

@Jb could you give me any information/links about the historic "cross bar problem"?
Thanks either way.
-roger-

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

What do you need?

[rogerdpack]

Basic description of the current problem as it stands within VLC, link to any trac items that may pertain.
Thanks!
-roger-

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

https://trac.videolan.org/vlc/ticket/4500

[gordonf]

Here I am fretting over this and I find that this has been a problem for two years now?

If this helps, perhaps one could tear apart the source for AmaRecTV and see how they do it; they have a very specific example here.

From what I read about the shared audio problem, a lot of capture applications don't account for re-using the same DShow filter instance for both the video source and audio source. It might be enough to include a "(link)" option for the audio source, such that VLC then knows to use the same DShow instance of the same DShow source or filter as the video capture source. Users could further refine which input pins they want from the :dshow-video-input and :dshow-audio-input parameters.

Is it still possible to compile VLC 2.0.8 win64 natively on Windows, such that I could take a poke at it? I mention 2.0.8 because any 2.1.x version has stability issues that break streaming the output from DShow.
--

[rogerdpack]

Feel free to chip in a bounty to https://trac.videolan.org/vlc/ticket/4500

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Ah, often requested, noone was able to make that work...

[misterti]

Any news on this?
Its not just avermedia, i have a Trident SAA7160 Hybrid Capture Device variant with same problem.

[netquik]

Any news about this problem? facing the same with AverMedia H727 pci-e card.
Any temp hack?

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

No news.

[rogerdpack]

I added some crossbar stuff to ffmpeg recently, could you tell me if it runs ok there?

[bgorgas]

No sound on VLC 2.2.2 with an Avermedia H727 PCI-e via Component Video / audio either (on Windows 7x64b).
Just like with the HDMI connection, it works fine with the Avermedia software but does NOT get audio with VLC when using the component HD inputs .

I even tried to change the 'wire' setting for audio (In VLC) but it doesn't help.

ROGERDPACK - I can test if you can send me explicitly what you want me to do.

[rogerdpack]

https://trac.ffmpeg.org/wiki/DirectShow has the documentation

[CH7]

wow! - its incredible to see this was flagged in 2012 and remains unsolved.

The problem is the capture device does not have a separate audio device, so we can not select it in the audio listings.

The solution is a special flag in the audio listings <audio in Device>. This flag would tell VLC to look for the audio channel running in parallel to the video channel.

There is already a formal directshow spec for capture cards we just need VLC to recognise when a capture card is present which has both video and audio channels on the same device.

6 years later - please make this happen.

See my thread. The issue is the general one of capturing HDMI.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

wow! - its incredible to see this was flagged in 2012 and remains unsolved.

The problem is the capture device does not have a separate audio device, so we can not select it in the audio listings.

The solution is a special flag in the audio listings <audio in Device>. This flag would tell VLC to look for the audio channel running in parallel to the video channel.

There is already a formal directshow spec for capture cards we just need VLC to recognise when a capture card is present which has both video and audio channels on the same device.

6 years later - please make this happen.

See my thread. The issue is the general one of capturing HDMI.

It is mostly, because this use-case is quite rare and requires access to the material, I guess... Patches welcome to fix this.

Also, if we wanted to reproduce this issue, how would we do?

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Also, did you check if 3.0.0 fixed this issue?

[CH7]

To reproduce this 'issue' you could simply obtain the interface mentioned. It's a hdmi capture card , the lowest costing pci device you can find on eBay. The output is obtained via a single 'capture device' eg it has no dedicated sound device. Video and sound are encoded in the hdmi standard.

If other programs can cater for this 'issue' then it is perhaps time for VLC to do like-wise.

[CH7]

Also, did you check if 3.0.0 fixed this issue?

I have been searched and could only find VLC version 2.2.8.

Can you supply a link to version 3.0 for windows?

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Also, did you check if 3.0.0 fixed this issue?

I have been searched and could only find VLC version 2.2.8.

Can you supply a link to version 3.0 for windows?

https://get.videolan.org/testing/vlc-3. ... -win32.exe

[CH7]

Ok! I now have VLC 3.0 rc6

The option to set the capture device as the audio source is now available and works.
However there seems to be some 'buffering' issues. The audio plays for a second or two and the it drops briefly before it starts again.

Could it be that the audio isn't being treated as channels taken from of the same source?
Eg if "Video source" == "Audio source" then treat as separate channels of the 'same source' and synchronise.

If they are not seen as the same source, then they are treated as separate, which (because they are actually the same) might means closing one source to reopen the same resource.

I hope you can fix this. Btw should I try VLC 4.0 or the nightly builds? Win 7 x64 8 core.