Dual audio: two languages on two ouput devices

[thefool]

Hi,
I've been looking for this for a long time, and spent many hours in the last few days looking for a solution, but could find nothing.

I love watching DVDs and other media files with friends. I prefer watching the original soundtrack (usually english) while many of my friends prefer the german (or spanish) synchronization.

I would love to be able to output both at the same time, the original via my main soundcard (MacBook digital optical out, with 5.1 where available), and a second language (such as german) via a USB-Soundcard to headphones, or directly to Bluetooth-headphones.

If someone develops this feature, please contact me - I'll have a crate of beer delivered to you, or something like that!

thefool

[VLC_help]

There isn't any good solution for this.

Only option ATM is to tun two VLC instances with netsync
http://wiki.videolan.org/Documentation:Modules/netsync

[thefool]

I tried that, spent hours and hours on it, and I just couldn't even get that to work.
not with 2 macs, not with 1mac 1windows xp, nor with 2 windows xp. (nor with two instances of the player on either a mac or a windows pc)

Anyone else have any ideas, half a year later?

[mederi]

I think the simplest way could be to use some portable media player/digital audio player (MP3 player) with headphones. Then take the desired audio track from the DVD, convert it to appropriate audio format and put it in the player. Synchronisation could be a bit tricky, but it works.
Then I have been thinking of converting/mixing 2 audio tracks/languages to one 4-channel audio track: front speakers - the first stereo language, rear speakers > headphones - the second stereo language.

Perhaps it could be possible to force another media player to use different soundcard in the same computer. Is it possible?

[VLC_help]

Perhaps it could be possible to force another media player to use different soundcard in the same computer. Is it possible?

Yes. You can even run second VLC instance that outputs audio to different audio device.

[thefool]

Yes, you can, but I tried everything to get them to sync, but it did not work. Not on mac os x, not on windows xp, not with two instances on one device, and not between two devices.

And to make things worse: I'd really like this to work with DVDs, as the need usually arises when I rent a dvd with friends, and one of them does not understand english well enough, meaning we all have to watch it in German. I'd much rather leave it in the original, and give that one person (maybe two) headphones with the german soundtrack.
I don't really want to have to rip the dvd first, to be able to play it on two seperate devices/instances.

Maybe I'll try again now, with the 2.x versions... don't think I tried those yet.

[mederi]

Netsync does not work on my system or I am not able to get it work properly. Available settings in the GUI:
Preferences > (Show settings - All):
> Advanced > Network Sync
> Input / Codecs: [ ] Network synchronisation

Anyway, I do not think that netsync would be useful with DVDs. If I let 2 instances of VLC to play the same DVD (the same drive), they both just keep recaching and do not play at all. Or my computer is simply too weak for this action. Netsync is also about multiple readings of the same source, isn't it?

But I can play one local file (typical format AVI-XVID-MP3) from hard disk in multiple VLC instances quite well. It is possible to use ":no-video" option for next VLC instance. Manual synchronisation is not accurate, but I think that for "one-off" playback it is good enough: play main VLC instance, pause it at some point, play next VLC instance with the same input file and get ready to start to play main VLC instance in the right time. Then a quick pause-play does a fine tune

[printf]

A few years have passed, did anyone found a solution for that?

[mederi]

A related topic: https://forum.videolan.org/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=145140

[nutle]

Been searching and trying out various solutions, but the simplest so far turned out to be by running two vlc.exe simultaneously on different audio channels. Not the best solution, but may be helpful to someone. In theory this can introduce some lag, but on a decently spec'ed machines there seems to be no noticable lag.

The .bat code for running two files:

Code: Select all

start "" "C:\Program Files (x86)\VideoLAN\VLC\vlc.exe" --aout=waveout --waveout-audio-device="Philips FTV (NVIDIA High Defini ($1,$64)" --no-sout-all --sout #display %1% start "" "C:\Program Files (x86)\VideoLAN\VLC\vlc.exe" --aout=waveout --waveout-audio-device="Headphones (WH-1000XM3 Stereo) ($1,$ffff)" --no-sout-all --sout #display %1%

Dragging and dropping a media file on the bat file opens two vlc instances, mapped on previously specified audio devices (these should be modified based on the system). Next, it is enough to change the audio track where necessary.

Also, I've noticed some bugs with changing the volume from the UI, so additional default options were useful:

Code: Select all

--waveout-volume=1.95

The device names can be seen in Preferences > Audio > Output: WaveOut -> See values from [Device: ...].

[Guss]

Hi,
I m also seaching for a solution like that, i m non english and having difficulties to read subtitles fast, so watching films this my wife is not simple...

If i can find a way to play on my headphone the track language i want and the original on speaker i could be good.

[humpel56]

this looks like it should work.
https://github.com/mrkeuz/vlcsync