[LouT]

Quote:

RBCD converted to 24/44.1 still gives 16 bit resolution

This makes sense now. (I posted in haste)

There is a chance my decode is not decoding as well in wmp11 for some reason. Still not able to get a green logo palying hdcd's.

Lou

 

[infinitesymphony]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LouT /img/forum/go_quote.gif Still not able to get a green logo palying hdcd's.

When the CD starts playing, try hitting pause, then play, or try advancing to the next track.

I guess the only unknown variable now is if WMP does HDCD decoding as well as or better than a hardware decoder chip (ex. PMD100).

 

[syncmaster68]

If you do not get the green HDCD logo there is a chance that you did not check an option in the WMP Options menu. You have to instruct WMP to use the 24 bits audio card (if you never did it) and then verify in the speakers properties window of WMP whether the "use 24 bit audio cds" box is checked. It worked for me.
The same HDCD-capable support (M.knopfler's Sailing to Philadelphia) seems to sound somewhat different on HDCD-enabled WMP than on Foobar with ASIO. A little softer and milder.

 

[LouT]

I can not get the hdcd logo at all unless I use the default wmp settings. Everytime I enable the device, speaker, use 24 bit audio cds, it takes my logo away.

Are you using 11 or 10? My soundcard is the xfi gamer that has the digital out. I am certain it is set right since the downloadable 24 bit files off a site reffernced here somewhere on headfi plays through the soundcard, but not through my usb..since my dac only does 16 bit via usb. So the system is smart enough not to play through the usb unless it is 16 bit, yet the file plays through the xfi. (thus the xfi is doing 24 bit) Leaving this to a MWP problem.

The first setting you describe? Is this same one or one I can't find. Quote:

You have to instruct WMP to use the 24 bits audio card (if you never did it) and then verify in the speakers properties window of WMP whether the "use 24 bit audio cds" box is checked. It worked for me.

Instructing the player to use the 24 bit card happens auto for me. If I plug in the usb it auto switches to the usb dac. If I unplug the usb it switches back to the xfi. (tried selecting the xfi and nothing changed so I put it back to auto)

EDIT: The external dac via usb is 16 bit, but the same dac is 24 bit if you connect via spdif mini to rca off the soundcard digital out. Thus all attemps have been made via the souncard route to headphone, and not via the usb. I'll try wmp9 or 10 and see if the xfi route begins to decode next.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[feckn_eejit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by regal /img/forum/go_quote.gif Actually without HDCD decoding the "16 bit" version is compressed as a 14bit recording.

I was under the impression that the encoding took up only one bit...

Even a 15-bit recording that used a good dithering algorithm will sound better than a crummy 16-bit recording. Unfortunately, I don't believe this is the case with HDCD - those of us without HDCD decoding most definitely get the shaft when playing back HDCD-encoded discs.

On the other hand, the masses without HDCD decoding capabilities get their compressed crap which is exactly what they want, so it kind of works out as long as we nutcase audiophiles go to the trouble of decoding the HDCD signal.

HDCDs and their decoders hit the market over ten years ago now - for its time, it deserves some major credit!

Now however we have widespread use of superior dithering algorithms like Apogee's UV22, which arguably get us similar resolution to HDCD out of a 16-bit medium without all the encoding/decoding BS.

 

[syncmaster68]

Lout, we all know that windows is sometimes a pain in the ***** to deal with. I am using the X-fi Platinum and all other sound rendering devices have been disabled. This OS gets confused very easily.
WMP¨is version 9.

Additionally, I don't think that you can read a HDCD media on a 16 bit capable DAC. As stated elsewhere in this thread, the DAC actually upsamples the signal to 24 bits in order to work with recognizable data. So I doubt it would work with a 16 bit only external USB DAC which has no HDCD decoding chip.

But it should work ok on your X-fi card. For the time being your OS is somewhat messed up. If I were you, I would disable all other sound devices and reinstall the bloody OS, WMP included. Afterwards double-check all WMP and sound card settings.
I hope that it helps.

 

[maarek99]

Quote:

Originally Posted by feckn_eejit /img/forum/go_quote.gif You will get the peak-expansion feature in software decoding, but you will not get the benefit of the various hardware filter modes on the PMD100, PMD200 and DSP-based HDCD chips.

Why not? They're just hardware, software should be able to emulate them.

 

[feckn_eejit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by maarek99 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why not? They're just hardware, software should be able to emulate them.

The PMD100/PMD200/etc are digital filter chips with 8x oversampling. The HDCD decoding is a bonus. I think it would be ridiculous to implement the same functionality in software, only to spit it out to god knows what interface (S/PDIF?) to god knows what DAC which might have yet another another digital filter. Do some research on oversampling to figure out why this would be impractical.

 

[LouT]

Newsflash.

I rolled back WMP11 to version 10, and boom everything works as posted previously.

I recomend that you wait on upgrading to 11 since it is not yet supported, although it claims to be. The very same settings in 10 works, but not in 11.

I can also verify that 16 bit transfer did not work. The dac must indeed be 20 or 24 bit to allow for hdcd playback after WMP10 decodes it.

Using USB to my Opera amp/dac is 16 bit transfer via that connection and the HDCD logo was white. (meaning if you use the Opera you must connect via spdif rca to decode on the 24 bit dac part),(or on the 24 bit xfi and the logo went green)

Sorry for the mixup previously, as all the information given matches up now that I am using WMP10. (11 just does not work doing all the same things/settings...)

Lou

 

[feckn_eejit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LouT /img/forum/go_quote.gif Newsflash. I rolled back WMP11 to version 10, and boom everything works as posted previously. I recomend that you wait on upgrading to 11 since it is not yet supported, although it claims to be. The very same settings in 10 works, but not in 11. *SNIP* Sorry for the mixup previously, as all the information given matches up now that I am using WMP10. (11 just does not work doing all the same things/settings...) Lou

I tried 9 initially, moved up to 10 and it worked great, so I haven't bothered with 11. Now I know not to touch it. Thanks for experimenting!

 

[krele]

Ok, I give up. Where the hell is that HDCD logo on WMP 11? I Just installed it, and playind HDCD (Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing) which lights up HDCD led on my Original CD2008, but can't see anything in WMP. I have Audigy and 24-bit enabled in WMP.

 

[syncmaster68]

krele, WMP 11 may have a problem with HDCD decoding, according to some fellow head-fiers.

Try rolling back to WMP 10 or even 9. Always double-check all windows and WMP settings, as they sometimes seem to "forget" the right ones.

 

[feckn_eejit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by syncmaster68 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Try rolling back to WMP 10 or even 9.*snip*

I had troubles getting 9 to play ball, and have had verified, indisputable success (with proof!) using 10. I did not try 11, as 10 clearly works, and I have heard of people having problems getting this to work with 11.

 

[krele]

Can someone post a screenshot of the HDCD logo in WMP 10 or 11?

 

[krele]

So, to summarize - is it possible to decode HDCD in software under XP, output 20-bit stream to non-hdcd 24/96 external DAC, and get upsampled 20->24bit stream, which is actually 20bit resolution HDCD?

It seems possible to me - chances are though, that WMP does not play decoded HDCD 20bit stream to S/PDIF (or does it?), so we might be getting 14bit compressed output after all.