[jblowers]

I assume this will be a fairly simple question....


I have recently gotten it working with TheaterTek (1.5 & 2.0 now). This is my only experience with FFDShow so I am just following recommendations in other threads.


My question is what about applications that do not have any apparent post processing friendliness with FFDShow. Does the application have to be aware of this as TT2 is, or, is there another way to force the app output through FFDShow?


I am most interested in Dvico Fusion HDTV3 application when I process other video (S-Video or Composite) through this card.

 

[N3W813]

IIRC, I don't think the fusion hdtv3 is a directshow application. Ffdshow only works with applications that use directshow graphs.

 

[jblowers]

So, should I assume that if the application supports directshow, then the output will be processed by FFDShow?

 

[madpoet]

If you can somehow enable FFDShow in the application, then yes.

 

[jblowers]

madpoet, thanks for replying. I have seen your knowledgeable responses in other threads.


OK, so help me here, you indicate that that FFDShow must be enabled within the application. So, do I take that to mean that the application must be aware of FFDShow? Is that different than the application simply being directshow compliant?

 

[madpoet]

Yes... there's no way (that I know of) to force FFDShow to be loaded regardless of whether the application supports it. The app has to know to hand off the processing to FFDShow.

 

[jblowers]

As I read through all of the posts during the weekend, I remember references to TheaterTek and Zoom Player Pro, and that was about all. What are other applications that are FFDShow aware? Do these apps have setup options which allow you to select FFDShow for post processing?

 

[madpoet]

WinDVD6 does, and the NVidia DVD player does also. Not sure if anything else will. DScaler might also, but I don't use it myself.

 

[jblowers]

Quote:

Originally posted by N3W813 IIRC, I don't think the fusion hdtv3 is a directshow application. Ffdshow only works with applications that use directshow graphs.

So is the final answer that, 1. the app must be directshow aware, and 2. have specific set up features (configuration) to take advantage of FFDShow?


I am trying to boil this down to the most basic Q & A so that I understand the useability of FFDShow, and that others new to this might also benefit from this thread.

 

[madpoet]

Per my own understanding, yes.

 

[DFA]

Sage can also use ffdshow.


As previously stated, working in the DirectShow domain is required. If the application does not directly support it (ffdshow) by providing some sort of dialog for adding filters, it still might be accomplished by building a custom graph but this gets beyond anything convenient.


DFA

 

[Owen]

Media Player Classic supports FFDShow and its freeware.


Owen

 

[jblowers]

Here are the apps I have heard of that support FFDShow -


* TheaterTek DVD

* Zoom Player Pro

* WinDVD6

* SageTV

* Media Player Classic


Are there any others to add to the list?

 

[MartinK]

It is my understanding you can use ffdshow with any application, however you have to let ffdshow let the (mpeg2, mpeg4) decoding. So ffdshow runs as a decoder not a raw video filter.


Of course you lose the ability to pick nvdvd or windvd as the decoder. Just pointing out it's a possibility.


For DiVX/xvid, ffdshow can use the actual xvid codec for decoding not the internal routines.

 

[.....]

Quote:

Originally posted by madpoet WinDVD6 does, and the NVidia DVD player does also. Not sure if anything else will. DScaler might also, but I don't use it myself.

How do u get WinDVD6 to work with ffdshow?

 

[Owen]

You cant.


You can only use the WinDVD filters in Zoom Player


Owen

 

[.....]

Quote:

Originally posted by Owen You cant. You can only use the WinDVD filters in Zoom Player Owen

I am aware of that, but someone else (read previous posts) seem to believe otherwise. It's common knowledge that WinDVD (or almost any other) video decoder works with ffdshow, but it appears like this guy want to know which players are working with ffdshow.


I asked that question just to be sure I hadn't missed anything.

 

[madpoet]

My apologies... I was in fact under the impression that you could. I've used so many different software players lately I'm getting confused . However, the NVidia DVD player included as part of the FWMM 3 app certainly can use FFDShow.

 

[Keh]

DirectShow is a form or standardization of modularity, where discrete snippets of program code (filters) can be chained in sequence to perform a series of processing steps.


DirectShow applications can manually link (or at least attempt to link) specific filters into a sequence, or it can avail itself of the 'automagic' capability of DirectShow to cobble something together.


This 'automagic' facility rests on the filters having identifiers as to what input characteristics can be handled and what output characteristics will be produced. (Think of various uniquely shaped receptacles and plugs.) These are referred to as 'pins' (both input and output).


But what if two separate filters have the same input 'pin'? Which then gets chosen to be linked to the previous filter's output pin? The answer is 'merit', a numeric value assigned to the filter, with the higher the better - anything less than 200001 and the filter will not be linked 'automagically' (must be manually done by the application). The convention is 800000+ (preferred), 600000+(acceptable), 400000+(sub-par) and 200000+(tolerable) as simplistic "break-points".


FFDSHOW is a 'swiss army knife' filter - you can configure the types and characteristics of the input and output 'pins' to be presented (and lately, its 'merit'). Inside the filter you can 'activate' a plethora of 'sub-filters' and even change the sequence in which they are applied. Two of these 'sub-filters' are actually links to DScaler modules which ARE NOT DirectShow.


For FFDSHOW to be used, the application must either allow for the manual inclusion and linkage of DirectShow filters, or must surrender (at some point) filter selection to the 'automagic' facilities where FFDSHOW's 'presented' pins and merit cause it to be selected.