ac3 filter problem

[crazyman]

I have a movie with xvid video codec and ac3 for sound.I downloaded the latest copy of ac3filter installed it and try to configure it,but when i do it says searching for rundll32.exe,i found that file and clicked on it for the filter but nothing happens and ac3 filter isn't recognized,any one know why this is?

[digitaldick]

more about that ac3 filter problem

Hi crazyman- you asked < any one know why this is? > and I'm posting this followup note to tell you that, sadly, I don't know either! But I have done some homework on the subject that I'd be willing to share and, hopefully, you can do the same and we can compare notes.

I have tried installing the AC3Filter ver 0.63b on my rig, which is a Pentium III 550, with 128MB of SDRAM, and runs on a Windows 98 (notSE). I have had success playing movies of both the mpg and avi file formats on my computer using WMP version 7.1. I needed to find and then install an xvid codec on my computer to enable my WMP to play a few of those movies. But a movie that would play with video and no audio in VDub indicated- using GSpot- that I needed to install an ac3 filter. The AC3 noted above was recommended in a post on this Forum so I've been trying to install it. I downloaded it from here: C:\Program Files\AC3Filter\ac3filter_eng.html, using the English version.

There are 4 configuration options suggested by the author on that site. I have tried each one, without success so far: 1-AC3Filter Config link at Start Menu- I got the exact same error that you posted about regarding a "missing" rundll32.exe. 2- Control Panel icon- I do NOT show the ac3 filter in my multimedia properties options; 3- Command line command "rundll32 ac3filter.ax,config" - I ran this command and received a rundll error indicating that rundll could not "find" acfilter.ax; 4- When playing if player lets access to filter properties. Obviously, since the movie will not play, this option does not apply!

Now, the author makes mention in his excellent documentation under Configuration advices that: "Only stereo configuratin supported by default in Windows 98 (and no spdif also). Support of this modes is at experimental stage now so it may not work on some systems".
He then advises the installation of a "microsoft patch for waveout" but I haven't investigated this yet and am reluctant to install something before I understand what it is, what it will do or is supposed to do, and if it can be undone!

Care to compare your notes with mine? From what I have read in my research, the sound quality from the ac3 is worth the trouble! But I'm starting to think that maybe not all sound cards are capable of ac3 quality and this could be my dead end. My card is almost 3 years old now but it provides excellent quality sound from the Desktop Stereo Speakers Setting which is supposed to be compatible with ac3. I am only interested in playing the movie and not recording any live music. My Device is the Riptide Direct Sound Driver by Rockwell and I have tried out a few alternate driver versions just to see what would happen but accomplished nothing. A test of my DirectSound capabilities using DirectX (7.0a) and at the full acceleration setting was entirely successful. So I'm thinking that I am configured as good as I can be!

Hope to hear from you or anyone else with experience installing this filter, good or bad. Thanks.