Topic: 24-bit playback software suggestions?

[pfife]

Hey, what do you guys use to do the following:

a) playback a regular 24bit .wav file?   Real Player, Media Player, and Winamp (on my work computer) all hated on the file.  Foobar plays it, but I think I'm getting some artifacts from it... weird digi sounds...

b) playback a DVD-A from a DVD-ROM drive... if possible...?

thanks for the suggestions!

[nickgregory]

CD-WAV and Wavelab plays 24 bit files fine

I dont actually playback DVD-A discs outside of my DVD-A player so cant help you there

[pfife]

You know... I tried CD-WAV, full well knowing that it works at my house when I'm tracking, and it fought with something else on this work computer I'm using... It said something about not being compatible with that sound card or something like that...

The other ironic thing is that I haven't been able to get FOOBAR to work in the longest time, because it keeps telling me that some other device is using the sound card... now, its the only thing that will work with my 24bitters?!?  Wierd...

I think this computer needs to be optomized for audio... but its my work computer, so I can't really...

thanks for the response +T

[zowie]

wavelab here

[pfife]

yeah... wavelab is kinda problematic... for, um, reasons... yeah.... yah know...

[dnsacks]

I've had no problems playing 24 bit files via foobar into a chaintech av710 soundcard flashed with ProDigy 7.1 bios using the prodigy's asio drivers and the soundcard's optical out (to a sony strda5000es).

What's your hardware setup for playback? 

[pfife]

its just the regular stuff that comes w/ the computer from Gateway... I'm not entitled to make any changes to the hardware configuration... Foobar is the only thing that works.  It seems to be working alright now.

[MattD]

Is the soundcard in that machine actually a 24-bit card?

[pfife]

Is the soundcard in that machine actually a 24-bit card?

Honestly, I don't know... but it will play the 24bit file using Foobar - does that mean that it must be a 24bit card?

[lds490]

I use Winamp for 24 Bit playback on my home and work computers.  It sounds like you don't have a 24 bit soundcard.  For some reason I can't explain, before I upgraded my soundcard on my home computer I was able to play 24 bit wav files using Goldwave (inexpensive editing software).  I assume that the program dithers or truncates the the source before sending it to the soundcard as a 16 bit source.  Foobar probably does the same thing if it plays 24 bit files that the other programs don't.

[BobW]

DVD-A playback is available for DVD-ROM drives.
Software allowing it comes with the SoundBlaster Audigity.
I also think that PowerDVD version 6 Deluxe will do it.

Some folks are just burning DVD-V format disks without any video and take advantage of the ability to play 24/96 PCM audio tracks
on any DVD player.

For playback of 24 bit files, Foobar works well for me.

BTW, there is a 24 Bit Traders Yahoo group:

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/24bit/

It's been a bit off-topic for the last month or so, but Craig has been pretty good about getting news about 24bit shows out.

[pfife]

thanks guys - TS hooks it up once again!   

I was considering the DVD-V for 24 bit, but I'm under the impression that DVD-V necessitates 48khz sample rate... unf, the R-1 records at 44.1khz max, so I'd have to upsample... not impossible, obviously, but another step in the ever-growing work chain I'd like to avoid, if possible.

once again, thanks

[BobW]

I was considering the DVD-V for 24 bit, but I'm under the impression that DVD-V necessitates 48khz sample rate... unf, the R-1 records at 44.1khz max, so I'd have to upsample... not impossible, obviously, but another step in the ever-growing work chain I'd like to avoid, if possible.

Right you are !

http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#3.6.2
===========================================================================
For DVD-Video:
Linear PCM is uncompressed (lossless) digital audio, the same format used on CDs and most studio masters. It can be sampled at 48 or 96 kHz with 16, 20, or 24 bits/sample. (Audio CD is limited to 44.1 kHz at 16 bits.) There can be from 1 to 8 channels. The maximum bit rate is 6.144 Mbps, which limits sample rates and bit sizes when there are 5 or more channels. It's generally felt that the 120 dB dynamic range of 20 bits combined with a frequency response of around 22,000 Hz from 48 kHz sampling is adequate for high-fidelity sound reproduction. However, additional bits and higher sampling rates are useful in audiophile applications, studio work, noise shaping, advanced digital processing, and three-dimensional sound field reproduction. DVD players are required to support all the variations of LPCM, but many subsample 96 kHz down to 48 kHz, and some may not use all 20 or 24 bits. The signal provided on the digital output for external digital-to-analog converters may be limited to less than 96 kHz and less than 24 bits.
==============================================================================
The other loss is the need to resample if a recording is made at 24/176.4 or 24/88.2.....
Hence the advantage of DVD-A.

[Ed.]

did you get this working andy?

i'm not for sure, but i don't think your computer will play any 24bit file, even if its on a dvd-v.  mostly likely the card in the box doesn't support 24bit, so programs like foobar that dither down to 16bit are about your only option.

if foobar won't play the files cuz it says your sound card is in use by something else, you might want to restart the puter, or check out windows task manager to see if you can spot the something else using the sound card.

[udovdh]

yeah... wavelab is kinda problematic... for, um, reasons... yeah.... yah know...

Build an ISO using the software at http://dvd-audio.sourceforge.net/ and burn with whatever. I succesfully made DVD-A discs using this software. Now if only people would stop posting audio cut in 80-minute pieces fit for CD...