dcpPlayer tricks and tips (AC3 audio, audio levels for QC, audio sync)

30 October 2012
Comments: 2
Category: cinemas, DCI, dCinema, eCinema, film festival deliverables
30 October 2012, Comments: 2

dcpPlayer is a very handy tool for anyone in the digital cinema space.  It can play back DCPs (Digital Cinema Packages) on any typical PC.  In this video I cover how you can use a free tools, ac3filter,  to allow you to do the following with dcpPlayer

1. Turn the uncompressed multichannel audio into AC3 so you can play back 5.1 or 7.1 audio through SP/DIF or your HDMI connector into a domestic AMP of cinema sound processor.

2. Display the audio channels with output levels and SOLO the channels to check the audio is present and in the right place.  Perfect of QC (Quality check) a DCP you may have produced yourself.

3. Apply a audio delay to overcome sending the picture through a digital projector that may have introduced a frame delay (Typical for many lower cost projectors).  Perfect for the low budget film festival producer.

Get dcpPlayer from www.digitall.net.au

Get ac3filter the tool demonstrated in this video from www.ac3filter.net

2 responses on “dcpPlayer tricks and tips (AC3 audio, audio levels for QC, audio sync)”

  1. 20110516021.web14.ckuai.com says:
    April 28, 2013 at 12:53 am

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  2. Peter Maddock says:
    December 14, 2017 at 6:37 am

    Hi James
    I have returned to your video this morning after seeing it many years ago.
    I have been using AC3 filter for a while at a small cinema to get Left Right and Centre channels from playback from a laptop.
    The laptop uses a USB 5.1 sound card for audio connections to active speakers and HDMI for video to a small Epson projector, all behind the screen.
    I have been trying to use a HDMI extender to be able to use the laptop from a bio box at the rear of the cinema but am finding that connecting the centre speaker blanks the projector image.
    Have you any experience using your set up with HDMI extenders?
    I do find AC3 filter to be very useful. It will output the C, L & R from any content I play which could be 2 or 6 channel. Previously we only had L & R but AC3 filter giving the Centre channel for dialog has been a big improvement.
    Regards,
    Peter