Advanced MPC-HC Setup Guide

This guide was based on nand's guide, but unfortunately he stopped updating it because of his

change of OS. That's why I made up my mind to make another one since there's still a lot of

questions around the internet. You'll likely to see a lot of copy-pasta with new updated

information. I also added the useful parts of Bishoujo Project and AVS Forum.

Changelog

New: More updated and fixed screenshots. I'm not even done.

New: ReClock app re-added. Yay!

Updated: madVR (0.86.1). If we get a new version anytime this week I'll rage... not

really.

Updated: madVR chart to v2.0. Now it includes smooth motion and linear frame

blending.

Changed: Screenshots now have their arrows removed. They are more annoying than I

thought.

Changed: Some aesthetics and details of overall guide. Nothing outstanding.²

The last update was on 03/07/2013.

Use Ctrl + F to search through the guide. You can also download the image version for future

reference.

Why should I use this guide?

Maximum quality.

Maximum performance.

Maximum compatibility.

Step Zero: Before we start...

Uninstall ALL instances of MPC-HC, CCCP, ffdshow, madVR, Haali, K-lite, CoreAVC etc. you

might have on your system. This is a clean guide that requires no other prerequisites to function,

and ideally should have none installed either. This will also help avoid any conflicts between

previous installations.

Requirements

Minimum. Usually able to playback 10-bit 720p without problems. Get away from 1080p.

Any dual-core CPU of at least 1.6 GHz.

Any onboard graphics with Aero support.

Preferred. Usually able to flawlessly playback 10-bit 720p. 1080p 8-bit is okay, but 10-bit will

depend on your GPU.

Any dual-core CPU of 2 GHz or above.

Any GeForce 210 similar GPU or above.

Recommended. Usually able to flawlessly play both 10-bit 720/1080p. Also recommended for

Blu-ray files.

Any quad-core of 2.6 GHz or above.

Any GTX 260 similar GPU or above.

Please take note that the requirements are to be used as a reference for your hardware

only. They're not absolute.

This guide supports the following Operation Systems: Windows 7 and Windows 8.

If you use Windows Vista/XP or any older OS, just get out.

The easy way: KCP

If you want something that "works" like CCCP (not recommended), you can use Kawaii Codec

Pack instead. It's already stable and kicking ass! You can check out the official forum thread

for more information regarding the topic and the download link. The pack comes with:

The essential of this guide. MPC-HC lite, LAV Filters, Haali Media Splitter, madVR

and xy-VSFilter.

5 Presets. "Highest" to "Lowest" to match madVR scaling algorithms for performance vs

quality (see graph in madVR section).

KCP Settings. You can tune the filters settings and change presets with it as well.

Remember you can help the development with feedback too! If you're too lazy to register and say

something, just send it to me instead (PM pls) and I'll tell the devs in your stand.

Step One: Downloading the Apps

Note: Make sure you download the x86 (32-bit) instances of all the apps below. (faq1)

MPC-HC lite (installer, x86, updated every 4 days)

LAV Filters (latest version: 0.55.3)

madVR (latest version: 0.86.1) New!

xy-VSFilter (installer, latest version: 3.0.0.211)

Haali Media Splitter (latest version: 1.11.288.0)

Optional.

ReClock (latest version: 1.8.7.9) New!

madFlac (latest version: 1.10)

ffdshow Audio Processor (latest version: revision 4499, 2013-01-06)

MPC-HC Alternative. (faq2)

MPC-BE (latest version: 1.1.3.0)

JanWillem32's MPC-HC (x86 SSE2, revision 5050, latest version: 1.6.3.0)

Note: You can also use a x86 AVX instead if you have a Sandy/Ivy Bridge and Windows 7 with

SP1 or ahead. A full list of CPUs with AVX support can be found here.

Note 2: JanWillem32's builds are recommended for those who want sharp subtitles with

upscaled content, eg. 720p on a 1080p screen.

Step Two: Installation

1. Install MPC-HC lite (x86 only).

2. Install LAV Filters. These are necessary for decoding video and audio, make sure to install

only the (x86) ones like shown below.

3. When you see this window, deselect "Mastroska/WebM" since those Haali will be dealing

with.

4. (Optional, madFlac). When this window appears, deselect "FLAC".

5. Install Haali Media Splitter. "Next" like there's no tomorrow. He's the only one compatible

with ordered chapters. (faq3)

6. Skip this step if you don't match Minimum requirements.

Make sure you're logged in as Administrator before installing. Extract madVR somewhere

sensible before installing it. Like your programs folder. Run the "install.bat" inside the folder

and do not delete the extracted folder afterwards, madVR depends on it to keep working.

7. (Optional, madFlac) Install madFlac. It's the same thing as above.

Note: Be aware that madFlac doesn't support downmixing. If you want to downmix, use the

mixer of ffdshow Audio Processor. (faq4)

8. (Optional, ffdshow) Run ffdshow installer, "Next" like there's no tomorrow.

9. Install xy-VSFilter. "Next" like there's no tomorrow. You can skip this if you're going to use

VSFilter of JanWillem32 build.

10. (Optional, ReClock) Install ReClock. Uncheck those shown below and "Next" like there's

no tomorrow.

Step Three: Configuration

1. Open MPC-HC's Options Menu and in "Playback" disable "Auto-load subtitles". Otherwise

you won't be able to use xy-VSFilter.

2. Under "Output" in "DirectShow Video", select "madVR" and if you're going to use ReClock,

set it here as default audio renderer.

Note: If you skipped madVR, or you’re experiencing lagging, frame drops or poor performance

in general, you can set this to "EVR Custom Pres."

3. (Optional) Since we are using MPC-HC lite, there's no need for the "Internal filters" and half

of "External filters" steps anymore. You still need to do one more thing to make ffdshow Audio

Processor work. Go to MPC-HC Options Menu, under "External filters" > "Add filter" >

"ffdshow Audio Processor" and set it to "Prefer". If you want to downmix, double click on it to

open the options panel and select "Mixer" > choose the channel you want to downmix to.

If for whatever reason ffdshow audio/video decoder shows instead of LAV - just add LAV

video/audio as prefer. It happens sometimes.

Step Four: Filters/Renders Configuration

madVR

1. Restart MPC-HC and play back any file. You should notice the madVR icon in the system

tray, time to use it. Right click this to access the settings. Remember you can also turn off

madVR icon in the system tray if you don't like it.

2. Under "devices" > select the one you're currently connected to. LCD/LED displays go into "Digital Monitor / TV" for example.

3. You might also want to uncheck "Look only at pixels in frame center". Not that there is any

interlaced content for anime out there - but might as well be safe.

4. Under "scaling algorithms", select the one that fits you best. This is a little more complicated

so I made this graph based on a "performance x quality" range of your hardware. You might

want to use "Lowest" for Minimum, "Middle" for Preferred or "Highest" for Recommended.

AR = Anti-ringing, LL = Linear Light, Linear Light (last row) is referring to madVR option

"don't use linear light for smooth motion frame blending" in "rendering" under "trade quality for

performance". "Yes" also means leave unchecked and "No" to leave it checked.

5. (Optional) Under "rendering" > "smooth notion" you can enable it for a much more smooth

playback. Especially noticeable with 24p in monitors with 60Hz. They have some downside too,

unfortunately.

There will be a slightly decrease in video sharpness (your eyes are your judge).

Some increase in GPU usage. You're not even going to notice it though, it's really small.

6. Under "rendering" > "general settings" disable the "fullscreen exclusive mode". I

recommend leaving this off unless you are having playback problems, it also messes up MPC-

HC's interface.

ReClock

1. (Optional, ReClock) ReClock will give you a great deal of benefit from less jittery audio to

adaptation of media for more smooth playback. Make sure all of the boxes are unchecked in

"Audio Settings" since those are not what we want. In "Sound pre-buffer", choose anything from

100 ahead. This will cause a delay in audio at price of more stability. Usually 100 ms will do, but

if you get hiccups, keep adding more 25 ms until you get to a sweet spot. If your sound card

supports, in "Format" select "24 bit int padded to 32" and "Quality" set "Best Sync

Interpolation".

2. Take a close look at the screenshot below - make sure all the boxes from "Frame rate

determination" to "General" are checked and set "Assumed frame rate when not found" to your

liking. I usually watch 24p content over anything else so that one is my preference.

3. You can also set this to your liking. Just make sure everything in "VSYNC Correction" is

unchecked. Hit the "OK" and play any video on MPC-HC.

4. Go to the filters list through right-click and click on "ReClock Audio Renderer". If it doesn't

show up on the list - it's because you forgot to add it as Audio renderer in "Output" window. Go

there and do it. After that in the following window make sure the options are set as show below.

You can lock the logic if you want but it doesn't really seem to make any difference as far as my

tests go.

DXVA (faq7)

If you want to use DXVA2 for decoding, just go to LAV Video Decoder Options through the

Start Menu icon or "Filters" list.

Select the best fit for you based on the following criteria.

CUVID for NVidia GPUs.

DXVA2 (copy-back) for AMD or older/others GPU brands.

QuickSync for Sandy Bridge architecture or newer.

Note: You must have a CPU SSE 4.1 capable and Windows 7 SP1 or ahead to be able to use

(copy-back).

DVXA2 (native) is also an option but it's not recommended because of it's limitations with the

decoder work.

Step Five: Confirmation

1. Play any 10/8-bit file and use Ctrl+J to enter the OSD. If it doesn't show up or looks

completely different, double check output configuration.

2. Finally, check the "Filters" list (in the right click menu of MPC-HC during playback). It

doesn't need to look exactly like the image below, just make sure the filters you installed are

being used in their respective situations.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Apps

Media Player Classic - Home Cinema (MPC-HC) (faq2)

The best media player for anime, since it's easy and appropriate for filters tweaks and

customization. It has other builds based on it.

JanWillem32's builds. Alternative version of MPC-HC that comes with internal

filters/subtitle renders optimizations.

MPC-BE. Alternative that comes with additional features and bug-fixes of MPC-HC as

well with a new design and interface.

Note: Lite version is the same as MPC-HC but without the internal filters.

LAV Filters Video, audio and splitter solution. It's the best for decoding H.264 and it's updated regularly.

Simple and easy to install.

Madshi Video Renderer (madVR) A high quality renderer created by madshi. It's the best for H.264 and the most performance wise

since it's GPU assisted.

Note: It's not compatible with 64-bit apps. (faq1)

ffdshow Audio Processor Component from ffdshow-tryouts that brings a lot of features to customize your audio

experience.

madFlac Simple decoder for FLAC. Audiophiles prefer this over LAV FLAC decoder because of the

better metadada support and channel mapping.

xy-VSFilter Alternative of VSFilter. It's full of performance improvements and bug-fixes making it surpass

the 2.39 and 2.41 versions.

Haali Media Splitter Most common and used splitter. It supports ordered chapters, has faster seeking and it's

recommended for .mkv files.

ReClock Primarily an audio renderer that is used to adapt media and PAL content to remove jitter from

audio. Great addition for smooth motion.

Combined Community Codec Pack (CCCP) A pack that was made solely for those who want to watch anime. Easy to install but usually

really outdated. Not recommended.

Kawaii Codec Pack (KCP) The recommended pack. This one is this whole guide in a few clicks. You should check it out,

it's stable and kicking ass!

Terms

DirectX Video Acceleration (DXVA) (faq7)

It's a way to let the video be decoded by hardware acceleration. Works best with a powerful

GPU.

Downmixing (faq4)

Term used for manipulating audio where the audio channels are mixed to produce a lower

number of them. 5.1 > Stereo for example.

Ordered Chapters (O.C) (faq3)

A special chapter file that seeks an external .mkv file. Useful for cutting OP/ED files. LAV

Splitter doesn't support it.

Troubleshooting

Video

Q: Performance of 10-bit video playback with madVR + xy-VSFilter is too slow, I'm having

lag. A: madVR takes a considerable amount of power to run, especially from your GPU (Intel HD

will do for 720p). You have 4 options:

1. Switch to EVR-CP (not recommended).

2. Deselect P010 and P016 in you LAV Video Decoder options (not recommended either).

3. Change the madVR scaling algorithms. Try Bilinear for everything.

4. Last resort: Buy yourself a new GPU, check requirements for reference.

If none of those work, you might as well buy a whole new PC, really.

Q: I'm watching a video file with ordered chapters, but the OP/ED won't appear. A: You're not using Haali Media Splitter. Make sure "mastroka" in LAV Splitter settings are

deselected.

Audio

Q: I'm having issues playing TrueHD audio files. A: Haali does not support those, you need to switch to LAV Splitter by going in "External

Filters" > add "Haali Media Splitter" and block it then going into LAV Splitter options and in the

"Input Formats" tab > select "mastroska".

Q: I'm having issues with DTS Express, I can't play it. A: There's no open source decoder that can play DTS Express. You'll have to download (and buy

after 15 days) Arcsoft TMT. Sorry, that's life.

Q: Listening to 6.1/7.1 audio in stereo speakers/headphones, sometimes I only get the sound

through one side. A: Your mixer is not configured to merge the channels into stereo. Use either LAV or ffdshow's

audio processor mixer for that.

Subtitles

Q: My subtitles are not sharper when I use upscale. (faq6)

A: xy-VSFilter doesn't support Desktop resolution yet. If it bugs you too much, you have 2

options:

1. Use the internal MPC-HC VSFilter by enabling "Auto-load subtitles" again.

2. Use JanWillem32's MPC-HC version that comes with internal VSFilter improvements.

Q: The karaoke is flashing for some reason...

A: This is a problem with VSFilter buffers, set it to "0" under "Subtitles" in MPC-HC. If it

doesn't solve it, you'll need to use xy-VSFilter.