MPC Installation Guide

HKS' guide to playing modern video formats. (July 22 2015)

 

While videos previous to the Fourth Generation (July 2015) are universally 8bit, newer versions of 10bit were thoroughly investigated using our telescopic anuses, and the decision was unanimous in switching to 10bit. This prompted HKS to write out a more concise and effective installation guide for viewers still stuck in the 90's, especially since the MPC guide linked on the thread was considerably out of date and didn't function anymore. x265 was also looked at as a consideration but it's slow as shit by a factor of 2-4 and actually looks severely worse at the same preset and CRF. 

If you are interested in seeing the differences between 8bit and 10bit on raw FRAPS video, lossless PNG's are available here. Ideally you want to view them around their original resolution in something you can flip flop between them.

www.gameproc.com/meskstuff/wibodsbasement/8vs10.7z

Notable points of interest:

  • Defiance: Back of the Hulker and the ordnance strapped to his side, the gate immediately to his left.
  • PlanetSide 2 #1: The sky completely loses its banding, several parts of the Sunderer pattern I use change. Pay careful attention to the cliffs
  • PlanetSide 2 #2: Everything about my sentient hood ornament. Especially his crotch.
  • TERA: The strip of ground I'm standing on, especially near the red effect. The effects are in general more defined with less banding.
  • Metro: Last Light #1: This guys face, especially the bridge of his nose. Also note the guys face below my hand. Again, less banding overall.
  • Metro: Last Light #2: The tunnel walls in front of the train. The left wall, scope, her back left of the scope. Chair frame on the right.
  • FFXIV: My ear actually exists. The snow in general gains detail. Rock faces are significantly changed.


Here's what is actually needed (and just better to use) to play these.:
AC3Filter: www.ac3filter.net/wiki/Projects/ac3filter
Just download "AC3Filter 2.6.0b Full". I like the control it offers. The built-in kind of blows.

MPC-HC and madVR: www.gameproc.com/meskstuff/wibodsbasement/MPC-HC.7z
This is my own package I've set up that has everything else needed. madVR has really good scaling and cuts out all the extra garbage most things try to apply to videos.

This is also 64bit land now.

As for you how you actually set all this up.

  • Get rid of whatever other pile of garbage you were using.
  • Install ac3filter_2_6_0b.exe, default settings are good.
  • Extract MPC-HC.7z to somewhere you aren't going to move it around like Program Files.
  • Under MPC-HC\madVR, run Install.bat and madVRsettings.reg.
  • Under MPC-HC\LAVFilters64, run Install.bat
  • Run mpc-hc64.exe, Press the letter "O".
  • Under Player->Formats in the left, click the V button on the right to associate videos to MPC-HC.
  • Assuming you know how to operate windows at all. Run "AC3Filter Config" through the start menu.
  • Set the output format to whatever audio setup you have.


Now you can watch everything without a bunch of other garbage like FFDShow.

The settings for madVR are available by right clicking in any playing video and going to filters. Shouldn't need to change much there.