AC-3 (Dolby Digital) codec no longer included with Windows 11 version 24H2



 Microsoft Support:

AC-3 is an audio codec that supports multi-channel (“surround sound”) audio. It's also known as Dolby Digital.

On versions of Windows prior to Windows 11, version 24H2, the AC-3 codec is included.

Beginning with Windows 11, version 24H2, the AC-3 codec is no longer included with Windows. However, many device manufacturers will pre-install an AC-3 codec. Also, if you upgrade to Windows 11, version 24H2 from an earlier version of Windows, the AC-3 codec will be retained. In these cases, you will still be able to play files encoded with the AC-3 audio codec.


 Source:

Codecs in Media Player - Microsoft Support

Codecs allow you to play different formats of audio and video files. Media Player supports a wide variety of codecs. Most are included out of the box; some additional codecs can be installed from the Microsoft Store.
support.microsoft.com support.microsoft.com
 
Click to expand...
MS cutting costs by not paying the Dolby licence fees?
 

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Lol.

From Dolby Atmos vs. Dolby Digital | AV.com Blog

Dolby Atmos is a surround sound technology launched in 2012 – 20 years after Dolby Digital first entered the scene. Atmos is built on the codec of Dolby Digital Plus (also known as Enhanced AC-3, a more advanced version of Dolby Digital). Dolby Atmos adds a vertical dimension to audio, which is object-based rather than channel-based, and supports up to 128 audio tracks.
Click to expand...

Or, in other words, Atmos is already 12, almost a teenager. In contrast, Digital is pushing 32.

There is a nice table there with a comparison of features, and then, further down, there is a history of Digital:

DOLBY DIGITAL​

THE HISTORY OF DOLBY DIGITAL​

Dolby Digital was conceived in 1986 with the primary objective of introducing digital sound to 35mm films in cinemas globally.

The concept evolved out of an idea planted by Nasir Ahmed in 1972. However, it wasn’t until 1987 at the University of Surrey that Ahmed’s concept was modified and executed successfully.

Dolby Laboratories combined the ‘modified discrete cosine transform’ algorithm (some very fancy maths), with perceptual coding principles (which is all about how we humans hear sounds). The result? The incredible AC-3 audio, the backbone of the Dolby Digital sound we know and love.

In 1992, Batman Returns was the first film to use 5.1 surround sound with Dolby Digital. Thereafter, it became the standard format and a significant milestone in digital audio technology.
Click to expand...

One thing to note in the chart I mention above is the fact that Digital is lossy compression, whereas Atmos claims to be lossless.

SO, yeah, why license technology that is as old as your third ever OS release?
 

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johnlgalt said:
One thing to note in the chart I mention above is the fact that Digital is lossy compression, whereas Atmos claims to be lossless.
Click to expand...
Atmos with TrueHD is lossless, Atmos with Dolby Digital Plus used in streaming is not.
 

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Diceman2037 said:
Dolby atmos app
Photoshop
Davinci Pro
etc

anything referencing DolbyDecMFT is broken because its renamed to DolbyDecMFT_Redirect.
Click to expand...
Not really sure why Photoshop needs "Dolby Digital" -- I always understood Photoshop was a photo / Video / Graphic editing application and not an audio one. However if you install apps like KODI and VLC I think those still can play the relevant codecs as they have their own libraries.

I'm sure any sensible "Audio editing" app also will have their own libraries too. I can't see this as a serious problem. VLC BTW still works perfectly in the latest DEV insider build, plus KODI plays DOLBY Physical DVD's too (and even the ripped to ISO ones -- ripped by Slyfox AnyDVD software).

Cheers
jimbo
 

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jimbo45 said:
Not really sure why Photoshop needs "Dolby Digital" -- I always understood Photoshop was a photo / Video / Graphic editing application and not an audio one. However if you install apps like KODI and VLC I think those still can play the relevant codecs as they have their own libraries.
Click to expand...

Sorry, not photoshop, Premier.

Applications using the media foundation codecs can either reference them through media extensions (the correct way) or by loading the dlls directly (the wrong way).

Adobe and Davinci pro are guilty of doing it wrong.
 

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Warre1 said:
Atmos with TrueHD is lossless, Atmos with Dolby Digital Plus used in streaming is not.
Click to expand...
For streaming even at 8K UHD you don't need "Lossless" -- especially if using a wireless soundbar. Wifi soundbars are much better but 99% these days are blutooth which apart from possible latency problems (sound and video out of sync) have a much lower 'spec -- but since so many these days are used to hideous bud type earphones I really doubt if they'd notice the difference.

At full lossless on 8K UHD streaming you'd be consuming several Hundred (yes Hundred) TB of bandwidth (yes no typo -- TB not GB) in a few days -- I'm not sure if the current Internet structure in most places would be able to supply that sort of bandwidth to 100,000's of consumers in a single city area.

For those technically minded in this stuff --here;s an extract from a Cambridge Uni paper:


Video bit-rate requirements for 8K 120-Hz HEVC/H.265 temporal scalable coding: experimental study based on 8K subjective evaluations | APSIPA Transactions on Signal and Information Processing | Cambridge Core

Video bit-rate requirements for 8K 120-Hz HEVC/H.265 temporal scalable coding: experimental study based on 8K subjective evaluations - Volume 9
www.cambridge.org www.cambridge.org

In plain English -- a 2 hr 8K UHD movie would consume approx 2GB per sec !! / 120GB per minute or 14.5TB for a 2 hr movie. Bit rate is approx 120 frames a sec. Note maximum HDMI 2.0 cable connector is 48 Gbps so you'd probably need to upgrade a load of stuff too. !!! Even at 4K UHD without some compression you are pushing things. !!!

Cheers
jimbo
 

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Windows 11, version 24H2, the AC-3 codec is no longer included with Windows. Now, you can install Microsoft Dolby Digital Decoder/Encoder MFT support into Windows 11 24H2 Build 26100 via AnWave Windows Key-Point.

1. Download AnWave from AnWave
Or AnWave 2024 | AMD Radeon Software Customize Setup - More Radeon Software Installation Options

2. Extract AnWave_v2.1.3.8_20240531_Stable_Release_LS2_Installer.exe. It is a self-extracting file.
3. Run AnWave.exe. Menu > Tools > Windows Key-Point
nFCAngj.png

4. Click Install AC-3 Decoder MFT / Install AC-3 Encoder MFT button.
UAGQD7B.png

5. Finish!

Adobe Premiere Pro uses Microsoft's native AC-3 Codec, and you can use this tool to regain AC-3 encoding/decoding support for Windows 11 24H2.
 

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Diceman2037 said:
Dolby atmos app
Photoshop
Davinci Pro
etc

anything referencing DolbyDecMFT is broken because its renamed to DolbyDecMFT_Redirect.
Click to expand...

Atmos app works perfectly fine here.
 

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@uncyler825 - Didn't realize you were the author of AnWave so thanks for AnWave. So a question which should be in this thread, does Microsoft ever update the Microsoft Dolby Digital Decoder/Encoder MFT, basically do we only need to use AnWave once for this purpose or do we have to use AnWave periodically if Microsoft does release updates to the Microsoft Dolby Digital Decoder/Encoder MFT.

​

 

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Almighty1 said:
@uncyler825 - Didn't realize you were the author of AnWave so thanks for AnWave. So a question which should be in this thread, does Microsoft ever update the Microsoft Dolby Digital Decoder/Encoder MFT, basically do we only need to use AnWave once for this purpose or do we have to use AnWave periodically if Microsoft does release updates to the Microsoft Dolby Digital Decoder/Encoder MFT.

​

Click to expand...

Microsoft has decided to remove native AC-3 Codec support in Windows 11 24H2, According to Microsoft's official website, AC-3 Codec may not return in the future.

Codecs in Media Player - Microsoft Support

Codecs allow you to play different formats of audio and video files. Media Player supports a wide variety of codecs. Most are included out of the box; some additional codecs can be installed from the Microsoft Store.
support.microsoft.com support.microsoft.com

If you upgrade to Build 26100 through Windows Update, it will keepping previous AC-3 Codec support. If you format the SSD, and do a clean install of Windows 11 24H2 there will be no AC3-Codec files keepped.

I guess Microsoft doesn't want to pay for the Dolby Digital license.

iirc. Adobe removed Dolby Digital decoding and instead used the system's native AC-3 Codec support because of a licensing dispute between Adobe and Dolby Digital, so I don't know why Microsoft made this decision.
 

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jimbo45 said:
For streaming even at 8K UHD you don't need "Lossless" -- especially if using a wireless soundbar. Wifi soundbars are much better but 99% these days are blutooth which apart from possible latency problems (sound and video out of sync) have a much lower 'spec -- but since so many these days are used to hideous bud type earphones I really doubt if they'd notice the difference.

At full lossless on 8K UHD streaming you'd be consuming several Hundred (yes Hundred) TB of bandwidth (yes no typo -- TB not GB) in a few days -- I'm not sure if the current Internet structure in most places would be able to supply that sort of bandwidth to 100,000's of consumers in a single city area.

For those technically minded in this stuff --here;s an extract from a Cambridge Uni paper:


Video bit-rate requirements for 8K 120-Hz HEVC/H.265 temporal scalable coding: experimental study based on 8K subjective evaluations | APSIPA Transactions on Signal and Information Processing | Cambridge Core

Video bit-rate requirements for 8K 120-Hz HEVC/H.265 temporal scalable coding: experimental study based on 8K subjective evaluations - Volume 9
www.cambridge.org www.cambridge.org

In plain English -- a 2 hr 8K UHD movie would consume approx 2GB per sec !! / 120GB per minute or 14.5TB for a 2 hr movie. Bit rate is approx 120 frames a sec. Note maximum HDMI 2.0 cable connector is 48 Gbps so you'd probably need to upgrade a load of stuff too. !!! Even at 4K UHD without some compression you are pushing things. !!!

Cheers
jimbo
Click to expand...
You seem to be mixing up VIDEO with AUDIO @jimbo45, no doubt uncompressed Video at 8K would blow bandwidth requirements but the talk here is about Dolby as in AUDIO Codec, compressed or lossless requires a multitude less than VIDEO.
 

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not sure if this is of any help but the k-lite codec pack has AC-3.
best wishes. Steve ..
 

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