Forums Bug Reports Audio Bit Rate issue

There appears to be an issue in reference to mIRC Playing .mp3’s with MPEG Audio Layer-3 160Kbps for Audio Codec.

Error: * /splay: unable to play 'C:\Mp3s\S\Shakira - Rules.mp3'
mIRC Ver: 6.03
Operating System: WinXP
Current Solution: Decode, Encode these mp3’s

That's odd. I've played 160KBps MP3s in mIRC before without any problems. Maybe it's to do with Windows XP? I'm unsure. I use 98SE. I only encounter the error message you posted if the sound card is already in use by another application at the time the command is issued. Maybe that's the problem?

Hey Qube

No, my Sound System has Full-Duplex Support.
But it may be something related to XP and/or the Nimo Codec Pack, the one who originally came to me about /splay issue also using XP and Nimo Codec… I’ll do some testing and report back soon.

In Addition; the problem does rely on mIRC not currently capable of playing mp3’s using MPEG Audio Layer-3 160Kbps for Audio Codec. And I had confirmed that from the start when Decoding/Encoding and /splay ‘n it…

Anyways i'll report back in few minutes...

Removed all 3rd party Codec and all instances of them to no Avail, still /splay issue in reference to these particular mp3’s.

Negitive on that
i have sent the same file to 3 people now all useing WinXp and not Nimo code pack (although i do use it)
with the same error
* /splay unable to play file.mp3 *
MediaPlayer does play the file even when i used ZoneAlarm to block the auto lookup for the codec
i think there might be something more to this than a simple codec problem. whats the command the mirc sends to your media player?

I think I saw questions about mp3 before, and each answer was: mIRC does not play the mp3 but sends it to windows who will do it for him, so it would be codec related for media player or whatever default player you have

Hey Dognach

Actually mIRC would be the Player at hand, no indication what-so-ever mIRC sends out to other Mp3 Players. You don’t see any Mp3 Player Executables load into the process list each time you /splay an mp3 using mIRC do you?

With WinAmp you don’t see anyone saying It doesn’t play .mp3’s because it uses other Codec Environments do yea?

Even though I know, to show yea I’d completely uninstalled Windows Media Player that of which had been configured to play Mp3’s by Default. And then Re-executed mIRC and the /splay string on a “compatible” Mp3 file with success.

No doubt it it’s mIRC at hand being an issue not capable of accessing the Updated Codec Environments. For the time being only thing to-do is Decode/Encode using modified Bit rate, tested/confirmed and there yea go. Couldn’t have been any more specific with my 1st post... :tongue:

In Addition to my first post, I’m capable of updating to particular Codec’s to the point where mIRC doesn’t successfully play these non-compatible .mp3’s much less even respond in an Error of any kind. However still capable of Playing compatible .mp3s using mIRC’s /splay string.

In Addition; Appears mIRC isn’t detecting Mp3’s Accurate Informatics of these particular Mp3’s to send out to Windows Environment.

Shakira - Rules.mp3 = MPEG Audio Layer-3 160Kbps

mIRC sees it as Shakira - Rules.mp3 = MPEG 1.0 Layer 1 352Kbps

mIRC cannot play mp3s, or other types of sounds, directly, it passes the play request directly onto windows, which itself decides how to play the sound.

Hey Khaled


Yes it sends to Windows Environment which leads to Codec’s. I’ve tried every known AC3 Codec’s to man with no avail. mIRC isn’t capable of retrieving accurate Informatics about this specific type of Mp3’s, and I don’t expect it to access the right resources with this type of invalid informatics for the System to Play.

In Addition; Microsoft Windows Media Player has no problem what-so-ever in playing these mp3s, so the right codec exists and functions properly...

So Then Whats the fix?
if the (codec / player / and mirc) are all working the way they should. where is the fault ? And better yet whats the fix?
thats all i care about

Obviously if the Windows Media Player and so forth is capable of playing these particular mp3’s then codec exists and is functioning accurately, so the only thing that leaves us is mIRC...

What does mIRC send, & where does mIRC send too on its travel to Codec Land?

Whats the fix?
pasted from a query on Feb 13th
(1:01:pm) <Phant0m``> Installed mIRC on Freshly Installed Windows XP with only pure "Divx Codec" Installed to no Avail
(1:01:pm) <Phant0m``> same problem

Ok so now what?
Well nimo codec is ruled out.
So wheres the problem between WinXP and mIRC ?
Khaled a few of us would like to hear further on this from you.
there must be something other than converting every mp3 to a wav and back to mp3 again to correct the problem.
What is the problem if not mirc. How do we correct it?

All out statistics shows mIRC v6.03 on Microsoft Windows XP doesn’t retrieve and send out Accurate Informatics on specific Type(S) of MP3’s.

Mp3 Filename: Sinéad_O'Connor_-_Drink_Before_The_War.mp3
Bit rate: 225Kbps
Media Type: Audio
Audio codec: MPEG Audio Layer-3 225Kbps
Informatics From: Microsoft Windows Media Player 9x, WinAmp v3c

And mIRC Informatics on the same MP3 Filename

Mp3 Filename: Sinéad_O'Connor_-_Drink_Before_The_War.mp3
Bit rate: 160Kbps
Audio codec: MPEG 1.0 Layer 3
Informatics From: mIRC’s $sound()

#1 Err0r Type involving mIRC

Mp3 Filename: Shakira - Rules.mp3
Bit rate: 160Kbps
Audio codec: MPEG
Audio Layer-3 160Kbps
Informatics From: Microsoft Windows Media Player 9x, WinAmp v3c

And mIRC Informatics on the same MP3 Filename

Mp3 Filename: Shakira - Rules.mp3
Bit rate: 352Kbps
Audio codec: MPEG 1.0 Layer 1
Informatics From: mIRC’s $sound()

#2 Err0r Type involving mIRC

Hey Folks

In Addition to my current Incompatible .mp3’s Informatics, there also .mp3’s that are choppy when /splay’n them. However works beautifully in Windows Media Player or WinAmp, and many people had confirmed the same results as I.

Operating System: Windows XP Professional Corp
mIRC Ver: 6.03
Audio Informatics: MPEG 1.0 Layer-3 160, 44100Hz Joint Stereo
Note: mIRC does detect the accurate .version, .bitrate but for other Informatics not sure.

Statistics; don’t expect to use /splay Feature to play .mp3’s using Audio Codec MPEG Layer 3, usually that’s where the incompatibility comes in.