DTS/AC3/DD+ Source Filter 1.8.9.135

These formats appear most commonly as extracted Blu-ray and DVD audio tracks, game audio rips, and disc backups - situations where you have a standalone audio file and no video container to wrap it.

DirectShow-based players like Windows Media Player, MPC-HC, and MPC-BE rely on registered source filters to recognise which files they can open.

Without a registered filter for .dts, .ac3, and .eac3 extensions, those players simply do not see the files as playable - regardless of whether you have decoders installed.

DTS/AC3/DD+ Source Filter adds the missing registration. Once installed, the filter tells Windows that these extensions are playable DirectShow sources, and any compatible player can open them immediately.

What It Supports

The filter covers three formats. DTS (Digital Theater Systems) is the surround sound standard found on DVD and Blu-ray discs and in many game audio tracks.

AC3, also known as Dolby Digital, is the standard audio format on DVD video and legacy broadcast content. DD+ (Dolby Digital Plus, or EAC3) is the upgraded version used on Blu-ray, streaming platforms, and modern broadcast, offering higher bitrate and up to 7.1 channels.

Originally developed by Inmatrix - the team behind Zoom Player - the filter has been maintained to support modern Windows versions and the newer EAC3 format added in later releases.

Installation and Setup

Download the installer from the link below, run it with administrator rights, and the filter registers itself with Windows automatically.

No configuration screens, no restart required. Open your media player and play any .dts, .ac3, or .eac3 file - it will work immediately.

If the filter does not register correctly on Windows 11, right-click the installer and choose "Run as administrator" explicitly. Some users on Windows 11 also report improved results after installing LAV Filters alongside this source filter.

Compatible Players

The filter works with any DirectShow-based player. That includes Windows Media Player, MPC-HC, MPC-BE, Zoom Player, PotPlayer, and KMPlayer.

VLC Media Player uses its own internal decoder stack and does not rely on DirectShow filters, so VLC users do not need this tool - VLC plays DTS and AC3 files natively.

Troubleshooting no audio output: If audio is not coming through after installation, check that your player is set to use DirectShow filters.

In MPC-HC and MPC-BE, go to Options - Internal Filters and review the audio decoder settings. The source filter opens the file; a decoder like LAV Filters or AC3 Filter still handles the actual decoding.

When You Need More Than Basic Playback

DTS/AC3/DD+ Source Filter solves the file-opening problem. If you need features beyond that, there are two routes worth knowing.

AC3 Filter is a legacy audio decoder with a comprehensive settings panel - equalizer, gain control, dynamic range compression, and SPDIF/passthrough configuration. It has not been updated since 2013 but remains functional on Windows 10 and useful for users who need detailed audio processing control.

LAV Filters is the modern replacement for most DirectShow audio and video decoding tasks. It handles DTS-HD, TrueHD, EAC3, and dozens of additional formats, with hardware acceleration support. If you want a comprehensive DirectShow foundation, K-Lite Codec Pack bundles LAV Filters, MPC-HC, and everything else you need in a single installer.

For converting DTS or AC3 audio to another format rather than playing it, eac3to is the dedicated command-line tool for that task.

If you want to understand how DTS compares to modern streaming audio formats before deciding which direction to go, the guide Is DTS Better Than AAC? covers the practical differences.

System Requirements

DTS/AC3/DD+ Source Filter runs on Windows 7, 8, 10, and 11 in both 32-bit and 64-bit editions. It requires any DirectShow-compatible media player and 552 KB of disk space.