EAC3 Codec for MX Player Not Supported: 3 Fixes That Work!

MX Player is a versatile player with over a billion downloads on Android. It is widely recognized for its broad support for media file formats, including video and audio. Gesture control, multi-core decoding, subtitles support, hardware acceleration, and many other features make MX Player one of the best media players for mobile users. However, users who try to play EAC3 files on MX Player discover that the audio files are unsupported. For a media player with such broad format support, that's an anomaly. Worry not; we've created this guide to help you fix this issue and enjoy your EAC3 content on MX Player without any issues.

Part 1: Why MX Player Cannot Play EAC3 Audio?

EAC3 is a proprietary audio file format developed by Dolby Laboratories. It's derived from the original AC-3 and improves on it with a superior compression algorithm. For this reason, EAC3 is used in audio streaming contexts where hi-def audio needs to be delivered over low-bandwidth connections. In short, it's a perfect fit for streaming content on mobile, a task MX Player handles spectacularly. Additionally, the file format is used by some publishers of HD DVDs and Blu-ray discs for delivering high-quality surround sound.

Long-term fans of MX Player can probably recall a time when MX Player could play EAC3 audio content. Now, if you try to play files with EAC3 audio on MX Player, the video plays but not the audio. That's primarily because of licensing issues.

EAC3 is a proprietary format from Dolby Laboratories, which charges a royalty from media players for using its codec. So, the developers of MX Player dropped the codec from their product altogether. In fact, they dropped support for multiple file formats, including DTS, MLP, TrueHD, etc. So, if you try to play a video with any of these audio codecs, the audio does not work.

Part 2: 3 Fixes for Issues with EAC3 Audio Codec for MX Player

1. MX Player Custom Codec Zip File Installation

Step 1: Download the EAC3 Codec

Download the appropriate custom EAC3 codec for your device from a reliable source. The popular choice is mx_aio.zip.

The next step is to launch MX Player on your device. Once you do, the player automatically identifies the presence of the EAC3 codec on the device and prompts you to install it. You can proceed with the installation and enjoy EAC3 content on your devices. However, in many cases, the app fails to identify the presence of the codec. So, you'll have to do the manual installation by following the next steps.

Step 2: Go to Custom Codec

Launch MX Player >> Go to 'Settings' >> Select 'Decoder'.

Step 3: Access to Custom Codec

Choose the 'Custom Codec' option.

Step 4: Load the Custom Codec

Use the new dialog box to navigate to the folder where the custom codec is located >> Click on the MX Player codec zip file >> Let MX Player install the codec and restart. Then, you can play any content with EAC3 audio without any issues.

2. Convert EAC3, AC3 Files to MX Player Compatible Format

A quick and easy solution for overcoming EAC3 compatibility issues with MX Player is to convert the files into other popular formats. Merely converting the video container to another container format would not be sufficient because the audio encoding might remain EAC3 after container conversion. You must convert the audio encoding from EAC3 to another audio codec like MP3, AAC, etc. For this purpose, Univd Video Converter is the perfect solution. With Univd, you can take full control over the conversion process and convert the formats of individual video and audio components of a video container file.

How to convert EAC3 to Other Formats for MX Player Support

Step 1: Upload Files

Install and launch the HitPaw Univd >> Go to the "Converter" tab and click "Add Files">> Select and add all the videos with EAC3 audio.

Step 2: Set the Output Video Specifications

Click on 'Audio Encoder' to change the audio format to another like AAC, MP3, etc. >> You can use the 'Video Encoder' button to change the video format too.

Step 3: Convert Video with AAC Audio Encoder

Then, just click the "Convert All" button to start converting the video with a new audio encoder at a faster speed. Once finished, you can access the files in the Converted tab.

3. Try a Different Media Player with Support for EAC3 Codec

Sure, MX Player is an excellent video player for Android users and can be your go-to app for playing all media. However, when you experience compatibility issues or codec issues, such as with EAC3 audio, you can temporarily switch to another media player like VLC for playing such content.

VLC Media Player is a powerful alternative to MX Player and has wide support for media formats, including EAC3 audio and hundreds of other video formats. Whenever you encounter compatibility issues with MX Player, you can try playing those videos on VLC, which will pose no issues whatsoever when playing obscure file formats. However, if the video or audio files are corrupted, then even VLC may be unable to play such videos.

FAQs on MX Player EAC3 Codec Not Supported Issue

Q1. Do I need to have the paid version of MX Player to use the EAC3 codec?

A1. No. EAC3 codec is not supported by default in both free and premium versions of MX Player. However, you can install the EAC3 codec for MX Player to get support for the audio codec. Fortunately, MX Player has not made it mandatory for you to have the premium version to install third-party codecs like EAC3. It can be done on both free and premium versions.

Q2. Can I use an older version of MX Player to play EAC3 audio?

A2. MX Player removed EAC3 support starting from version 1.7.32. So, if you install an earlier version of the MX Player APK file, you can play EAC3 audio. However, subsequent updates for MX Player contain crucial patches to bugs and vulnerabilities, which can be exploited by malicious entities. So, using older versions of MX Player exposes you to cybersecurity threats. To avoid these issues, you must use only the latest version of MX Player on your Android devices.

Conclusion

The "EAC3 Codec Not Supported" issue in MX Player can be frustrating, but it's solvable with the right approach. You can fix the issue with MX Player or switch to a completely different media player to address the issue. However, that still leaves you open to other format support issues that might crop up repeatedly. Instead of switching to new media players each time, you can use HitPaw Univd to convert such audio and video files to an MX Player-compatible format to avoid incompatibility issues altogether. Get Univd and convert all your content to MX Player-compatible formats today.

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