Strange AC3's ?

[Eye of Horus]

Hi all,

In DVD Architect you can make so called Music Compilations.
It's an ideal way to put hundreds of songs in surround format on one DVD. Instead of limiting to 99 tracks as with Sonic Foundry's AC3 DVD burner, you can put as much songs on it as you wish.

However : DVD Architect only accepts AC3 2.0 or 2.1 and AC3 5.1 .
Cetrain DVD's however contain tracks like AC3 5.0 (so no LFE channel) and AC3 3/2 . DVD architect won't accept these.

When you rip a DVD, with Smartripper or DVDdecrypter, it only says 5 CH or 6 CH, so you don't know if it is 5.0 or 4.1 or 3/2.

Now I wonder :

a. Is there a simpler way to recognize the format of AC3's, instead of loading them into DVD Architect ?
b. Is there a simple way without de- and encoding to make these files 5.1 ?


kind regards,

Eye of Horus

[Eye of Horus]

I tried AC3 machine, but it does the same as DVD Architect.
AC3's that are encoded to 3/2 won't encode to 5.1 in AC3 machine.
Whatever option I try, the output is stereo......

EoH

[kempfand]

I'm 99% sure that it's a 'bug' with DVD Architect. Scenarist & Maestro import all types of AC3 correctly.

The only current solution for Architect would be to demux + re-encode to 5.1, which is not an option (decrease in quality).

Let's hope Sonic will fix this with upcoming versions ... and also allow for *.dts input :-)

Kind Regards,

Andreas

[Eye of Horus]

Originally posted by kempfand
I'm 99% sure that it's a 'bug' with DVD Architect. Scenarist & Maestro import all types of AC3 correctly.

The only current solution for Architect would be to demux + re-encode to 5.1, which is not an option (decrease in quality).

Let's hope Sonic will fix this with upcoming versions ... and also allow for *.dts input :-)

Kind Regards,

Andreas

Ok, Perhaps it is a bug in DVD Architect, but I couldn't get these converted with AC3 machine too !
It will only convert to stereo, not to 5.1 !
But anyway : I still hope there's a way to transcode them !

I also found another strange one :
The DVD "Loretta Lynn - Coal Miners Daughter". When you take a look at the cover, it says : 5.1 surround sound. When you play it on the standalone : 5.1. When you rip it : both Smartripper and DVDdecryper can only find a 2.0 stream !!
I ripped the 2.0 stream and importing in DVD Architect didn't work.
Then I fed it through AC3FIX and again in DVD Architect : 5.1 !!!

I think we need your help, DSPguru :-)

kind regards,

Eye of Horus

[DSPguru]

some ac3 streams starts as 2.0 and then becomes 5.1, so you can use BeSplit to cut the first few seconds of that ac3 track and use BeSweet to append silence.

[downloada]

hi,

btw, 3/2(.1) and 5.0 (or .1) are only different names for the same thing. 5.1 means 5 channels + lfe, 3/2 means 3 front channels + 2 surround channels.

cu

[Eye of Horus]

Originally posted by DSPguru
some ac3 streams starts as 2.0 and then becomes 5.1, so you can use BeSplit to cut the first few seconds of that ac3 track and use BeSweet to append silence.

OK, thanks.

I hope you can respond to the first post in this thread too !

kind regards,

EoH

[Eye of Horus]

Originally posted by downloada
hi,

btw, 3/2(.1) and 5.0 (or .1) are only different names for the same thing. 5.1 means 5 channels + lfe, 3/2 means 3 front channels + 2 surround channels.

cu

Definitely not, as we found now two programs, that can handle 5.0 or 5.1 but not 3/2 !
I don't know where the difference is: in the header or in the arranging of the channels inside the file, but they are NOT the same !

If it only was so simple......


kind regards,

EoH

[kempfand]

I hope you can respond to the first post in this thread too

Guess you mean this:

a. Is there a simpler way to recognize the format of AC3's, instead of loading them into DVD Architect ?

I use AC3Filter from Valex (
http://sourceforge.net/projects/ac3filter (AC*Filter) ). Goes well with WinAmp and other players, and gives some extensive Info on the AC3.

Kind regards,

Andreas

[Eye of Horus]

Originally posted by kempfand
Guess you mean this:



I use AC3Filter from Valex (
http://sourceforge.net/projects/ac3filter (AC*Filter) ). Goes well with WinAmp and other players, and gives some extensive Info on the AC3.

Kind regards,

Andreas

Almost Andreas ! Almost !

And now go for the 10 day foottrip to Rome and answer question 2 :-)

Aart

[kempfand]

Is there a simple way without de- and encoding to make these files 5.1 ?

I guess so:

1) Use Wbias081 to cut a tiny piece of a 5.1 AC3
(best at the beginning, where there is still silence)
2) Rename the cutted piece to 01.ac3
3) Assume your 'problematic' 5.0 AC3 is called 02.ac3
3) DOS prompt: copy /b 01.ac3+02.ac3 new.ac3
4) --> new.ac3 is 5.1

At least when imported into DVD Architect, it says Surround (not Stereo).

For converting multiple tracks, maybe a batch-file will facilitate.

Regards,

Andreas

[Eye of Horus]

Originally posted by kempfand
I guess so:

1) Use Wbias081 to cut a tiny piece of a 5.1 AC3
(best at the beginning, where there is still silence)
2) Rename the cutted piece to 01.ac3
3) Assume your 'problematic' 5.0 AC3 is called 02.ac3
3) DOS prompt: copy /b 01.ac3+02.ac3 new.ac3
4) --> new.ac3 is 5.1

At least when imported into DVD Architect, it says Surround (not Stereo).

For converting multiple tracks, maybe a batch-file will facilitate.

Regards,

Andreas

So actually I could make a 0.001 second 5.1 AC3 and add this to whatever problematic AC3 (3/2, 5.0 , 4.1, 4.0) and it will work in DVD Architect ??

Wooowww.....this solution is even simpler as I thought !

:-)


EoH

[kempfand]

Wooowww.....this solution is even simpler as I thought !

:-) I just tried and it works.

Looks like DVD Architect just checks the header (lucky us). BTW: I'm no audio expert at all, I just went by analogy of tricks I use to author movies ...

Regards,

Andreas