eac3to - audio conversion tool

[tebasuna51]

Just my opinion:

- DialNorm: is a tool to equalize volume from different sources. If you only listen ac3 sources is a valid option to maintain the volume control at same position. If you listen also modern CDA music, commercial TV, mp3, ... use DialNorm -31 dB (and maximize peak to 0 dB).

- DRC: useful in bad listen environment (neighbors, night, bad audio equipment, ...). Recommended, if your audio equipment is bad you need them, if is good you can disable/enable at your choice. Remember, the audio is equal encoded, only attenuation/gain values are added and the decoder can use or not.

[yonta]

eac3to generates a wrong wav file

source is 16bit 48khz 7.1ch Blu-ray lpcm and tried converting to ac3.

command line and output is:
F:\eac3to>eac3to f:\Innocence.pcm f:\Innocence.ac3 -8 -16 -down6
RAW, 7.1 channels, 0:01:00, 16 bits, 48khz
Converting the raw file to wav. Please wait...
Converting the wav file to ac3. Please wait...

Aften: A/52 audio encoder
Version 0.07
(c) 2006-2007 Justin Ruggles, Prakash Punnoor, et al.

invalid RIFF id in wav header
invalid wav file: -b
"aften" reported error code "1". A valid *.wav file was created sucessfully, though.

this wav file eac3to created crashes mpc.

mediainfo says;
Codec : PCM
Codec/Family : PCM
Codec/Info : Microsoft PCM
Bit rate : 6144 Kbps (should be 4608 Kbps?)
Channel(s) : 6 channels
Sampling rate : 48 KHz
Resolution : 16 bits

[madshi]

Originally Posted by yonta

eac3to generates a wrong wav file

source is 16bit 48khz 7.1ch Blu-ray lpcm and tried converting to ac3.

command line and output is:
F:\eac3to>eac3to f:\Innocence.pcm f:\Innocence.ac3 -8 -16 -down6
RAW, 7.1 channels, 0:01:00, 16 bits, 48khz
Converting the raw file to wav. Please wait...
Converting the wav file to ac3. Please wait...

Aften: A/52 audio encoder
Version 0.07
(c) 2006-2007 Justin Ruggles, Prakash Punnoor, et al.

invalid RIFF id in wav header
invalid wav file: -b
"aften" reported error code "1". A valid *.wav file was created sucessfully, though.

this wav file eac3to created crashes mpc.

mediainfo says;
Codec : PCM
Codec/Family : PCM
Codec/Info : Microsoft PCM
Bit rate : 6144 Kbps (should be 4608 Kbps?)
Channel(s) : 6 channels
Sampling rate : 48 KHz
Resolution : 16 bits

Thanks for the information. I've checked and the "-down6" option results in some fields being set incorrectly in the wav header. I'll fix that in the next build. In the meanwhile you could try using the Aften build that ships with eac3to instead of 0.07. I'm not sure if the older Aften build ignores the incorrect wav header but there have been cases before where the older Aften build worked fine where Aften 0.07 failed.

[yonta]

Originally Posted by madshi

In the meanwhile you could try using the Aften build that ships with eac3to instead of 0.07. I'm not sure if the older Aften build ignores the incorrect wav header but there have been cases before where the older Aften build worked fine where Aften 0.07 failed.

same thing happens with the Aften build in eac3to.zip.
rev.561 of Aften does create a file which is just stereo@640k and produces only noise.

[madshi]

Ok, thanks, will upload a fixed build later.

[ACrowley]

yes Madshi, ofcourse youre right...its reversed. DRC makes only Sense with proper Dialnorm. As written in the Guide
My Post was very vague and i dont force anybody to anything

@Nikos..i know When its a full lengt Track you cant use only a small Part.

However.. i dont use DRC and no DialNorm.. i encode with -31db ( -31db +31db = attenuate 0db) and no DRC Profile

[Nikos]

Originally Posted by ACrowley

However.. i dont use DRC and no DialNorm.. i encode with -31db ( -31db +31db = attenuate 0db) and no DRC Profile

I agree the optimal solution.

One more question:
If one ac3 file has Dialog Norm. and DRC, the software ac3Filter bypass them or not?

DRC can be enabled/disabled in AC3Filter. Don't know about Dial.Norm.

[Nikos]

Originally Posted by honai

DRC can be enabled/disabled in AC3Filter. Don't know about Dial.Norm.

This is another thing.
I mean if the ac3Filter can bypass the Dialog Norm. and DRC written as metadata inside the ac3 stream.

This is another thing.
I mean if the ac3Filter can bypass the Dialog Norm. and DRC written as metadata inside the ac3 stream.

No, it's not, it's precisely the answer to your question.

The DRC option in AC3Filter allows for respecting or ignoring the DRC data in the AC3 stream.

If you set AC3Filter to passthrough AC3 to an external receiver of SPDIF then the receiver (or your hand at the remote control) decides whether DRC should be applied.

[tebasuna51]

Originally Posted by Nikos

IOne more question:
If one ac3 file has Dialog Norm. and DRC, the software ac3Filter bypass them or not?

I don't know DialNorm (is not a problem a fix attenuation), but, in accordance with my test, the DRC values in ac3 stream are bypassed and ac3filter apply a owner function to make the DRC.

This kind of function can be applied for any source, not only ac3, and is a better solution than ac3 DRC but require more resources, is not habitual in receivers or standalone players.

[tebasuna51]

Originally Posted by ACrowley

yes Madshi, ofcourse youre right...its reversed. DRC makes only Sense with proper Dialnorm. As written in the Guide
My Post was very vague and i dont force anybody to anything

Of course anybody can do anything, but "DRC makes only Sense with proper Dialnorm" ???

The values of DRC are modified by DialNorm but the concept is absolutely different:

DialNorm try to normalize all the sources at same level (dialogs at -31 bB), ... but is a lose battle, the others formats go 10 dBs upper.

But DRC is a help for some situations. The ideal solution is, like I say in precedent post, the player make the function at player time, but waiting for this solution we can use ac3 DRC, not necessarily with DialNorm.

[ACrowley]

When i have have mistaken something ,ok no Problem.
I can only read the Guide ,where you can find for "AC3 encoding"

The following point, however, cannot be stressed enough: In order for the Dynamic Range Compression to work as designed, the Dialogue Normalization parameter MUST be properly set first

When its wrong....nevermind. THX for the Infos. But No need to correct me with fat black letters
I dont care...as i say i dont use DRC in encoding/decoding

[big-guy]

Originally Posted by madshi

I've just added this functionality to the latest eac3to version.

Thank you very much .
Keep up the great work .

[Nikos]

Thanks all for the helpfull informations.
You are very illustrative.
I feel happy!!!

[tebasuna51]

Originally Posted by ACrowley

But No need to correct me with fat black letters

Sorry, really I want support your previous comments about don't care the Dolby specs.

My option is use DRC but not DialNorm, the guide, of course, try to be Dolby compliant.

Sorry.

[big-guy]

Somehow the audio I ripped isn't timed correctly... The movie itself is 01:59:55. While the extracted AC3 track is 01:49:55 in length ><. So if you have any way to fix that? Or is my BD disc just crap >_>... Otherwise I'll just use the AC3 448kbps stream from the DVD...

I used this command: eac3to bits0001.thd WoH.ac3
That should be correct right?
I demuxed the thd stream with xport. With the -a option.

[madshi]

That's strange. Which movie is that?

[ACrowley]

Originally Posted by tebasuna51

Sorry, really I want support your previous comments about don't care the Dolby specs.

My option is use DRC but not DialNorm, the guide, of course, try to be Dolby compliant.

Sorry.

everything Ok!
You helped me a lot with all these previous AC3 encoding/decoding DRC/Dialnorm Thing .
No i see Things clear. THX

[big-guy]

Originally Posted by madshi

That's strange. Which movie is that?

It's The Wings of Honnêamise BD Rip. (I got the rip from usenet, everything was ok with it, no faulty rars and such).

If you could find a solution for such a weird error ? otherwise I'll just use the 448kbps audio from the DVD.

Also the subs are troublesome , need to enter all text manually...