Using BeLight for AC3 5.1 Encode

[capricorn]

Hi. I'm using BeLight to convert an OGG audio file to AC3 5.1 but am only able to get 2 channels out of it. I'm using the presets on BeLight thus I'm guessing I might not have a required dll for the encoding into 5.1. Can someone point me in the right direction? TIA.

cap

[Kurtnoise]

Hi,

1/ Grab the last daily build here (http://corecodec.org/projects/belight/).
2/ Grab Aften build here (http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/aften/aften-0.05-win32.zip?download)and put it in the same BeSweet folder.
3/ Grab the last bsn version here (http://corecodec.org/projects/belight/) (formely named bsn_20060930 in Dimzon BeSweet plugins dir) and replace the old by this new one.
4/ Load your file, select "Aften" in AC3 tab and "5.1" for Output Channels then Run Transcoding.

[capricorn]

Thanks Kurtnoise13-

I've tried to follow but the BeLight folder does not contain a BeSweet folder. I've extracted the Aften files in the BeLight folder and replaced the bsn.dll. However, I cannon find Aften in the AC3 tab. Am I missing something?

Thanks for stepping me through.

cap

[capricorn]

I apologize- I selected the beta and not the daily build of BeLight. I caught the mistake. However, I had to pull out aften.exe from the aften-bin folder to let BeLight run. The process starts but unfortunately the file does not play. Any suggestions? TIA,

cap

[Kurtnoise]

:logfile:

[capricorn]

Kurt- Thanks for helping out. I'm at work right now so I'll post it up once I get back home.

I want to make sure that I have all the files in the right folder-

1) I installed BeLight 0.22 in its own folder
2) Downloaded and overwritten the BeLight files with those from the daily build.
3) Updated the bsn.dll file in the BeLight folder
4) Downloaded and unzipped the Aften files into the BeLight folder which then created an aften-bin folder within the BeLight folder
5) BeLight did not see aften.exe in the BeLight folder thus I pulled aften.exe from the aften-bin folder out and into the the BeLight folder (now inside the BeLight folder I have the updated bsn.dll, aften.ext as well as the aften-bin folder)

Is this what I should have in my BeLight folder? I hope I'm explaining this clearly.

Thanks,

cap

[tebasuna51]

@capricorn, are you sure the file is a ogg 6 channels?

I can convert a 6 chan ogg to ac3 with Belight-Aften:
BeSweet v1.5b31 by DSPguru.
--------------------------
Using libVorbis.dll v1.0 ( Dec 8 2005 ) by John33 (www.inf.ufpr.br/~rja00).
Using Shibatch.dll v0.25 by Naoki Shibata & DSPguru (shibatch.sourceforge.net).
Using bsn.dll replacement by Dimzon & Kurtnoise, Build Sep 30 2006, 16:58:17

Logging start : 10/02/06 , 20:42:08.

D:\besweet\BeSweet.exe -core( -input D:\Ogg\6chan.ogg -output D:\Ogg\6chan.ac3
-logfile D:\Ogg\6chan.log ) -bsn( -exe aften.exe -b 448 -6chnew )

[00:00:00:000] +------- BeSweet -----
[00:00:00:000] | Input : D:\Ogg\6chan.ogg
[00:00:00:000] | Output: D:\Ogg\6chan.ac3
[00:00:00:000] | Floating-Point Process: No
[00:00:00:000] | Source Sample-Rate: 44.1KHz
[00:00:00:000] +---------------------
[00:00:04:378] Conversion Completed !
[00:00:00:000] <-- Transcoding Duration

Logging ends : 10/02/06 , 20:42:08.
Two problems:
- The ogg is 5.8 sec and ac3 is cut at 4.3 sec.
- The channelmapping is wrong.

But the same problems converting the ogg to wav 6 chan, then the problem is decoding the ogg, Aften work well.
The wav is cut also at 4.3 sec. and the channel order is: L_C_R_SL_SR_LFE.
The same ogg is decoded ok with bepipe-bassAudio

[capricorn]

Hi tebasuna-

That's a good question. I'll have to check. From the nature of the question, I'm guessing that it may just be that I'm unable to upconvert a stereo audio stream into a surround one?

From what you've posted, is it even worth my time to convert it if the durations and mapping are skewed (or is there a workaround?)

I'll check the OGG file once I get home. Thanks!

cap

[tebasuna51]

From the nature of the question, I'm guessing that it may just be that I'm unable to upconvert a stereo audio stream into a surround one?
Belight-BeSweet don't have any upmix function.
You can try BeHappy (BassAudio decoder, DSP Upmix function, Aften encoder) and/or you can read Sticky: GUIDE LIST: Stereo-to-Surround Conversion Guides (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=83752).

[capricorn]

Thanks tebasuna-

The audio file is indeed 2 channel OGG. That's where I went wrong with BeLight.

I'm trying BeHappy now. I installed all that I was asked to without incident. All went well I thought as BeHappy started the 5.1 AC3 upmixing with ffdshow. However, the resulting file was unreadable even by DirectShow. Any suggestions?

Much thanks,

cap

[tebasuna51]

All went well I thought as BeHappy started the 5.1 AC3 upmixing with ffdshow.
With ffdshow?
If you open the ogg file with DirectShowSource(), instead BassAudio decoder, I can't help you because different DirectShow configurations can vary the behavior.
However, the resulting file was unreadable even by DirectShow. Any suggestions?
If you obtain an ac3 file from Aften can be noise, silence, poor quality, bad channel mapped, ... but unreadable?
Have the appropriate size?
(KB = seconds x bitrate / 8)

[SeeMoreDigital]

Two problems:
- The ogg is 5.8 sec and ac3 is cut at 4.3 sec.
- The channelmapping is wrong. If I use "AC3Enc" both the file run-time and mapping are fine. But if I use "Aften" the mapping is incorrect!

[capricorn]

Hi tebasuna-

I apologize, I meant ffmpeg (too much googling and cursing and ultimately confused when I posted- sorry). I used the DirectShow dropdown as the input as that was the only way that allowed for an ogg input. I did not see BassAudio decoder as an option in BeHappy. Is that a separate plugin?

I am unable to get the aften option to work. Here is the resulting error received--

Starting job test.ogg->test.ac3
Found Audio Stream
Channels=6, BitsPerSample=16, SampleRate=48000Hz
Aften.exe -v 0 -b 384 -m 1 -s 0 -cmix 0 -smix 0 -dsur 2 -dnorm 31 - "C:\test.ac3"
Writing RIFF header to encoder's StdIn
Writing PCM data to encoder's StdIn
Error: System.IO.IOException: The pipe has been ended.

at System.IO.__Error.WinIOError(Int32 errorCode, String maybeFullPath)
at System.IO.FileStream.WriteCore(Byte[] buffer, Int32 offset, Int32 count)
at System.IO.FileStream.Write(Byte[] array, Int32 offset, Int32 count)
at BeHappy.Encoder.encode()
#### Encoder StdErr ####
error initializing encoder

Much thanks,

cap

[tebasuna51]

If I use "AC3Enc" both the file run-time and mapping are fine. But if I use "Aften" the mapping is incorrect!
- The mapping: of course ac3enc need a wav 'ac3' ordered, and Aften need a wav with correct wav order.
But two errors, a decoder ogg->wav'ac3'ordered and a encoder wav'ac3'ordered->ac3, make a correct result.

To avoid these problems the solution is:
For decoders: anyFormat->wav'standard'ordered
And encoders: wav'standard'ordered->anyFormat

Fortunately the new free multichannel encoders Aften, neroAacEnc, enc_AacPlus(CT) and many decoders Azid(with appropriated parameters), faad, neroAacDec, foobar, NicAudio-BassAudio(for AviSynth), ... have this correct behavior.

- The cut may be a specific problem with this file (http://www.mytempdir.com/967365) but is decoded well also with foobar.

[tebasuna51]

I used the DirectShow dropdown as the input as that was the only way that allowed for an ogg input. I did not see BassAudio decoder as an option in BeHappy. Is that a separate plugin?
Use this BeHappy package (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=829754#post829754) with BassAudio included. Don't use the Aften compiled by Dimzon (for me don't work).

[capricorn]

Hi tebasuna-

Thanks for the link. I used the BeHappy version from the BeHappy workspace (it was in a zip format). I'll give this one a go and see what happens.

Thank you again.

cap

[capricorn]

Hi tebasuna-

That build worked out great for me! Thanks. I'm getting some video/audio synch issues but will try to work those out. I think I'll have to play with the custom transform a bit to figure it out. Thanks agian!

cap