A couple of questions about WME

[TheLongshot]

I'm sorry if I come off as a noob, but there doesn't seem to be guides that are up to date on these things out there, and I'd like to know.

I have some TS files which I'd like to archive to DVD. I would like to do it with the Microsoft codec for the VC-1 support. I've been playing around with WME for a little bit and I have some questions.

1. From everything I've read early on, two-pass encoding seemed to be busted. In my experiments, I haven't been able to get it to work. Question is, can you do two-pass, and if you can, how is it done?

2. I know WME basically mixes down 5.1 audio to 2 channel WMA. So, I guess the answer to that is to demux the audio and video with DGIndex and just encode the video, then remux it at the end, correct? What do you use to remux?

Jason

[zambelli]

1. From everything I've read early on, two-pass encoding seemed to be busted. In my experiments, I haven't been able to get it to work. Question is, can you do two-pass, and if you can, how is it done?
No, 2-pass encoding works. Select Bitrate-based VBR or Peak Bitrate-based VBR in the encoding session properties.

2. I know WME basically mixes down 5.1 audio to 2 channel WMA. So, I guess the answer to that is to demux the audio and video with DGIndex and just encode the video, then remux it at the end, correct? What do you use to remux?
No, you can encode 5.1 audio sources to 5.1 WMA Pro if you wish. The source needs to be presented as either 6 mono WAV files or a multichannel WAV/AVI, such as the ones created by the Mono-to-Multichannel Wave Combiner tool at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/forpros/encoder/utilities.aspx.

[TheLongshot]

Ok, it looks like I have some bad TS files, since I tried another file, which encoded, but had lots of problems. I've been using HDTVToMPEG to remove comercials. Is there a problem using that right now? Anyway to fix the TS files?

Also, 5.1 WMP Pro isn't acceptable. I usually play them from my computer, and I'd rather send the audio as AC3 to the receiver. Any way just to mux the audio back into the video?

Jason

[mrcorbo]

Also, 5.1 WMP Pro isn't acceptable. I usually play them from my computer, and I'd rather send the audio as AC3 to the receiver. Any way just to mux the audio back into the video?

Jason

Nope. Only WMA allowed.

You can set up AC3Filter or ffdshow's audio decoder to act as a post-processor for the multichannel WMA stream and convert it to AC3 "on the fly" during playback. That is the solution I use.

[zambelli]

You can set up AC3Filter or ffdshow's audio decoder to act as a post-processor for the multichannel WMA stream and convert it to AC3 "on the fly" during playback. That is the solution I use.
If you're using a DShow-based player (not WMP, not MCE) for playback, you ought to be able to decode AC3 in WMV with FFdshow or send it over SPDIF.
WMP and MCE both use WMF SDK for WMV playback which means they require DMO or ACM audio decoders. But in DShow - AC3 will totally work.

[mrcorbo]

If you're using a DShow-based player (not WMP, not MCE) for playback, you ought to be able to decode AC3 in WMV with FFdshow or send it over SPDIF.
WMP and MCE both use WMF SDK for WMV playback which means they require DMO or ACM audio decoders. But in DShow - AC3 will totally work.

I don't think I'd actually do it for compatibility reasons, but out of curiosity how would you mux the AC3 stream into the ASF container?

[zambelli]

I don't think I'd actually do it for compatibility reasons, but out of curiosity how would you mux the AC3 stream into the ASF container?
With Solveig Multimedia's ASF multiplexer:
http://www.solveigmm.com/?Downloads

[mrcorbo]

With Solveig Multimedia's ASF multiplexer:
http://www.solveigmm.com/?Downloads

Interesting app. Thanks for the info.

[TheLongshot]

Course, I guess that leads me to ask how HD-DVD does it then? Is it natively WMP Pro, and it get converted to AC3 in the player? Because I don't know a whole lot of receivers who support WMP Pro natively.

Also, I still don't have an answer for my TS files. I tried another one, which seemed to work fine except for a large blank space in the beginning. Also, the time codes don't seem to be right when I play them back.

Jason

[Randi]

@zambelli: is it still possible to use WM DRM on an asf file when muxed with solveigs muxer and ac3 as audio (and even h264 video but still in asf)? Use case here is streaming.

Thanks in advance
Randi

[zambelli]

Course, I guess that leads me to ask how HD-DVD does it then? Is it natively WMP Pro, and it get converted to AC3 in the player? Because I don't know a whole lot of receivers who support WMP Pro natively.
WMA is not a part of the HD-DVD standard. Neither is ASF, the container format used for .wmv files. Read up on HD-DVD (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hd-dvd).

[zambelli]

@zambelli: is it still possible to use WM DRM on an asf file when muxed with solveigs muxer and ac3 as audio (and even h264 video but still in asf)? Use case here is streaming.
Good question. According to this list (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/forpros/drm/codecs.aspx), only Windows Media codecs are supported, but I'm not sure if that limitation is of technical nature or legal nature.

[Randi]

I know this list, thats why I asked ;-) Would be great, though. Rest will follow as PM

Cheers
Randi

[TheLongshot]

I guess no one is going to answer my TS file question. Is there a better place to ask it? I don't really see a forum for it...