DTS to AC3 conversion madness

[vob]

Hello,

I'm ripping some DVDs to a simple MPEG or MP4 File for my PS3 without reencoding if it is not necessary. But my PS3 will not play MPEG-PS with MPEG Video and DTS Audio. So I was looking for a way to convert DTS to AC3 and I thought I've found a way using VLC.

:sout=#transcode{acodec=a52,ab=512,channels=6}:duplicate{dst=std{access=file,mux=ps,dst="hc-dts.mpg"}}

But, the channels are mixed up! Center is left rear, aso.

Is there another way (command line preferred) for converting DTS (6channel) audio to AC3 (6channel) or something similar, that I can mux/multiplex with the MPEG-2 video stream?

Tanks for any suggestion!

[setarip_old]

Hi!I'm ripping some DVDs...So I was looking for a way to convert DTS to AC3Why would you even have to consider doing that, when EVERY commercial standard DVD that contains a DTS audiostream MUST also have an .AC3 audiostream?

Just rip your DVDs with the .AC3 audiostream instead of the DTS stream...

[vob]

Maybe it should be so, but it isn't. A good example would be "Eagles - Hell freezes over" which has only PCM and DTS. Another thing is, that DTS tracks are sometimes mixed different and sound different than the AC3 track.

Specifications exist, you're right. But reality is different.

So my problem persists. Any help appreciated.

[nm]

Is there another way (command line preferred) for converting DTS (6channel) audio to AC3 (6channel) or something similar, that I can mux/multiplex with the MPEG-2 video stream?
FFmpeg and MEncoder should do it. FFmpeg might be easier since it doesn't require a video track when re-encoding audio. However, I'm not sure if FFmpeg has controls for changing the channel order, if it turns out to be incorrect by default. MEncoder has filters for manual reordering and you could just use if for muxing the video at the same time.

Edit: I posted an example command for a similar situation a few days ago: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1076031#post1076031
Just drop the audio filters from that, adjust audio bitrate and set the input source appropriately.

[setarip_old]

@vobA good example would be "Eagles - Hell freezes over" which has only PCM and DTS.I stand corrected (I have that R1 DVD) - and yet, surprisingly, Amazon's site indicates that this DVD contains .AC3 (no LPCM listed) and DTS audiostreams...

[vob]

@setarip_old

Amazon definitely lists two versions of this DVD. One produced in 1999 and one in 2005. I own the older version which only has DTS and PCM. Which one do you have?

Here the link to mine:
http://www.amazon.com/Eagles-Hell-Freezes-Bonus-track/dp/6305301107/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1197912248&sr=8-4

Is there another way to get the AC3 stream?

[setarip_old]

I believe I have the 1999 version...

[vob]

...sigh... I thought I've found a pragmatical way to solve this "Hell freezes over" problem... But thank you anyway.

[setarip_old]

...sigh... I thought I've found a pragmatical way to solve this "Hell freezes over" problem...I would not participate in what you're implying...

[vob]

I would not participate in what you're implying...

I never really thought of that. Sorry for the forgotten smiley. It wouldn't solve my problem and I'm willing to find out how it works. Like nm already mentioned, there is a way to reorder the channels with mencoder. I have to find the matching channel pairs and then it must be possible somehow to

1) decode the dts to pcm
2) reorder the pcm channels
3) encode pcm channels to ac3

[vob]

I've found an approach here:

http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-293317.html

Thanks again for your suggestions.

[talen9]

Thank you so much for the link!!

I had similar problem trying to transcode AC3 to multichannel AAC, which faac and ffmpeg support but not in a ... very well documented way, IMHO :)

The internal ordering of channels in mplayer/mencoder is kinda strange, and differences between channels position in AC3 and AAC streams make life even more miserable .. maybe starting from that link (which i didn't find in my googling, at that time) i can find a reliable way to obtain what I want :)

[disturbed1]

I usually just use Mplayer to dump the stream and pipe to aften, or dtsdec (http://www.videolan.org/developers/libdca.html).