Audio/Video Sync Issues with HD-DVD of Transformers

[QuadcoreHD]

Ok so I've ripped and demuxed my copy of Transformers on HD-DVD. I've selcted "continue with the next evo" in EvoDemux and extracted just the H.264 video and english eac3 audio tracks. The next step was to convert the audio to Ac3 using Eac3to.

I now have the merged feature (both .evo features demuxed with the .avc extension set in EVODemux under options) and the newly converted AC3 audio track, and here's where the problem arises.

I've tried to simply mux the h.264 video with the AC3 using tsmuxergui but the resulting track has the audio/video completely out of sync (i knew it couldnt be that easy lol). I also attempted to mux/encode with TMPGEnc Xpress but it refuses to open the merged h.264 video file-no error message, just hangs and wont open the file and has to be manually closed. One thing i notice is that EVODemux indicates 29 fps when "reading" both features, but it should be 23.976 for all HD-DVDs, right? In addition, EVODemux reports the video file is 3 hours 40 mins which is obviously off.

When I play just the h.264 video file (no audio) it looks fine, doesn't skip and play smoothly, however when I mux the ac3 audio back in its jittery, is completely out of sync with the audio track and appears to speed up/slow down throughout playback.

Does anyone know:

a)a program that can mux these files together properly and resolve the audio/video sync issue?

b)a way to alter the h.264 file so that it plays back normally when muxed with the audio (i.e. do I need to somehow change the fps from 29 to 23.976, or is there another solution?)

Thanks in advance for any help.


:stupid:

[dat720]

Hi,

I'm not a HD transcoding expert and know very little about the subject, but i have stumbled on a method that seems so far to work (after trying dozens of different aproaches with dozens of different tools over the last few days to unsuccesfully encode my Transformers HDDVD), anyway the way i started was with eac3to using this command line:
eac3to.exe i: 1) 3: HDDVD.mkv 5: HDDVD.ac3 -libav
i: is my XBOX360 HD Drive
1) is the Feature number
3: HDDVD.mkv tells eac3to to demux video track 3: to a mkv file
5: HDDVD.ac3 -libav tells eac3to to demux audio track 5: to a ac3 file using the libav encoder

the resulting files are
HDDVD.mkv 20.5 GB
HDDVD.ac3 656 MB

I then muxed the ac3 file into the mkv using mkvmergegui which is part of mkvtoolnix, i now have a file called Trans.mkv which is 21.2 GB

The step im currently on is encoding the video with mencoder using this command line:
mencoder.exe -vf harddup,crop=1920:760::160,scale=1920:-2,hqdn3d -sws 2
-priority normal -o Trans_automen.avi -ovc xvid -xvidencopts fixed_quant=2.2:
threads=2:max_bframes=2:bquant_ratio=100:bquant_offset=100:vhq=0:me_quality=6:
chroma_me:chroma_opt:hq_ac:trellis:lumi_mask:autoaspect:bvhq=0 -oac mp3lame
-lameopts aq=4:cbr:br=256 Trans.mkv

Playing the video during encoding has shown me that thus far the audio is perfectly in sync, mencoder detected the files inside the mkv perfectly:

Matroska file format detected.
VIDEO: [avc1] 1920x1080 24bpp 23.976 fps 0.0 kbps ( 0.0 kbyte/s)
[V] filefmt:31 fourcc:0x31637661 size:1920x1080 fps:23.98 ftime:=0.0417
===============================================
Opening audio decoder: [liba52] AC3 decoding with liba52
Using SSE optimized IMDCT transform
Using MMX optimized resampler
AUDIO: 48000 Hz, 2 ch, s16le, 640.0 kbit/41.67% (ratio: 80000->192000)
Selected audio codec: [a52] afm: liba52 (AC3-liba52)
===============================================

If at the end of the encode (currently happening.... boo for Pentium D 935 encoding at 3.6fps) the audio is in perfect sync, then this could just be the most simple solution out of the dozens i have tried.

Before anyone goes shouting off at me about mp3 audio it was not deliberate, i use automen to generate command lines for mencoder and forgot to click the copy audio switch, i can always redo the audio later using either mencoder or virtualdubmod.

As far as i can tell this method im using right now has no need for any directshow codecs as eac3to uses its own libav and mencoder has the required codecs built in and the best bit is the resulting avi will play on my XBOX 360.

I will post more info when im done with the encode as to how well it worked, or if it was yet another waste of 11 hours....

Time for a new pc i think.

PS. If anyone has covered this method before sorry, but ive yet to see a post using these steps.

edit:
Playing the file at 51% encoded, using:
mplayer.exe -idx Trans_automen.avi
Shows the audio in sync upto the halfway point in the movie, will know more in 7 hours once its done :)

[dat720]

Well if anyone cares it worked perfectly, i have a 14.8gb xvid + mp3 avi file of Transformers Perfectly in sync, am redoing the same test at 320x126 resolution so its a little faster this time, the revised command copies the ac3 from the mkv file and does a 2 pass encode at 9mbps, will see how it turns out and if the quality is upto scratch.

I am using the latest builds of all programs involved:
eac3to v2.41 - 21/4/08 from Here (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=125966)
mkvtoolnix 2.2.0 - 4/3/08 from Here (http://www.bunkus.org/videotools/mkvtoolnix/downloads.html)
Mencoder svn rev 26446 - 04/14/08 from Here (http://oss.netfarm.it/mplayer-win32.php)

This seems almost too simple, everyone is using grf's and avs scripts why does this simple method work so well.

The reason i am using AVI over MKV as a container format (other than the fact i dont know why people use mkv except for multiple audio tracks and embeded subs) is the XBOX 360's playback is pretty much limited to DIVX/XVID AC3/MP3 audio and using mencoder to create these, the video's pretty much come out 100% playable on the 360.

[dat720]

I have made a better guide to what i did which you can find here:
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=137128

[QuadcoreHD]

Dat, are you trying to preserve 1080p video quality?

[dat720]

to a certain degree, in the original mencoder command i had a constant quality setting, altho xbox 360's dont like bitrates over 10mbps, so my revised setting is constant bitrate @ 9mbps, obviously not as good as original, but still fantastic, dont resuse my command as the cropping was way to agressive and cropped to much off top and bottom, im not at home so i cant post my revised one, but i will later tonight *12 noon here*

[dat720]

QuadcoreHD, here is the info that smplayer spits out (mplayer gui), i just watched the last 30 mins and quality was excelent, no noticable blocking, no noise that isn't in the original HD DVD, no skipping (on the XBOX360 anyway) you can notice the audio is slightly out of sync, i think i need to apply the -83ms of delay that is listed in the eac3to log, but the sync is constant, it is out the same amount the entire length of the clip, -83ms may even be too much so i will do some experimenting and see.

File: D:/Profile/HP/Videos/Trans_1920_9mbps_ac3.avi
Size: 10125065 KB (9887 MB)
Length: 02:23:27
Demuxer: avi

Clip info
Software
MEncoder Sherpya-SVN-r26446-4.2.3

Video Resolution: 1920 x 800
Aspect ratio: 2.4002
Format: XVID
Bitrate: 8992 kbps
Frames per second: 23.976
Selected codec: ffodivx

Initial Audio Stream Format: 8192
Bitrate: 640 kbps
Rate: 48000 Hz
Channels: 6
Selected codec: a52 <= the a52 codec IS ac3

But so far this is the easiest method, and given the best results our of everything i've tried.