Is different Joint/Stereo,Mono Selection for each Audio Stream a possibility?

[mkanar]

Hello!

I am interested in encoding my SVCDs with the first SVCD audio stream as Stereo but I would like to encode the 2nd audio stream as mono or joint stereo. Does this violate the SVCD standard and if not? If not, it might be a nice enhancement for DVD2SVCD.

Also, if an audio track is encoded in mono mode with, for example, a bitrate of 192kbps selected, does it actually only use 96kbps? If so, does DVD2SVCD take this into consideration when calculating the SVCD size values?

Thanks!
MKanar

[pacohaas]

I posed this sort of question to the DVD2SVCD Hacks thread, but shortly after, I found that joint stereo in mp2 is not as good as it is in lame mp3 and at all bitrates, stereo will be better than j/s for mp2(with current encoders). Now you're idea with mono is interesting because sure, there are some DVD's who's audio is only mono, so why waste the extra bits on a second channel, right?

for now:
1. choose to "edit the AVS script" when dvd2avi processing is done. (don't worry, you won't have to edit anything)
2. set the audio to stereo.
3. during audio encoding, just close the BeSweet window for the audio stream that you want to have mono.
4. the AVS script editor will pop up after audio processing step is done. (this just pauses the process while you can encode your mono file.)
5. copy the BeSweet command-line for the Audio stream you want to be mono and paste it into a .bat file, changing stereo setting to mono.
6. run the batch file
7. click OK in the AVS script editor and everything will go as planned.

[pacohaas]

Originally posted by mkanar
Also, if an audio track is encoded in mono mode with, for example, a bitrate of 192kbps selected, does it actually only use 96kbps? If so, does DVD2SVCD take this into consideration when calculating the SVCD size values?sorry, forgot to answer this one: 192kbps is 192kbps is 192kbps, no matter what mode you're using, you'll get the same size file, so yes, it works in dvd2svcd. You'll probably want to use 96 for the mono file then instead of 192 if that's what you had planned.

[mkanar]

I double-checked and you are correct that 192kbps=192kbps.

I'm not totally convinced about the J/S vs stereo argument, although I honestly don't understand much about audio encoding technology beyond the basics. I do know that Joint Stereo will effectively throw out the surround-sound if it has been encoded into a 2-channel audio stream. In the case of encoding at a very low bitrate, I wouldn't want bits to get wasted on that information anyway.

Where's DSPGuru? :) I'm happy with DSPGuru's opinion I guess.

I did notice that 2lame default to Joint-Stereo over Stereo though.

Well, thanks for the info!