5.1 AC3 and MPEG2

[lemmy999]

I have a 5.1 Dolby Digital .AC3 track and and mpeg2 file. I am wanting to mux this and burn to a DVD+RW disc. Is the only way to do this is to use the super expensive programs like Maestro or Scenerist? It seems that DVDit PE only supports 2.0 .AC3. What if the 5.1 ac3 track is muxed with the mpeg before going to the authoring tool? Does the authoring tool take out the audio and either convert it to 2 channel PCM (for DVDit SE) or 2 channel Dolby Digital .AC3 (for DVDit PE)? Thanks.

[TRILIGHT]

I don't know enough about DVDit to say but I would imagine that it would not import the muxed MPEG file with the audio. You should decode the AC3 file into WAV and then import that or convert the WAV to 2 channel AC3 and import that. Your only other option would be to get an authoring program that supports 6 channel AC3 files.

[rpa]

However you do it, DVDit will always muxed your audio into either 2 channel PCM or AC3 (PE version). Sorry to disappoint but DVDit sucks when it comes to this.

[rpa]

Actually you can import the muxed MPEG with the AC3 audio but DVDit will always convert it into either 2 channel PCM or AC3 when it build the disk.

[lemmy999]

So what authoring tools will accept a muxed file with 5.1 .ac3 or will do the muxing itself and accept 5.1 .ac3?

[harrya]

go to www.ac3music.com and read the first page.

If you need more help. I compile AC3 files and MPEG rather often, so I could help...

[lemmy999]

so spruce up supports 5.1 ac3 without converting it to 2.0 ac3 or PCM? I didn't know that. I will give it a try. Thanks.

[TherapyClown]

i don't about you but i just made my first dvd project using DVDit! PE, i used a video encoded with cce and the demuxed AC3 stream of the movie (i only did 2 chapters) and it remains on 5.1
my Onkyo 595 doesn't lie :)

all i did was adding a button, drag the mpv file and the ac3 file and finished the project.

i hope it helps you...

TherapyClown

[rpa]

Well, I don't know how you did it but the only option in the audio setting are:

[x] Convert ALL audio to PCM
[ ] Convert ALL audio to Dolby Digital (either mono or 2 channel stereo)

The default is PCM and it doesn't give you the option not to convert and retain the original audio stream. I wish you're right but I beg to disagree.

[lemmy999]

Originally posted by harrya
go to www.ac3music.com and read the first page.

If you need more help. I compile AC3 files and MPEG rather often, so I could help...


I had some ripped VOB files I ripped with DVD Decrypter. I had to use VobEdit to demux. When I used TMPGEnc to demux, Spruce Up wouldn't take the m2v file. However, when I used VobEdit to demux it worked fine and I could import the m2v and .ac3 into SpruceUp. The only problem I have now is that SpruceUp doesn't append video tracks. What is the best way to append 4 1GB VOB files so that I can bring them in to SpruceUp?

[lemmy999]

Originally posted by rpa
Well, I don't know how you did it but the only option in the audio setting are:

[x] Convert ALL audio to PCM
[ ] Convert ALL audio to Dolby Digital (either mono or 2 channel stereo)

The default is PCM and it doesn't give you the option not to convert and retain the original audio stream. I wish you're right but I beg to disagree.


Maybe it converted all 6 channels to PCM so he still gets 6 channels, but it is not compressed to ac3. But you are correct, I have never heard of being able to get 5.1 ac3 with DVDit.

[TherapyClown]

i really don't know if it's pcm or AC3 but my Reciever shows dolby digital and it is true 5.1 output i made several test on this two chapters (DivX, DVD2SVCD and now DVDit) so i know them frame by frame.

what i did was not changing the audio settings, when i press the audio tab at default there was nothing checked (i'm trying to follow my steps again).

if you know of a way to check if it's PCM / AC3 then tell me and i'll check

TherapyClown

[rpa]

I thought PCM only plays 2 channel stereo. I'm not really an audiophile but can you enlighten me please. Can the dvd player decode 6 channel PCM? Even if this is correct, I still wouldn't recommend dvdit because it takes bigger space to encode in PCM than in AC3. If you're gonna do this then all your calculations will be mess up and your movie might no longer fit on the disks. Correct me if I'm wrong. Thanks. :)

[TherapyClown]

well i just checked and it does default to "Convert All Audio To PCM"

but i think it don't change the ac3 stream

here is the log from PowerDVD 4:

layer Information :
Player Region Code : Not Specified
Current Focus Drive : *:
Title Region Code :

Display Information :
Video Mode : Bob
Display Mode : DirectShow
FourCC Code : YV12
Surface Type : Hardware Video Accelerator (DxVA)

Video Attribute :
Video compression mode : MPEG-2
TV system : 625/50 (PAL)
Aspect Ratio : 4:3
Display Mode : reserved
Source picture resolution : unknown = 7
Frame Rate : 25.00
Source picture letterboxed : Not letterboxed
Bitrate : 2.50Mbps

Audio Attribute :
Audio Coding mode : Dolby Digital
Sampling Rate : 48kHz
Audio application mode : Not specified
Number of Audio channels : 6
Bitrate : 448 Kbps
Number of Audio streams : 1

so i realy don't know what's going on here, I believe it's a true AC3 stream but I have so little experience so i hope you'll help me figure it out...

TherapyClown

[Deepa DvD]

lemmy999,
You would want to get ReelDVD if you wan't 5.1 it supports it, but doesen't have a encoder for it. DVDit PE was the first DVD Authoring program I used (It Sucks BIG Time) and I talked to other people & the administrator on the DVDit Forum.And they say Sonic is planning to implent 5.1 support in their next version of DVDiT PE. I don't know how you got that.It might be done.I'll give it a shot, when I'm done with my Encoding.See if it acceps it.Then post the results.
I hope this helps!:)

[rpa]

I'll give it a shot also. Try to burn few chapters maybe. Will post result.

[rpa]

TheraphyClown, I just had a thought. Can you open with IFOEDIT the IFO file of you dvd playing AC3 5.1 and check the audio attributes. I think we'll know from there. Thanks.

[lemmy999]

Deepa DVD,

I checked sonic.com and on ReelDVD it had this for Audio features:

Dolby Digital stereo
MPEG-1 Layer II stereo
PCM, WAV, AIFF 16-bit, 48 KHz stereo
Automatic stereo Dolby Digital transcoding from PCM and MPEG-1 Layer II source material.


So it doesn't look like it will do Dolby Digital 5.1 either.

[Deepa DvD]

Yes, it does not encode 5.1 but supports 5.1 Dolby.That means you need a 3rd party encoder such as Soft Encode (which is not shipping anymore).
Hope this helps!:)

I have talked with their resellers lots of times.I am positive that it supports it.But doesen't come with a encoder that will encode a 5.1 Dolby Digital audio stream.

[lemmy999]

That is fine w/ me. I have softencode! Thanks.

[Deepa DvD]

Here's a link, another Sonic Member telling a member that ReelDVD supports 5.1 Dolby Digital. http://forums.sonic.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=001361

[rpa]

Originally posted by Deepa DvD
Here's a link, another Sonic Member telling a member that ReelDVD supports 5.1 Dolby Digital. http://forums.sonic.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=001361

This link specifically mentioned that there is no way dvdit supports 5.1 AC3 even with a third party software. Only Reeldvd can do it which is another authoring program from sonic.

[TherapyClown]

hey all,
i just woke up and i'm realy confused...

rpa: i saw your suggestion and loaded IfoEdit. i took a snap with SnapIt and it's attached.

BTW, are we all here using the same DVDit! PE v2.5 ?

TherapyClown

for some reason i don't see my attachment here ?!?!

[Deepa DvD]

Yes, that's right rpa! I put that link to show lemmy999 that ReelDVD supports 5.1 Dolby Digital.:)

[armyb77]

If you want to remux with AC3 5.1 a good solution is DVD Junior, they have a trial version but it wiil only give you 30 seconds of movie play, The dvd junior LE version is $99, and fully funtional except from captions. but you can mux upto 4 audio tracks
The link is www.authoringware.com/ (http://www.authoringware.com/) and the username/password for the demo version is: DEMODEMO;DVD123

:) Armyb77

[rpa]

TheraphyClown, just viewed your attachment. I guess you're right. It is indeed 5.1 AC3. Hmmm... this is weird.:sly:

[TherapyClown]

there is something i forgot to tell which is i chose cDVD as the project, i don't know if it changes the situation so you can tell me your self.

rpa: did you try it yourself?, are u using DVDit v2.5.2?
TherapyClown