TMPG AC3 Plug-in is a standalone app too!

[rozemab]

Note:

Over on the DVDlab WEB site, a user (JoJo) posted an interesting description of using the new TMPGenc AC3 encoder as a standalone app. His description is not a hack or reverse engineering or.... It is simply using the tool as installed on your system.

If you have the need to encode AC3 for DVD authoring using qualified Dolby Digital routines, and cannot (or will not) pay hundreds of $s for an encoder, this may be of interest you.


JoJo wrote:
I thought the AC3 encoder for TMPGenc DVD Author only could be used in TMPGenc DVD Author. But that is not the case.
After installing the plug-in in C:\Program Files\Pegasys Inc\TMPGEnc Sound Player there is an executable with the name TMPGEncSoundPlayer.exe.
Start this (very ugly) player. Click on the button 'Encode' somewhere in the upper left of the window. Drag the audio file(s) in the window. Select on the right the AC3 plug-in. Browse to the destination folder and click on 'Encode'.
That's it. A perfect AC3 file. No need to make a VOB file first with TDA.



I decided to buy and try the AC3 encoder. Here is my initial impressions of using the encoder as a standalone application


Been trying to break the encoder with several samples. All have encoded to AC3 without a problem. I have been importing a sample of them into DVDlab without a problem. DVDlab recognizes them and displays the correct attributes.

Compiles without a problem.

Please note that I do not own TPMG DVD Author. I simply purchased the plugin and installed it on my machine. After you pay for the license, the AC encoder is 'unlocked' (now visible) and you can encode from PCM (WAV) to AC3.

Encoding is fast. On my P4 2.4g running XP pro, it will encode a 4min PCM in about 20 secs.

Encoding attributes are:

bit rate (64-448 kps)
sample rate (32, 44.1, or 48 khz)
Channel modes: 1+1 L/R 1/0C 2/0 L/R (unsure what these are)

There is a 'compression' feature and a 1+1 secondary compression feature as an encoding option.

It will not accept mp3 files as an input. It will accept other AC3 files.

Unsure about MPA, since I'm in NTSC land, I do not have any to play with.

As mentioned by JoJo, it runs interactively in a 'batch' mode. You drap and drop your files into the window, set the encoder (select AC3), set the output directory, and hit 'encode'. A progress window will be displayed showing you the current and overall status of the encoding process. Very slick indeed.

This is the genuine thing folks! Within the online help file, there is the famliar Dolby Digital logo that only qualified products can display.

So far I have been pleased with it and for $29.00, it's a heck of a deal when compared to the big-boys in the same game.




Conclusions:
It's about time an application like this is available to the public. Although I have not had problems with ffmpeg(gui), it believe it would be a matter of time before a customer would have a problem with the free AC3 encoder. To go and buy a standalone encoder is outside my budget. To switch to Premiere or Vegas and get/buy a 3rd party encoder was not an option either.

For $29US, and a clean interface (drag and drop), it is (IMO) one of the best buys in DVD authoring today.

[rozemab]

oh,

The licensing topics is really a moot point. One time you contact the company and a local license file is written to your machine. It does not go out and request a new 'license' across the internet everytime you use the product. It simply reads to local license file written to your machine.

[KpeX]

Channel modes: 1+1 L/R 1/0C 2/0 L/R (unsure what these are) This simply means that it can only encode mono or stereo AC3. Thanks for posting this, but for most AC3 users this won't be very useful without 5.1 channel mode.

[Soapm]

Originally posted by KpeX
This simply means that it can only encode mono or stereo AC3. Thanks for posting this, but for most AC3 users this won't be very useful without 5.1 channel mode.

Actually, within this interface there are settings for upto AC3 5.0+LFE. You can also perform some equalization.

[rozemab]

Originally posted by Soapm
Actually, within this interface there are settings for upto AC3 5.0+LFE. You can also perform some equalization.

Soapm,

How is this activated? I could not find any 5.0 etc menu options.

[echooff]

When in the screen click on encode. A new window opens that allos you to drag n drop audio files. On the right hand side you should see 3 audio plugin choices. clickon the dolby digital one.

[rozemab]

Originally posted by echooff
When in the screen click on encode. A new window opens that allos you to drag n drop audio files. On the right hand side you should see 3 audio plugin choices. clickon the dolby digital one.

echooff-


I follow your steps. When I click on the AC3 encoder, I only see these available channel modes:

1+1 (L,R)
1/0 (C)
2/0 (L,R)

Am I overlooking something?

[echooff]

I may have misled you. I am at work so I have to do it from memory. I will double check and get back to you tomorrow.

[Dave82]

I tried to check the compression option and I noticed that the volume is decreased. Has this something to do with the dialogue normalization explained in the sticky about dolby encoding in this forum? Does this option automatically detect the volume of the input file and set the dialogue normalization to the standard -31db? If not, is it possible to set it correctly with this ac3 plugin? (it would be great, since I already have TMPGEnc DVD Author and the ac3 plugin).

[echooff]

@rozemab

Sorry I'm so slow with my reply. It is located under to config option on the player window.

[Dave82]

It seems to me that this is only a decoding option, so you can encode only mono or stereo ac3, I think...
Anybody on the compression?

[SallyDog]

Originally posted by Dave82
Does this option automatically detect the volume of the input file and set the dialogue normalization to the standard -31db?

I used Sound Forge on a wav and determined that the average RMS was -14 dB. I then used the AC3 plug-in to convert to two ac3 files, one with compression checked, and one without. I then opened both ac3 files in Soft Encode and the dialogue normalization for each of them was -31db. It doesn't appear that compression has any effect on normalization, but it does appear that TMPG forces the output to -31dB whether compression is used or not.

hth,
SallyDog

[Dave82]

it does appear that TMPG forces the output to -31dB whether compression is used or not.
I tried to encode two wav files of the same song but with different volumes: the volumes of the ac3 files was almost the same (and so the louder file was still louder). How could the dialogue normalization be the same and the volumes be different? Am I missing something? From the sticky about encoding ac3 files I understood there is a relationship between the 2 things...or not? :confused:
Then I tried to encode the 2 files checking Compression and the volumes seemed to become the same in the ac3 files. What about this?

[Dave82]

Anyone? :p

[old-hack]

@Dave82, echooff, & rozemab

I checked out the TMPGenc web site for the AC3 plugin and it seemed pretty clear that the plug-in was only for encoding & decoding AC3 2ch surround. Maybe it has capabilities they weren't willing to admit to or publish.

http://www.pegasys-inc.com/en/product/tsp_ac3.html