Streaming AC3 or Dolby Digital

[jenktj27]

Hello,

I have been trying to encode an Mpeg4 file from a DVD source with no problems. I have used both Dr. DivX and AutoGK (I agree, autoGK does a better job). The whole idea that started me on encoding videos was the networked DVD player I bought - a Go Video D2730. It has client server software that allows you to stream pictures, MP3's and video stored on your PC. The types of video supported are Mpeg1, Mpeg2, Mpeg4, AVI and DivX. The whole idea is to have all my digital pictures, MP3's and archived video available with the click of a remote (I don't believe I am ready for a multimedia PC in my living room). This is where DivX comes in because of the compression ratio. It saves disk space without loss of quality. My problem is that when I stream video with AC3 enoded audio from an original Dolby Digital track, only two channels are played through my Yamaha receiver with is connected to the networked DVD player. I can manually switch the receiver to Dolby Pro Logic II and I get simulated surround sound, but I can't get the discrete channels replicated as if it where being played from the original DVD. Any ideas? I have read about here that DTS hasn't been encoded yet through any of these tools. Is AC3 truly 6 discrete channels or is it 2 stereo channels that get simulated into 5.1 surround sound.

Thanks

[musicnyman]

i use auto gk 1.60 to create ac3 xvid files and play them on my pinnacle showcenter media player no problem. maybe it's the dvd player that doesn't support it?

[jenktj27]

When you play media through your Pinnacle media hub, does the audio play in Pro Logic or Dolby Digital. There is a difference. Dolby Digital is discrete 6 channel playback where Prologic is 2-channel simmulated surround sound. Either way, you are probably right. My player doesn't support streaming digital audio.

BTW, what model of the Pinnacle Media hub do you have?

[musicnyman]

not sure what it supports, but i know it can play all of my xvid ac3 files no problem.

i have the new G model of the showcenter. works great. have some slight delay problems in processing the audio but i think pinnacle is looking at it. haven't heard from them yet, but i put a -500 ms delay in my xvid files using virtualdub for movies that are badly out of sync ac3 wise. mp3 xvid files play awesome.