DTS-HD 5.1 decode, edit, and re-encode

[zee944]

I have a lossless(?) DTS-HD 5.1 track. I'd like to do the following things:

1. Decode to 6 separate WAVs.

2. Edit the waves in an audio editor, such as GoldWave.

3. Re-encode it the very same way, as a lossless DTS-HD track, and with the same volume levels and dynamics inside. In short, it has to sound the same as before.

Is it possible? How can I do it?

Thank you for any help in advance!

[Video Dude]

You can use eac3to to decode to wav, but there is no free DTS-HD MA encoder. The encoder available from DTS is very expensive and not marketed for consumers.


After you edit you can output to pcm 5.1 and that would retain the lossless quality. There are free AC3 encoders available and even low cost products that can output AC3. Many people can't hear the difference between AC3 640 kbps and lossless unless they have a golden ear or really high end equipment.

[zee944]

Originally Posted by Video Dude

You can use eac3to to decode to wav, but there is no free DTS-HD MA encoder.

I've read something in this thread that I have to have the appropriate filters to decode the DTS-HD Master lossless, otherwise I can only decode it in lossy format with eac3to. Is it true?

Originally Posted by Video Dude

After you edit you can output to pcm 5.1 and that would retain the lossless quality.

Can I use that PCM 5.1 for a Blu-ray or in an MKV container?

[Asmodian]

Originally Posted by zee944

I've read something in this thread that I have to have the appropriate filters to decode the DTS-HD Master lossless, otherwise I can only decode it in lossy format with eac3to. Is it true?

Yes (you need Arcsoft's decoder)

Originally Posted by zee944

Can I use that PCM 5.1 for a Blu-ray or in an MKV container?

Compress the PCM to a 5.1 flac instead of DTS-HD (also lossless and smaller than DTS-HD).

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally Posted by Video Dude

There are free AC3 encoders available and even low cost products that can output AC3. Many people can't hear the difference between AC3 640 kbps and lossless unless they have a golden ear or really high end equipment.

There's also a free 'lossy' DTS encoder available, which offers bit-rates much higher than AC3's 640Kbps

[nevcairiel]

Originally Posted by SeeMoreDigital

There's also a free 'lossy' DTS encoder available, which offers bit-rates much higher than AC3's 640Kbps

Did anyone ever conclusively determine if those higher bitrates are really "better", or it just compresses worse?

Of course DTS will say they are better, and Dolby will say the opposite.

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally Posted by nevcairiel

Did anyone ever conclusively determine if those higher bitrates are really "better", or it just compresses worse?

Of course DTS will say they are better, and Dolby will say the opposite.

Funny you should mention that... I've recently carried out some of my own tests and I personally don't believe that 96/24 DTS sounds any better than DTS-CD.

But I do think that when encoding from a lossless PCM source, the free DTS (DCAenc) encoder at 768Kbps sounds fuller than the free AC3 (Aften) encoder at 640Kbps.


Cheers

[zee944]

Thanks for the responses.

Originally Posted by Asmodian

Compress the PCM to a 5.1 flac instead of DTS-HD (also lossless and smaller than DTS-HD).

1. Does every player that plays DTS-HD plays 5.1 flac as well?

2. If the answer is yes, why don't the official releases use 5.1 flac?

[nevcairiel]

Not every player. But not every player can play full DTS-HD either, and only plays the lossy DTS core instead.

You should focus on the players you are planning to play it on, though. =)

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally Posted by zee944

1. Does every player that plays DTS-HD plays 5.1 flac as well?

Over the years I've had several hardware Blu-ray players. Three of them could play FLAC files but only one of them supported 5.1 channel playback (Oppo BDP-103).

Some surround sound amplifiers also support FLAC files via USB pen-drive and/or via a network connection. But not all of them support 5.1 channel playback, only stereo...

[zee944]

I'll have to figure out what format to use then. Too bad there is no DTS-HD MA encoder available.

I've successfully decoded the DTS-HD MA track with eac3to and ArcSoft DVD Decoder. One thing I noticed: the output WAVs are 24-bit. Is this good for me if I want the best quality possible? I've read somewhere the waves inside the DTS are 64-bit.

[nevcairiel]

DTS-HD MA is usually either 16-bit or 24-bit, lossy DTS is usually decoded to 32-bit or 64-bit floating point, but that doesn't mean its "better".

[rik1138]

If you have the means to post the WAVs somewhere, I can compress them back to DTS-HD MA if you want...

[zee944]

Originally Posted by rik1138

If you have the means to post the WAVs somewhere, I can compress them back to DTS-HD MA if you want...

Thank you for the offer! What encoder do you have?

[rik1138]

DTS's... I think it's the only one out there.
http://www.dts.com/professionals/aud.../overview.aspx