Muxing video and audio files -- question

[eclipse95]

I've downloaded the trial version of CCE Basic to encode some DV files into MPEG-2 format, ultimately for burning. Because a 2-pass VBR MPEG-2 encode will generate only elementary streams, I am left with a video file and audio file. I have searched and have not been able to find how to remux them into a single mpeg-2 file. There has to be a simple way to do this (and without re-encoding the whole shebang) -- doesn't there?

[manono]

If you want an MPG, then ImagoMPEG-Muxer. If you want a DVD, then Muxman.

[jagabo]

I've used the free version of TMPGEnc to mux and demux. Select File -> MPEG Tools.

[eclipse95]

Thanks so much for the quick replies. A few issues on the above programs. Imago does not appear to accept PCM (uncompressed) audio files, TMPGenc is telling me that the muxing function is only valid for 30 days, and Muxman has an unintuitive user interface such that I can't figure it out. Any others out there?

[jagabo]

Did you get the free version of TMPGEnc?
http://www.tmpgenc.net/en/download.html
The encoder is limited to a month but I thought the (de)muxing tools weren't.

<edit>
No, you were right. Even the muxing tools are limited.
</edit>

[manono]

Imago does not appear to accept PCM (uncompressed) audio files

No, it doesn't, but we didn't know the audio was PCM when you posted earlier. You could always encode it to MP2 or AC3 audio before muxing.

As for Muxman, I was just looking at it trying to find what was unintuitive about it. Load the video. Load the audio. Press Start. Seems pretty intuitive to me. The only really unintuitive part is adding chapters, but you just have to know how to do that. And this assumes that, if authoring for DVD, your files are already DVD compliant.

[usually_quiet]

IFOEdit can produce a simple menuless DVDs containing one title and accepts PCM audio as a .WAV file. Muxman's interface has some similarities. Once you have used IFOEdit, you may be able to figure it out.

1. Open IFOEdit
2 Click "DVD Author" on the menu bar
3. Select "Author new DVD" in the drop-down menu, and using the dialog window...
4. Click the button to the right of the Video box, and select the video file for the title.
5. Click "Open"
6. Click the button to the right of the Audio box, and select the audio file for the title.
7. Click "Open"
8. Click on the audio you just added.
9. If there is an audio synchronization problem that needs correction add the delay in milliseconds in the small box to the left.
10. Select the language for the audio from the drop down menu to the left.
11. (Optional) If you have subtitles in .sup format, click the button to the right of the Subpicture input box.
12. (Optional) Add language for the subtitle in the same way as for the audio
13. (Optional)If you have a chapter position file in IFOEdit format, you may add it, in a similar fashion as for the video.
14. Click the button to the right of the Destination box, and select the folder for the DVD files.
15. Click the OK button.
16. You are ready to author -- click the OK button.

[Cornucopia]

BTW, General-purpose MPEG2 Program stream muxing tools DO NOT support PCM audio, only DVD-compliant muxers (because of the uniqueness of the VOB format vs. MPG2 PS). Depends then upon what your plans for the material are...

Scott

[eclipse95]

After my last post, I spent a bit more time and figured out that Muxman makes a vob file, not a straight mpeg-2 file (which I guess was implicit in manono's first post). My overall objective is to make the highest possible quality MPEG-2 files from DV home movies to burn to DVD. I was using PCM audio because I'm putting only 1 hour of video on the DVD, so there is room for PCM even using a high video bitrate. And I don't have access to AC-3 (and heard that the free ac-3 encoder BeSweet/BeLight has issues) and had also read that mpeg audio compression is, at least technically, not compliant with the DVD standard but that PCM is. But I have also read that most DVD players will play mpeg audio, so maybe I'll just encode the audio to mpeg in CCE and use Imago to mux the streams created by CCE. I think my remaining question is whether the muxing process can introduce video/audio synch problems. Is that anything to be concerned about?

[manono]

...so maybe I'll just encode the audio to mpeg in CCE

Eh? I don't let CCE anywhere near my audio. What's wrong with using BeSweet or BeLight or HeadAC3he?

...had also read that mpeg audio compression is, at least technically, not compliant with the DVD standard but that PCM is.

That's true, but most NTSC DVD players will play it

I think my remaining question is whether the muxing process can introduce video/audio synch problems. Is that anything to be concerned about?

Not the muxing process, as such, but if there was a delay originally, it should be taken into account. I wouldn't worry about it though, unless the audio becomes out-of-synch after being muxed. It's easy to fix if it's out of synch by a constant amount all the way through.

My overall objective is to make the highest possible quality MPEG-2 files from DV home movies to burn to DVD.

This is a little unclear to me. You want to make MPEGs and burn them as data files to a DVDR? Or you want to make DVD Videos? If you want to make real DVDs, why are you even fooling around with MPEG muxers? Why not go straight to a real DVD authoring program like Muxman? IFOs, BUPs, and VOBs is what you want, I think.

[AlanHK]

I was using PCM audio because I'm putting only 1 hour of video on the DVD, so there is room for PCM even using a high video bitrate. And I don't have access to AC-3 (and heard that the free ac-3 encoder BeSweet/BeLight has issues) and had also read that mpeg audio compression is, at least technically, not compliant with the DVD standard but that PCM is. But I have also read that most DVD players will play mpeg audio, so maybe I'll just encode the audio to mpeg in CCE and use Imago to mux the streams created by CCE.

Yes, AC3 isn't BeSweet's forte. But use Aften (that link should give you a GUI too), or FFMPEGGUI to make AC3, both free and high quality.

Unless you have an amazingly pure source, an audiophile hifi, and golden ears, a bitrate of 224, or 320 perhaps, will be indistinguishable from PCM.

I think my remaining question is whether the muxing process can introduce video/audio synch problems. Is that anything to be concerned about?

Oh yes, the cause of much hair pulling. But worry about that if and when it happens.

[eclipse95]

Thanks to all.