How to Author AC3 5.1 Channel Audio Only DVD Using DVDLab Pro 2

Hittz · Member Joined: 18 Dec 2006 Location: United States

Here is a guide on How to author an Audio Only DVD with AC3 5.1 Channel audio files using DVDLAb Pro2,
The project we will author is quite summarized with respect to explaining all facts of the authoring process. DLP has a wide array of options to accomplish many more things that you might want to do, with respect to authoring. Have a look at the users manual. I got a lot of understanding from it. ( I also use DVDLAb pro to author DVD's and I find it reliably stable) I will refer to DVDLab Pro as: DLP, and save myself a little typing

Open DLP and a dialog box will open asking your default project settings I choose NTSC, Normal(VTS Menu + Movie) and click OK(screenshot not shown) a tips box will then open, just close it, unless youd like to browse through a few tips on its use. By default there will be an empty movie in place in the project view window, high light it and click delete on your keyboard. See below:

Go down to the lower left of DLP and click on the yellow folder, browse to the location of your files click on them and they will load into the assets bin, then go to the Projects bin (top red arrow and click the Audio -Only Title button, as shown to the right it will load as Audio Title 1(which we will rename later)

Drag your audio files from the assets bin (at the bottom) onto the black part of Audio Title 1. Then, double click on the BLACK part of Audio Title 1 to add text and change your background.

At this time you can rename Audi Title 1 (in the PROJECT bin on the left by left clicking with mouse to highlight and pushing the F2 button on your keyboard) to the name of the song your loading. Then type the name of the song on the actual menu (to the right). In the assets window ( bottom of interface) you can click on the backgrounds tab
and you may load up a different background color to make it look more nice. On the actual menu click on the fonts button and you can also change your fonts. The fonts color may be altered by using the level controls on the far right in the properties section. Tweak all these settings as you please.REPEAT
this process for all your AC3 files in turn of the PROJECTS view window (following the order of your songs there).

After all your songs are done, right click on the menu folder in the projects section and click ADD Menu Click on the fonts button and type in the name of this menu, type in the names of your songs, and type in the words, PLAY ALL. You may arrange your typed words how ever you wish.
In the projects window you may rename this menu by hitting F2 on your keyboard.

Then click Connection, in the projects folder on the left at the top. In the connections box click on the ALL button at the bottom, This will import a PLAY ALL button into our projects box.

Now double click on the Menu 1 (or whatever you renamed it to) and it will load, You should see the list of songs, and title of the menu page, along with the PLAY ALL button that you made earlier. We will now start to link some of our project. Working FROM the Projects window TO our menu, drag and drop the PLAY ALL button to the PLAY ALL text on the menu. Also drag and drop your song titles FROM the projects window to the
corresponding song on the actual menu.

If we only had 1 album, we would now go to the top of the interface just under slideshow and click on
the Compile button, chose a place to save your Audio DVD and hit start. Just wait for DLP to finish and you can then burn your AC3 5.1 channel Audio Only project to DVD.

If we had a few more albums we would proceed as follows: Add a VMG menu to your project to link our menus to one main menu to navigate to
and from the various albums on our dvd. Click the Add VMG button in the projects window at the top ( I have renamed mine MAIN, by clicking F2 on my keyboard)

Now in the projects window hit add VTS, for example if you had 2 different albums or genres of music, ie Rock, Rap. Add audio titles under VTS 2 in the same way we did it in VTS 1.(above)

After your songs are all loaded, and you've added a menu to VTS 2 create the links in the same way you have in VTS 1. On our song title menu in VTS 2 add the text Return to MAIN ( or whatever you named your VMG menu as) we will link the text "Return to MAIN" to the VMG menu (MAIN menu) so we can select which album to play.

Also go back to your song title menu in VTS 1 and double click it and add the text "Return to MAIN Menu" Drag and drop the VMG menu in the projects window onto the text (words) Return to MAIN Menu. Again, this will link the VMG menu to the song title menu in VTS 1.

Then double click on MAIN (your VMG menu) in the projects window. Add the words MAIN MENU and add the names of your albums, dressing this menu up however you please. Finally, drag and drop the Song Title menus from both VTS's to the corresponding text on the VMG menu (MAIN MENU) Click on Compile DVD and hit the start button. Let DVDLAb pro do its thing (author) and BOOM! your done. Locate the VIDEO_TS folder and burn it to DVD.

Thanks to GordRocks for his original tutorial here on Videohelp.com
http://forum.videohelp.com/topic287574.html

raquete · Member Joined: 25 Oct 2006 Location: Brazil

Hittz · Member Joined: 18 Dec 2006 Location: United States

raquete · Member Joined: 25 Oct 2006 Location: Brazil

oh boy, was so simple and works perfectly.

great guide Hittz.
congrats and thanks so much for fast answer!

raquete · Member Joined: 25 Oct 2006 Location: Brazil

Hittz
i forgot to tell.

i'm using DVDLab Pro 2.2 and loading 2 audios in each Audio Title.
in Audio 1 i load AC3 5.1 and in Audio 2 i load DTS 5.1

cheers!

Hittz · Member Joined: 18 Dec 2006 Location: United States

Your welcome, Im glad all worked out for ya.
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Seek, And You Shall Find.

Cr0n_J0b · Member Joined: 07 Sep 2009 Location: United States

I have a quick question...Thanks for the Guide by the way...

I'm looking for a way to create an audio only DVD (DTS 5.1 surround) for the car that just plays music. My issue is that in my car, I can't access the DVD menu while the car is in motion. I have several Audio DVDs that just don't start in the player. Is there a way to author them so they auto start? Do I have to have the menu at the begining?

thanks for the help.

Hittz · Member Joined: 18 Dec 2006 Location: United States

Try loading all your songs without a menu and in the Connections view draw links to all your songs connecting them to each other even going into the next VTS. Let me know how a make out.
_________________
Seek, And You Shall Find.