Avi to dvd freezes in stanalone player

[talho]

My problem is that when i do convert avi(ac3 sounds) to dvd by tmpgenc and ifoedit and burned nero it plays well in pc but when i put it in standalone player it freezes after few seconds.
But it when presssed forward it starts again but after few seconds it freezees again.
DVD recorder is Pioneer DVR-105 and standalone Pioneer Dv-535.

Can anyone tell me what might cause this ?

[maduser74]

I am having the same problem with Pioneer DV-525 and my writer Sony 500ULX.

Were you able to find out the cause ? If so please share how you fixed the same ?

Thanks

[ktnwin]

I have the same problem as talho, same hardware config except my DVD player is Pioneer 343.
This only happens when I encode to MPEG2 with TMPGEnc, demux and convert audio to AC3 then author the M2V and AC3.
Keep watching for any help coming here.

[joepic]

We are all in the same boat, owners of Pioneer (me DV-525) standalone players with audio freezing problems

First some background information:
1. BeSweet created .AC3 files causes the Pioneer to freeze up.

2. Converted .AVI file in TMPGEnc to DVD .m2v and .mp2 causes freeze up in Pioneer.

3. Using Maestro to author with either .mp2 (created by TMPGEnc) or .ac3 (created by BeSweet) files causes problems.

Last night I did a little expermenting and took a different approach.
1. Took sample .AVI file and used TMPGEnc to create SVCD .MPG (at 480 x 480 pixels) file instead of creating DVD files .m2v and .mp2.

2. Used SVC2DVDMPG to convert .MPG file to .M2V (at 720 pixels) and audio .mpa files. I believe there is an option in SVC2DVDMPG to create a .AC3 file using BeSweet. Need to try that tonight.

3. Used TMPGEnc Author and created VIDEO_TS folder.

4. Finally SVCD2DVDMPG converted the .VOB file back to 480 pixels.

5. Burned the +RW DVD and played in Pioneer.

It WORKED , no audio problem.

The only problem was the 2/3 size on the horizontal which is another know Pioneer limitation.

In case you have not been folllowing the thread: https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=157353 , ChrissyBoy has solved the Pioneer 2/3 size problem by changing the .MPG header file to include 4:3 Pan & Scan information. Setting your Pioneer to this mode gives you a full screen horizontal. I have been waiting for his finished product to convert a bunch of SVCD's to DVD.

[emats]

I have the same problem with Pioneer DV-250. I encoded video in TMPGEnc, audio with BeSweet, authored and burned with Sonic Foundry's DVD Architect and Pioneer A05 using TDK DVD-R. No dice in my Pioneer standalone but plays in my JVC and Panasonic. Go figure... my Pioneer plays almost anything else.

[FulciLives]

SUBJECT: Pioneer DVD players and DVD-R discs with "home-made" AC-3 sound ...

I found out something rather interesting in regard to AC-3 audio and the Pioneer DVD players. Please read:

I converted a PAL DVD to NTSC. This involves not only some video trickery but also some audio trickery as well. Basically the audio of a PAL format DVD was made to match the 25fps video speed of PAL video. When converting to NTSC you need to SLOW down the audio to match the 24fps (well really 23.976fps) of NTSC video. The BeSweet GUI has a built-in option for doing this. Basically you input the original AC-3 file and check the PAL to NTSC pre-set option and it creates a new AC-3 file for you.

Anyways I did the video in TMPGEnc Pro and used SpruceUp to do the authoring since it is the only easy-to-use authoring tool (at least that I know of) that will accept AC-3 audio. I fooled around a bit with Maestro but nearly had a nervous breakdown.

Now listen to this ... I converted two PAL DVD discs using this method. One has a 5.1 AC-3 audio file whereas the other only has a 2.0 AC-3 audio file.

The DVD-R that has the 5.1 AC-3 audio plays back perfectly in my Pioneer 606D player (an old 3rd gen player when most companies where still on 2nd gen models). However, the DVD-R with the 2.0 AC-3 file will not play on the Pioneer ... it locks it up! Yet that DVD-R (the one with 2.0 AC-3) played fine on my Cyberhome CH-DVD 500 model player as well as two different Panasonic models I tired (the RV-32 and the very new S35). I guess I should mention those other players also had no problem with the 5.1 AC-3 created DVD-R disc.

To top it off (or make the point even more clear) I put a trailer on the DVD-R with the movie that had 5.1 audio but the trailer (processed as a seperate clip and accessable via the menu created with SpruceUp) has 2.0 audio. Guess what? The movie plays fine as I said but try to play the trailer and it locks up the player (the Pioneer only that is).

Now I don't know if the problem is SpruceUp or BeSweet or the Pioneer player itself. But I find it REALLY odd that the Pioneer could handle the BeSweet created 5.1 AC-3 audio file BUT NOT the 2.0 AC-3 audio file.

So, in conclusion, I wonder if we can't just make a 5.1 AC-3 in BeSweet and thus solve our problems. But how to do that since most audio sources are only 2 channel to begin with and how that will affect the 5.1 encoding/decoding etc. I do not know.

SO if anyone knows how to take a 2 channel sound format (like 2.0 AC-3 or a wave or mp2 or mp3 etc.) and convert it to a 5.1 AC-3 in BeSweet ... well that person would be MY hero ... for a day at least

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

P.S.
Comments and suggestions are most welcome and encouraged

[GreyDeath]

I have the same darn thing on my Pioneer DV-434 using the same methods: TMPGEnc Plus/Besweet/Maestro.

I wanted to use Maestro because it supports up to 99 chapters instead of 36 for DVD Complete. Looked at Tsunami's DVD Author, but it doesn't seem to support DVD's with multiple titles and no menus (ie burning TV shows to DVD)

I'm glad I'm not the only one who's having this problem with this route, but I'm supprised no one else has posted something like this before...

[GreyDeath]

Did a further search on the forums and found this:

https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=126349&highlight=maestro+freeze

It suggests changing the audio to mpeg-1 but will that decrease the frequency or "richness" of the audio, or just take up more space for encoding?

[FulciLives]

Did a further search on the forums and found this:

https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=126349&highlight=maestro+freeze

It suggests changing the audio to mpeg-1 but will that decrease the frequency or "richness" of the audio, or just take up more space for encoding?

Well from my (so far limited testing) it would seem that the Pioneer players have no problem with 5.1 AC-3 files created with BeSweet. So it would seem to me that the best solution would be to use 5.1 AC-3 but I'm not sure how to create that from a mono or stereo source.

I assume with a mono source you would just copy the wave to make 6 channels and then create your 5.1 AC-3 from that. With a 2 channel stereo source it would make sense to do this:

Copy the front right to the surround right
Copy the front left to the surround left
Convert to mono for the center channel
Convert to mono for the subwoofer

This makes sense but I don't know how well it would actually work. Also I'm not sure if the entire signal should go to the subwoofer or if there is a way to filter out everything but the bass (under a certain point) and then use that.

Something I've been meaning to look into but haven't had the time. I don't suppose anyone knows of any on-line guies dealing with this issue ... the creation of 5.1 AC-3 from a stereo or mono source?

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[Baldrick]

My problem is that when i do convert avi(ac3 sounds) to dvd by tmpgenc and ifoedit and burned nero it plays well in pc but when i put it in standalone player it freezes after few seconds.
But it when presssed forward it starts again but after few seconds it freezees again.
DVD recorder is Pioneer DVR-105 and standalone Pioneer Dv-535.

Can anyone tell me what might cause this ?

I had exact same problem, so I tested another authoring tool, tmpgenc dvd author, instead of ifoedit and the problem was gone. The ac3 source was from a dvd, I didn't create it with besweet or something.

[ktnwin]

From all what I read here, look like the problem is caused by AC3 file generated by BeSweet. I author DVD home movies with AC3 all the time (using neoDVD Plus) and never had any problem at all.
The reason I want to go with the path:
AVI->TMPGenc->(352X480)MPEG-2->M2V + AC3
is to be able to fit more on a single DVD-R (2.5 to 3 hours) with original VHS quality.

[FulciLives]

Hello

Well to clarify .. The Pioneer players have trouble with 2.0 AC-3 files created with BeSweet but not 5.1 AC-3 audio files. However any BeSweet 5.1 AC-3 I've made was made from another 5.1 AC-3 file. Yet most of the time we are dealing with only 2 channel stereo (maybe even mono) sources. So if someone can figure out how to use a 2 channel source to create a 5.1 AC-3 all our sound troubles would be over.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[GreyDeath]

Well, if it seems like BeSweet's wav2ac3 is the problem, are there any other encoders, free or otherwise, that can do the same thing and be compatible with Maestro (wav2ac3).

BTW, I've made a working DVD on Maestro using the audio mp2 file created by TMPGEnc. When done compiling, Maestro warns me that the DVD has to have at least one AC3 stream to be DVD Compliant.

Is AC3 a standard for DVD's to be fully compliant, and if it is, why don't more authoring programs like TMPGEnc and Premeire support AC3?

[FulciLives]

Hello

It is best to make a DVD with AC-3 to be fully compliant. You can also use PCM but to have ONLY an MP2 soundtrack is not 100% compliant.

What other AC-3 encoders are there that are either cheap or better yet free? Download links would be helpfull

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[GreyDeath]

Heh, I've been unfortunately authoring all my stuff in mp2 just because DVD Complete doesn't support ac3. I did throw both the ac3 and mp2 tracks on the DVD using Maestro in a test to see if it would work (audio tracks 1 and 2), the ac3 still locks up on the Pioneer, but at least the mp2 is there to back it up...

PCM is essentially just the wav equivalent? If so, maybe having both the MP2 and AC3 tracks would be better because they would take less space overall compared to having WAV audio. Then again, if Besweet could make it so it's AC3 conversion is compatable with Pioneer standalones, that'd be just spiffy :P One can only dream... or wait for something better...

What other encoding programs free or otherwise, support AC3? I like TMPGEnc because it has a nice and easy user interface, but it doesn't support AC3. What's everone else use to get an m2v and ac3 file for DVD compatiblity?

[GreyDeath]

Okay, I may be stupid, throwing away my money away like this, but I've placed an order for Vegas+DVD just so I can also get the AC3 Encoder that comes with it...well not just for that... I also like Sonic Foundry's Video Factory, so in a sense I'm upgrading to a more extensive NLE too. I found Video Factory to be more intuitive than Premeire.

But anyways, I'll let you guys know if the AC-3 is more compatible with Pioneer when I test it. It should be since it's got Dolby's name all over it.

Is this why AC-3 is hard to come by? Is it a license from Dolby?