DVD Compatible

[Fozzee]

Hi
I'm 2 days away from getting my DVD Burner

I want to make sure the DVDs I make are as compatible as possible.

I have access to various encoders.

I plan to make the video part anywhere between 4000-6000 bitrate.

It's the audio that confuses me.
I know it can be PCM Wav, AC3 or Mpeg audio.

Which audio is the most compatible for not only playing on DVD Standalones but PS2 as well???

I also believe there are different modes to burn in. Is this right?? And if so which do I use?? I have access to Nero and Record Now Max.

Any advice appreciated.

Cheers

Fozzee

[andydd]

AC3 is the most compatible by far.

In reality nearly every DVD player supports AC3,DTS,MPEG and PCM. I cant quite remember what the DVD forum 'rules' are ..they are actuallyly different wether you are in US or Europe concerning which formats DVD players HAVE to support. There are some which dont support DTS and a few that dont support MPEG (although i have never seen a commercially available DVD that has MPEG sound).

Youll also find that PCM takes up a LOT of space as its an uncompressed audio format.

[Fozzee]

So I should convert the encoded wav to ac3 then??

And do all authoring programs accept AC3??

Cheers

Fozzee

[i_am_dave]

No, not all authoring programs accept AC3. As a matter of fact, it is an expensive add in for DVD Workshop.

I see that you are in England, that means that MP2 is standard for you.
MP2 is a huge improvement over PCM. I am not sure how much more you gain with AC3, but I am sure someone here will post and give some numbers.

[Fozzee]

Is that Mpeg1 Layer2??

Or is mp2 something different??

When you put a video in and convert it to DVD is Mp2 the audio part of the resulting mpg??

And as far as the PS2 (Pal) goes what audio does that accept??

Cheers

Fozzee

[DJRumpy]

Congradulations on your soon-to-have burner. 8)

Is that Mpeg1 Layer2??

Yes

Or is mp2 something different??

No

When you put a video in and convert it to DVD is Mp2 the audio part of the resulting mpg??

Yes

And as far as the PS2 (Pal) goes what audio does that accept??

I don't own one, but if it supports the DVD standard, then AC3 would be the most compatible, as would PCM (but PCM wouldn't be optimal).
I would suggest you stick with AC3 if possible. If your authoring software doesn't support AC3, then go with MP2. Use any of the freeware tool's to convert your PCM to MP2 (also known as MPA). BeSweet and BeSweet GUI is my tool of preference.

[andkiich]

The PS2 will support the MP2 audio format. I use MP2 in all my authored DVD's and they all play on my PS2, XBOX and stand alones.

[Fozzee]

OK Cheers

Fozzee