No audio in authored DVD when AC3 file used

[AirGibson]

I have a strange problem getting AC3 audio to work. When the DVD is authored and an AC3 audio file is provided, I get no audio at all in the resulting DVD. If I use a PCM audio file instead, the DVD plays fine. I'd like to get AC3 working, though.

Tools used:
- Virtual Dub
- BeSweet / AC3Enc
- AC3Fix
- TMPGenc DVD Author, IFOEdit
- Power DVD (to test resulting DVD files)


Specifically, here's what I've done:

- Used Virtual Dub to extract the uncompressed audio WAV from the AVI I'm converting.
- Corrected the gradual loss of sync problems in the WAV by resampling with GoldWave.

At this point, if I use the resulting WAV file (PCM) to author the DVD, the DVD comes out fine.

- Next, I used BeSweet / AC3Enc to process the fixed WAV file into an AC3 file. Here is the exact command used to do so:
"C:\BeSweet\BeSweet.exe" -core( -input "C:\Conversions\test.wav" -output "C:\Conversions\test.ac3" -logfilea "C:\BeSweet\BeSweet.log" ) -ac3enc( -b 256 )

At this point, if I use the resulting AC3 file when authoring, the DVD has no sound.

- Used AC3Fix on the AC3 file to output a new "fixed" AC3 file. No errors are reported.

At this point, if I use the resulting "fixed" AC3 file when authoring, the DVD still has no sound.


Both TMPGenc DVD Author and IFOEdit yeild the same result. Power DVD plays back the DVD files with no sound unless I use a PCM audio file. I've also used the Kooala Film Player to test the .ac3 file and it plays fine there.

I know BeSweet AC3 files aren't fully AC3 compliant and thus have issues with Pioneer players. However, I'm not getting audio *at all* no matter what player / utility is used to test the authored DVD files.

I found this thread where the guy seems to have the same problems as me, but saw no resolution. Currently, I plan on simply trying sonic foundry soft encode for AC3 conversion, but I'd rather use a free utility if possible

[Gazorgan]

What version of Power DVD? Some aren't AC3 friendly.

Try Media Player Classic, and see if that plays it (it plays anything)

I personally have had major issues with 256K AC3 audio, which I won't use now. Try 192 (2 channel) or 384 (5+1 channel).

[AirGibson]

I'll test it with MPC when I get home. I've used Kooala Film Player on it and it played fine. And thanks for the 256 k tip. I'll try one of your suggestions instead.

[THEXFILES]

i use ac3 files and play fine,you cant hear no audio but after the dvd is burnt they will be there,tmpg dvd author dont support ac3,but you can author your dvd in it .

[lemmy999]

I have never been able to get BeSweet to generate anything but silent AC3 files. I can use it to generate just about every other type of file though. So I end up using SoftEncode. I just hate that it is so much slower.

[equinox137]

Where do you find SoftEncode??? I assume it works better than BeSh!t??

[lpn1160]

I had a similar problem with AC3 files encoded with besweet. on 1 of my set-top players any bit-rate but 224 will just sputter and spit. If i use soft encode or the ac3 encoder that come with scenarist, all bitrates play just fine. Try and find a program that comes with or has a licsensed encoder from Dolby that will make "proper" ac3 files. Beware they will be a bit costly!!!!

[berru]

AirGibson,
I'm having exactly the same problem as you do.
I'm trying to author a DVD with some DV footage that I've edited with Premiere.
I can encode the video with TMPGENC no problem. If I leave the audio in PCM or MP2, TMPGENC DVD Author generates the VOB file with no problem and I can play on my stand alone DVD player with audio (as long as I set the "Re-encode the audio using the output format of the track" option in TMPGENC DVD Author... and I still don't know why I have to set that... but at least it works).

In any case, if I convert the audio to AC3 with Besweet, and set it as the input audio file in TMPGENC DVD Author, something very weird happens. If I play the resulting VOB files with WinDVD in my PC, I can't hear the audio. The same thing happens if I burn the DVD and play it on my stand alone DVD player. HOWEVER, I know there's audio in the VOB file. I know it because I can open the VOB file with DVD2AVI, and it shows the audio track in there. In addition, DVD2AVI can generate both the d2v and the wav file from the VOB file and the wav file contains the audio I had converted to ac3. So the VOB file has the audio (I also can tell looking at the size of the file), but my WinDVD or my stand alone player won't see it.

Did you find a solution to your problem? Or is the only solution to get the Dolby licenced software to create the ac3 file.

Thanks a lot.