Audio problem on DVD-Clipping out or no play on some players

[Des]

I just finished putting a slide show and some video clips from vacation onto a DVD.
The slide show was created with Proshow Gold and output as 720x480 mpg2 with the audio as mpeg1 layer2 @224k. The video clips are MOV files converted to 352x480 mpg2 with Mainconcept. The audio on the clips is also mpeg1 layer2 @192k.
Audio source for the slideshow is from mp3 files converted off a CD. Audio for the clips is from the MOV files.
I authored the disk with DVDLab and burn onto Ty Yuden 8x DVD-r using the burning routine of DVDLab with a Pioneer A05 burner.

So when I play this back on the PC everything is fine. When I play it back on the DVD Player (Liteon 5005) the audio keeps "clipping" or "dropping out" every few seconds (almost like a burp). On some other players the Slideshow plays OK, but the converted clips don't play sound at all.
The results through the 5005 are better if I turn off DTS and switch audio to PCM, but it's still not 100%.

I loaded some of the demuxed audio files into Vegas4 thinking that maybe they need to be normalized but it only made an adjustment of -0.01 so I didn't bother.

I've done some other disks with pretty much the same settings/software/methods/etc. and have not had these problems before (that I know of).

Am I missing anything here? Should I be saving the audio as something else ie., PCM, layer2 or convert to AC3 , etc.?

--dES

[Des]

Oh yeah, the audio is also at 48khz

--dES

[guns1inger]

I have seen DVD Lab slideshows play strangely before. I had one slideshow where the audio dropped out when the slide changed, but only on a Phillips DVD player. My Pioneers, and PC, played it without a hitch.

Do you have a menu, and if so, what audio specs are attached to it ?

If you can, I would try AC3, as it is much more reliable that Mpeg1-Layer2, only because it is mandatory in the specs. Although it should be OK, try keeping the audio the same in all cases, or putting different audio i different titlesets.

finally, if all else fails, go visit Oscar at the Mediachance forums.

[Des]

Thanks for the input.

I'll try converting the audio as AC3 and see if that does better.

I used Proshow to make the slide show, I only used DVDLab to author and burn the disk.

There's no audio on the menus. I do have the main menu as a motion menu and then all of the sub menus are pretty standard, static menus.

Will post back how the AC3 does.

--dES

[Des]

Tried a test by converting the slideshow audio to AC3 using Vegas4 on the original mpg file and not the demuxed map stream (couldn't remember/figure out any other way to do this). First I normalized the audio (which only adjusted by -0.01) then rendered the AC3 file.
I used DVDlab to bring in the video and new ac3 audio track. The track had a spec of 192kbps at 48khz (original mpa file was 224kbps).
Then compiled and burned just this onto a DVD-r.
The end result was actually worse than before. This time the DSP display on my Yamaha amp kept blinking in and out with the drop outs in the audio. Setting the audio output on the liteon 5005 to PCM and no DTS helped some, but then the results are the same as before ie., with a clipping in the audio instead of just dropping out.

Seems to me that the audio is 'too hot' for the system to handle.

Help!

--dES

[Des]

I wonder if this could be part of the problem:

I opened up the AC3 file in AC3 Tool and the report it gave back was a series of "downmix overflow" results with variations ranging from +.1 to +.7 and then an "InFile Error EOF".

Does this mean anything?

Of course even if it is a problem with the AC3 it still doesn't answer why it also happened with the mpeg audio.

Aarrgggh!

--dES

[guns1inger]

It actually sounds like a problem with the burns. Could be media related (quality or format related), or and issue with the burner. Could be other processes running during the burn.

What happens if you use a software player on the PC prior to burning ?

One other thing to try. Load the DVD files from DVD Lab into DVD Shrink and look at the audio on the menus (I know you didn't put any there). There should either be none, or it should be a o sized AC3 track. If it is different, try adding a short, empty AC3 audio track to your menu. Many DVDs do this because in a single VTS structure (DVD Lab produces these) the menu audio must match the main audio of all titles, and the first audio track on each asset must be of the same format. An empty AC3 track can make the structure correct.

[Des]

I also have a Liteon 832s burner on my system. I have no idea why I am not using that instead of the Pioneer to make these burns (especially since the media is 8x and the 832s is 8x ) Will switch burners and see.
As for media I find these to be very good (Ty's from Rima) but I also have some Maxell 4x that are Ty's so I will try them too.

ON the PC everything plays fine from the disk and from the file folders, using both Windvd and Nero Showtime. Ditto when I try them from the laptop.

I did open up the folder files with DVDshrink and the menus show no audio present. This is true for the AC3 files as well as the original Mpg Layer2 files.
I'll try adding an audio track to the menu. Do I want to add it to all of the menus (main and sub) or just the main?

Come to think of it this is probably the first DVD I have made where I did not put an audio track on the menus.

Wish I could find my DVD-r RW disks right now...

Thanks.

--dES

[Des]

OK, here is what I have tried to date (found my dvd-r rw disks):

I tried these with both the Pioneer a05 and liteon 832s burners. Same results with both. Media for these tests is Sony DVD-r RW.

Authored and burned disk in DVDLab with mp2 audio, pcm audio and AC3 audio - all resulted in clipping audio when played back on stand alone DVD player.

Burned DVDlab authored disk with Nero 6.6 - Clipping audio

Created slideshow in Proshow gold and had that burn a disk, first with PCM audio then with mp2 audio - both disks played fine.

I think the problem is DVDlab. ''
Which really sucks since I like the program very much and have finally gotten the hang of it.

So I am looking for suggestions as to if I may have overlooked something, any one elses experiences, other great authoring programs
''

The one thing I haven't tried is putting a blank audio track on the menu as suggested earlier. Mainly because I forgot to try that ''
Guess I'll try that tonight before completely giving up on DVDlab.

Thanks for reading my monologue.

--dES

[Des]

OK, I give up!

I just authored burned the disk using DVDlab, adding audio to the menu (took a clip from the mpa audio file that is part of the slide show) and the results were slightly better than the others but still not right.

Help!!

--dES

[Soopafresh]

For test purposes, re-normalize to -2.0 dBs and try it.

[Des]

I solved the problem! Yeah! Now I can quit whining. Kind of...

I read through the help section on mediahance's website regarding audio troubles and the recomendation is to try using the 'Alternative Muxing Engine.' Apparently this method is less compliant (and somewhat slower) but it solved the problem. My Disney vacation DVD played fine.

When all else fails - read the directions!

Soopafresh, I still may try what you suggested as being somewhat of a purist I would prefer for the DVD to be as compliant as possible.

Thanks, guns1inger and soopafresh for your input. Thanks for reading along.

Cheers.

--dES