5.1 Surround To DVD

[m82492]

I capture programs via Windows Media Center. I'm capturing them in 5.1 surround. From there I use TMPGenc Xpress 3.0 to convert to MP2 and then TMPGenc DVD Author 1.6 to get the DVD files. Is there a better way to do this that will keep the 5.1 when I go to DVD? The way I'm doing it right now is only giving me 2 channel stereo.

Any help would be appreciated. I searched the board but can't seem to get a direct answer.

[Stormin Norman]

Demux the audio from your source, encode video to .m2v, then author with the 5.1 and .m2v to DVD.

[m82492]

What do I need to do that?

[Stormin Norman]

Virtualdub-MPEG2 should work for you. Go to streams list and demux the audio there.

[jimmalenko]

From there I use TMPGenc Xpress 3.0 to convert to MP2 and then TMPGenc DVD Author 1.6 to get the DVD files.

Demux your audio from your source file(s). Convert Video Only with TMPGEnc to produce a M2V file. Then when using TDA, use your M2V and the 5.1 AC3 file you demuxed and it will retain the 5.1 ch.

If your source is AVI then virtualdubmod would be my tool of choice. If your source is MPEG then I'd use TMPGEnc's MPEG Tools. There's more demuxing programs here.

[m82492]

Thank you for the suggestion. I completely understand what you are telling me to do now. I'll give it a shot!

Thanks
Matt

[m82492]

One last question and I'll go away....my source file is a dvr-ms file from Windows Media Center. I'm I usually convert these files to mpeg2 via TMPGenc Express. After the remultiplex it seems like it's still in 5.1 but I can't be sure. I didn't think Express supported that. Anyway...is there a way to remux a dvr-ms file to take the audio directly from those files?

[jimmalenko]

Let's just clarify something here - all multiplexing does is join the video and audio fields together. This is of course different to encoding from two different source files. So long as you're not encoding, and all you're doing is multiplexing, TMPGEnc won't be converting the file, so if your source audio is AC3 and you multiplex it with a video stream, then it will stay AC3, regardless of if you have the AC3 plugin or not. It only uses the AC3 plugin for decoding or encoding, not simply copying a stream byte for byte. To be sure, download the latest GSpot Beta (2.52) and load the remuxed MPEG into it. It will tell you what type of audio is in the file.

[m82492]

I tried the Gspot program on some of the remultiplexed files and it came up as n/a for the audio. I'm not real sure what exactly TMPGenc does to the DVR-MS file. It pulls the Windows Recorded TV files into it and says it's remultiplexing before it can encode. After the remultiplexing I get some sort of an MPEG file. After I get that file I must have TMPGenc encode it which takes about 2.5 hours for a full length football game.

[jimmalenko]

You gotta use the latest GSpot (2.52 Beta version) for it to recognise MPEG files properly !

If you're using an earlier version of GSpot, then it says N.A. for MPEG files. That's why I told you to use the latest Beta !!!

[m82492]

2.52 doesn't have an installer. It's only a rar file. Whatever that is.

[ZippyP.]

It's only a rar file. Whatever that is.

It's a compressed file, like a zip file. You need to un-rar it, try this: http://www.download.com/ExtractNow/3000-2250_4-10228183.html?tag=lst-0-10

[m82492]

Well I think I made a big discovery through all of this. I was under the impression that TMPGenc Express requires you to

1. Remultiplex the DVR-MS into an MPEG-2 which takes only 10 minutes for a full length football game

and then

2. Encode at an appropriate NTSC setting which takes about 2.5 hours for a full game.

Your questions made me think about this a bit more than I did in the past. There is no need for me to encode the MPEG-2. I can load it into TMPGenc DVD Author, edit, render the DVD files and then burn. It worked great. Quality was awesome. I guess I just need to mess around with demuxing that MPEG file before rendering the DVD File in DVD Author.

Thanks for your help. Sorry for my ignorance. I am truley learning this hobby on the fly!

I appreciate your help!

[m82492]

Gspot worked with that extractor. Thank you! It says my file is 2.0. It is possible that the TV recording I did wasn't in 5.1 to begin with.