Ulead DVD Workshop Menu Audio

[echo1434]

Ok, I'm wondering if I'm missing something here...

Let's just say I've made a DVD that has LPCM audio for the main video. I've got very little space left on the disc, and I'd like to use AC3 or MPEG-2 audio for the menu background music.

Well, I've tried this by importing AC3 and MP2 clips for the menu background, but when I output the DVD, it converts these files right back to LPCM.

Of course if I select the "convert to disc template" function, it will change EVERYTHING to the desired format, but this is not what I want. I just want to keep the menu space to a minimum by using lossy audio.

It's very easy to keep the bitrate/audio formats separate in a program like TMPGEnc DVD Author, but I prefer to use Ulead these days.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

[p_l]

Try this:

On the Edit page,

1. Click on Global Settings (the little wrench and hammer icon at the top left), and select Project Properties.

2. In the dialog box that opens, choose High Quality (Dolby Digital AC-3 audio) from the Disc templates drop-down menu.

3. Make sure that for all your clips, the Convert to Disc Template box under the Audio tab remains UNchecked.

[echo1434]

Thanks, especially for the pictures

I've tried this to the letter several times, but it doesn't seem to work. The menu audio still remains LPCM.

Have you actually gotten this to work yourself, or was it just an idea?

Anyway, you suggestion is much appreciated.

[p_l]

WTF, double post. Edited.

[p_l]

When I came up with this, I figured it should work in theory, since by making the Project Properties Dolby Digital AC3 audio, the menu audio should encode that way, too, while leaving the Convert to Disc Template box unchecked for each of your clips would allow them to retain their original LPCM audio.

Testing my theory confirms it works in practice, as well.


When the menu plays, WinDVD indicates the audio is Dolby Digital.




If I look in the production folder ([folder] / DWS_TS / CvtMenu / MENU_01), the MENUAUDIO_ 1 file is .ac3.




I don't know why it isn't working for you. The only variable I can think of is that when I tried this with an existing project (one that I had already burned before), I burned it to a new working directory I browsed for and created, rather than just burning it to the existing one. I've found that sometimes DWS can be a little "lazy" (or efficient, as the case may be) when reburning an existing project you've made changes to. It figures why re-encode menu files it's already encoded if it finds them already just sitting there in its Working directory. I've found that if you make menu changes to an existing project you've burned before, pointing it to a new Working directory forces it to encode your menu afresh, with whatever modifications you've made.




Also, as you can see, rather than burning directly with DWS, I like to create a disc image, which I can then mount with a virtual drive and play to verify that all is to my liking, before finally burning that disc image with Nero.

Good luck!

[echo1434]

I'm writing this a the new DVD folder is building, and I can already tell that what you said is 100% correct. I simply cleared out the "helpful" temp files in the project folder, and when it started outputting it said "encoding menu audio" for several seconds. Before that it would just instantly output it, whereas this took longer to finish. So I'm positive it was doing the AC3 conversion there, will be able to verify it in a moment.

Of course it's ridiculous to burn a DVD each time to test something. I use PowerDVD 7.0, which allows me to play everything directly off the hard drive.

So let's see here...

Ok, I cheated and took a peak inside the project folder. AC3 files in there!

What more can I say, thanks a ton!!!

[p_l]

Great! Glad it's working for you!

[echo1434]

Yeah, this will be a huge help...

Now onto something perhaps a little more far reaching, since you seem pretty skilled with this program. :P

Is there any way around the 4 minute, 14 second limitation for the length of menu audio? I think this is kind of ridculous, especially when you want to play a long, full song in its entirety.

[p_l]

Excellent point. I've always found that arbitrary limitation stupid, and I've yet to figure out a way to change it.

There is a workaround I've used in the past which involves splitting the audio and making automatically cascading duplicate menus, but there is a small but noticible audio gap which in most cases is undesireable.

I've put the question up on the Ulead boards to see what pops. Maybe one of the big brains over there can figure out some configuration setting or registry hack or whatever.

[guns1inger]

There is a limitation on the main menu in the DVD spec, although I believe it is a size limitation, not a length. My understanding is that the menu menus must reside within a single VOB, and therefore cannot exceed 1000MB in size (maximum size for a single VOB). Is this 4 minute 14 seconds a time constraint added by DVDWS2 ?

[echo1434]

Good to see I'm not the only one here who is bothered by that. I don't doubt there is some limitation in the DVD spec, but even with a limit of 1 GB you could have a REALLY long audio loop.

The way Ulead has it set up, the biggest it can ever get (using LPCM audio) is about 67 MB.
I know the 4:14 limit is an arbitrary measure, because TMPGEnc DVD Author 2.0 has a limit of exactly 5 minutes. While still limiting, it has allowed me to do a few things that Ulead hasn't as far as menu audio goes.

But overall I prefer Ulead now, so I'll make due with it.