Convert From DV (avi) To Mpeg-2 With AC-3 sound?

[igaldabari]

i captur video with vegas 4.0 in DV format. i want to convert it to mpeg-2 with ac-3 sound (2 ch. or 5 ch.). for now i use Sonic Foundry DVD Architect, but it convert only ac-3 with 192 Kbps.

I want Higher (224 Kbps and up).

How And With What?

[HAGGARD]

igaldabari,

You should definitly use BeSweet!!!
I do the same thing that you want and it works great...

Studio 8 or Premiere for capturing/editing
TMPGEnc to encode video to MPEG2
Virtualdub to extract WAV from AVI
BeSweet to encode WAV to AC3
DVDMaestro to make menu's, chapterpoints, merge Video/Audio, etc.
NERO 5 to burn whole project to DVD

'HAG

p.s. Look in the Tools section on the left for BeSweet...

[igaldabari]

I want all in one program like TMPGEnc but with ac-3 support (not have to be free program). it is to hard do extract and convert and to join and... it there must be easy way....

[HAGGARD]

To be honest... All in one DV to DVD editors/converters are crap in my opinion!!!
Most of this software is simple to use, but the final results of the DVD are also very simple (eg. simple menu's, very few options for video/audio encoding quality (in your case)).

By using different tools, the result is much better!!! Every tool has it's own advantages/disadvantages (i.e. TMPGEnc -> excellent quality, but very slow!!! or DVDMaestro -> Creativity is almost infinite, but a bitch to learn!!!).
So by adding all the advantages of different tools you can create very powerfull productions/have allot of creativity, but as a disadvantage, it wil take longer and requires more effort from the user.

To be short...
No, sorry I don't know a tool/proggie that does all that you want.

'HAG

[Marco33]

THis might help.

https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=169499

[jzaman]

I capture with the current commercial version of scenanalyzer ($30) through a Canopus ADVC-100 as a type II DV AVI (13gb/hour). I edit and author with Ulead DVD workshop AC3 version. Perfect sync and AC3 2 channel audio. If the vobs are over 4.7gb I'll use a transcoder or encoder to resize.

[FulciLives]

Most commercial factory made DVD discs use 192kbps for 2.0 AC-3 audio files. I've seen a few (very few) use 256kbps but mostly all use 192kbps and the reason is very simple ... anything higher than 192kbps will not really yield any better quality if the AC-3 is a 2.0 file. You only need to use higher bitrates with 5.1 AC-3 audio files.

Since you are doing captures it is safe to say that your audio source will always be only two channels so again you really don't need to do anything higher than 192kbps

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[javadog]

I capture with the current commercial version of scenanalyzer ($30) through a Canopus ADVC-100 as a type II DV AVI (13gb/hour). I edit and author with Ulead DVD workshop AC3 version. Perfect sync and AC3 2 channel audio. If the vobs are over 4.7gb I'll use a transcoder or encoder to resize.

FYI: I just ordered Scenalyzer (SCLive) last night from their site. Price is now $39 US. Must have gone up recently.

[ktnwin]

Hi igaldabari,

if you are looking for all in one program that encode AVI to MPEG-2 and AC3 audio, there is one out there (I am using it): neoDVD Plus.
You can get it for no more than 50$.

Yes, this program is limited but it does what it claims, never crashes. I use it to encode my home movies to DVD in no time as it encode in real-time. With AC3 audio, neoDVD Plus can fit 93 mins on a single DVD, more than enough for home videos. It supports two levels menus with upto 6 chapter points for each movie on the disk (no limit on number of movies on one disk).

You cannot use this program to edit video. It captures, encodes, authors and burn to DVD, that's it.

[mtgoat]

Capture and edit with Vegas. Vegas probably comes with, or is available with an mpeg encoder to export to. That encoder probably has an option to output to elementary streams (Vegas aficionados maybe can help out here, I'm a Premiere Dude). If not, demux with TMPGEnc or other prog of your choosing. Open the resulting audio file in Besweet as Haggard suggests and convert to ac3 at bitrate of your choosing.
If you don't already have Besweet, download it (it's free) and the GUI to go with it. It's so useful, I can't imagine not having it.
As far as creating 5-ch ac3 audio, that's a whole-'nuther ball-o-wax!
I agree with Haggard about all-in-one programs, they are usually unacceptably limited. Also, by learning to use all these little programs that do just a few things, you end up getting a better picture of how all this stuff works and you find that there are usually many ways to accomplish any task.

[jzaman]

Most commercial factory made DVD discs use 192kbps for 2.0 AC-3 audio files. I've seen a few (very few) use 256kbps but mostly all use 192kbps and the reason is very simple ... anything higher than 192kbps will not really yield any better quality if the AC-3 is a 2.0 file. You only need to use higher bitrates with 5.1 AC-3 audio files.
- John "FulciLives" Coleman

When I suck in a Pan e60 DVD-RAM RTAV I'll leave it at 256kbps so I don't have to re-encode the audio but 192kbps is perfect for cable captures.

javadog:
I checked my records. I paid $33.00 for Scenanalyzer not $30. I love the scheduled captures!

[FulciLives]

Most commercial factory made DVD discs use 192kbps for 2.0 AC-3 audio files. I've seen a few (very few) use 256kbps but mostly all use 192kbps and the reason is very simple ... anything higher than 192kbps will not really yield any better quality if the AC-3 is a 2.0 file. You only need to use higher bitrates with 5.1 AC-3 audio files.
- John "FulciLives" Coleman

When I suck in a Pan e60 DVD-RAM RTAV I'll leave it at 256kbps so I don't have to re-encode the audio but 192kbps is perfect for cable captures.

All I am trying to say is if you start with a 2 channel WAV source (which is what you will have with just about any computer capture device) then there is no need to do anything higher than a 2.0 192kbps AC-3 audio file.

True the PANASONIC line of STAND ALONE DVD RECORDERS use 2.0 256kbps AC-3 audio but if you already have that then there is no need to re-encode it down. In fact if you are trying to take a DVD-R or DVD-RAM that was created on such a unit and importing it into a computer to edit it then you really should be using Womble MPEG2VCR by WOMBLE MULTIMEDIA as it will allow you to edit (simple cut editing such as trimming the start and end points as well as editing out commercials) without the need to RE-ENCODE anything (this includes the VIDEO and the AC-3 AUDIO).

No other tool can do what MPEG2VCR can do with DVD-RAM discs that have been recorded on by Panasonic/Toshiba stand alone DVD recorders.

I highly recommend that anyone with such a recorder uses MPEG2VCR and if you don't have a computer that can read DVD-RAM discs then get the TOSHIBA SD-M1712 which is a roughly $50 USD (or less) DVD-ROM reader than can read DVD-RAM discs. The other option is to buy the PANASONIC DVD BURNER II (better known as LFD521U) which can both read and write to DVD-RAM as well as DVD-R, DVD-RW, CD-R and CD-RW. The LFD521U can be had for around $200 but if you already have a computer DVD burner then just get the TOSHIBA unit so you can read your DVD-RAM discs (made on a stand alone) into your computer for editing and then you can use an authoring program to create a final DVD-R/DVD+R disc using your computer DVD burner.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[jzaman]

[/quote="FulciLives"][/quote] In fact if you are trying to take a DVD-R or DVD-RAM that was created on such a unit and importing it into a computer to edit it then you really should be using Womble MPEG2VCR by WOMBLE MULTIMEDIA as it will allow you to edit (simple cut editing such as trimming the start and end points as well as editing out commercials) without the need to RE-ENCODE anything (this includes the VIDEO and the AC-3 AUDIO).
- John "FulciLives" Coleman[/quote]

I purchased MPEG2VCR a while ago (I think I heard about it from one of your earlier posts) and it is an excellent editor. Ulead DVD Workshop AC3 also does a problem free audio/video synced cut with only minor or smartrender mpg reencoding and subsequent vob creation. I compared the mpgs with Bitrate Analyzer Commercial version and they match up except for the cuts. I also did the same comparison with a MPEG2VCR cut/edited MPG and all were comparable. The Ulead smartrender and vob creation only takes 30 minutes max so I use this process for PAN RTAV captures. When I capture raw (DV AVI Type II) avi via a canopus ADC100 and Scenanalyzer I use MPEG2VCR to save encoding time and to prevent any sync problems. Anyway ... thanks for all your great advice on these forums!