Tmpg DVD Author/AC3 confusion

[csaag]

Ytryingto get this straight.
If I use Tmpg Plus to get a m2v video stream & use ffmpeggui to get an ac3 audio file then do I need the AC3 plug-in for DVD Author, or is it nly when I have 1 mpg file containg both video and AC3 audio that I need the ac3 plug in?

[gshelley61]

If your .mpg is already .m2v + .ac3, then you don't need the plug in. That's for encoding audio to .ac3 - if it's already .ac3 then you don't need to do anything with it. TMPGEnc DVD Author will leave the .ac3 intact and your final DVD will have .ac3 audio.

[csaag]

Nah, the mpg was PCM for the audio. I ran the AVI file through ffmpeggui to get an AC3 file then reran Tmpgenc Plus to get the video stream only. So right now I have a mpg that is PCM audio and a m2v/ac3 set. I'd rather use the m2v/ac3 since everything I read says ac3 is the most compatabile with DVD players while providing some compression ( I understand that PCM is also fully comapt but is also the largest size wise).

So do I need the plug-in for the m2v/ac3 set?

[gshelley61]

No. Since you've already got an .m2v and a .ac3 file, that should work. You can also do a simple DVD author using those two files with IFOEdit.

Sometimes people have A/V sync problems after converting a PCM .wav file to .ac3 then remuxing the new .ac3 with the .m2v

I capture my .mpg (VOB) with a standalone DVD recorder. Perfectly in sync, very good image quality, and .ac3 audio right from the start.

[csaag]

Thanks for the help.
As far as an audio synce poss problem goes. Once I run DvdAuthor and I get the vob files etc, can I use PowerDvd to play them to see if there is a poss sync problem before burning a disc? I've used PowerDVD toplay mpeg files before, but never tried it with vobs.

thanks again.

[muskgrave]

correct..in the powerdvd menu there should be a small icon that looks like a folder. When you click on it one of the options will be "play dvd from hard drive" or something like that. You just point it to the video_ts folder that your authoring program made (and perhaps to the first vob in the folder?) and it will come up with whatever you told the authoring program to bring up first (menu, disclaimer..etc)

[csaag]

Great. Thanks for the help guys.

[gshelley61]

You're welcome. Hope it turns out OK for you.