Dubbing

[Liszt]

I know this topic has been covered before, but I have no real sense of how to proceed. I’m stuck. Thanks for you help in advance.

I began to mess around with DVD ripping a few days ago, with no prior information. I learned and tried and learned and made mistakes. I found the necessary apps, experimented with some, found better ones. I got as far as converting mpeg-2 streams and .AC3 audio. But, to my disappointment after hours of work, I stop dead cold trying to merge my new files. The dubbing is off.

Here is where I am at ...

It seems to me that if the .AC3 and .M2V files that are created in the “gathering of information” phase are the same length, then no sync problem exists. Mouths match up with themselves.

If the files created are not the same length, then the dubbing will be off upon merging.


Here is what I have tried to correct this problem ...

• I first tried different audio compression schemes, but later read that compressing the audio track will lead to dubbing complications during merging due to the nature of compression itself. This is true and is not. Say you rip only ONE chapter off a title. The audio will not sync. The program I am using (OSEx) takes that chapters audio, plus more. Questionable to say the least. Say if you rip some other feature of a DVD, like a small featurette, the audio will sync. I have tried this with a few DVD’s and it seems to hold true. It seems because that part of the DVD is self-contained (perhaps not as long) the lengths always match.

• I tried the “add-scaled” feature in QuickTime, which matches up things nicely, but changes the pitch. I tried extracting this pitch-problem-prone audio and changing the pitch in PeakDV, but the audio brought back into QuickTime is flanged, and tinny. Still a little off, but better than minny-mouse voices.

• I tried using MacDivxCreator and ffMpeg (from Major), both of which created strange files, very large and still with dubbing problems. Audio synced in parts of the movies, and some not. Plus, these apps do not support the 3ivx codecs.

• I tried using QT Mutator. Didn’t make any sense. Experimented with different values.

• I tried using FCP to change the starting points. Didn’t work. The audio was just plain longer, a longer file.

• I tried changing the duration of the audio in Peak DV, which also flanged and distorted the audio.


So, again I come to the conclusion that if the audio and video files are the same length, no problem exists.

But, I have not found an application that can grab an entire Title off of a DVD and preserve the correct file lengths.

So, I ask fellow mac users “What can I do?”

Do I need to find a different ripping application?

Do I need to create and work with VOB files instead of separate movie and audio tracks?

Do I need to buy a new G4 with a SuperDrive so I don’t have to mess with archiving issues like this one? Btw, DVDBackup is an awesome App.

Any ideas are greatly appreciated.

L

[tgpo]

I always used QT Mutator, but Quicktime may work as well. Instead of add scaled the audio to the video, add scaled the video to the audio. NEVER change the audio, it will distort and alter the sound. If you don't understand QT Mutator I wrote a guide for it. It is under the user guide section of the forum.

[Liszt]

Thanks. That works perfect, adding the video scaled to the audio. Onto more movies.

Now all we need is an official release of 3ivx Delta 4.

L