Lacie 1TB LaCinema Classic HDMI EK - mpeg or divx with 5.1 sound

[Dirk]

Hi all,

I recently bought a Lacie Lacinema Classic 1TB and was planning on using it to store all my DVDs.

I have been trying to convert my DVDs to a supported format (.avi or .mpeg) while still retaining the original sound of the DVD (more specifically the surround or 5.1 sound). Sorry if this isn't a clear explanation, I'm new to this game and don't yet understand all the formats and terminology used.
What I tried up until now (many of these efforts were inspired by the guides found on this site - thank you for this!):

* Convert to.avi with AutoGK, output audio type "Original (AC3/DTS/MPA only)".
Result: no sound.
* Convert to.avi with AutoGK, output audio type "Original (AC3/DTS/MPA only)". Then combining the files generated by AutoGK (.avi and .ac3) using AVIMux_GUI.
Result: no sound.
* Used Corel Ulead Moviefactory to export the VOBs to .avi.
Result: a file of 9 Gb (coming from 3 Gb), no sound.
* Used Corel Ulead Moviefactory to export the VOBs to .mpeg.
Result: none. Moviefactory freezes upon each try.
* Renamed my .VOB files to .mpeg. These play on the Lacie, only problem is that both video and audio frequently "stutter", meaning that: the movie plays without problem for a few minutes, then stutters (both video and audio) for half a minute, continues without problem for a few minutes, stutters ... and so on.

I upgraded the Lacie to the latest firmware, no problem there. I also checked the HD with a diagnostics tool and all seems fine.
Lacie doesn't respond to my questions (or perhaps I need to be more patient?), so any help or suggestions would be more than welcome.

[redwudz]

You might try using VOB2MPG to just convert the DVDs to a single MPEG file. This will be fairly quick if you don't need menus or the device won't play back a full DVD format. The files will be about 8MB or so, though.

If you still have the other files you processed with no sound, drop them into MediaInfo and see if there really is no sound.

How did you decrypt those DVDs? What program?

I have no idea why the device would 'stutter'. Renaming a VOB to a MPEG is not really a good idea, but unlikely to cause your problem. VOBs contain a whole lot more than just the video and audio. There may be several formats of audio in there, plus subtitles and other menu info.

It sort of sounds like the device is malfunctioning, as looking at the specifications, it should easily play those formats.

But other members may spot something I missed or may have better advice.

And welcome to our forums.

[Dirk]

Hello redwudz, thanks for the (really quick) reply and the welcome

I decrypted the DVDs using DVDFab (option "Main movie"). There's no problem with the copies, they all play without problem on any DVD player.
Lacie lists the following supported formats on their site:

Video: MPEG-4 AVI, XviD, DivX (3.11, 4.x, 5.x)
Audio: MP3, WMA

- allthough I simply copied .VOB to the HD and it played as well (with the exact same problem as mentioned earlier).

I'm going to try your suggestion and use VOB2MPG to run a new test.

The "stutter" problem bugs me as well, at first I thought it had to do with file size, but that's not the issue. Another issue is, that when playing a movie (.avi), the video freezes after a while and will only continue to play after using fast-forward (even after upgrading the firmware).

Anyhow, I'll post my findings here, hopefully others can benefit from my experience.

[redwudz]

From a LaCie page, if this is the same model: http://www.lacie.com/uk/products/product.htm?pid=11389

Video Codecs : MPEG-1, MPEG-2 / HD, MPEG-4, DIVX, DIVX HD, XVID, H.264 HD, WMV9 HD, VC-1

Video Format : AVI, MP4, MKV, WMV, DivX, DAT, MOV**, MPEG, VOB, ASF, TS, TP, TRP, M2TS, DVR-MS, DVD-Video (ISO, Video_TS)***

Audio Format : MP3, WMA, WAV/PCM/LPCM, AAC*, OGG, FLAC, AC3, MP4, MKA (*supports iTunes-encoded)

If that's correct, it should be able to play about anything, although you may not be able to mix DivX and AC3 Dolby audio in the same file.

[Dirk]

Well, actually, you're talking about the LaCinema Classic HD whereas I'm talking about the LaCinema Classic (or LaCinema Classic HDMI as it's sometimes referred to).
The Classic HDMI only supports the formats I mentioned earlier.
As soon as I know the outcome of my VOB2MPG experiment I will post it here (I'm still at work for the moment).

[Dirk]

OK, update.
The VOB2MPG solution resulted in the exact same "stutter" problem.
However, my problem is solved.
I tried again by using AutoGK and AVIMux_GUI and finally have a .avi with surround sound which plays without problems on the Lacie.
What went wrong the first time, I honestly don't know (probably something I did or did not).
In short, this is what I did:

- ripped the DVD using DVDFab
- used AutoGK to convert to Divx (output audio type "Original (AC3/DTS/MPA only)")
- combined the resulting .avi and .ac3 using AVIMux_GUI

All pretty standard and well described on this site.

Leaves me with one problem/question: how come the .mpeg files (or .vob files for that matter) all experience the "stutter" problem.
I am going to experiment with this, if ever I find a solution I'll make sure to post it here.

Thanks for your suggestions, it feels great to know that there is someone listening

[Dirk]

Again, update.

Allthough at first the .avi's seemed fine (I tested them by playing chunks of 5 mins.), upon closer viewing I have the same problem as with the .mpeg's, nl. the "stutter" problem. Movie starts fine, plays without problem, image and sound OK, stutter for +/- 10 sec., continues fine, ...
Only difference with .mpeg's is that the .avi's take longer before the problem occurs.
The files all play without problem on my PC (except for the sound as I've not installed the codecs needed).

I'm going to keep trying, but if anyone has any ideas on how to fix this, I would be more than grateful.
FYI, my Lacie is connected to a classic TV (not LCD or plasma that is) through a composite connection.