No AC3 Sound in PowerDVD / WinDVD

[Modoc]

I need answer to my problem. I've already read every article on AC3 Converting on this site and on many others. My Problem is the following:

I converted an XviD-Movie with TMPGenc to an .m2v and a .wav file. I converted the wav file to AC3 with Besweet. I also converted the German Audio Track (wav) to AC3, because I want to make a DVD with both English and German Audio. Eventually, I made the DVD-Folders out of the .m2v and the two AC3 files with IFOEdit and DVD-Lab (Just like the article on this site suggested).

Everything went fine, but neither the two AC3 files, nor the actual DVD Audio tracks can be heared with either PowerDVD or WinDVD.
HOWEVER, both tracks work fine in Windows Media Player, RealOne Player and my Sony Standalone DVD Player.

What did I do wrong? Please help me!

Thanks in advance

[FirefoxV]

This might be an option, I downloaded the new Winamp 5 and added the AC3 plug in. I'm using Besweet too and I had nothing that would play the AC3 file once created, Winamp also plays the mpg file if needed.

Hope this helps

[MavDVDR]

I have exactly the same issue.

When converting the AC3 (from a PCM wave) with BeSweet, and then using the resultant AC3 to author the vobs, there is no sound when playing the vobs in Win DVD Platinum. But there is sound when playing the vobs with Media Player, Zoom player and my stand alone JVC DVD Player.

However, when I convert the same PCM Wave to AC3 with DVDit! (ie. during the authoring process - which takes a long, long time - even with a P4 3.2 GHz) the resultant vobs do play with sound in Win DVD.

So there must be something in the way Besweet does the AC3 conversion that is not recognised by Win DVD.

Has anyone got a solution or does anyone know of a program that performs high quality conversions of PCM wave to AC3 in a reasonable time. (DVDit! takes about an hour to convert a 2 hour PCM wave - BeSweet takes a few minutes.)

[Shuggie]

I've hit the same problem. Although in my case the DVD won't play in my standalone player either (Wharfedale 750s).

I only hit the problem when I upgraded to the latest ac3enc.dll - which I did because the previous version created a file with a glitch, clicking, in the sound. So now I seem to be stuck between the two problems - sound with problems or no sound at all.

I also tried ffmpeg - which produced a file which played fine in media player, but when I authored a DVD and tested it with PowerDVD it had somehow introduced a background crackling sound.

Is it possible that there's a problem in the authoring stage or is it that the ac3 file isn't 100% standards compliant?

I've got a sneaky feeling the ac3 filter is able to play non-standard files and that's what's misleading me.

[MavDVDR]

There is a solution ... but the program's not free.

Vegas video is able to save high quality, fully compliant AC3 files (using the "Render as" function) that play in Win DVD.

https://www.videohelp.com/tools?tool=78#comments

[Shuggie]

Success!

I seem to have hit a double-whammy of problems.

First my original problem - with the earlier version of ac3enc.dll I heard glitches in the ac3 file. I've discovered that if I go ahead and author a DVD with it, that DVD plays fine in my standalone player.

Which leads me to believe that it's a bug in the ac3 filter - not correctly playing back the file and not the file itself.

Secondly - the crackling when playing back a DVD authored from a ffmpeg created file - again if I actually write the DVD and play it in my DVD player everything's fine - which points to a bug/limitation in PowerDVD. I've been using high bitrates so maybe PowerDVD can't do ac3 at high bitrates - or maybe it needs a faster processor than my Athlon 1800+ or something.

Now using the most up to date ac3enc.dll I still find that any file I produces ends up creating a DVD that plays silently - both in PowerDVD and my standalone.

Finally - the very latest version of BeSweet has disabled use of ac3enc.dll - with this message -
"Error 85: support for ac3enc.dll had been removed due it its suckness!"

So the practical upshot of all this - for me with my PC and my player at least is -

1) use ffmpeg to create ac3 files

2) don't rely on the audio output from PowerDVD or ac3 filter - write a DVD and stick it in the standalone player

Hope this is useful for others.

To be honest - I think after this I may avoid ac3 and go for PCM or mp2 instead.

[bottle-necked]

MPEG Audio Layer 2.....

[MavDVDR]

So the practical upshot of all this - for me with my PC and my player at least is -
1) use ffmpeg to create ac3 files

Have you tried this Guide?
https://www.videohelp.com/forum/userguides/129419.php

2) don't rely on the audio output from PowerDVD or ac3 filter - write a DVD and stick it in the standalone player

The only fullproof methods I've found are to create the ac3 with either DVDit! (during the authoring process) or Vegas. If the ac3 is created in either of these ways it plays on any DVD player and can also be played in Win DVD & Power DVD prior to burning.

I think after this I may avoid ac3 and go for PCM or mp2 instead.

Lord Smurf gives a brief summary of the pros & cons of each audio format
www.lordsmurf.com

[Shuggie]

So the practical upshot of all this - for me with my PC and my player at least is -
1) use ffmpeg to create ac3 files

Have you tried this Guide?
https://www.videohelp.com/forum/userguides/129419.php

Well when I talk about using ac3enc.dll, I am of course using it via BeSweet. I didn't refer to that guide specifically - but it describes the process I was using.

The reason I said I'd use ffmpeg in future is that I don't have to worry about the dll version (both of which report as 0.1 btw) and ffmpeggui is much more straightforward (though ac3machine is not bad either).

2) don't rely on the audio output from PowerDVD or ac3 filter - write a DVD and stick it in the standalone player

The only fullproof methods I've found are to create the ac3 with either DVDit! (during the authoring process) or Vegas. If the ac3 is created in either of these ways it plays on any DVD player and can also be played in Win DVD & Power DVD prior to burning.

I'm sure that's true. However I'm not sure that I'm willing to pay for more software when there are other alternatives (other formats) available. I've only used ac3 occasionally and that's unlikely to change I think.

I think after this I may avoid ac3 and go for PCM or mp2 instead.

Lord Smurf gives a brief summary of the pros & cons of each audio format
www.lordsmurf.com

Thanks for the reference. I'll check it out later. I'm at work at the moment and our firewall seems to be blocking parts of the site.

[mazinz]

another app which works fine but is not free is Sonic's soft encode. Never had a problem with anything made in that app. Power dvd can handle higher ac3 bitrates as well. Personally i do not like besweet to make ac3 files at all, which is why i stick with soft encode

[MavDVDR]

However I'm not sure that I'm willing to pay for more software when there are other alternatives (other formats) available.

I know exactly what you mean. I think DVDit!, however, does come bundled with a few burners.

I've only used ac3 occasionally and that's unlikely to change I think.

With DVD's, I've started to only use ac3's - great DD sound and tiny file size.

Also, check out this decompressor. It only decompresses but I like the results.
http://fcchandler.home.comcast.net/AC3ACM/index.html

another app which works fine but is not free is Sonic's soft encode.

Agreed, but I think it's discontinued.
https://www.videohelp.com/tools?tool=225#comments

Now that Sony has taken over, Soft encode's ac3 capabilites have been continued (and updated) in Vegas.

[MavDVDR]

http://www.pegasys-inc.com/en/product/tsp_ac3.html

it is now possible to decode and encode in Dolby Digital AC-3 sound(2ch) with TMPGEnc DVD Author.