Xvid -> DVD, Bitrate is too high problem.

[JohnDo]

I followed this guide: How to Convert AVI to DVD & AC3 with CCE and AC3Machine

It results into 2 problem:

1. TMPGEnc DVD Authoring complained about bitrate was too high: 9800 kbit for the video. (the sound was ac3 224 kbit)
But the movie was fine, I could play it with all media players. (with no sound). The settings in CCE was min: 0, average: 6000 and max: 9500. (using DVDRhelp birate calculator) (MPEG-2, ES Multipass VBR). Have tried open the mpv file in IFOedit and I see it say max bitrate was 9800 too, but the average bitrate was around 6000 kbit.
So where am I doing wrong? I did set max bitrate to 9500 only?
Have tried also with lower the bitrate too min: 0, average: 5000, max: 7000

2. As the guide, I did used AC3Machine 0.41 to convert to ac3, but no sound. Only manage to hear the sound with Winamp 5 (very low sound, coulndt bared hear the sounds at all)
But I didnt cared about it, just author it with TMPGENc DVD Author, just choosed to Ignore the warning too see how it works in DVD player. The result was NO SOUND!

Hopes any understand my problem and help me out?

[videocheez]

for the video i think your on the right track not choosing 9800 as the maximum bitrate. you also may try raising the minimum to 2000 bps.

for the audio, make sure that you have an ac3 codec such as ac3filter.

goodluck,

VC

[JohnDo]

1. I haven't choose the bitrate as 9800, just around 7000-9500, have tried encode the movie 3 times now with different bitrate. But TMPGEnc DVD author always complain about bitrate was too high. The movie plays fine without any problem at all. I just can't understand why it complain about the bitrate was too high for the video file, when I have chosen only max bitrate at 7000?

2. I have already ac3filter installed, but still I cant play the ac3 sound with WinDVD or other media player and only Winamp 5 can play it? I know the ac3filter is installed in right way, coz I get ac3 sound out of other xvid files with ac3 sound, when I play it with media players.
I have tried also use mp2 sound instead, the movie worked fine in my DVD player. But there comes another problem, couldnt get sound out from my reciever, but I can hear the sound out from my TV instead. (SPDIF toshlink -> DVD-reciever, DVD->TV scart).
Why Can't I get sound from my reciever?

Oh gosh, have tried to make my first xvid->DVD with subtitle and menu for a week now, followed different guides and still I can't get one fully function DVD yet.

[bugster]

A few pointers, suggestions and some conjecture.

When you encode the video with CCE, the guides says to check the box 'DVD Video Compliant'. Here is the conjecture. When you set this, CCE sets the mpeg header to include the MAX bitrate as 9.8Mbps, the max allowed for DVD. Thats why Ifoedit etc says the max bitrate is 9.8Mbps, not what you have actually set in the bitrate settings of CCE. What else, if anything, this settings does I don't know, but try switching it off.

The audio is encoded to Ac3 with BeSweet. This is generally accepted to not be 100% compliant. Some DVD players do not like this. Some Pioneer models have been reported as not playing Ac3 from BeSweet and probably others too. Should play on your PC though

Mp2 audio and your amp. Your external amp almost certainly has not got an mp2 decoder, though your DVD player has. So when your DVD player reads the digital audio and sends it 'as is' to your amp, it can't be decoded. Your DVD player may have a menu option to set the optical out to PCM or BITSREAM (or something similiar). At the moment it will be set to bitstream, so the digital audio track is sent as read from the DVD. Set it to PCM and the onboard decoder wil convert it to PCM before sending it out the optical connection.


Hope this helps.

[JohnDo]

bugster:

Thanks the excellent explanation, now I understand why "it complain my bitrate exceed the max 9800 allowed".
About the sound, I cant play the ac3 at all in my PC (as mentioned above, only Winamp 5 with Valex's AC3 decoder (it's using ac3filter to decode the ac3 sound), BUT there I can see it was set to direct sound output instead as usual SPDIF output, as I always chosen in org. ac3filter!
I have no problem to play video files with ac3 sound already encoded in it, just can't play ac3 sound that i have converted wave -> ac3. Have also reinstalled ac3filter v0.69b, still can't play all my wave->ac3 sounds file?

Have also tried convert wave->ac3 with Vegas Video 4, still same problem, can't play the converted ac3 at all.

Oh gosh, do I have to buy all the software to get a fully working ac3 file? It will be a very expensive method then and I will get broke before I get a working ac3 file.

Is there more free wave - > ac3 tools I can try?

[bugster]

Sorry, BeSweet is the only freeware Ac3 encoder I am aware of. Perhaps some one else knows better?
Anyway, it really should play on your PC, I have used it many times with great success. Ac3 filter and besweet generated ac3's play with no problem for me. Sorry I can't be of more help.

[Jpesker]

Thanks Bugster, 8)

Very Helpful. If I understood you correctly, just Untick DVD-Compliant mode in CCE, and that pesky message from Tmpgenc DVD Author should go away (because I go 2-Pass with Max at around 3000 Kbps, so I saw this post, very helpful).

Since he does not have the AC3 license which is not ONLY necessary to ENCODE in ac3 (again very informative about Besweet, AC3, and Pioneer issues, and AMP problems) but I'm guessing he is also using the older version of Tmpgenc DVD Author (the free version with the pesky popup message about registering AC3, etc.). I personally have tried Besweet's ability to ENCODE to AC3 and had similar UNSUCCESS.

You can install AC3 all day, and this is just the sad truth, without the license, things are very limited, and if your player(s) do not like MP2 either, I would suggest just keeping it WAV, and keeping your M2V video file under 3500 MBs. It really is not a codec-conflict problem, just the way it is with AC3, yes?

Anyone need to update their K-Lite Codec Pack 2.77f is out:
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/K_Lite_Codec_Pack.htm

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Now if I could figure out why Yahoo Launchcast Music will not CONNECT correctly when I install/have installed K-Lite Codec Pack or Videolan (not sure why I blame these 2 wonderful Installations yet either). This one has had me stumped for 2 years. I have to reinstall WMP 9 or 10 every time i restart my PC, and Yahoo is hopeless about correcting this issue.
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[redwudz]

I'm afraid K-lite has a very poor reputation around here for messing up computer systems and few would recommend it. At least I wouldn't let it near any of my computers.

It may not be much help, but I use the freeware ffmpeggui for doing AC3 conversions. No, it's not 100% compliant, but it works perfectly well every time I have used it.

[Jpesker]

I have not had hardly any problems with K-Lite Packs, except that Media Player classic will not play .mpg files 100% correctly, and this bizarre Yahoo Launchcast thing. I can live with that.

Maybe I will look into the other kinds of Packs out there (I see alot on the site I gave above), and see if I still have the 2 issues above, I just wish I knew more about HOW they worked, so I could fix these kinds of problems, but I know I am not alone here and will leave that for another day (it's always another day). LOL.

[guns1inger]

Or you could just install the codecs you need, as you need them, and not fill your machine with half-installed crap you don't need. Just a thought.