AC3 encoding/converting - what else besides BeSweet?

[lex7]

The only tool mentioned here for encoding to AC3 or converting PAL AC3 to NTSC is BeSweet. But it says in Tools that BeSweet AC3 is not standard and isn't accepted by some players. And if you go to BeSweet author - he is even more bold: "ac3enc.dll creates (almost) useless ac3 streams. don't use it to encode things you care for. it's there only for test purposes." So what tool to use to encode useful AC3 streams?


Thanks.

[ZippyP.]

ffmpegGUI, sounds like it might have the same problems though.

[lordsmurf]

Works fine for me.
But I've also got Sound Foundry Soft Encode 1.0 ... hate it.
And then the built-in conversion of DVDit! PE 2.5.x is pretty good.

[FurrBear]

It can be difficult to find a copy as Sonic Foundry discontinued it some time back, but their SoftEncoder is what I use. I'm glad I've got it, too, since I was absolutely shocked to discover that they want almost as much for just the AC3 plugin for Vegas 4 as for the upgrade from Vegas 4 to Vegas+DVD! Maybe those Dolby Labs royalties are higher than I thought....

[lex7]

In latest versions of BeSweet GUI if you try to encode to ac3 you get "Error 85: support for ac3enc.dll had been removed due it its suckness!"

[spectroelectro]

Despite claims that BeSweet produces non-standard AC3, I've never had problems with any of the DVDs I've authored using BeSweet. Be warned, however, that BeSweet itself is impossible to use as the user interface is so grossly maldesigned that it is intensely user-hostile. Instead, get BeSweet and the GUI front end AC3Machine. Unlike the BeSweet GUI, AC3Machine actually makes sense and lets you change the setting in a comprehensible way.
BeSweet's command line syntax was created by a sadist. It makes APL look straightforward, so if I were you I would stick with the GUI and avoid trying to use BeSweet via the command line.