simple question but having trouble finding an answer

[Michael Coates]

what types of audio are dvd complaint?

wav
ac3

they are all i know that work for both pal and ntsc, is there any other formats i can use? wav are massive and all i can see are issues with ac3 (not working on some dvd players) unless anyone has discovered a free one that is really really good - i read a post below suggesting one but even that came back as having flaws. i always thought mp2 worked but apparently not in ntsc players, what about m2a? - i'm need small files that are compliant basically.

i used the search function but didnt get anything back because you type in audio and dvd and it says too many responces, then i typed compliance or compliant and got no matches. i know this seems like a dumb thing to ask but i'm having trouble so would appreciate your advice. thanks.

michael x

[indolikaa]

NTSC officially supports PCM (wav) and AC3.

PAL officially supports PCM, AC3 and MP2.


ffmpeggui does a pretty good job of AC3 encoding. I haven't had any compatibility problems with it.

You CAN author an NTSC DVD with MP2 streams. There is a lot of debate as to whether the DVD player will accept the disc or not. My experience has been that this is rarely an issue, but the disc you make will technically be noncompliant, so beware...

[Baldrick]

https://www.videohelp.com/guides.php?guideid=445&howtoselect=3;56#445

ac3 is "best" but no free good ac3 encoder available as you say.

[Michael Coates]

thank you very much - what the hey, i'll give that ac3 encoder a shot.

just one more quesiton if you have time - i used besweet before and found that the volumeof the audio was significantly lower than the original wav - does this one have any similar issues? anything i need to be aware (boxes to tick etc)?

thank you again mate
michael x

[Michael Coates]

https://www.videohelp.com/guides.php?guideid=445&howtoselect=3;56#445

ac3 is "best" but no free good ac3 encoder available as you say.

hmm, now not sure what to try, as most people getting this home video will be on pal - there might be like 5 people getting it in the US so... tricky, ac3 or mp2. do people really have issues in the US with mp2? is it more likely to be a bigger problem than ac3 issues?

tough call.

[lordsmurf]

Most VCD-playing DVD players can handle MP2 audio just fine. They are equipped with MPEG Layer II audio decoders. Not all machines have to decode MPEG audio, though many/most do.

[Michael Coates]

Most VCD-playing DVD players can handle MP2 audio just fine. They are equipped with MPEG Layer II audio decoders. Not all machines have to decode MPEG audio, though many/most do.

in that case i will use mp2 and if my US friends have problems they can use their pc's! i am right in thinking they should have no problems playing mp2 in their pc's aren't i?

thanks for helping me come to a decision. fingers crossed it works out!

michael x

[ZippyP.]

in that case i will use mp2 and if my US friends have problems they can use their pc's! i am right in thinking they should have no problems playing mp2 in their pc's aren't i?

They will have to have some sort of DVD playing software installed on their computer first, of course. Edit: And a DVD rom drive.