VOB --> AVI; Import problem in Premiere

[The Writer2]

Okay, here's the scoop. I've been cut-off from posting this question for 24 hours, to "search for what you're looking for." I've done that, and today at work finnally found what I was looking for.

I used this guide to help me out. (i.e., tell me how to do this right.)

Well, everything went fine and dandy. A few bumps here and there (due to my skipping lines in my haste to finish this before midnight...It's now 2AM) but otherwise no serious issues that prevented me from continuing on.

Now, overall, I've simply been trying to get a short clip (one of many I'll be using in a presentation once I can replicate a flawless process, i.e., one that works) from a DVD into an AVI that I can happily load into Premiere Pro 7.0 without difficulty, blunders, etc.

Now, after choosing the clip I wanted, seperating that into an AC3 and AVI using DGIndex (All settings here were fine. Only audio track demuxed was the English one, and I used the Force Film option) and VFAPI Reader. Yay. I then proceeded to compensate for a -501ms delay using AC3 Delay Corrector.

Okay, so everything's good. I use Creative Media Player (Came with my Audigy 2; I'm into sound stuff; use Reason a plenty) to check that the AVI actually works, and it does. No audio, but that's a "duh" thing at this moment.

So, on to VirtualDubMod. Here, I apply a resize filter to compensate for the aspect ratio it was shot at (2.35:1) by resizing to 720x306 (to get my lovely 16:9 aspect ratio, which is what this should be at). I also take out the letterboxing, as there will be no need for big lines of pure black. (Besides which, I plan to crop stuff in Premeire, so it's a moot point.)

I then proceed to use the Xvid codec (2-passes) to create my AVI. (I've already gone to the Steam menu and added my AC3 file from before, the one that's been "fixed") All settings are fine, bitrate's at 1500KB/s, and I'm good to go. I wait awhile, and it's all over.

Great, right? No. I joyfully go to Premiere and import the finished AVI. The import status bar hangs from the get-go. Nothing happens. My smile goes blank, and I try again. Yet again, nothing.

Okay, "this is fixable" I say. I play the AVI in Creative Media Player again to make sure it works, and it sure does, with audio and the whole bit. So I then decide "well...maybe it was something crazy afoot with the Xvid codec, so I'll just go with uncompressed. No letterbox stuff this time either. Just resizing." I, much to my annoyance, forget to add the AC3 file to the steam (this turns out to be a good thing). But, I let it run though, and later -- 3GBs later -- I have my AVI clip with no audio. I import it into Premiere (I can only imagine what the Windows virtual memory and page files look like now ) and voila, there be my video clip, in all it's glory.

Okay, so I move on, and redo that uncompressed AVI now with the AC3 file tagged on. Everything's happy and copisetic. I get my 3-and-then-some-GB AVI handed back to me. I import it into Premiere, and again, a monkey throws a wrench in my smoothly running machinery. Yup, that's right, the import status bar hangs...again.

Well, now that I've determined that the problem had nothing to do with the video in the first place, and everything works fine in Premiere without the AC3, I'm lost without a compass. I have tried to import the AVI and AC3 seperately, and I might have found the root of the problem, I think. I get and error message that there is "No importer found that supports this file type."

Okay, I get that. Pro obviously doesn't have a bloody AC3 importer...Anyone got a link to get me one? Or, have I more potentially frelled up something earlier?

I'll continue searching for something that'll work, but right now, being at home and on dial-up, my choices are rather limited. (I found something by the name of ac3decoder.zip, and apparently it can downmix AC3 audio to normal WAV...or somethin' of the like. 5.5 MBs though, so I shall go through with posting this now rather long post.)

EDIT: Cripes. AC3 Decoder is Shareware, so I'm really outta luck. (I'm in the midst of finnancial difficulties, along with trying to get this presentation, and many other things, done. Eugh.)

Well. Any suggestions, ideas, help, anything at all would be most appreciated.

[mikiem]

You can use ac3 filter to play back, but AFAIK you can't import ac3 into prem or vegas or much of anything else where the intent is to edit. Generally the creation of an ac3 file is the very last step -- in prem you'd export the avi to whatever format, export the wav to ac3 etc... assembling the results with your choice of DVD software or muxers.

In your workflow have DGIndex convert the audio to wav, with your choice of options -- can go back and do it now, re-using your video renders. Import that ac3 in prem, do any adjusting if nec for delay, then output your choice of wav or ac3 or whatever.