Recommended tools for converting AC3 to AIFF?

[Rrotz]

I pulled MAC3Dec from the tools section but it creates a 2gb AIFF file from just a 15mb AC3 and doesn't playback anything in quicktime. I'm using OSX.

Any recommended freeware converter from AC3 to AIFF?

[albloom]

What's magic about AIFF? I just used MAC3Dec on a 31.8mb
AC3 file, selected MP3 as the output format, and got a 15.9mb
MP3. Which plays quite nicely in QT.

[derrickec]

What's magic about AIFF?

Well, from an editing standpoint, its fairly crucial. I'm guessing thats not what albloom's wanting it for, but I work with AIFF all the time and am constantly converting MP3's to uncompressed.

On that note, albloom, iTunes does a nice MP3 to AIFF conversion (although it won't handle AC3). You could convert to MP3 using MAC3Dec, and then use that file to convert to AIFF with iTunes. The resulting file won't be small, but it shouldn't be 2 Gigs.

[albloom]

Crucial for editing? Not for Amadeus, which reads and
writes a variety of formats. Besides, as a close personal
friend of albloom, 'twas not he who asked the question.

[OmegaSupreme]

You can use MPEG Streamclip to do the conversion. Open the ac3 file and select demux to AIFF. If you have a 5.1 file use the audio mode to select which tracks to convert.

[derrickec]

Crucial for editing? Not for Amadeus, which reads and
writes a variety of formats. Besides, as a close personal
friend of albloom, 'twas not he who asked the question.

Whoops, misread the posting names. My bad.

Specifically, I edit content for broadcast on television. I work almost exclusively with uncompressed (at least for my final edit). So, for what I do, I require the highest possible fidelity. Any compression can lead to unwanted side effects when your program goes out over the air. For me, aiff is crucial.

[AeroQ]

Hi,

If you use SimpleMovieX, you can not only convert to AIFF, but also do some basic editing and resyncronize with video signal.
SimpleMovieX v3.0 now displays audio as a waveform like in iMovie.

Note that I'm the developer of this little app.
http://www.aeroquartet.com/SimpleMovieX/



For AC3 to work, you must install free codec A52Codec 1.7.2 and your AC3 files must have an AC3 extension (AC3 in upper case characters. ac3 will not work)

Regards, BJ

[Rrotz]

Hope this provides more information but I am using the audio tracks in DVD Studio Pro.

Basically, I am pulling files from Final Cut Pro and sound files are in AIFF. Should I just simplify and export the audio tracks to MP3? Does this help cut down file sizes but still retain quailty?

[guns1inger]

MP3, even at 320kbps, is lower in quality than uncompressed audio or even AC3 at lower bitrates. It should never be used as an intermediate format if you value the quality of the audio.

[Rrotz]

I seem to be having bad luck with most of these utilities. I am using OSX 10.2.8 if this helps.

I'm taking a 4mb AC3 file and running it through mAC3dec and it is creating a huge 2gb MP3 file that does not playback.

Do I need any other extensions....er plugins?

I just need to get a format that is able to import into DVD Studio Pro.

[guns1inger]

DVD Studio Pro can't import an AC3 file ?

[Rrotz]

Getting error codes now with mAC3dec:

mAC3dec encountered the following error:

Could not open data fork of new output file

Err# -49

[Rrotz]

DVD Studio Pro can't import an AC3 file ?

Says file type not supported.

[guns1inger]

Where did this AC3 file originate ?

The problems you are having suggest it could be corrupt in some way.

[Wender]

Yes, DVD Studio Pro handles AC3 files with no problems. There must be something odd with your AC3 file in some way.