The "convert a single VOB file to a DVD" project!! :)

[noemi7]

Question though... how is it that professional DVDs can be in PCM Stereo and not have this problem when being created?

because they are not prepared with the equipment you use :P Seriously, I don't see any benefit of using video bitrate over 7500 kbps, at least for DVDs watched with HQ home equipment. I checked a few commercial music DVDs having LPCM track, and they use VBR between 3500 - 6500 kbps.

[djdust]

Ok, I'm having a go at converting the WAV to an AC3 and am giving dBpoweramp a try but am (once again) getting nowhere... I can't find an AC3 option in it. I tried downloading an AC3 codec from the website but it's doing nothing.. Can anyone help?

[manono]

No, I'm claiming I used the original promotional video that I got directly from the record company that has a stereo soundtrack and is broadcast quality...

Hehe, I'm confused. I thought you capped this. But it's really on a disc? So, why run it through the sound card? Why not just demux? You can put it on the hard drive and run it through DGIndex and File->SaveProject and Demux Video to give you the untouched M2V and audio. You'll also learn whether the audio in the video is AC3 or PCM WAV originally. Maybe you know already, but like I said, I'm confused. If you really used the original promotional video that I got directly from the record company that has a stereo soundtrack and is broadcast quality..., then I have no idea what the problem is. For example, this soft and quiet sounding AC3 audio you mentioned earlier, how do you know it's too quiet? Just from playing the audio on the PC? The answer to that might be as easy as installing the AC3 filter and using the Loud Preset in the Config. If this is a professionally made video, the audio should already be normalized.

Ok, I'm having a go at converting the WAV to an AC3 and am giving dBpoweramp a try...

I know nothing about dBpoweramp, but a lot of people use Aften with the EncWAVtoAC3 GUI.

[djdust]

Hehe, I'm confused. I thought you capped this. But it's really on a disc? So, why run it through the sound card? Why not just demux? You can put it on the hard drive and run it through DGIndex and File->SaveProject and Demux Video to give you the untouched M2V and audio. You'll also learn whether the audio in the video is AC3 or PCM WAV originally. Maybe you know already

Yes I do. I've done all you've said and ended up with a demuxed M2V and AC3 file. The AC3 file has a too low (to me) bitrate of only 192kbps and I want it to be higher. I want the resulting music DVD to sound fantastic on the best equipment (ideally with a PCM soundtrack but failing that, I'll settle for a higher bitrate AC3). So, the original AC3 file is useless for this purpose, hence the the re-recording of a higher quality lossless version through my soundcard. To some people it may appear that I'm wasting my time but the whole point of this whole project to me is to learn the nuts and bolts of how to do all this stuff - i.e. replacing audio streams, re-authoring, etc.

So, right now, I'm at the stage where I have WAV file I need to compress down to the highest AC3 bitrate...

[guns1inger]

If you are starting with a 192 kbps AC3 audio track, then converting it to WAV and re-encoding it back to AC3 at a higher bitrate will not improve the quality, and could degrade it simply because of the repeated encoding.

If you believe the remastering you have done does improve it enough, then use WAV2AC3Enc and Aften to convert it to AC3 at 256 kbps. You can use 384, but for stereo, that is generally considered overkill.

Or keep the WAV audio and re-encode the video at a lower bitrate to make sure you can author a working disc.

[djdust]

For the last time, I have NOT converted the AC3 to a WAV. I have created an entirely new WAV from scratch. I've explained this about 4 times now including my very last post just up above.

[manono]

Yes it is. I'm not using the original AC3 as a source anymore - I re-recorded the video directly into my computer and created a brand new PCM WAV file which I then "remastered"...

I don't know. Either I'm incredibly stupid - or you are. If you used this original source video with the AC3 audio and rerecorded the audio to PCM WAV, then how on Earth can it be of any better quality than the original DD 2.0@192 AC3 audio. It's exactly the same thing, except it's PCM WAV audio with a higher bitrate. You've said this 4 times now, but nowhere do I see any evidence at all that anything besides the single source you have was ever used for anything. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and just retire from this discussion. Good luck.

[Midzuki]

manono wrote:

I know nothing about dBpoweramp, but a lot of people use Aften with the EncWAVtoAC3 GUI.

I have always used aften.exe without any GUIs.

[djdust]

Yes it is. I'm not using the original AC3 as a source anymore - I re-recorded the video directly into my computer and created a brand new PCM WAV file which I then "remastered"...

I don't know. Either I'm incredibly stupid - or you are. If you used this original source video with the AC3 audio and rerecorded the audio to PCM WAV, then how on Earth can it be of any better quality than the original DD 2.0@192 AC3 audio.

Definitely not me being incrediby stupid here. As already stated in my very first sentence on this whole thread, I'm recording from a VIDEO TAPE (which was manufactured in 1991) - you know? A physical anologue tape that everyone used to use in their homes??? Not a shiny disc-type thing!!??? This "original source video" quite obviously does not have an AC3 soundtrack...

So..

If I record that tape to my DVD recorder then use the resulting audio that the DVD produces, I have an AC3 file.

If I record that tape directly to my computer via the sound card (thus bypassing the DVD Recorder entirely) - I have a lossless WAV file.

Comprende?

[djdust]

manono wrote:

I know nothing about dBpoweramp, but a lot of people use Aften with the EncWAVtoAC3 GUI.

I have always used aften.exe without any GUIs.

Erm, can someone tell me where to find the aften.exe file? It's not in the RAR file that comes from the Aften site...

[Midzuki]

The archive contains 4 folders named "aften_x86_***".
Aften.exe is inside of them.

[djdust]

Got it, cheers!

(why 4 folders with the same file though..?)

[Midzuki]

(why 4 folders with the same file though..?)

Because older processors still deserve some consideration.
(which means each folder has a different version of the same executable).