Is it possible to convert MKV to DVD and preserve 5.1 Dolby sound?

[bija]

I am using a Mac and have used different video conversion software and am able to convert MKV to DVD and other formats, but I never end up with anything that has 5.1 Dolby sound even though the original does have it. I get 2 channels of sound no matter what I have tried. I am wondering if it is even possible to convert video to play on a DVD and preserve the sound?

[midders]

First off, what format is the audio stream in your MKV file? If it's AC3 or DTS, then you can just extract it with MKVToolnix and mux it into your DVD.

Assuming that it's AAC which is more often the case, then you'll need to extract it as above and then convert it to AC3. On a PC this would be simple using NeroAACDec/FAAD to convert to wav and then eac3to to convert the wav to AC3. I believe that FFMpegX can use the FAAD decoder for the first part of this conversion (just google FAAD Mac) but after that I'm not sure; try googling for a Mac AC3 encoder, or use a PC tool in an emulation window.

Slainte

midders

[bija]

According to QuickTime Pro the soundtrack is already AC3.

[guns1inger]

At what bitrate ? The Bluray spec supports AC3 at higher bitrates than DVD allows. If the mkv file is taken from a bluray source the bitrate could be as high as 640 kbps, and will have to be re-encoded down to at least 448 kbps.

[midders]

At what bitrate ? The Bluray spec supports AC3 at higher bitrates than DVD allows. If the mkv file is taken from a bluray source the bitrate could be as high as 640 kbps, and will have to be re-encoded down to at least 448 kbps.

Although the DVD Video standard supports a maximum AC3 bitrate of 448kbps, many DVD players will cope with higher bitrates without a problem. If in doubt try it on a DVDRW to see if it works...