VirtualDub output audio to PCM when direct stream copy is selected

[pchan]

Hi All,

I have a video clip with AC3 audio. I select Direct Stream Copy for audio. But the output audio is PCM and not AC3.
I am using version 1.9.1.1. What have I not done right ?

Thanks in advance.

[poisondeathray]

Did you use an import plugin for vdub? If so which one?

Some import plugins will decompress the file (uncompressed) so if use direct stream copy it will be uncompressed output . eg. directshow import plugin will do this .

[pchan]

I use DirectShowSource to load MTS video clip into VirtualDub. Is there other ways around it ?

[poisondeathray]

I use DirectShowSource to load MTS video clip into VirtualDub. Is there other ways around it ?

avisynth frameserves uncompressed audio & video

workaround is tsmuxer to demux audio from MTS , in vdub , audio=> audio from other file, select demuxed audio (and audio => direct stream copy)

[kodec]

Jumping on the old thread, similar problem. MKV, AVC with ac3 sound. VDub "audio direct stream copy" is giving me the PCM on the output. Extracted ac3, remuxed with previously extracted audio using "audio from other file - direct stream copy", still getting the PCM in the final AVI mux. Anything else to try here?

[shekh]

When selecting "audio from other file" watch which plugin will do it. You want to avoid ffmpeg, directshow etc.

[kodec]

Hm, I don't really know which plugin is in default use upon selecting the audio from other file. The lower drop down menu "Files of type" is set on "all files" upon opening the audio... Further below "all files" many plugins are listed, so I should manually switch to one of those, but which one?

[shekh]

What is file format? And what plugins you have installed?
Audio-video interleaved and Wave are internal decoders but I dont know if they support ac3.
Maybe save to mkv and use mkv demuxer to make sure

[kodec]

Input file format? Mentioned earlier, "MKV, AVC with ac3 sound." Here is the drop-down menu with plugins under "audio from other file" dialogue:

[shekh]

Extracted ac3

Extracted to which format? You may use different drivers for video and audio from other file, so what is audio file format affects which driver you use for audio.

But wait, why extract it at all...

[kodec]

Aha, I have used gMKVExtractGUI to extract AC3 to AC3.

[shekh]

Maybe try audio from other file, "Matroska files" and give it original mkv

[kodec]

Just tell me, I don't understand what do you mean by "give it original mkv"?

[kodec]

Aha, sorry, you mean not to extract the file at all but use the original AC3 from MKV with the Matroska files plugin, get it, will try

EDIT:

Ah, yes, I don't know how to change VDub default plugins, is there a way to do that? So in order to force Matroska on AC3 I still have to extract the AC3 first and take it "from other file" after all?

EDIT 2:

Just occured me that you meant to choose the MKV container itself for the "audio from other file". Ok, will try that now.

[hello_hello]

kodec,
The probkem is, you have some sort of ffmpeg plugin for opening files that aren't AVI, and it always decodes the video and audio, therefore the output can only be raw video (which can be re-encoded) and PCM audio (which can be re-encoded).

When you select a file type from the drop down list (ie ffmpeg supported files) then the ffmpeg plugin will open the file. If you pick Matroska Files, then the old Matroska plugin (which I assume you have) will be used to open the MKV instead. It can output the original streams, but it's also old and buggy.

Yes, you can open the audio and video in the same file using two different plugins/methods.

It's probably easier to use ffmpeg to open the video and re-encode, extract the original audio as you've done, and then mux the encoded video and audio together yourself. What's your output format/file type?

[kodec]

h_h, just short to the last question; the desired final mux is AVI/Xvid/AC3 (=audio direct stream copy).

As I write I'm trying the Matroska plugin for both audio and video from the same file, in 2nd pass now, will report if the desired AC3 stream copy came through to the final mux.


EDIT:

Got the desired AVI. Used FFMpeg for video and Matroska for audio ("audio from other file" direct stream copy from the original MKV, no AC3 extraction beforehand). All went fine, and no audio delay.

[hello_hello]

For future reference, VirtualDub still doesn't support AC3 itself, but there's a link to the Dolby Digital plugin on the VideoHelp VitrualDub page. When you add the audio from another file, selecting Dolby Digital from the drop down box should let you open an extracted AC3 file directly, and to save it using direct stream copy. I mention that just in case opening it while it's still in a container such as an MKV doesn't work correctly with the matroska plugin.